The official 'I hate BA crew thread'.
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Scary why?
Because I repeat what I see on a disturbing amount of occasions.
- Bunk rest on a 4.40 Cairo?
- Moans on the bus when we are full of high revenue Club pax, paying our wages, because "the service will take ages"
- Threats from BASSA in their own newsletter to serve a bullying and intimidation charge on any captain who dares to interfere with CC rest, this after a captain on a Washington (remember all the cancelled ones?) decided he needed more people on duty and not in the bunks on a non-bunk rest flight?
- Remember Richard Reid? Aircraft saved by cabin crew vigilance.
Sorry if the truth is "scary".
Because I repeat what I see on a disturbing amount of occasions.
- Bunk rest on a 4.40 Cairo?
- Moans on the bus when we are full of high revenue Club pax, paying our wages, because "the service will take ages"
- Threats from BASSA in their own newsletter to serve a bullying and intimidation charge on any captain who dares to interfere with CC rest, this after a captain on a Washington (remember all the cancelled ones?) decided he needed more people on duty and not in the bunks on a non-bunk rest flight?
- Remember Richard Reid? Aircraft saved by cabin crew vigilance.
Sorry if the truth is "scary".
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Nigel, hear what you are saying, but I think you have to put things into perspective a little bit. Anyone from another airline, or SLF could totally get the wrong idea by the way you are portraying things.
YES, on a Cairo we MAY take bunk rest. But why not? We will typically get maybe 45-60 minutes rest on a Cairo. And if any of you were us, on an aircraft with overhead crew rest and bunks what would you choose to do with your (short) break? To take your rest sat on an atlas box in a busy galley? (which is of course your perogative) Or, escape the madness for 45 minutes to the quietness of the rest area and read, nap, or do what takes your fancy Within reason lol)? Saying that, we can also operate to DAR or EBB or NBO on an aircraft with NO crew rest area. Not making that point to appear like it is our right to have bunks, but just reinforcing the point that the only reason bunk rest would be taken on a CAI is because the a/c on that route happens to have them fitted.
Would either of the pilots not use the Flight Crew bunks on a Cairo for a short nap if they were tired?
YES, a minority of crew will moan when we are full in Club. But the majority of us ALSO raise our eyebrows at these people and think 'what a work shy git!'. They are no different to a minority of the flight crew who get on the bus, face like a slapped ar*e, who don't even BOTHER to say 'hello' to anyone or god forbid introduce themselves. But again, we are talking about the (unfortunate) minority.
As for the Captains authority and bunk rest issue. I believe that on the said IAD flight the Captain, without discussing it with any of the cabin crew, he simply LOCKED the crew rest area. Now surely that is not the actions of a good manager? I always find that GOOD Captains command a hell of a lot of respect from their cabin crew. If I was on a crew where the captain got all of us together and expressed a good arguement (such as the one you mention) for why we should have 'all hands on deck' or not use the crew rest area then I would certainly take notice. But just to stroll to the back of the aircraft and lock it.....?????
And as for the BASSA magazine, yes you are right. It can be very OTT and sometimes a little nasty and insulting. But fact is, at BA you would be mad not to be in a TU. And BASSA just happens to be the more effective of the two TU's we have to choose from.
YES, on a Cairo we MAY take bunk rest. But why not? We will typically get maybe 45-60 minutes rest on a Cairo. And if any of you were us, on an aircraft with overhead crew rest and bunks what would you choose to do with your (short) break? To take your rest sat on an atlas box in a busy galley? (which is of course your perogative) Or, escape the madness for 45 minutes to the quietness of the rest area and read, nap, or do what takes your fancy Within reason lol)? Saying that, we can also operate to DAR or EBB or NBO on an aircraft with NO crew rest area. Not making that point to appear like it is our right to have bunks, but just reinforcing the point that the only reason bunk rest would be taken on a CAI is because the a/c on that route happens to have them fitted.
Would either of the pilots not use the Flight Crew bunks on a Cairo for a short nap if they were tired?
YES, a minority of crew will moan when we are full in Club. But the majority of us ALSO raise our eyebrows at these people and think 'what a work shy git!'. They are no different to a minority of the flight crew who get on the bus, face like a slapped ar*e, who don't even BOTHER to say 'hello' to anyone or god forbid introduce themselves. But again, we are talking about the (unfortunate) minority.
As for the Captains authority and bunk rest issue. I believe that on the said IAD flight the Captain, without discussing it with any of the cabin crew, he simply LOCKED the crew rest area. Now surely that is not the actions of a good manager? I always find that GOOD Captains command a hell of a lot of respect from their cabin crew. If I was on a crew where the captain got all of us together and expressed a good arguement (such as the one you mention) for why we should have 'all hands on deck' or not use the crew rest area then I would certainly take notice. But just to stroll to the back of the aircraft and lock it.....?????
