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BMI
Hi to any experienced BMI crew at LHR - I could use your advice. I've seen this position advertised on a recruitment site and obtained an appy form - I wondered if anybody here had experience of the FAST TRACK programme? I've been flying for many years and am presently a senior, but (long story) am looking for a change.
The position is for short haul @ LHR - anybody know how an average roster might look? 6 on & 2 off, 4 or 6 sectors? Endless standby?
What's the getting messed about by crewing/the company level like at BMI? Do they leave you to get on with the job with equipment that more or less works or are you plagued with daily changes for no good reason? Is it a happy base/company. Does long haul become available after some time?
Thanks for any advice available.
The position is for short haul @ LHR - anybody know how an average roster might look? 6 on & 2 off, 4 or 6 sectors? Endless standby?
What's the getting messed about by crewing/the company level like at BMI? Do they leave you to get on with the job with equipment that more or less works or are you plagued with daily changes for no good reason? Is it a happy base/company. Does long haul become available after some time?
Thanks for any advice available.
Join Date: Dec 2002
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Bmi Fs
Hi
I applied in september for FS and had my interview in October, i did say during the interview that i had applied for FS position and was told that FS fast track was on hold at the minute due to the Bmed takeover and the positions they were offering is just for main crew, not sure how long the wait for FS will be.
Still i'm made up that i will be joining BMI and i'm desparate to get a initial training date which will be spring 08.
I know this doesn't answer all your questions from ur post it's just a bit of info!!
Goodluck if and when you apply to BMI, they seem a nice bunch to work for!!
P_G
x
I applied in september for FS and had my interview in October, i did say during the interview that i had applied for FS position and was told that FS fast track was on hold at the minute due to the Bmed takeover and the positions they were offering is just for main crew, not sure how long the wait for FS will be.
Still i'm made up that i will be joining BMI and i'm desparate to get a initial training date which will be spring 08.
I know this doesn't answer all your questions from ur post it's just a bit of info!!
Goodluck if and when you apply to BMI, they seem a nice bunch to work for!!
P_G
x
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PS
PS!!!
Longhaul is mainly out of MAN but LHR do operate LH flights and you need to apply for that position.
Standbys- not 100% sure on roster but they did mention airport standbys which are done in the crew room.
I do know that you get trained on the Airbus319/320/321 and eventually we'll be doing the bmed routes once all the present crew have been trained (bmi&bmed) cultural awareness etc..
hope this helps a bit!
P_G
Longhaul is mainly out of MAN but LHR do operate LH flights and you need to apply for that position.
Standbys- not 100% sure on roster but they did mention airport standbys which are done in the crew room.
I do know that you get trained on the Airbus319/320/321 and eventually we'll be doing the bmed routes once all the present crew have been trained (bmi&bmed) cultural awareness etc..
hope this helps a bit!
P_G
Join Date: Dec 2007
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hi
I have been crew for bmi for nearly 3 years now and even though I did hate it for the first few months I really enjoy it now.
fast track is a good idea for people joining the company as you start on better money than crew but as the wages go up after a year you'll find some exsisting crew dont bother cos people dont think its worth the extra money.
if you join now you'll be on the a319/320/321 doing shorthaul and all the bmed routes we took over as well as tel aviv which we start next year.
nightstops are most places in the uk and Dublin, Amsterdam and Brussels. And all the bmed destinations i.e tehran, beirut, addis ababa etc. Have a look on the website and you'll see the places we fly on the routes map. We dont night stop in khartoum or dakar or eketarinburg or cairo (but cairo could change as it is a **** day).
It is very hard to get longhaul unless you speak arabic. They put you on the A330 if you speak arabic or are a qualified chef(we have chefs on the A330)
The last intake onto longhaul was 2 years ago. If they recruit the current requirments are 6 months service at time of application and good record i.e no sickness etc. You then do a test and if you pass have a 2 on 1 interview with longhaul managers! phew.... but as they havent recruited in a long time I dont see it coming up anytime soon. The longhaul crew do mixed fleet flying.
Rostas are typically 5 on 2 off or 6 on 3 off but as long as you have 2 consecutive days off in 14 they can pretty much do you for anything in between! We do home standby's which has a 90 min callout time or airport standbys which are usually 6am-1pm or 1pm-8pm. And yes, more often than not you do get called so you need to live close to the airport!
I think I have written way too much and you have probably got way too bored! haha!
contact me if you need anymore info.
