British Airways - CC Industrial Relations & Negotiations

[Re-Heat]

I'm not actually comparing those two to BA at all, as - which jetlegs rightly points out - they are not directly comparable to BA. The point was to reinforce the point that valid comparisons between BA and airlines providing similar service - say LH - are valid (and have also been largely ignored so far in this thread except in relation to the LGW operation).

A comparison under different circumstances between jetBlue and AA (with a different product from BA entirely) reveals completely different service quality under otherwise equal circumstances. Yes, I am completely aware of rostering practices in the US, seniority structure at JB compared to AA, and the fact that AA do the bare minumum on their flights while JB have built it around the "product" and the multitude of other background influencers, none of which should have an end effect on the customer. It returns to demeanour and motivation of the employees.

If therefore LH are able to provide the same quality of service as BA with legal minimum crew, that demonstrates that providing that service with legal minimum crew complement in BA should indeed be possible to at least the same quality, but also that the crew complement is totally unrelated to service standards to the extent that duties can be fulfilled in the time available given business class size.

I am a realist - if you do wish to reduce crew to absolute legal minimum, you may have product degredation on short flight time services with maximum Club accomodation simply due to the time allowed for the service that has to be provided: a direct comparison with LGW and LHR services to AMS is perhaps impossible unless you know Club loads and compare like for like. The point is that, if on average LH is able to provide a comparable service with fewer crew per aircraft, it should be possible at BA as well, business class accomodation being equal.

I return yet again to my BA inter-Germany example in the age when full meals were served to all.

Returning to demeanour and motivation of crew - it is clear and I think something that everyone on this thread can agree upon that cabin crew (and indeed most) management within BA is terrible. The basics of employee motivation are impossible in a poisoned environment that has been facilitated both by the union and management, engendering what have ultimately become uncompetitive working practices, hidden by a strong monopoly position at Heathrow that has enabled higher than average yields to cover this and many other costs that BA carries as a legacy from its past.

However, that is not a defence of the status quo.


Unfortunately or not, I know exactly what I am talking about both within and outside of BA.

Apologies if my initial post on the above was not as clear as I have now made it, but it was to highlight above all demeanour and motivation of employees.