Trip Lengths

[Pax Agent]

Hi guys.....I did try searching to no avail and thought i'd just ask away!
I was trying to figure out how trip calculations work. For instance when they say a 3 day trip is that for example..........

Day 1 - LHR - JFK
Day 2 - JFK - LHR (eve deparure)
Day 3 - Arriving back into LHR morning of the third day due to time zones etc...

And what happens when you fly east and have the days shortened/lengthened...........soz i just can;t get my head around it all. I'm sure it must be based on always working in Zulu times to ensure min rest but my brain hurting now! lol! :ugh:

My interest is in BA and QF trip lengths and what they actually mean in reality as these are the two airlines i have lined up.
Also any1 advise which you think is a better option.....QFUK or BA mid fleet??? I don't know which has better prospect for a career etc....just worried i might get bored at QF with single a/c type and limited dests etc...

Any help would be appreciated as i'm driving myself mad with decision making! lol!

Safe flying every1!

Pax agent (tho i'm now crew!) XXXX :p

[flystarboy]

Hi there!

You are right, in that a BA 3 day trip is out on day one return night of day two and arrive day three. All BA flights are timed in GMT/UTC/Zulu whatever you want to call it, and they take into account the legal amounts of rest needed. It works keeping everything rostered in one time zone as there are many variable zones including 1/2 hours!! So if the rostered everything in "local" times it would be confusing.

As regards to your choices between QFUK and BA mid fleet there is no longer a BA Mid fleet. I presume you are referring to the "single fleet" at Gatwick. This fleet will offer the opportunity to do a mix of shorthaul and longhaul flying. The Shorthaul side is very work intense: upto 4 sectors per day. The longhaul will probably involve 2 sector night stops on some Caribbean routes and possibly 1 sector extended (ie 2 local nights) destinations.

Apparently the new fleet at Gatwick is being classed as BA mainline however the opportunity to transfer to Heathrow (s/h or l/h) may take a very very long while. There is also the possibilty of being able to bid for your work as currently on Gatwick E/f but how that will encompass the longhaulside remains to be decided .


Hope this helps if you need more info PM me:)

[apaddyinuk]

I wont add too much because Flystar seems to have summed it all up nicely.
But if you intend on making a career out of the industry may I recommend BA over QF for the very simple reason that even if you decide you dont enjoy the flying, at least there is a huge number of opportunity's within the company itself be it cabin crew management or elsewhere. Also like Flystar said, if LHR is really what you want in the long run then you at least have the chance to put your name on a list regardless of how long it may take.

[Pax Agent]

Thankyou sooooo much guys! Really helpful advice! :D
Shame the trips aren't a little longer really it seems awfully short to me but hey-ho lifes a bitch! lol! :ugh:
Short haul isn't a prob for me as i'm doing that now and still like the hands on approach you need on the slightly more aged a/c generally put on the s/h routes.
Will definitely apply to BA as well as take the offer of a QF interview just to put as many eggs in baskets as i can!
Also the next dilemma is timing....my current contract finishes at end of OCT and that would mean that instead of dipping out of another month @ my current airline i would hope to apply in august.....for an interview in sept to get a training d8 in oct/nov. is this realistic??? Also the current BA recruitment is open till 30th July and i know it's been constantly extended but would it go into august so i can apply then??? Just if i apply in this batch it might be a tad too early. U see i want to wait till end of contract as we may get a rather lucrative offer if my hunches r right! Then again i am a man! lol!

Cheers guys....ne advice is helpful.

Safe Flying.....Paxy X

[tuismile]

Not sure if BA will extend their recruitment drive, however they are rather quick with their responses. I applied mid may, had an interview date two days later. Had the interview, then my offer came through the next day...all done in about 2 weeks. Although my training didn't start till three months later! so if you apply now, you may get a training date for october.

Also when they gave me a training date, they did ask me if it was convenient for me i.e I could change it, which isn't bad either I guess. I'd just say apply for it while you know they are still recruiting. You've got nothing to lose afterall...

Good luck and hope to fly with you soon!!!

[apaddyinuk]

Regarding BA this year is a little unusual as they generally seem to finish their new entrant training in the early summer but it does seem to ongoing this summer.
However, BA usually start their new entrant training for the following year as early as October so you may well be in with a chance. But having said that this is not written in stone!

[Pax Agent]

Cheers for the response......ok i'm gonna apply tomoz. Got a nice easy flight tomoz so will be back home in plenty of time to sit down and do it properly.
Anyway off to bed as im flying in like 7 hours!

Ciao! X

[banewboi]

ba are goin to be continually recruiting til about february, they have 2 ne course a week until november and need 900 cc online when the final long haul routes are transferred to single fleet in february, this is not taking into account and fleet expansion, leavers or retirements.

[flying-again]

If you get offered both go for QF, think you may regret joining BA - run while you still can

[Pax Agent]

why do u say that??? I've heard quite the opposite? Pls explain.....

[flying-again]

Just personal opinion right up until my last day I did not enjoy working for them as I said this obviously differs from person to person, I joined on World wide fleet LGW and then transfered to Eurofleet LHR, at first I enjoyed the destinations and most of the time the crew were a laugh but abit dull sometimes which I am sure is the same anywhere, when I transferred to LHR I found it very hard to adjust I dont think I ever saw most people that I few with ever again let alone worked with them again, when walking into briefings allot of the time I found the crew could not be bothered to even remember your name or try to bond as you probably hardly ever see that person after that day or trip. I found it the most isolating airline that I have ever worked for (3rd one) loved both previous airlines as the bases were smaller, probably about 700 crew at LHR which was nice as you got to know people but did not always fly with same people - just gave you a chance to build rapports with your collegues and know what there personalitys and sense of humour was like.

Even when I handed my notice in you had to hand your manuals into Answers and get that signed then your pass over the other side of the airport and your bar key somewhere else then uniform over the other side your diners card somewhere else, the list went on you need to take a day off work just to escape from that airline and if everything is not signed off by the authorised signatory then they hold your pay back, I can understand that everything needs to go back but they really make it hard right until the end.

The only thing that I am glad about with regards to BA is that I now have them on my CV which looks good but that is it, no descent memories and smile when I see some moody unhappy looking crew member on the bus and just think aggghhh bless I know what you are going through

[ozskipper]

Hmm, I'm in two minds as to whether to air this publicly or not, but I will and suffer the flaming I may get.

If you think your going to get bored flying with QF then it's probably a waste of time applying, especially if you intend to jump ship as soon as you can. The job isn't just about destinations and how many a/c you are certified on - well not in my mind anyway and it's pain in the proverbial flying with crew who think it's a holiday they're on!

I know there's probably a common view that you might as well use each airline as a stepping stone for a better a position etc, but it's quite frustrating working with people who see the role as a temporary.

The majority of the people who fly out of the LHR base are quite dedicated and I have to be honest we probably don't need anyone less.

Anyway, think carefully about why your applying and what you want from the role. There's nothing worse for you (and other crew) than flying with someone who thinks they've won only the second prize.