I hope BA gets back on its feet and starts recuiting more pilots. There can be nothing better for the industry if 3500(?) pilots are kept gainfully employed on good salaries. I've always admired BA and up until a year ago I wanted to work for them, had the application form but never did anything with it.. .. .The following is not a dig at BA but in response to Superstalls assumptions I offer the following...... .. .To the assertion that a BA pilot will earn a considerable higher salary than his peers the answer isn't a straight forward yes. In my old airline someone did a study into **** v BA, taking factors into account such as seniority, time to command, pension etc and with the current BA package you had to leave **** by 32 to derive any benefit. The BA package is not what it once was, a pilot in a medium sized jet operation in the UK can normally achieve command in 3-5 years and then can go onto top scale within 15 years and take home around £90k. A lot of operators offer sector pay which can generate £60-100 in sector pay, add in £20 for a night stop allowance and a 3 day trip becomes very profitable! . .. .Of course you can earn a fortune as a long haul Captain but that is not for everyone! Ever been permanently fatigued? Each to their own though...... .. .Lifestyle is a very personal thing but to find somewhere decent these days within 1hr 45min of LHR or LGW is very difficult. It's even worse if you have a family. The further out you live from LHR the more compromises you're making on your lifestyle. The assertion that BA pilot's have better control of your lifestyle is tosh, by basing yourselves in the middle of the most expensive part of the UK you've already hindered your lifestyle. So what are your options? Live 1 hour away and sit on the motorway (dead time) or commute from the regions and either live in a B&B for your working week or nightstop continuously - so who's controlling your lifestyle now?. .. .You go to many different destinations, fly many different types and have fantastic staff travel but that's not much good if you're living in a 2 bed semi/terrace in a hole whilst trying to give your family a decent standard of living!. .. .That all said if they improved the package considerably (and I sure hope they do), gave a firm commitment to those regional bases still open then it would get my vote. I still think it would be fantastic to work for them but your assumption the BA package is vastly superior to that of everyone else is a little wide of the mark, but I'm past 32 so it won't worry me!