Chief willy I paid for my pilot training (an fATPL) with an unsecured loan via the CTC scheme. I assure you I have never paid for a type rating - I was lucky. People that have had no sensible choice. For example when we began selection/ training in 2006/2007 the economy was incredible - it was a reasonable thing to follow our dreams via ths method. In 2008 the bottom fell out of the world economy. We were passed the PNR. Once qualified people are in for a penny, in for a pound.
As for why BA is uncompetitive compared to easyJet, had you considered:
- we have economies of scale brought in by having a one type fleet?
- we sell more seats per city pair again bringing in...... economies of scale.
- we have more in the way of diversified affinity partnerships - Hertz generates millions of profit for example.
- our cabin is as good comfort- wise as the cabin of most major European flag carriers.
- we don't have to deal with the expense and delays of heathrow.
- we have better aircraft utilisation - our aircraft operate maybe 19 hours a day, yours maybe 15.
- our crew costs are more predictable and simple and our promotion system is meritocratic. Your pays scale offers no option to pay freeze in the event of red figures.
-your service is crap and expensive whilst ours is not bad and cheap - people will forgive us more easily.
- your company uses some relatively fuel hungry aircraft - your fuel bill, across the board is far higher than ours relatively.
- we use the cabin crew to clean the plane.
- we have local bases and so don't need to night stop.
- we don't carry useless crap on our planes like a library or 14 toilets on a 100 person aircraft.
- our 319s have 156 seats yours have 138? Do the maths.
- finally yours is more expensive because apparently yours is a premium service. Apparently.
I could go on. You assume like a mother funster. To think the reason we can offer cheaper tickets is because of flexicrew is retarded. How do southwest, one of the best payers do it? And we are paid well at the moment. I'm not on flexicrew.
I'll also say it was easyJet that created the opportunities and gave me a chance - I'm extremely grateful for that. Ba weren't offering inexperienced pilots/ cadets jobs.
Ron Swanson - cabin crew - probably that betty chick who PMd me. I'm genuinely not angry, I clearly just don't have a way with the written word.