It is a shame that this forum is often anti-BA. My own feeling is that certain people have a grudge to bear, for whatever reason, against the airline, and vent their anger on Pprune. Whether they have been unsuccessful when applying for a position with the company, or have experienced a poor flight, they seem intent on bad mouthing BA at every opportunity.
Following the above reports from a Captain and member of cabin crew, I thought I'd add my tuppence worth. I'm a relatively junior FO with BA, who joined through the cadet scheme. Before I started flying on line, I too was a little apprehensive after hearing legendary stories of nightmare Captains and crews. Of the 150 Captain's on my fleet, I can name 2 with whom I'm not overly keen on flying. That leaves 148 ladies and gentlemen who are fabulous to work with. Professional, dedicated, and also just as important, a great laugh. As for the cabin crew, they are just the same - a great bunch of people.
I think (and hope) the days of toffee nosed, aloof, snobby crews are long gone. BA's recruitment is great in that they take people from such varied backgrounds, particularly via the cadet scheme. This in itself destroys any form of elitism. I'm just some normal bloke who went to a normal uni, and got lucky by getting employed by BA. I treat everyone with the same respect whether they sweep the streets or Captain a 747.
As a company, BA have their faults - That's inevitable with an organisation so huge. The internal politics for example, never ceases to amaze me. However, they generally treat staff very well. I worked for several blue chip companies before BA, and in my opinion I'm far better looked after now than I was elsewhere.