I have been crew for bmi for nearly 3 years now and even though I did hate it for the first few months I really enjoy it now.
fast track is a good idea for people joining the company as you start on better money than crew but as the wages go up after a year you'll find some exsisting crew dont bother cos people dont think its worth the extra money.
if you join now you'll be on the a319/320/321 doing shorthaul and all the bmed routes we took over as well as tel aviv which we start next year.
nightstops are most places in the uk and Dublin, Amsterdam and Brussels. And all the bmed destinations i.e tehran, beirut, addis ababa etc. Have a look on the website and you'll see the places we fly on the routes map. We dont night stop in khartoum or dakar or eketarinburg or cairo (but cairo could change as it is a **** day).
It is very hard to get longhaul unless you speak arabic. They put you on the A330 if you speak arabic or are a qualified chef(we have chefs on the A330)
The last intake onto longhaul was 2 years ago. If they recruit the current requirments are 6 months service at time of application and good record i.e no sickness etc. You then do a test and if you pass have a 2 on 1 interview with longhaul managers! phew.... but as they havent recruited in a long time I dont see it coming up anytime soon. The longhaul crew do mixed fleet flying.
Rostas are typically 5 on 2 off or 6 on 3 off but as long as you have 2 consecutive days off in 14 they can pretty much do you for anything in between! We do home standby's which has a 90 min callout time or airport standbys which are usually 6am-1pm or 1pm-8pm. And yes, more often than not you do get called so you need to live close to the airport!
I think I have written way too much and you have probably got way too bored! haha!
contact me if you need anymore info.
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hi party, am thinking of going for fast track position, have previous purser experience... would u kindly tell me what questions they asked u at the interview, from what u can remember?
thanks,
todd.
thanks,
todd.
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Fasttrack FS at bmi
Hi there all you wannabee FS's
The criteria for the FT FS role is that you have flown before for more than a year as CAA rules state that you cannot be an SCA on a flight unless you have had at least 1 yr's flying experience.
The usual programme is that you will undergo initial training with all the other crew. You will then fly as crew for 3-6 months. Once you have completed this satisfactorily, you will then go for your FS course which is about a week. On this course, you will be taken through the paperwork, leadership, motivation etc. You will be expected to be able to work the aircraft already.
At bmi, you will be trained the the A320 fleet, comprising of the 319/20/21. They are configured differently as the aircraft are used for different routes. Most of the 319 are one classed. The 320's and 321's are mixed classed. The aircraft that came from bmed are configured differently from the bmi aircraft. bmi aircraft have either fixed business cabins for the mid haul routes and flexible cabins for the others. Currently, mainline bmi has 7 321's, 13 320's and 11 319's.
Service wise, this is where you might get confused, as there is the normal one class service that you pay for, the business class service on 5 of the domestic/european routes, free meals for the frequent flyers, the Moscow service, the other mid haul service (ex-bmed routes and Cairo), the Jersey service and the charter service...bmi do quite a bit of ad hoc charters over the summer and winter.
Pay wise, you get about £13.5K as an F1 and you will be paid that from joining. You will also get about £2.5K London weighting from day one. You then get flight pay per hour depending on where you night stop. UK to UK is about £2 something, UK to all others except longhaul about £2.70ish. This is from report to finish. All crew will be trained to do all flights...that is one day LHR-MAN and the next day LHR-IKA etc.
You have to live within 90 minute call out from LHR. You will be rostered a mix of days...normally 5 on 2 off, 6 on 3 off, standby's, airport back-up (which you get paid for), there and back's and night-stops. Rosters are up to 8 weeks in advance, 4 weeks in hand. They are 28 day rosters and you normally get at least 8 days off in 28. Rosters can be changed up to the day and depending on weather, aircraft servicibility, sickness, acts of God, etc...and do change often. However, days off then not to change unless for very exceptional circumstances, so you can usually count on them. Anything in between is changable!!
Longhaul out of LHR is confined to the one 330 based there that does RUH and JED. All the longhaul crew also do the mainline flights. There are plans to get another 5 330's but not till 2009. There are also plans to start US and other destinations when that happens. At the moment, there are also 2 330's based in MAN doing ORD, LAS, BGI and ANU. There is a plan in place to have all the FS's mixed fleeted but due to operational demand, only a handful have done the conversion. This is due to start again in the new year so theoretically, all the FS will be able to do all the flights.
Progression wise, there are CSM's on longhual and CSPM's on mainline that is one up from FS so there are opportunities if you want to move up.
bmi as a company is not bad...not great but not bad. Have been in existence in once form or another for over 70 years. It is still considered a small company and privately owned. You will need to consider if this is suitable for you. The people working at bmi are fantastic and have a very much can do attitude. Management can be frustrating but that's management for you!! It is not BA...it does not have the aircraft, routes or size. It does not have a very strong union and the management tend to get their way when it comes to changes.
