Tandemrotor,
I do actually agree with you that BACX candidates have a real starting advantage in being guaranteed an interview. I also totally agree with Hot Wings, that if the candidate has not done his/her homework on BA, OneWorld, and all the other issues currently affecting BA or will do so in the future, then they shouldn't progress to the next stage.
BA do not owe anyone a living.. indeed if the candidate couldn't be bothered to prepare, then I would query their motivation entirely to their occupation. But of the 188 who don't get through, do you really believe they ALL couldn't be bothered?
Certainly not everyone is going to make the grade, but if even half got through to day 2, then your approx 90 candidates get whittled down by 90%. Do you really think that is a normal attrition rate?
I am not going to get involved in BA bashing, as they have provided income to my family since BOAC days, and I do think they are still really high up most pilot's aspiration list (maybe not as much as it used to, but there are still a huge number of applicants), but if you compare BACX success rates to those of 'outside' applicants, I think you may be quite shocked at the difference.
As I said, I have no personal agenda; on my day I made a b@lls of the sim, but the applicant with me was excellent, displayed all the right crm points, good decision making, good flying, etc and still was deemed unsuitable.
It doesn't make any sense for there to be any agenda, BA have seats they desperately need to fill, and yes it is their trainset, so they decide what hoops you have to jump through, I merely wonder at how poor our guys are at getting through those hoops.
Please don't allow this to degenerate into another 'them and us' slanging match. That is certainly not what I intend from my post, I simply am putting forward my viewpoint on the matter.
Cheers, RM