Staff Travel in Retirement

[ExSp33db1rd]

British Airways are to retrospectively deny their older, long retired, pilots ( and general staff ) access to Staff Travel. Although always described as a concession which could be withdrawn at any time, never a contractual right, it was nevertheless an expectation that anyone granted the concession upon retirement could expect to receive it for the length of their retirement, i.e. for life.

The new scheme only allows for the Staff Travel concession to be utilised for the length of time in retirement equal to the years employed, i.e. I served 24 yrs. and have been retired 24 yrs. so Bingo ! do not pass go, do not collect 200 pounds, just disappear and don't bother us anymore ! ( a 5 yr. extension is being 'graciously' granted. ) Older pilots were forced to retire at 55 until recently, so by being denied 10 yrs more work, and retiring 10 yrs. earlier they effectively lose 20 yrs. concession over general staff under the new scheme.

I have some sympathy with the new scheme, but not the way it is being retrospectively introduced.

Please, I don't want emotional sentiments about 'How Lucky I've Been' from the ' We Don't Get It So Why Should You ' brigade, I'm looking for facts to help our Task Force being formed to fight the unfairness and inequality being handed out to the older retired.

I need to know if any other airline operates this sort of policy, i.e. Staff Travel in retirement only being available for the same length of time as one was employed, as B.A. are claiming that they are bringing us into line with the other major airlines ?

I especially need to know about the old established airlines, the Europeans, Swissar, KLM, Air France, Aer Lingus, Lufthansa etc. and the major American ones such as United, American, Northwest. Info. on Cathay Pacific, JAL and Qantas would be useful, too. I have data on SIA, Air Canada and Air New Zealand

Thank you for your help - and remember, you will all retire one day.

[Tooloose]

Retired Aer Lingus staff retain their staff travel entitlements for life. When CEO of Aer Lingus, WWW stated that he would abolish staff travel altogether if he could. This is not rumour or hearsay, I heard him say it myself. I suspect this is just a first step in the gradual erosion of staff travel in BA. It affects everybody. Working staff must resist this just as much as their retired colleagues.

[Lou Scannon]

I retired from what is now First Choice airlines and retained some staff travel benefits such as "last minute" and 5-15% 0ff brochure prices (The latter I have as a shareholder anyway).

I helped negotiate these and used as a measure that there had to be a benefit to the company as well as the individual. I can get the odd bargain or better deal, but the company will also benefit in having a couple of bums on seats or beds that they may well have been empty.

As I would opt for travel with the firm anyway (I know where "the bodies are buried"...but still believe that they have a really good product) this makes a pleasant addition to my life in retirement.

It will be interesting to see what the Britannia benefits are following the merger!

[BelArgUSA]

Aerolineas Argentinas -
xxx
Travel unlimited after retirement, employee + spouse + minor children.
Space available only.
Interline agreements with other carriers (ID-50, ID-75, ID-90)

[Flytdeck]

Following is specific for retired employees:

Eligibility for Travel Privileges



In order to be eligible for full retiree travel privileges, any one of following service criteria must be met:



· 25 years of continuous* or qualifying** service

· Factor 80 (age + continuous or qualifying service = 80)

· Age 65 (or age 60 for pilots) with a minimum of 10 years of continuous service ***



* Continuous Service means the date marking the start of the last continuous employment with the company, also called last date of hire (includes the number of years of continuous service on record at Canadian Airlines at time of integration in 2000). Continuous Service does not include any period where the employment was terminated and employee was later rehired.



**Qualifying Service represents a period of service as a member of a defined benefit pension (DB) plan sponsored by the Company and as defined in the pension plan rules. It is the period of employment, while a member of the pension plan, for which compensation is paid (includes any period during which the member receives indemnity from an approved disability plan; any period of leave - such as maternity/parental leave or special leave; any period of previous employment, or period of pre-employment military service that the member elected to buy back in the pension plan, if the pension plan rules so permit.





Eligible Persons



§ Retired employee of AC/Fasco/AC Jazz/Air Georgian

§ Spouse – Legal and registered Common-law partner

§ Dependent children as per travel profile.

§ Parents



Programs Available from the Employee Travel Website



§ Valid for travel on AC, AC Jazz, Air Georgian, Air Canada Vacations

§ Access to partner passes as per travel profile.

§ Access to partner Star Alliance as per travel profile.

§ Access to Service Award as per travel profile.

§ Access to C1/J10 as per travel profile.

§ ZED fares on other airlines as per individual airline.



Priority



§ Boarding in accordance with priority & length of service.



