From what I could gather In previous years, applications go through BA, those selected are passed on to FTO's who will assess each candidate internally. They will choose the top X candidates based on BA set criteria. They are then handed back to BA for final selection.
This process tends to differ from other schemes, where the FTO will take the initial applications, and then pass off the top X candidates off to the airline for final selection.
Last edited by pug; 16th Oct 2013 at 12:39.