And as for the BASSA magazine, yes you are right. It can be very OTT and sometimes a little nasty and insulting. But fact is, at BA you would be mad not to be in a TU. And BASSA just happens to be the more effective of the two TU's we have to choose from.
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I recently flew on a BA 767 from Heathrow to Chicago. My company normally book me with United, which I have found to be a chore! With BA the flight was great. The staff were very attentive and helpful and I will ask the company to book me with BA again!
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Keeper
Without my "mischievous" head on I do agree with some of your points, but not the FC bunks bit orthe locked door?? Not what I heard. It was a simple instruction.
As with many things the minority let the majority down, however there are a small militant bunch who do seem to be driven by self interest.
99% however are great.
Still don't like BASSA though. An old boys club with their own interests at heart.
ps Mike, our 767's never go to ORD.
Without my "mischievous" head on I do agree with some of your points, but not the FC bunks bit orthe locked door?? Not what I heard. It was a simple instruction.
As with many things the minority let the majority down, however there are a small militant bunch who do seem to be driven by self interest.
99% however are great.
Still don't like BASSA though. An old boys club with their own interests at heart.
ps Mike, our 767's never go to ORD.
Last edited by normal_nigel; 5th Dec 2005 at 15:08.
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I agree about BASSA as well. They annoy me so much sometimes. I don't see why they have to be against the company so much. It's like everything BA say and do BASSA has to be against it. Unfortunately as Keeperboy said, we have to be in a union just in case anything does go wrong...It doesn't mean that we always agree with everything they say...I know I don't.
P.S. If the Captain locked the bunks, why didn't the crew just unlock them again??????? The doors are locked through much of the flight anyway, so I don't get what the fuss was about?!?!?!
P.S. If the Captain locked the bunks, why didn't the crew just unlock them again??????? The doors are locked through much of the flight anyway, so I don't get what the fuss was about?!?!?!
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keeperboy said:
No. Never happens.
Ever since a member of a 3-man Classic crew was reported by a crewmember for using the bunk on a route which didn't have bunk rest, no-one uses the bunk when not authorised.
And so now I take good note on which routes cabin crew bunk rest is allowed and what cabin crew actually do.
Would either of the pilots not use the Flight Crew bunks on a Cairo for a short nap if they were tired?
Ever since a member of a 3-man Classic crew was reported by a crewmember for using the bunk on a route which didn't have bunk rest, no-one uses the bunk when not authorised.
And so now I take good note on which routes cabin crew bunk rest is allowed and what cabin crew actually do.
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Classic wrote:
"keeperboy said:
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would either of the pilots not use the Flight Crew bunks on a Cairo for a short nap if they were tired?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No. Never happens.
Ever since a member of a 3-man Classic crew was reported by a crewmember for using the bunk on a route which didn't have bunk rest, no-one uses the bunk when not authorised.
And so now I take good note on which routes cabin crew bunk rest is allowed and what cabin crew actually do."
This is exactly the sort of petty sniping between different groups of employees that motivated me to leave BA. How childish to deny your colleagues a perk, because once someone did the same thing as you are doing!?!!?
Sour grapes?
"keeperboy said:
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would either of the pilots not use the Flight Crew bunks on a Cairo for a short nap if they were tired?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No. Never happens.
Ever since a member of a 3-man Classic crew was reported by a crewmember for using the bunk on a route which didn't have bunk rest, no-one uses the bunk when not authorised.
And so now I take good note on which routes cabin crew bunk rest is allowed and what cabin crew actually do."
This is exactly the sort of petty sniping between different groups of employees that motivated me to leave BA. How childish to deny your colleagues a perk, because once someone did the same thing as you are doing!?!!?
Sour grapes?
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I choose not to use B.A. for long haul flights for the many reasons quoted before. I was rather amused by keeperboys comment that on 95 pct of flights he has worked on, the crew have come round with juice and water between meals. Really - well can I ask the question why not on the other 5 pct of flights. 5 pct works out quite a lot of flight for a busy airline. Also is there not a standard policy for frequency of drinks or is it down to the individual cabin crew. I would be interested to know what the official policy is for drinks service.
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Hi wanderin,
I just checked out the 'Longhaul Economy Service Guidelines' on the intranet. Regarding juice rounds it states 'where appropriate'. I guess this could be left open to interpretation of the operating purser and perhaps needs to be addressed.
