This is a long and boring post. Skip it if you're just tuning in for the next installment of the soap opera on this thread...
Well, frankly I'm appalled at the attitude shown here by pilots from both mainline and BACE. Of the pilot's I personally know from both groups I have heard nothing like this sort of self-defeating bulls**t, so I can only hope that this thread represents a minority.
I am one of these apparently much detested cadet pilots, sponsored by BA, and very grateful for it. BA, in particular those responsible for the TPS program have been extremely supportive and pleasant, and for that as well, I am grateful. Without the sponsorship, there is *no way* I could have afforded to put myself through training, either through parental contributions or loans. I resent being told that I somehow have less of a right to my expectations of a career because I haven't suffered enough "hardship". It hasn't been financially easy, and I am still in debt.
I believe that the pilot community as a whole has a right to as good t&c's as it can manage to achieve, and those t&c's should not be determined by what state your company is in, but by what similar professionals in the working population get (Doctors? Maybe. Certainly at least lawyers, accountants and market peers). If your airline can only make money by paying its employees less than its competitors, there is something wrong with its business, and asking employees to effectively subsidise its profits is not on. BA seems to concentrate to a great degree on precisely what conditions its pilots work under - as though somehow this is the determining factor in whether it makes a profit. Well, BA feels it needs (currently) around 50000 people to fly its 300 odd aircraft. If you're telling me that barely 3000 of these people determine the profitability of the operation, you must think I came down with the last shower of rain. With the specific example of sending the RJ's to BACE, if these 150 pilots are the make-or-break factor for BA, it may as well give up now. But they're not. You know, and I know, that the reason BA is up Airway 5H1T with a double engine failure, is the gross inefficiency (mainly unnecessary backroom employees) in the airline.
Tinkering with the pilots is simply a convenient thing for managers to do whilst they ignore the more serious problems. And while the pilots and BALPA get obsessed with these trivialities, they aren't dealing with the fundamental problems of the airline and putting any industrial muscle behind forcing necessary changes out of the company, or protecting their t&c's.
If you say you are happy and don't want better wages, I'm sorry, but you're stupid. There are no marks here for altruism. Equally, if you're more concerned with putting all your attention towards blowing out a candle whilst the house burns down around you, you aren't too bright either.
I'm sure that RJ's going to BACE will not result in better t&c's for BACE, nor will it make the BA group profitable, so why do you want them? I'm sure that in the medium term there will be a facility to move from BACE to mainline, so why do you want fewer jobs available in mainline? BACE looks like a great operation (perhaps barring the extra management heaped on them by BA) to work for, and if you wish to be based in the regions, and find your t&c's acceptable then that's great. However there is little point in disadvantaging your colleagues elsewhere for no benefit to yourselves. Who knows, a change of circumstance in the future may mean you wish to move to mainline afterall...
With regard to my own situation, I am told that Mainline will not be requiring my services for at least 18 months, more likely 2 years, and if I'm lucky I might be offered a contract with BACE in the meantime. I would be very happy with that, and will certainly take it - I love flying, and need a job. I do however resent the fact that I am also told BA mainline need pilots now - however to avoid actually employing them they wish to scrap their existing FTL's and squeeze more hours from their existing pilots, not to mention free up a couple of hundred (approx 12 months further delay to recruitment) pilots by moving their a/c elsewhere. I certainly can't believe BALPA are accepting that. You might say I should just be happy BA paid for my license, and I am, but I don't think its right that they should be overzealously delaying recruitment, preventing me from having a career in *any* industry whilst dangling me around on a string. Certainly not when the efficiencies they wish to squeeze from my chosen career are so negligible compared to what needs to be done it's almost unbelievable.
I hope that made sense.
Cu.
PS If people want to flame me loads for this post, then fine, but I'll then delete it, and you'll look silly, and your post will be pointless. Aha.