HZ123 et al
<Let us not shy away from the facts as stated already the GSS operation is far cheaper.>
The reason that BA's costs are so high is that we have a HUGE FIXED COST BASE, this is due to the fact that we have so many employees per hull. Now with a simple grasp of economics and accounting I think that you can appreciate that the fewer flights we have (due to GSS franchises etc) the higher the fixed cost apportionment will be per flight; with more flights then it becomes lower and you've increased your margins and hence profit.
As for
<It is the profit that enables you to enjoy a very priviledged occupation with excellant conditions far exceeding those that work ffor GSS and most of the rest of us in BA.>
We have as a dept just been bench marked with other operators in Europe such as Lufthansa, Air France and KLM. The findings of the initial research was that we worked more days for less money, for example Iberian pilots work 60% of the amount we do. If you want to talk about "excellent conditions" then shall we talk about baggage loaders who start on more money than an FO. Or GTS bus drivers who only do 3 or 4 return trips to the airport in one day and earn in excess of £40k per annum. Or perhaps Long Haul cabin crew who take home the equivalent of £36k per year as a junior?
We BA Pilots as a community have never tried to hold the company to ransom, have always conducted ourselves professionally and followed industrial legislation. Our sickness rate, which should be higher than the rest of the company, is 33% below the company average. All we are after is a fair set of Ts and Cs compared to our International colleagues and also a degree of protection from BA farming our work out to cheaper operatives. I'm not sure what you do HZ123 but how would you feel if they took work away from you and gave it to some chap in Calcutta with a laptop and phone line?
The Cargo is BA Cargo, the callsign is a BA call sign - the work is BA work.
