BA Short Haul lifestyle

[Willing to sell soul]

Hi all,

Looking for info on the Airbus SH roster, how many on/off and how many night stops etc. Also, the starting package for an F/O. Lastly, as 319's are going to LGW, what's LGW like as a base?

Many thanks in advance.

WTSS

[TheKabaka]

HI WTSS

In order to work to the min hours required each month you will do blocks of work (5-7 days) within those blocks can be anything from day trips to 5 day "tours", which obviously means 4 consecutive nights away. Each day can be anything from no work (day off down route (standover in BA speak)) to 4 sectors.

Night stops are usually 14-18 hours and follow either an early start or an afternoon start. You have controli your seniority of where you go, when you go and how long the trips are. At the start only as preferences on a blind line (a roster given to you by BA), but later after about 6 months on the 'bus you will bid for "trip line" of work. You will also do 2 or 3 reserve (standby) months in you first year, reducing to les than 1 a year after about3-4 years in.

Starting basic I think is £48500 and expect £10-15000 in allowances each year. As you may be able to tell I like the lifestyle with little time change and large variety of destinations.

My April roster is

1-3) off
4-5) 2 day trip (2*3 sectors)
6-8) 3 day trip (1 sector, 2 sector(1pos), 3 sectors)
9-22) off (one weeks leave and "bid around for more time off)
23) day trip (2 sectors)
24)-25 2 day trip (2*3 sectors)
26-27) 2 day trip (2*3 sectors)
28 -29) off
30-2) 3 day trip (3 sectors, 4 setors, 3 sectors)

[DownloadDog]

Hi,

My April roster is as follows:

1 Off
2-7 Six days of work, with 3 nights away. 1 night min. rest.
8-9 Off
10-13 Four days of work, 8 sectors, 3 nights away.
14-19 Off
20-25 Six days of work, with 3 nights away.
26-29 Off
30 Two sectors

Life is pretty chilled.

Good luck with the job hunting, feel free to PM for more specific questions.

[Dogma]

Download - looks busy enough to me, are the night stops any good? otherwise it must be a total drag (knackered aircraft, cabin crew, etc.)

[Cough]

Flip side of the coin, from LGW... (I prefer day trips coz of my family...)

14 day trips (2 sectors each day, scattered through the month, Mon-Fri only)
4 days on standby. Called for a nightstop on one! OMG! Total 74hours flying.

I am 30% from the top of the seniority list.

Lower down there are lots of doubles available. If you are after N/stops from LGW there are plenty!

ATB

(ps ed to add, on 737 at mo, but will swop to the bus to keep my lifestyle!)

[Donkey Duke]

Can you give an example of where the longer turns are from LGW(sector turns each day)? Do you enjoy the 737? When you go to the bus will you go to LHR?

[Boomerang]

April

1-2 2 days six sector trip
3 daytrip
4-13 off (with duty free week, worked 7-10th (4 day trip 10 sectors) for overtime
14 day trip (since become day off since taken away for training)
15-17 3 day six sector trip
18-19 2 day 4 sector trip
20-24 off
25 daytrip
26-28 3 day 6 sector trip
29-30 2 day 6 sectors

Required credit/hours 86, actual (without overtime) 96 (with overtime 116) So this is a really busy roster! Still have 11 days (inc 2 weekends) off! As a commuter it's pretty hard work :)

[dlav]

April:

Reserve! :sad::*:(

[Willing to sell soul]

Thanks all for your replies, much appreciated. :ok:

Can I just clarify, starting at the bottom of the seniority list, would I be more likely get day trips or overnights? Or is it a case of whatever everyone else doesn't bid for, thats what I would get? I also have a family and would prefer to return home after a days' high altitude tea drinking :E

WTSS

[Hand Solo]

At the bottom of the list you'll mostly be touring. Most people have a family and prefer to return home at the end of the day, so all high credit day trips are senior trips. A junior pilot will mostly be doing 3, 4 or 5 day early tours over the weekends. The junior lifestyle isn't that great and seniority for a command on the Airbus at LHR has dropped to 8 years this year, the lowest it's been for a very long time!

[brit bus driver]

If it helps provide some balance, month one in the company (well, you know) looks like this, assuming I get through the rest of the course.....


1-2: 2 * 3 sector days. UK nightstop. Training
3-4: Days off
5-6: 2 * 3 sector days. UK n/s. Trg.
7: Off
8: 2 sector day trip. Trg
9-10: Off
11-12: 2 * 3 sector days. UK n/s.
13: 2 sector day
14: 4 sector day
15-16: Off
17: 2 sector day
18: 4 sector day
19-20: Time assignable
21-23: Off
24: 2 sector day
25-26: 2 * 3 sector. N/S more exotic than UK!
27-30: Off

A fairly mixed bag but 16 days (inc the time assignable) off. A mix of report times. As expected - and expectation management has to be the key to enjoying it in the early days - no weekend days off.

