British Airways - Crew Discussions II
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: France
Age: 46
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Thanks for all for information provided.
How come you can fly so many LH whereas the majority of flights from LGW is SH? I suppose you can be granted with such flights thanks to your seniority, right?
How come you can fly so many LH whereas the majority of flights from LGW is SH? I suppose you can be granted with such flights thanks to your seniority, right?
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: West Sussex
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Seniority comes into it however there are more main crew "gaps" on longhaul than shorthaul generally. Most 737 flights have minimum crew so have one purser and two main crew. 777's have one cabin manager, one Purser (soon to be two) and 8 or 9 main crew. So even if you don't bid you should get 3 or 4 longhaul trips a month especially at the moment as so many crew are on high hours.
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: France
Age: 46
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Thanks for information! I have only flown LH in my previous experience and I feel a little worried about SH. By the way, what about the OFF period? I was told during assessment that we would have 9 days every month (it's not a lot...). Can I expect more than that or they really stick to it? What about the STANDBYs? Are you often called?
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: West Sussex
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Shorthaul is so easy service wise - doesn't take long to do 
9 days off is the norm although this month I had 10 rostered. So think 9 and any extra will be a nice surprise.
I have been called on all but one airport standby and have yet to do a home standby as those days have been filled with a trip beforehand.
9 days off is the norm although this month I had 10 rostered. So think 9 and any extra will be a nice surprise.I have been called on all but one airport standby and have yet to do a home standby as those days have been filled with a trip beforehand.
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: West Sussex
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Hi Jitensha
If you are on home standby you are given a minimum of 90 minutes notice. I have yet to do a standby at home though as they have been filling home standbys a couple of days before. They tend to keep airport standbys as they are and then you wait at Jubilee house until they call you. You can get longhaul or shorthaul from either standby.
If you are on home standby you are given a minimum of 90 minutes notice. I have yet to do a standby at home though as they have been filling home standbys a couple of days before. They tend to keep airport standbys as they are and then you wait at Jubilee house until they call you. You can get longhaul or shorthaul from either standby.
Staff travel to MCO
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: YPPH
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It works out at around £140 give or take. However, you would be STRONGLY advised to check the loads, especially coming back. It may even be worth your while going to or from TPA instead, or at least having back up tickets. ATL is a good way to get there. DL have plenty of flights on both LGW-ATL and ATL-MCO.
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Northants
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I've just finished my fourth week of training at LGW and have just got my first roster. An Edinburgh, 4 Houstons and a Dallas. I'm quite surprised as I was expecting a few more domestics and europeans.
Join Date: Dec 2000
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Yes!
New Single Fleet contract at LGW, people transferring up to LHR, 900 hours limits, too many people leaving, poor quality of recruits with more failing the course, too long to get airside passes, more than expected leaving early, increased sickness, low pay.
Perm some combination from that lot and you'll be in the ball park.
New Single Fleet contract at LGW, people transferring up to LHR, 900 hours limits, too many people leaving, poor quality of recruits with more failing the course, too long to get airside passes, more than expected leaving early, increased sickness, low pay.
Perm some combination from that lot and you'll be in the ball park.
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: here there and everywhere
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I agree with TopBunk. He gets his info from where it should come from!
Having worked in the training centre myself while expecting my first baby, I can confirm that the quality of the recruits has gone down. I just cannot remember the number of various disciplinary notes/failed exams documents (wich generate points) I had to check, copy, send to the right department and then file!!! Unbelievable. This is not to say that everybody is like that, but with some courses like that, working conditions aside,it is only normal to experience such wastage in a short period of time.
Then all the other points mentioned above do the rest!!!
Having worked in the training centre myself while expecting my first baby, I can confirm that the quality of the recruits has gone down. I just cannot remember the number of various disciplinary notes/failed exams documents (wich generate points) I had to check, copy, send to the right department and then file!!! Unbelievable. This is not to say that everybody is like that, but with some courses like that, working conditions aside,it is only normal to experience such wastage in a short period of time.
Then all the other points mentioned above do the rest!!!
8 "subs" on Saturday to the usual suspects as listed by controlller.
