BACityFlyer info-Rosters etc, DEC [Archive]

DK150

27th May 2018, 19:00

Hi,

I'm not a skipper but will attempt to answer some of your q's. I know there isn't much info around.

Work atmosphere - This may vary between the two bases. Typical to most companies there does seem to be a "them and us" culture between workforce and management.. This may well be bred by the guys that have been here for a while. The main gripes are long days and salary. There are some rather uncivilized duties compared to my previous TP gig, but that's to be expected. As for the salary, It's not exceptional however ultimately we do fly regional jets and It's a marked increase in my previous take home anyway. Accept it for what it is and don't expect any niceties from the brass and It's quite alright. In my experience the fleet managers are more of-the-people and will want to help you out. If money, and to a certain extent, work-life balance was the main motivator, J2 is arguably a better option if you could. Trips away with good crew can be pleasant, and make up for any moans.

Rosters - I can't accurately comment on Cpt rosters however they're worked fairly hard. Earliest start in UK can be just before 0500L I believe (Which is an ongoing BALPA issue as It is said to undermine the scheduling agreement), there are some night flights in Summer for which I understand you are given an extra payment and some days off. Four-day trips fairly common, some of the nice ones involve a couple of sectors a day with the rest of the day free, but the downside is the ultra-early pickups from the hotel. Overtime is available should you want to accept and the payment is based on salary. £300 before tax in my case as an FO. Disruption payments are offered under certain circumstances and are not terribly rare.

Bidding - When the bid pack comes out, there are sometimes only a few days to digest the document and submit your requests, as a result I haven't done much with it. Some strategically bid so they get the days off they want. It's my understanding that at present there are only a few crew planing staff and the bids are input manually via spreadsheets thus is limited. A new system is said to be on the way. You can bid for specific trips, crews, nightstops, a late or early on a specific day if you have something on...Again I can't comment on the effectiveness. Obviously It's based on seniority. You can submit a preference for min or max touring. Leave, again I believe is manually input and Is done on a points system. Swapping is probably more of a person to person affair than to do with crew planning.

Per diems etc - May be incorrect - Subsistence allowance is something like £1.10 every hour you're away. I still don't fully understand but you get FDP in form of an averaged-out lump sum. This year I get £3600-odd.

Hotels tend to be fairly nice, mostly 4 star with one or two 5's I believe. Quite alright and usually well-positioned in town.

BALPA has a strong membership and joining is widely recommended to guard against the company potentially pulling a fast one. Perhaps, rightly or wrongly, that says something about the company culture.

At the moment selection is provided by CTC/L3 or whatever they're called this week. I think DEC do Tech paper/Group ex's/Interview/sim and so cut out the maths/pilapt. Confirm that as I'm not sure.

It's a touring airline, If family time is a priority It might not be for you, esp If you have a long commute to LCY.

The figures on pilotjobsnetwork are accurate. If touring suits you, you don't mind working for your money and you can handle the salary, It's OK.