Service Charge



§ Applicable as per service charge chart

§ Subject to applicable taxes and fees



Family Affair Program



Retirees must contact AC General Reservations


Limitation



§ Advance seat selection not permitted

§ Frequent flyer mileage accumulation not permitted

§ Denied boarding compensation is not applicable

§ Online/Interline protection & interim expenses for delay, cancellation & disruption of service (IROP/SK CH) not permitted

§ Subject to AC Non Revenue Dress Code & baggage policy

§ Subject to AC code of conduct





*** Travel Privileges for Retired Employees with less than 10 years of Service



Permanent full-time or part-time employees who retire from the company at age 65 with less than 10 years of service will be eligible for limited personal passes. The retiree, spouse and children under 21 years of age will receive 2 priority C3/Y10 passes per year of service. The validity period will be equal to their length of service attained on retirement. Travel is valid on AC network only. Not valid on OAL and code-share flights. The Travel Profile will be inactivated once the employee's allotment is depleted or when the validity period is attained, whichever comes first.





RVSD 29 JAN 2008

[ExSp33db1rd]

Many thanks for all replies to date.

[uffa]

I assume that the obvious flaw has been addressed ie. that employees of other airlines who qualify for staff travel in retirement(with no restrictions) will get rebated tickets with BA whilst ex BA employees do not. Can this be correct?

[ExSp33db1rd]

Uffa - Yes, you are correct, and No, it has not been addressed, and will not unless those affected can persuade BA to change it. My reply from the BA Acting Manager - People is that the new rules,which were the subject of a 3 year Confidentiality Agreement between BA and the so called reprentatives of those about to become disenfranchised, ( i.e. don't let on to anyone what we are about to hit them with ) WILL be introduced and no further discussion or letters will be tolerated. Get used to it. Elements of ABAP - Ass'n. of BA Pensioners - have called for a fighting fund, pls.join. see http://bastafftravel.*************/ for details. ( I see the blog URL has been edited out, try www.abap.org.uk (http://www.abap.org.uk) or www.rsaba.com (http://www.rsaba.com) for details of ABAP's intentions.

[Meadowman]

To Lou Scannon

I retired from Britannia/Thomsonfly recently and as long as you retire within ten years of your normal retirement date you retain staff travel privileges. This consists of 50% off Thomson Holidays (and hopefully First Choice soon) up to a maximum holiday cost of £1100/person and 10% off after that. ie if the holiday costs £1200/person the discount would be £560/person. This also applies to qualifying family members and can be used once a year.
Interline travel concessions are also retained.

[Lou Scannon]

Thanks Meadowman.

This will be interesting!

[willoman]

Like Meadowman, I too am ex-Britannia ( retired about 6 years ago )
It is worth adding that the 50% discount on Thomson holidays applies only if the accompanying flight is 'charter'. If it is a holiday with a 'scheduled' flight, the discount reduces to 25%.
The maximum holiday cost of £1100 per person has been the same since the early 1990's and has not increased with inflation. This would indicate that the company are not too keen on this particular perk.

[Meadowman]

I also forgot that the maximum length of the holiday with Thomson is 14 days. Still a good perk though.

[Meccano]

I just stumbled across this thread from 2008.
So how did it pan out for BA retirees?

[vctenderness]

In the onward quest for political correctness we all became 'former staff' not retired!

The rules were less generous than previously and some 'status' concessions were withdrawn.


Your date of joining is now advanced so that you never gain any further seniority but retain the actual number of years served.


Also all retirees (former staff) come behind all serving staff regardless of time served when using annual concessions. This can be a bit of a bummer when you see someone with a join date of 2012 is going to get on before you and sit in a better cabin than you.


In my own case, even with the new rules, I retain my staff travel until I reach just short of 100 years old so no worry there!


But heyho as said it is a concession and not a right (contrary to BASSA view) so can't complain.

[GlueBall]

Interesting concerns in the world of staff travel. But somehow I just can't relate to MORE travel. After 20,000+ hours of global long haul, the last thing I would want in retirement is more of the same.

Just visualizing more baggage drills, security checks, being herded onto crowded airframes, having to sit in proximity of screaming infants, or low lifers who shout into their cellphones and chew with their mouths open, gives me the creeps. :eek:

[Minosavy Masta]

QANTAS does now as BA is trying to introduce ie you get your years of service as the length of staff travel entitlement.

[Heathrow Harry]

"just visualizing more baggage drills, security checks, being herded onto crowded airframes, having to sit in proximity of screaming infants, or low lifers who shout into their cellphones and chew with their mouths open, gives me the creeps."

and that's just the CC..............................

[fantom]

Well, you might care to consider we pond life.

After being with Thomas Cook since the start, we get the square root of three-fifths of FA.

Be grateful for what you have.

[Landflap]

I always thought that Staff Travel produced some income whereas an empty seat produced none. That accepted, strange that some companies are trimming the benefit. Gulfair staff reeling from the same type of cutback that seems to have no economic benefit but leaves,formerstaff , feeling a bit miffed. Mate of mine says his Staff Travel letter states " in recognition of your long service" and goes on to dictate the benefits. Now, in recognition of his long service, he gets......nothing.