Not sure about trainee quality being an issue, but it wouldn't help. My North Terminal moles tell me it's terms and Conditions e.g. poor roster stability, poor pay, etc leading to BA not retaining the people it managed to train. Then again I'm sure somebody somewhere did a cost/benefit analysis of all this when the "new" contracts were put in place and considered it worthwhile - bet they've already moved on before their mistakes became obvious
Oh, and the increasing incidence of cancelled BA flights has even made the French news...though I thought the French were used to cancelled flights
Not sure about trainee quality being an issue, but it wouldn't help. My North Terminal moles tell me it's terms and Conditions e.g. poor roster stability, poor pay, etc leading to BA not retaining the people it managed to train. Then again I'm sure somebody somewhere did a cost/benefit analysis of all this when the "new" contracts were put in place and considered it worthwhile - bet they've already moved on before their mistakes became obvious
Oh, and the increasing incidence of cancelled BA flights has even made the French news...though I thought the French were used to cancelled flights
Join Date: Dec 2000
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FBW
Thanks for the support
MB2
The information comes from an internal BA source and was given in response to the very same question from someone directly responsible for the crewing situation.
Oh, and btw, it's 'their' and not 'there' in that context
TB
Thanks for the support
MB2
The information comes from an internal BA source and was given in response to the very same question from someone directly responsible for the crewing situation.
Oh, and btw, it's 'their' and not 'there' in that context
TB
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: YPPH
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I too, can confirm that people have been failing the training courses.
I've been at Cranebank for a while now and have seen the LGW crew coming up for SEP training. All I can see it that a lot of them seem to be very young, which is not a crime I know but there does seem to be a lack of maturity. The staff shuttle bus does take me back to my school days with feet on seats, giggling and scowling looks at anyone over 21.
Every lunchtime I am forced to endure the sight of saggy jeans and underwear while eating Cranebank's finest.
There's certainly nothing wrong with starting young, I know I did but there needs to be a degree of maturity in cabin crew. Perhaps if the money was improved BA could attract older applicants to LGW but I know there is nothing in the budget for a pay rise. This is a shame because the on the whole, the SF LGW concept is quite good, especially with the bidding and mixed flying.
I've been at Cranebank for a while now and have seen the LGW crew coming up for SEP training. All I can see it that a lot of them seem to be very young, which is not a crime I know but there does seem to be a lack of maturity. The staff shuttle bus does take me back to my school days with feet on seats, giggling and scowling looks at anyone over 21.
Every lunchtime I am forced to endure the sight of saggy jeans and underwear while eating Cranebank's finest.
There's certainly nothing wrong with starting young, I know I did but there needs to be a degree of maturity in cabin crew. Perhaps if the money was improved BA could attract older applicants to LGW but I know there is nothing in the budget for a pay rise. This is a shame because the on the whole, the SF LGW concept is quite good, especially with the bidding and mixed flying.
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Sussex
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My colleagues and I have to try and fight our way through these recruits to get to the canteen counter every day (we are engineers in the hangar that the LGW training school is housed) and we have all remarked of late that there certainly seems a lowering of the recruiting standards. The attitude of some of these newbies is definitely shall we say questionable. That's probably why there seems to be a higher than usual failure rate.
Join Date: Mar 2007
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Totally agree, Mr Grumps. It's like you're inferior because you're not in a cabin crew uniform. You get the snarley looks that usually come from teenagers when told to clean their room.
Join Date: Jul 2007
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My daughter joined one of the mentioned airlines in July. Of the 15 that attended the interview, 8 were selected for training. One got pregnant in the meantime, so then there were 7.
of those I think 2 have been let go since, and 2 more are looking to leave (according to galley fm), giving only 3 remaining. Those that are leaving are mainly going as they dont like the work/or the time away from their loved ones. (would have thought they could have figured that out before applying!!!)
All through the training on this airline, jeans were most certainly not allowed, smart appearance in accordance with the job was the order of the day - seems the BA's standards have indeed fallen!!!
Regarding the age comments, my daughter is 19 and nearly always the youngest on the flight. she also seems to be amongst the hardest working, and all of her assessments put her well ahead of where they would expect someone with her experience. Its not down to age its down to the individual......................
As an aside this airline is reorganising and its possible my daughter's contract may not get renewed, seems like she wont find it too hard getting in somewhere else!!! (anyone recruiting pm me!!!)
of those I think 2 have been let go since, and 2 more are looking to leave (according to galley fm), giving only 3 remaining. Those that are leaving are mainly going as they dont like the work/or the time away from their loved ones. (would have thought they could have figured that out before applying!!!)
All through the training on this airline, jeans were most certainly not allowed, smart appearance in accordance with the job was the order of the day - seems the BA's standards have indeed fallen!!!
Regarding the age comments, my daughter is 19 and nearly always the youngest on the flight. she also seems to be amongst the hardest working, and all of her assessments put her well ahead of where they would expect someone with her experience. Its not down to age its down to the individual......................
As an aside this airline is reorganising and its possible my daughter's contract may not get renewed, seems like she wont find it too hard getting in somewhere else!!! (anyone recruiting pm me!!!)