Four engines, your faith in the upper management to have learnt lessons is reminiscent of BALPA looking into eyes of management days before we announced a profit. They have exceptional track record for not learning any lessons. 9/11 - 2009, J2000 seat and the current UCS shambles. Its becoming public knowledge that SRB and 'The Ridge' had a stand up row on a New York, this was approximately one week before he announced he carefully considered retirement, all is not well. In very challenging industry we are far too capable of shooting ourselves in the foot, repeatedly, with both barrels.
Some people will have very good reasons for joining us but I think they should do it with open eyes, and appreciate the precarious position they will be in. I had the good fortune to join ahead of a recruitment bubble, so have always been protected, knowing that if they come that far up the list the company is doomed. The people joining now will not have that luxury. We also have the uncertainty of the impact of losing BMI as a feeder.
As for city centre hotels, I assume you are not referring to New York.
Also, the Overtime/day off payments come with caveats, whilst they do exist it is not that straight forward. The day off payment, you will pocket a neat £50-60 after tax, for you TCX guys, that is not an hourly rate for working on a day off, thats it! so if you are lucky you'll be able pick up a take away with your money. Overtime requires careful management of your roster for the entire year, as there are only a few ways for getting the cash and a hundred ways to disqualify yourself from the money. I joined with the hope paying for holidays, cars and boats with the cash I'd earn from the scheme, but it has never materialised. If the overtime or DOP is to be had, it is normally indicative of some "omnishambles' in crewing or rostering, which means you'll have been shafted some how.
All of this we now face with no BALPA, they are dead for a generation, "Never before in the field of industrial relations has so much been lost, by so few, for so many". The PPU an unknown quantity until it gets off the ground, but will undoubtedly further divide the workforce.
That said, I'm sure people will still join, many for the very same reasons that I did, and despite what might think I still do not regret it, but if I'd joined on the 747 I probably would.