I don't mean or want to be confrontational, but saying BA "won't suit all individuals but for someone joining an airline today and wanting to be in the UK, it's the best place to be" does seem somewhat contradictory??
Other airlines (including in the UK) offer things that BA can't offer, simple as that. It may be heads and shoulders above the rest for you, based on your own set of personal career wishes, but I would be careful to subscribe to the idea that your personal wishes are shared universally.
Chocolateracer, I agree with some of what you say but not all -
Best job security going - looking at the financial histories of said companies it would be very easy to argue that the likes of the middle east airlines and even easyJet have better job security than BA (granted I ignore the Flexicrew issue at easyJet). I doubt there has been anytime at all since the formation of these companies that permanent employees have feared for their job security. That can certainly not be said for BA.
Best variety of flying- agreed.
Best pay in UK - on paper, but most probably not in reality under the new 34 year paypoint scheme when considered across a whole career. Granted it depends on several uncontrollable factors, least of all being time to command.
Let me prefix this back of a fag packet calculation argument with the assumption you make captain in 5 years at EZY. It is also only a comparison of short haul pay, which seems fair as someone choosing to fly for easyJet over BA would not be likely to have long haul flying at the top of their wish list.......
As a new joiner in BA you would need to be a captain with 19 years in the company to reach the same level of pay as a newly promoted captain with the orange brigade. Similarly an EZY captain with 10 years loyalty bonus earns the same as a 21 year captain at BA. At this point the EZY pay doesn't increase any more, so from year 21-34 you earn more at BA, but only an average of circa 12000 a year more for that 14 years. The average amount less earned in the preceding 21 years will be notably more (for example, a year 5 FO at BA would earn over 40,000 less in just that year than a 5 year captain at EZY).
The point here is not to try to be quantitative with numbers, because there are always going to be variables, but simply to be indicative in showing that BA is not necessarily the best paid job in the UK. In fact it is unlikely to be so. Similar although less compelling arguments could be made for Monarch with their rapid expansion and consequent relatively short time to command.
Best rostering - as long as you are senior. Debatable as a junior. Some
prefer bidding systems where seniority isn't the be all and end all, but a fairness system is used. Other airlines offer this and have happy employees as a consequence.
Excellent staff travel packages worth a gross figure of at least £50,000 if used for long haul trips - enough said by others on this, but doubtless a great package.
OK pension - agreed. Still pretty good by UK standards, but I am told that the pension deal at Virgin is better.
Excellent infrastructure and a good operating philosophy - agreed.
Like I said, I don't wish to be confrontational. I just think it is evident that whilst BA is still a great job it is not the stand out job it used to be.
Last edited by Full Left Rudder; 20th Dec 2012 at 17:11.