SR71
Before I or my colleagues take any lectures from you I would like to remind you that firstly it is mainly Capts who are BALPA members because of the high level of flexi crew in the company. Secondly this same membership rejected last years pay and lifestyle offer partly because of the huge loss on FO loyalty bonus on promotion that would have cost them tens of thousands of pounds. Other changes to the proposed FO career path were very poor. To suggest Capts at easyJet are not aware of the plight of FOs is wrong. Thirdly as already stated this new entrant contract and recruitment of experienced pilots is a result of a lot of work by BALPA, trainers, senior Captains and others.
I suggest you continue to work with the management of your present company as that is clearly your strength and thus improve the prospects for yourself and your colleagues and therefore have no need to consider any other airline.
A question to you. We had sufficient experienced Airbus applicants to fill our requirements more than twice over. In your experience of negotiating, how would you deal across a table with a very savvy bunch of managers who wonder why do we need to deal with the risk (but not the cost) of non TR pilots when we can fill all the seats with someone we can almost be sure will exit line training as a competent FO? Why should easyJet even contemplate the higher risk strategy of recruiting a proportion as nonTR pilots? The answer is there is no business case but it is a sign of hard lobbying by Pilots and some re engagement from the company.
So there you have it. A perspective from outside the company and one from within.