Bored at BA, time to move on...

[ChewyTheWookie]

Recognising people is one thing, getting to know them and become friends with them is something else...

I am a little disadvantaged in that I moved to the area for the job and previously I lived over 200 miles away at university. Unfortunatly most my friends all moved back to their own corners of the country but I didn't think much of it as people assured me that I'd make loads of friends at BA...

I have to disagree with you over point 2, I've made plenty of proper friends in every job I've had except this one.

I often find myself drinking with the flight crew and have been very grateful for their company on many a nightstop. Sometimes I simply yearn for a bit of company from someone who I have slightly more in common with (as I guess everyone does from time to time) which is why I'm considering a move to charter.

[capt.cynical]

And here I was thinking that generation X were the most self indulgent,whining know it all's of all time.
Chewy you must be the new Y improved model.
The reason your older crew dont socialise with you is that maybe they dont like spoilt immature upstarts.

[SkySista]

This is sounding more like an AA post than a CC post...

Chewy, I ca nsympathise with you, but... I have no idea where you nightstop, however... I knew a girl once who had the same problem on nightstops. No-one wanted to do anything. So what did she do? She went out and about on her own (within reason and taking adequate measures for her personal safety) got around, spoke to the locals, found good places to go or things to do/see... took a camera, had a ball, and discovered lots about the places aside frome the 'packaged' touristy places...

for example, having a beer with locals in Ghana, playing soccer with kids is South America, etc etc.. it's amazing what will come to you if you look for it...!

Best of luck whatever you decide!!

[AOskippy]

Cherish what you've got

Chewy,

As many people have told you, you are in a job they can only dream of, surely there are older people, but it's the fact in airline industry, a charter airline does not guarantee younger crew either. Being 30 something myself, i found younger crew boring too, all they think about is having fun; nothing wrong with that, but you shouldn't expect other people go out with you as you wish. That's the beauty of being a crew, you get lots of 'me-time' for yourself. Trust me, plan your future whilst you are young and capable, life is not all about having fun. Find your own way in your slip ports, learn a language or study if u wish, your life will be much more focused. Stay happy, we've got a great job, don't give up.

[sinala1]

Well I have to say that this is the least helpful thread I have seen on the CC forum for a very long time... Its surprising the number of people who have all jumped in to have a go at Chewy without actually reading what is being said...

The point is that Chewy is not bitching about his/her job or the people he/she is working with, but more to the point is saying that its not making him/her happy. Sure, BA may be a lot of peoples dream flying job, but not everyones. Its like perving on someone - what you find attractive may be totally different to what the next person finds attractive etc.

There are times when we all have to work in jobs that we don't like or are not quite right for us, but what I like is that Chewy has admitted that BA right now is not where he/she wants to be, however would like to stay flying.

Chewy I suggest you go for Long Haul at a different airline - Virgin, Qantas etc - different corporate cultures altogether. Yes the pay and conditions wont be a patch on what you have now, but as you have quite rightly mentioned, its not always T & C's that make you happy at work. Be sure that you want to leave BA, because I would imagine its hard for you to get back in, however only you know whats going to make you happy.

Good Luck!

[london wasp]

Chewy. If you are considering a change to maybe charter work, why not have a look at Monarch? I know some people seem to enjoy knocking the company but you could do a lot worse. This is from someone who has been there for 15 years now!! I realise I may be no "spring chicken" anymore and you are looking to mix with people of more your age group but I'd say the average age group is 20-25. We do a mix of shorthaul charter and sheduled and longhaul charter. Trip lengths are between a night stop to 7-10 days away. You'll be fleeted on 3 aircraft types, one of which would be the A330 which mainly does longhaul.
I'll sit here waiting now for the usual abuse of how bad Monarch is and how crazy you would be to even consider a charter company, but if you are that unhappy at BA it might be worth looking into.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

[SuperStewardess]

ChewyThe Wookie.. As an ex-B.A. hostie myself on that very same fleet, I found it very hard myself to adjust. I enjoyed it and will never knock B.A. as a company, they were very good indeed, pay & condtions etc. I'm 35 now and have been in this 'game' for about 15 years. Aviation never ceases to amaze me in the fact that it literally never stops & is always changing. there are alot of airlines out there and I really think it varies greatly from 'north and south' also. The best paid airline apart from B.A. I believe is 'easyJet' my friends tell me that as an employer, they are very good & although you work very hard (at certain bases) the pay & conditions are very good. average take-home pay for crew is about £1400-£1500 & pursers about £1600-1700 realistically. The futures bright, the futures orange!

