If I were to move down to the SE of England then I'd grab BA with both hands were I to be offered it as I still think it is the airline to be in.
However, living up North as I do the cash doesn't make up for the inconvenience of commuting.
Having worked for a previous airline with star alliance staff travel I'd have to say it's a nice perk but not the best thing in the world.
Staff travel is rubbish in in my current employer but I didn't join them for that. Any time I go across the pond I go Continental from my local airport, when I go into Europe I go with a LoCo again from my local airport! When I book a holiday I like a confirmed seat. Having once been number 54 in the standby queue at LAX to go to Auckland the stress is too much
35 years in the same aircraft to the same routes, come on! Aircraft fleets change over time and so do the routes! Ok I don't have the choice on offer that a BA pilot has but the lifestyle outside of work
to me is better. I'm home almost every night and I know my days off a year in advance.
But if you only look at the salary that BA is currently offering (probably still market leading!), my humble opinion is you are taking a very narrow view of what is on offer, that's all.
No doubt about it, the salary is market leading. For me these are the pros and cons
Pros
Job Security
Variety
Salary
Roster - stability once written
Leave - amount
Cons
Commute
Time spent away
Time to command
Roster - control of, junior seniority
Seniority, being in early thirties with current time to command
Relocation
The commute kills it for me which is why I was looking at salaries to make up for it....
I'm not knocking BA as I think it's a great company. In fact when I can I prefer to travel with BA as I think you've got a great product which knocks the spots off anything the LoCo's do on shorthaul and is on a par with VS on long haul. All I'm saying is that for me the package isn't worth moving for. Just wanted the payscales to make sure I had the full picture!