Ultimately, you will have to consider if you can cope with this and if this is what you want...the grass is not always greener but it could be different grass!!!
The criteria for the FT FS role is that you have flown before for more than a year as CAA rules state that you cannot be an SCA on a flight unless you have had at least 1 yr's flying experience.
The usual programme is that you will undergo initial training with all the other crew. You will then fly as crew for 3-6 months. Once you have completed this satisfactorily, you will then go for your FS course which is about a week. On this course, you will be taken through the paperwork, leadership, motivation etc. You will be expected to be able to work the aircraft already.
At bmi, you will be trained the the A320 fleet, comprising of the 319/20/21. They are configured differently as the aircraft are used for different routes. Most of the 319 are one classed. The 320's and 321's are mixed classed. The aircraft that came from bmed are configured differently from the bmi aircraft. bmi aircraft have either fixed business cabins for the mid haul routes and flexible cabins for the others. Currently, mainline bmi has 7 321's, 13 320's and 11 319's.
Service wise, this is where you might get confused, as there is the normal one class service that you pay for, the business class service on 5 of the domestic/european routes, free meals for the frequent flyers, the Moscow service, the other mid haul service (ex-bmed routes and Cairo), the Jersey service and the charter service...bmi do quite a bit of ad hoc charters over the summer and winter.
Pay wise, you get about £13.5K as an F1 and you will be paid that from joining. You will also get about £2.5K London weighting from day one. You then get flight pay per hour depending on where you night stop. UK to UK is about £2 something, UK to all others except longhaul about £2.70ish. This is from report to finish. All crew will be trained to do all flights...that is one day LHR-MAN and the next day LHR-IKA etc.
You have to live within 90 minute call out from LHR. You will be rostered a mix of days...normally 5 on 2 off, 6 on 3 off, standby's, airport back-up (which you get paid for), there and back's and night-stops. Rosters are up to 8 weeks in advance, 4 weeks in hand. They are 28 day rosters and you normally get at least 8 days off in 28. Rosters can be changed up to the day and depending on weather, aircraft servicibility, sickness, acts of God, etc...and do change often. However, days off then not to change unless for very exceptional circumstances, so you can usually count on them. Anything in between is changable!!
Longhaul out of LHR is confined to the one 330 based there that does RUH and JED. All the longhaul crew also do the mainline flights. There are plans to get another 5 330's but not till 2009. There are also plans to start US and other destinations when that happens. At the moment, there are also 2 330's based in MAN doing ORD, LAS, BGI and ANU. There is a plan in place to have all the FS's mixed fleeted but due to operational demand, only a handful have done the conversion. This is due to start again in the new year so theoretically, all the FS will be able to do all the flights.
Progression wise, there are CSM's on longhual and CSPM's on mainline that is one up from FS so there are opportunities if you want to move up.
bmi as a company is not bad...not great but not bad. Have been in existence in once form or another for over 70 years. It is still considered a small company and privately owned. You will need to consider if this is suitable for you. The people working at bmi are fantastic and have a very much can do attitude. Management can be frustrating but that's management for you!! It is not BA...it does not have the aircraft, routes or size. It does not have a very strong union and the management tend to get their way when it comes to changes.
Ultimately, you will have to consider if you can cope with this and if this is what you want...the grass is not always greener but it could be different grass!!!
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BMI British Midland - Direct Entry Seniors
BMI British Midland - Direct Entry Seniors
I have been in the holding pool for 7 months now for a certain orange LoCo for Senior Cabin Crew, and im getting complacent, bored, and itchy feet. My base is over crewed with FA's and Seniors, and all the other crew ahead of me in the pool are only being offered "Upranking" - a cheap way to get Seniors at Juniors wages. I personally think im still looking at atleast another 6-12 months before getting a position. Im being promised a mass expansion, but with 10/11 aircraft already, I doubt our airport could handle much more.
Im more then happy to look at moving bases to help the career progress, but its the same situation around the orange network unless you speak the language. I have however seen that BMI are still inviting Direct Entry Seniors at Heathrow.
Can anyone tell me anything about conditions, pay, etc, as to help me decide if it is worth completing the application. I've searched the forums here for more info, but to no avail. I would of thought, that with the addition of the BMED network, oppurtunites should be plentiful?