[Zenna Fobyer]

Chewie,

Do us all a favour and leave BA and go and mither, whinge, at another company, the problem will still be there, ................ YOU!

You should consider putting some effort into life and stop thinking you're this wonderful young person who is God's gift to BA and everyone else!

Take a reality check for goodness sake!

Hands Solo. I couldn't agree with you more.

[ChewyTheWookie]

Sinala, London Wasp and Super Stewardess, thank you very much for the helpful posts.

I am absolutely appauled at some of the responses on this page, what sort of people do you think you are? (ZF, capt cynical)

HOW DARE YOU HAVE A GO AT ME SIMPLY BECAUSE I HAVE A DIFFERENT OUTLOOK ON LIFE TO YOU.

This is the exact problem I have at BA, there are too many people around who are willing to slag you off because you different to the average.

Zenna, why the hell am I the problem? I don't like my job and just because it's everyone else's dream doesn't mean I should love it. By the way, before I came to BA I was a sound and lighting engineer, I loved it, but I'm sure most of you would have hated it. IT'S CALLED INDIVIDUALITY, WE'RE ALL DIFFERENT, IT'S NOT A BAD THING. You tell me to "put some effort into life". Well that's what I'm doing now, putting the effort in to find a job I enjoy more and I'm just getting abuse for it...

[SkySista]

Chewy... another idea occured to me... I'm not sure if BA has a social club or newsletter or anything... but I have heard of people putting up notice looking for roomates etc... why not try one something along the lines of

"Chewy, 23y.o. is looking for like-minded BAers to meet for coffee/outings/clubbing etc, perhaps buddy-bid on trips. Interested in movies/bands/shoes/cars (whatever)...."

you never know there may be more like you who think there is no-one in BA they have anything in common with, and would be overjoyed to find someone they have common interests with...

perhaps also try the BA forum to see if there's anyone in your base on Prune.. I have met quite a few people from my city (and others) here that I've become good friends with and go out with quite a bit!!!

And as others have said, do your homework, have a look at all the options and see if the grass really will be greener for you somewhere else, whether that's charter or somewhere else within BA

[pondskipper]

I really cant get over the mentality of some of you! chewy is just merely expressing that he is unhappy where he is and is asking us for advice on where he can go. We should be supporting him not offending him. Just shows how twisted some of you are.

Why do some of you think BA is the dream job? Just because its the biggest certainly doesnt mean its the best. Have you actually worked for every airline? If so then i think you would be entitled to give an opinion.

I certainly would never want to go to BA exactly for the reasons chewy was stating. I am with a small airline that flys long haul and i love the fact that i go into the crew room and know 70% of the people. While we are downroute the crews always stick together and are always having room parties and going out etc. It makes the job much more fun and exciting. And the passengers notice this as well as the crews bond alot better and have fun on board as we all know eachother.

But again this is not everyone's cup of tea either. We all have different goals we want to get out of our job.

If you have nothing positive to say on a forum post then it would be appreciated if you dont post any reply at all.

Happy flying everyone. All for one and one for all!!

[Kosher Class]

I think some of the friction here is partly caused by the fact that Chewy seems to think ALL BA crew are old and have no life (correct me if I'm wrong Chewy). Well, that is certainly true in some cases, but I've been at BA for a while now (shorthaul) having moved from another airline, and without doubt 95% of crew have been a sheer pleasure to work with. But then age doesn't bother me.

I'm not going to stoke the fire here, I've given my recommendations. Chewy, you should deffo check out Virgin, BMI and maybe a few of the charters. Best of luck, hope you find what you're looking for. Do what's in your heart and you'll be fine...

[mk124]

Hey chewy transfer over to Gatwick EF...i'm not boring!!!!

[EI-CFC]

I am absolutely appauled at some of the responses on this page, what sort of people do you think you are?

You can't always get answers that are ones you like to hear - which unfortunately seems to be the root of this problem. You are coming across as a little self-centred (whether intentional or not). Other peoples lives (your fellow crew) don't revolve around your wish for a social life. It's really hard to tell from a distance, but maybe you're enthusiasm to go out and party might be a little off putting to some of the more senior crew? Maybe the isolation it's something to do with how you approach other people and how they interact with you in return?

So your job is a bit boring. Welcome to the world. You have two choices - you make the most of a bad thing by doing things on your own (and a career in BA is hardly the worst thing in the world, or you leave and find some new territory. If you feel that the risk of doing that is worth it, then try it. Fingers crossed that you won't feel the same 6 months down the line at a new airline!!!!

[KTPops]

I can't believe how negative everyone is being on this thread! Has Chewy really said anything offensive about his colleagues? Has he slagged off BA or his t&cs? NO! He is purely stating his opinion about his job, something we are all entitled to do.

