Does BALPA choose cabin crew hotels?

[ROSIEGIRL]

I'm currently on a trip and one of the (only 2 thank God) BASSA militants were bleating on about BALPA choosing our hotels now?

I would be very surprised if this is true but the n again I didn't believe anything else she said!

Does anyone on here know?

I have left BASSA so no longer have access to their forum to ask, even if I could be bothered to endure the expected responses.

[Human Factor]

No. BALPA don't even choose the pilot's hotels.

When a hotel contract comes up for renewal, BA will look around and select the hotel which offers it the best deal. BALPA then inspect the hotel to see that it meets the standards of the pilot's hotel agreement (such as proximity to restaurants, etc). If it does, we move in. If it doesn't, BALPA can veto the move.

BALPA can also recommend alternative hotels to BA and BA will generally have a look. However, if they can't do a suitable deal with the hotel then it's tough luck on BALPA.

Interestingly, the cabin crew have no such agreements which is why in certain cities, they will not be in the same hotel as the pilots. Where they are, it is purely that a better deal could be done with everyone in the same place.

[ROSIEGIRL]

Human Factor

Thanks for that. while I didnt know the detail I suspected it was claptrap designed to stir.

[28L]

I have in my mind that Flight Ops do the hotels for Flight AND Cabin Crew, but I'm not sure if that's correct....just a hazy memory. Maybe that's where the confusion lies. Defo not BALPA though.

Edited to say that yes, so far as I can tell, Flight Crew hotels and Cabin Crew hotels are both dealt with by the same guy - who reports (eventually) to Director Flight Ops. I'm not sure how much we're allowed to say on a public forum, so I won't mention names, but I guess the above shouldn't breach any rules. (Fingers crossed emoticon)

[ROSIEGIRL]

28L

Ok thanks although they specifically said BALPA as they had "read it on the BASSA forum".

Therefore it must be true. :D

I keep hearing so many dubious "facts" that I don't know what is true and what isn't. At least you can get some answers here that at least appear to be honest, although I suppose you can never be certain.

I also recently got the one I saw on here briefly yesterday on the other thread (cant find it now) about pilots leaving their union and joining Unite. I asked the captain on my trip who said it was complete rubbish so that backs the answer on here yesterday.

Thanks for the information guys. I'll try to put her right but I'll probably be accused of being a scab, although no doubt not to my face.

After all all bullys are cowards deep down.

[P-T-Gamekeeper]

BA used to have a hotel contracts department. As part of recent cost savings it was disbanded, and Flt Ops picked up the job.

When BA pick a hotel, BALPA and BASSA inspect it, but only BALPA have a veto on it for the pilots accommodation, for a strict set of agreed criteria (noise, location, food outlets nearby etc).

[vctenderness]

I have in my mind that Flight Ops do the hotels for Flight AND Cabin Crew, but I'm not sure if that's correct....just a hazy memory. Maybe that's where the confusion lies. Defo not BALPA though.

Correcto!

Flight Ops took control of the Hotel Procurement department about 18 months or so ago.

As posted that is not BALPA or Flight Crew management choosing hotels for cabin crew.

Before the current situation, and as described earlier, BA choose a hotel (s) which they decide is suitable and meets the agreement. Then BALPA and both cabin crew unions would visit and assess that it did or did not meet the criteria. They would then accept or raise objections based on that information.

Sometimes BALPA would reject and cabin crew would accept, Narita being an example.

As cabin crew reps are still in dispute with BA I presume that only BALPA are visiting and would then have the final say.

Gatwick cabin crew did their own thing and I guess they still do.

[28L]

Rosiegirl,

I just did an Intranet search for 'Hotel Contracts Manager' and the first item that came up was the 'chain of command'.

It also came up with Cabin Crew News issue 9 (March 2010) which refers to it.

I'm happy to take that as 'Gospel' :)

[jetset lady]

Gatwick cabin crew did their own thing and I guess they still do.

As far as I'm aware, it was the same deal for LGW with reps for both cabin crew and flight crew inspecting the hotels. However, I have no idea if that still happens and to be honest, bearing in mind that they all apparently thought that putting us in the same hotel as the Jeremy Kyle guests was a good idea, then I'm not sure it'll make much difference either way! You know you're not in the best of hotels when it has Bouncers on the door 24 hrs a day, every room is a smoking room and the soap is stuck to the wall. :rolleyes:

Still, the evening entertainment was quite good....:E

[Yellow Pen]

Do BASSA inspect hotels? I seem to remember BA cutting them out of the process a couple of years ago. The 'BALPA approve cabin crew hotels' myth can be filed in the same category as 'Pilots aren't applying to BA because the cabin crew won't socialise with them' and 'Pilots are very worried about Willie and think they should have backed us'.:ok:

[IvorBiggun]

RG

Looking at the above answers between them they have summed it up.

Flight Ops own the budget that used to be with Procurement.

In the past a hotel selected by BA was inspected by

Security
Hygeine
BALPA
BASSA LHR
BASSA LGW (if applicable to the route)
CC89 LHR
CC898 LGW

As I understand it now BA (or a third party) select the hotels. It is passed by Security and then BALPA inspect.

AFAIK the BASSA no longer inspects. They either are placed with the flight crew or placed in a hotel of BA's choosing.

BALPA has no say in any CC hotel.

Hope this helps.

If it dosn't reach the standard required by BALPA agreements then it fails. The cab