I have been in the holding pool for 7 months now for a certain orange LoCo for Senior Cabin Crew, and im getting complacent, bored, and itchy feet. My base is over crewed with FA's and Seniors, and all the other crew ahead of me in the pool are only being offered "Upranking" - a cheap way to get Seniors at Juniors wages. I personally think im still looking at atleast another 6-12 months before getting a position. Im being promised a mass expansion, but with 10/11 aircraft already, I doubt our airport could handle much more.
Im more then happy to look at moving bases to help the career progress, but its the same situation around the orange network unless you speak the language. I have however seen that BMI are still inviting Direct Entry Seniors at Heathrow.
Can anyone tell me anything about conditions, pay, etc, as to help me decide if it is worth completing the application. I've searched the forums here for more info, but to no avail. I would of thought, that with the addition of the BMED network, oppurtunites should be plentiful?
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I have been at bmi for many years and still really enjoy my job!! The crew are amazing and prob the reason most of us stay so long!! ok we all have our niggles and yes there are frequent roster changes which can be a pain but their are union agreements in place to try to limit these...but at the end of the day we all get roster changes very regularly.
The introduction of the old bmed routes means that their are many more nightstops available for everyone....which also helps with the flight pay and crew morale!!
With regards to the 330, Flight supervisors are being trained on the fleet slowly but surely without any interview or assesments required-the idea being that eventually everyone will be mixed fleet but due to the bmed takeover the 330 courses have slowed over the winter but are now due to commence again. non flight supervisor positions have not been available for a couple of years...but who knows what will happen....watch this space!
Generally speaking i think the next couple of years are going to be an exciting time at bmi...well at least i hope so!! I am sure that there are a few crew that will disagree with my opinions...but thats the same in any job...all i can say is that i am still very happy and have great fun and i am sure that all our crew will make any new starters very very welcome!
The introduction of the old bmed routes means that their are many more nightstops available for everyone....which also helps with the flight pay and crew morale!!
With regards to the 330, Flight supervisors are being trained on the fleet slowly but surely without any interview or assesments required-the idea being that eventually everyone will be mixed fleet but due to the bmed takeover the 330 courses have slowed over the winter but are now due to commence again. non flight supervisor positions have not been available for a couple of years...but who knows what will happen....watch this space!
Generally speaking i think the next couple of years are going to be an exciting time at bmi...well at least i hope so!! I am sure that there are a few crew that will disagree with my opinions...but thats the same in any job...all i can say is that i am still very happy and have great fun and i am sure that all our crew will make any new starters very very welcome!
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Hi Just come back from the ME and wifey is a former attendant and wants to get back into flying again in the UK. Can anyone tell me who is recruiting at the moment, good contacts and who you would recommend as good employers?
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bmi Regional
Could any bmi Regional crew please give me some info if you have a couple of minutes? Typical crew roster pattern, standbys, typical monthly take home for a new starter etc? Ive got an interview date coming up and would appreciate any information.
Thanks everyone!
Ax
Thanks everyone!
Ax
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Max
I think bus loads is far bigger than droves.
Trust me they are leaving by the bus load.
But if you are at least 14 years old and have held a paperound position for at least a year, then bmi will take you on as a Flight Supervisor....
I think bus loads is far bigger than droves.
Trust me they are leaving by the bus load.
But if you are at least 14 years old and have held a paperound position for at least a year, then bmi will take you on as a Flight Supervisor....
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Hahaha, royal family you make me chuckle.
Yes, BMED people are leaving in bus loads, droves, lorry loads and any other term you can think of.
You really need to think whether you want to work for a company that is causing this. These are cabin crew that have happily flown for BMED for up to 10 or more years some of them. A lot of these people left short haul or charter airlines so it is not a problem of doing the short flights. However when you are not being given an trips (as were promised) and all the original BMI staff are getting all the trips, the managers are screaming and shouting at crew in the crew room, treating the crew like children, making them work to min rest every day for 5 days on, not paying you the correct money you tend not to feel to great about your job. I was on an airport standby the other day and 6 other people on the same standby handed in their notice the other day. People are quitting without jobs to go to as it is that bad. It seems like BMI are intent on pushing out all the BMED staff. There are people regulaly in tears and having break downs on the bus!
Yes, BMED people are leaving in bus loads, droves, lorry loads and any other term you can think of.
You really need to think whether you want to work for a company that is causing this. These are cabin crew that have happily flown for BMED for up to 10 or more years some of them. A lot of these people left short haul or charter airlines so it is not a problem of doing the short flights. However when you are not being given an trips (as were promised) and all the original BMI staff are getting all the trips, the managers are screaming and shouting at crew in the crew room, treating the crew like children, making them work to min rest every day for 5 days on, not paying you the correct money you tend not to feel to great about your job. I was on an airport standby the other day and 6 other people on the same standby handed in their notice the other day. People are quitting without jobs to go to as it is that bad. It seems like BMI are intent on pushing out all the BMED staff. There are people regulaly in tears and having break downs on the bus!
