Cactusbusdriver: well said! A very fair summation.
This thread is the most depressing I have ever read on pprune. Divisive, insulting, petty, and, by some, deliberately inflammatory.
We would ALL do well to keep in mind that this is OUR profession, all of us. We all sweated, planned and fought our way to the career we wanted. I think it is literally tragic to see us bicker in this way.
Most managements no longer see us as professionals, and rates of pay across the industry in the UK reflect that. Anything that divides us as a group is meat and drink to them, and I think all of us, as professional pilots should keep that in mind.
For what it is worth, I have been in BA for over ten years. Morale has been getting worse and worse and my pay is no better, in fact worse, than several colleagues in Monarch and Ryanair. I admit that there is the pension, but since the closure to new entrants, you can bet your life that the existing scheme, NAPS, will close too. "Sir" C*lin said as much at the AGM.
Cost levels in BA have nothing to do with pilot pay: I wish people could be given a guided tour of the airline and see why they are as high. A quick look at the "jobs section" of the BA news will provide a clue. Just check out some of the job titles and then see if your organisation supports them?
I do not regard myself as a better pilot than my mate in Monarch, or any other UK ATPL for that matter. I do fear for UK pilot jobs, professionalism in the face of relentless cost cuts, and for my financial future. I am sure I am not alone.
Lets all examine everything we say and do in that context and fight for the future of the profession that we all care deeply about together.