This may come as a surprise to all the negative posters on here, but BA may not be the holy grail that everyone imagines it to be!
I know! I'm as shocked as you are!! But different strokes for different folks after all...

Customer care and safety procedures aside, a HUGE proportion of our job is dependant on how you get on with your colleagues. I fly long-haul so relationships I form onboard and downroute are a large part of my enjoyment of the job. I can see that Chewy feels the same.

It is not a criticism of BA to say that a large number of it's employees are more mature and have other priorities over us "young upstarts." This is certainly not a bad thing, but you need to have things in common with your fellow CMs, especially when you're all stuck downroute in a hotel for a few days. If you don't, you can end up feeling lonely and isolated.

My advice to you Chewy, is to think very carefully about leaving BA. You don't want to rush into something you may regret later. Saying that though, you should never be afraid to try something new if you think it would suit you better. I LOVE my job working for Virgin. Yes the money could be better but it's not half as bad as some cynical people on this forum will have you believe! We have amazing trips to amazing destinations and the crew are a scream. There's a huge range of people of all ages and walks of life. You could never complain about a lack of diversity or not finding someone you have things in common with! Right, I'll stop blowing the VS horn now! If you have any questions, please PM me.

Good luck Chewy and don't listen to these cynical people who probably haven't read a word you've posted anyway!

KTP xx

[TFlyguy]

Not being a BA worker I dont know if this is realistic .......

Could you ask for maybe a 1 year career break to go and try another carrier - see how you get on and if its not what you expected you still have BA to fall back on!

[MissApproach]

Chewy.......
Some people hey!? I think I understand where you are coming from but maybe from the other side of the fence.
I worked for Virgin for a few years and I was one of the "older ones" It was great working there but I had alot of financial commitments and commuting costs so I decided to go back to short haul-senior position that paid alot better.
Anyhow what I was going to say is...
You sound like a Virgin boy. The crew have a great laugh there. And they choose people for their PERSONALITIES. At your age life is for living-go live it at a fun airline like virgin! I'm not saying BA isn't fun because I haven't worked there but they are 2 extremes in my opinion and if one doesn't suit you then the other one probably will-that's if like you say "you love flying".
Good luck whatever you do. Even if it is charter, not my choice but we are all different. You may get a senior position in a charter company.
Sunny

[Honeytruck]

Chewy, I really don't think it's an age thing. I had the opposite problem to you - I was substantially older than most of the crew I flew with. And yet my gripe was the same: I was very often the only person up to do anything, other than sleep, Phone Home, or lie-by-the-pool (WW standard, for when even sleeping in hotel rooms gets too boring). And no, I had no interest in discussing other peoples' kids, had none of my own, and the mere word "m*rtg*ge" induced rigor mortis. It still does.
Reading through your posts, I suspect you are indeed in the wrong job. I say that not in a facile spirit of "If you don't like it, s*d off!", but because the truth is that there is very little stimulation in the work itself. That's not necessarily a problem, if you can find it elsewhere. If you can't, for whatever reason, you are staring lunacy in the face.
Have you thought about looking elsewhere?
I did and don't regret it for a second. Which is not to knock the job; there was much about it I still miss. But one day, it was time to move on.... Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Gatwick07]

Firstly, well done for getting BA longhaul..... however I know how you might feel. I'm just about to leave a charter airline and go to a scheduled one. I'll be going from a mixture of long-haul to short-haul only, as I've done the whole "long-haul" thing. I'm also 23, so I'm not speaking from a older person's perspective.

I'll just warn you that the pay is less in UK charter than BA, you don't necessarily work longer hours (not in my airline, one reason I'm leaving is because I don't work enough!) but you do get to know everyone, you can have great fun on trips, you can spend up to a week away each time (sometimes more) however you have to do some busy shorthaul "bucket and spade" flights in between. The working conditions are worse eg. galleys are made smaller so more seats can be added, pax ALWAYS complain about legroom, but I guess you get used to that. There are a few pros and cons.

The general emphasis of this post is that different airlines suit different people. No-one can make the decision for you, but for your sake I'd hate you to join a charter airline only to realise you prefer BA after all! Sometimes people think "the grass is greener on the other side" when it isn't. But if parties is what you want, then go for it!!!

[Zenna Fobyer]

[QUOTE=ChewyTheWookie]Thing is I don't actually really want to go to longhaul as the problem I have on shorthaul will be 10 times worse and I'll be stuck with people for much longer.
QUOTE]
No mate, ........ they'd be stuck with you!