Hi all,
As a current loco captain based in EDI I'm trying to quantify the drop in income that would come with a move to BA LH. For those that would say "try using the search function" I have read each and every page of this 117 page thread and have found snippets aplenty but would like a few things confirmed (as best anything can be on an anonymous forum)
1. Net income £4200? What is the approximate range around that? One poster mentioned worst of £3500 and best of £5500. That's quite a range if true.
2. Commuting costs. One poster mentioned "£94 a pop", would that be the cost of a staff travel round trip from EDI (after the six months of course)? Do you get staff parking anywhere other than london? I often see BA crew in EDI staff car parks but perhaps they're cityflyer.
3. Conversion course costs. I feel I know the answer to this but I assume that I would be liable for all accomodation costs during my initial training as it would be at my "home" base. If so, how long is initial training including conversion course?
4. Leave. Sounds like a complex business so not looking for a full run-down but as a junior pilot (and would be for some time as DEP LH) is it realistic to get at least one family-holiday sized chunk of leave during school holidays (whichever holiday) each year?
5. Blindlines. I understand that this means the company gives you what they want but does it mean that you get "undesirable" trips or is the downside purely that you have no control over days off? Is it a case of pot luck and you may get a good commutable roster with good destinations or you might not? Or is it the case that these lines generally generate downright unpleasant rosters.
6. How many trips on average would a blindline generate for LH? (To help work out commuting costs) and how many nights per month on average would a LH pilot need to spend in a london B&B as part of commuting (perhaps too variable to answer)
Answers to any of the above would be very much appreciated. I know I want to do the job but I need to know the nitty gritty first and have my eyes as wide open as possible. As someone with a family/mortgage/blah/blah I need to know the above before committing . I know the answers will largely be bad news compared to my current deal but it's a question of how bad.
Hopefully any answers will be of use to others in a similar situation.
Thanks in advance.