Keeps
I just checked out the 'Longhaul Economy Service Guidelines' on the intranet. Regarding juice rounds it states 'where appropriate'. I guess this could be left open to interpretation of the operating purser and perhaps needs to be addressed.
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Thanks for reply keeperboy. As a passenger and observer I would have thought a juice round every hour or so would be advantage to passengers and crew. Would stop passengers perhaps bothering crew in galley for a drink and would make passengers feel they have not been forgotten. But as I said, I am only passenger and observer.
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Its all perspective. For those of you all in a titter about the lack of BA service, I'd invite you to spend a year as SLF in the back on a major US domestic carrier doing transcons both nonstop and with a change of planes somewhere on (take your pick ORD, MSP, DTW, CVG, STL, PHL, or DEN). BA won't look so bad.
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Some people are saying their attacks on BA on not because they are jealous.
Years ago I worked for Caledonian Airways at Gatwick (luckily not for long). Cabin crew there used to apply to BA every year, I remember one purser saying he'd failed to 'get into' BA for the 10th time (so that's 10 years trying) it was his dream job. BA is seen as the ultimate airline to work for by a lot of crew.
There ARE jeolous people out there. A friend of mine used to slate BA at every chance - now she's 'got in' the jealous digs have stopped.
My trainer at Cal Airways used to bitch all the time about BA - guess where he now works?!!!
I've worked for 2 airlines before BA and they were FULL of bullies making your life a misery, because they were so miserable. Probably the same types posting anti-ba stuff on this forum.:rolleyes
Years ago I worked for Caledonian Airways at Gatwick (luckily not for long). Cabin crew there used to apply to BA every year, I remember one purser saying he'd failed to 'get into' BA for the 10th time (so that's 10 years trying) it was his dream job. BA is seen as the ultimate airline to work for by a lot of crew.
There ARE jeolous people out there. A friend of mine used to slate BA at every chance - now she's 'got in' the jealous digs have stopped.
My trainer at Cal Airways used to bitch all the time about BA - guess where he now works?!!!
I've worked for 2 airlines before BA and they were FULL of bullies making your life a misery, because they were so miserable. Probably the same types posting anti-ba stuff on this forum.:rolleyes
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I've had cause to post about poor standards on KLM and SAS in the recent past.
I've flown BA many times, domestically and internationally. I must say that, invariably, CC and service were good to excellent, even during rushed Shuttle flights. Ground-based staff let themselves down once during a delayed departure to Philadelphia (no info) but I feel BA is one of the better airlines. Flights with Qantas have also been very good in my experience.
I've had poor service on SAS, KLM, EK, American, Air Canada and RBA, to name a few; it's the luck of the draw!
I've flown BA many times, domestically and internationally. I must say that, invariably, CC and service were good to excellent, even during rushed Shuttle flights. Ground-based staff let themselves down once during a delayed departure to Philadelphia (no info) but I feel BA is one of the better airlines. Flights with Qantas have also been very good in my experience.
I've had poor service on SAS, KLM, EK, American, Air Canada and RBA, to name a few; it's the luck of the draw!
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Hi all,
This is my first post on the PPRUNE forums, so I hope I havent stepped in at the wrong time. However, after keeping a close eye on this thread, I thought I would air my views with regards to BA cabin crew.
I havent had the pleasure of flying BA longhaul that often unfortunately. The company I work for seem to like using the overseas flag carriers rather than our own national airline for some strange reason. However, the few times that I have flown BA longhaul, I have always been impressed by the crews very high standard of service. There may well be times when the service is inconsistant. Maybe if I flew BA more often, I would have a slightly different opinion, although I highly doubt it.
From what I have experienced though, I only have positive comments to make. I am looking forward to my next BA long haul flight to LAX in June. I know a longhaul CSM, so im kind of hoping that she can sort out an upgrade if possible. Im keeping my fingers crossed.
Keep up the good work guys and gals.
Regards,
Lee.
This is my first post on the PPRUNE forums, so I hope I havent stepped in at the wrong time. However, after keeping a close eye on this thread, I thought I would air my views with regards to BA cabin crew.
I havent had the pleasure of flying BA longhaul that often unfortunately. The company I work for seem to like using the overseas flag carriers rather than our own national airline for some strange reason. However, the few times that I have flown BA longhaul, I have always been impressed by the crews very high standard of service. There may well be times when the service is inconsistant. Maybe if I flew BA more often, I would have a slightly different opinion, although I highly doubt it.
From what I have experienced though, I only have positive comments to make. I am looking forward to my next BA long haul flight to LAX in June. I know a longhaul CSM, so im kind of hoping that she can sort out an upgrade if possible. Im keeping my fingers crossed.
Keep up the good work guys and gals.
Regards,
Lee.
