Not such a large pinch needed me thinks! A friend of mine was offered a deal with BA, quietly on the side, as you say...
When i found out about it, i phoned BA, just to query the fact, and no-one knows anything about it! weird......i think if you know someone who knwos someone blah blah blah then that'll be your only way in.....
To me, i think its quite an unfair way of doing thing. The majority of pilots would love to be flying a jet with them and they're playing with people's futures and dreams - either give everyone a fair chance or none at all!