[RMC]

Apparently there is a bus driver who commutes from Melbourne:eek: surely part time and well up the seniority list.

[TheKabaka]

A big bonus of working for BA is your roster never changes. So if you work for an airline where your plans are constantly disrupted by roster changes (I know I did) whatever you get at least you can plan around it.

[Nigel_the_Normal]

Life is fine. I wouldn't recommend commuting though.

There is a SH Captain who is literally counting the days until he can go back to being an FO on the jumbo. Hates everything about his lifestyle and continuously moans. Why you may ask?

He is a junior Captain and lives 500 miles from work.

He even moaned that he had to work Christmas Eve and Boxing day and that didn't suit living at the other end of the country, and all.

[Willing to sell soul]

Does anyone have the up to date payscales for SH?

Thanks again!

WTSS

[brit bus driver]

Posted on the net somewhere I think, but starting is £48,500 plus allowances of 10-15k a year.

[blackred1443]

and the all important question for me!!how long before you start getting weekends off in ba as f/o on either long or short haul?

thanks in advance

[Hotel Mode]

Thats going to be fleet dependent because it depends how many people get rercruited below you. LGW 319 would be good if you joined in the first batch (despite carmen) because although you will still be bottom of the airline list, within that fleet you'll be top as its a new fleet and there are no internal moves to it. A320 LHR has a more constant turnover so you'd creep up relatively quickly. 737 LGW would be worst option at the moment as you could end up stuck as the most junior pilot on a shrinking fleet.

[Mach trim]

hello all,

Are the new Junior new hires going sh or long haul ?

how is it working ?

Are they putting new hires dep with jet experience on long haul ?

thanks

[Mungo Man]

Latest advertisement said requirements for long haul was >2500hrs if memory serves

[Arthur Dent1]

Sounds fairly intensive to me.

At least T5 makes things easier...ouch

[RAFAT]

I'm not sure of the hours requirements, but as far as I'm aware, and the case is similar with Virgin, is that to go BA long haul you must have jet time to satisfy JAA Zero Flight Time Training rules. I personally don't understand that rule myself but there you go.

[GMIMA]

Hi

What are the best night stops on the Euro fleet? ie the minibus?

ta

[Fil]

I personally don't understand that rule myself but there you go.

I can't remember the exact numbers something like 100 hours of a multi engined aircraft over 25 tonnes with total hours in excess of XXXX.

What it means is that you do not need to practice take-offs and landings in the aircraft, just the sim. So the very first time you actually get into the aircraft, take it off, fly it,and land it (ok crunch it) you've got passengers on board...it's a full revenue flight. Being ZFT rated means you do a sim ride after your skill test just to fly the required number or circuits.

You will see 737's and 319's pounding the circuit occasionally these days but no longer will you catch a 747 (or 757, 767, 777) doing it. As this is a BA thread I'm only talking about BA aircraft, other operators may well take 747's into the circuit.

[sickBocks]

Hi Fil - just as an aside here are the zft requirements:

http://www.jaa.nl/publications/jars/607069.pdf

Appendix 1 to JAR-FCL 1.261(c)(2)
Approval of Aeroplane Zero Flight Time Type Rating [ ]Courses

3 REQUIRED PILOT EXPERIENCE
A pilot undertaking ZFTT course shall have completed, on a multi-pilot turbo-jet transport category
aeroplane or on a multi-pilot turbo-prop aeroplane having a MTOM of not less than 10 tonnes or an
approved passenger seating configuration of more than 19 passengers, at least:
(a) 1500 hours flight time or 250 route sectors if a flight simulator qualified to level CG, C or
interim C is used duering the course; or
(b) 500 hours flight time or 100 route sectors if a flight simulator qualified to level DG, Interim D or
D is used during the course.
When a pilot is changing from a turbo-prop to a turbo-jet aeroplane or from a turbo-jet to a turbo-prop
aeroplane, additional simulator training approved by the Authority shall be required.

[The African Dude]

Hi chaps/chapesses, has anybody here made the jump either from eJ to BA or BA to eJ, and how have they found the change in lifestyle? Would be interested to hear a comparative view of the two SH lifestyles, obviously tours and nightstops are not the norm in eJ but other than that?... *curious*

[bigjarv]

Why not ask this question as a new topic! Would be really interesting to see peoples opinions!

[ChocksAwayUK]

Yeah, I second that. I was planning on making an 'ez to BA, how is it?' style topic if I get through Day 1 next month. I'm sure there'd be a lot of interest and some useful responses.

[The African Dude]

Ok folks, have done as suggested! Good luck Chocks, and let us know how you get on.