PAXboy
UOTE] My point is set above, the salary to fund a HKG~LHR commute is out of kilter with the job. It is based on contracts of last century and will not continue.
[/QUOTE]
What aspect of the contracts do you think is out of kilter?
1. Being able to afford to commute?
Crewmembers are using Staff Travel, thereby providing the company with revenue for seats that would otherwise be empty. We're talking about commuting once or twice a month, which quite possibly costs less than running a car in the UK.
2. Having time to commute?
Crewmembers duty and flying hours/days off are constrained by the Legal limits for avoidance of fatigue laid down by the CAA. BA crew (certainly pilots) run pretty close to the limit of those figures, no matter where they live. Their commuting is done in their legally required time off.
We're not talking about people ditching work or leaving work early on a Friday PM in order to be able to commute. Personally over the years I've commuted both by road from within the UK and by air (shorthaul, Europe). I've only ever been late, once, when driving, due to traffic on the M4, I've always done standby at the airport when required, and I'm often as not up near the CAA legal limits for hours flown/days worked, and I'm not the only one. I certainly know of several pilots who commute to/from Long Haul destinations. They "block" their work together, commute maybe once a month, and work very close to the legal flying hours limit.
Making Crewmembers live in Colnbrook and walk to work might make some people happy but it will probably not improve profitability or crew availability one bit.
Last edited by wiggy; 13th April 2010 at 09:00.
Reason: tidying