When you want to join BA Mainline (which by the way is exactly what Willie Walsh doesn't want you to do because it will drive up his training costs) you will be exempted the initial application assessment and fed straight through to interview.
If you are successful then you will start at the bottom again in mainline with a mainline seniority number as an FO on your starting fleet.
What BALPA are trying to secure is that OS pilots get a mainline seniority number on joining OS. That means that you can retain your place within the company seniority structure after your initial OS bond is concluded.
This will also allow mainline pilots to fly for OS, on the reduced pay package (its voluntary to go to OS) and, if a command is taken, return with that command course to the mainline. As it currently stands OS command courses are not valid for the mainline (
).
There is no ill feeling or animosity between OS and the mainline per se. The ill feeling is towards the management idea that mainline pilots will 'contaminate' (their words) OS and cause it to fail. That is the 'nub' of the dispute.
Good luck with the application and enjoy the flying. Hopefully this will get resolved and we can all be one happy airline family again
W2P