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Do you think it's fair to say that to some extent comments posted here, like in many other places/subjects tend to be from those who have had had awful or delightful experiences and that, in the case of BMI, who have a large crew base in number, the big number in between just get on with the job?
I know some (not droves, just 6) ex BMed folks and all are battling badly at BMI in many ways aggrovated by long and tedious journies day after day just to get to/from LHR. BMed rosters allowed for commuters because of the mid-haul network.
A friend is joining BMI sometime soon (their next training dates not published yet) so I am looking towards understanding what the alternative reasons for 'mass exodus' could be.
As senior crew who attends recruitment events for my own airline I have to say I am not impressed when BMI/Bmed crew apply and use the interview either as a forum for complaint or appear to want the job with us simply because they believe they need any old place to go, which in my case, means carting them off to the desert and dealing with a whole set of new problems we have to help them through.
Specific examples would help get a clearer picture.
I know some (not droves, just 6) ex BMed folks and all are battling badly at BMI in many ways aggrovated by long and tedious journies day after day just to get to/from LHR. BMed rosters allowed for commuters because of the mid-haul network.
A friend is joining BMI sometime soon (their next training dates not published yet) so I am looking towards understanding what the alternative reasons for 'mass exodus' could be.
As senior crew who attends recruitment events for my own airline I have to say I am not impressed when BMI/Bmed crew apply and use the interview either as a forum for complaint or appear to want the job with us simply because they believe they need any old place to go, which in my case, means carting them off to the desert and dealing with a whole set of new problems we have to help them through.
Specific examples would help get a clearer picture.
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I can back up what Cheekychick is saying about ex BMED people leaving, some without jobs to go to. Don't know the figures though.
Form what I hear the ways of working are completly different from BMED, for instance crew are not allowed to see who is on their trips, BMI claim this is due to data protection?!?! BA allow their crew to see who is on their rostered trips so obviously it can't be that reason!
Also I hear that crew have to put in their own allowances? BMED crew didn't as AIMS did that, BMI have AIMS so why didn't they not take that across from BMED!!? Seems a bit backwards to me.
Do BMI have a hidden agenda of losing staff before any possible takeover, and the fact that they will have to downsize the LHR operation when BA gets the old BMED slots later this year and next year??
Someone on another thread said that BMI is not an airline, just a collection of slots waiting to be bought!!!
Form what I hear the ways of working are completly different from BMED, for instance crew are not allowed to see who is on their trips, BMI claim this is due to data protection?!?! BA allow their crew to see who is on their rostered trips so obviously it can't be that reason!
Also I hear that crew have to put in their own allowances? BMED crew didn't as AIMS did that, BMI have AIMS so why didn't they not take that across from BMED!!? Seems a bit backwards to me.
Do BMI have a hidden agenda of losing staff before any possible takeover, and the fact that they will have to downsize the LHR operation when BA gets the old BMED slots later this year and next year??
Someone on another thread said that BMI is not an airline, just a collection of slots waiting to be bought!!!
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Truth, Lies and ex bmed crew
It seems that a number of Rumours, Mis truths and damn lies seem to circulate on this subject!
Once upoun a time in a land far away known as LHR there were 2 airlines who existed in blissfull peace of each other , They had many things in common including similar fleets and aspirations. One had a big bag of money and was hungry to expand, The other had little money and survived by being a clone of Big Airways and paying them lots of money for the priviledge,As time went by this airline had less and less money until one day it was clear that the the money was about to run out,and all of the fun would have to stop. And so it came to pass that the airline with some money and plans to expand aquired the clone and set about freeing it from Big Airways , Alas this was a turbulent process and not without a few problems.But for those who wanted to embrace change the future was far from turbulent....
OK
It was never going to be a perfect situation when a group of crew whose working patterns were 100% mid haul trips were required to intergrate with existing crew whos working patterns were almost exclusivly short haul. !
Along the way there was bound to be crew who were required to operate a number of short haul flights and as result not fly trips , Conversley there would be crew who would fly trips and be away from base when they prefered to be at home most nights.
There would be crew who lived well outside of the "Callout time" zone who were used to commutting to LHR to operate trips who were having to operate a number of shorthaul trips for whom traveling was going to be be an issue.
And then there would be those crew for whom nothing there new employer did would possibly be right , Rosta patterns,Uniform,T&C's, Salary all would fail to meet there approval.
Many seem to have forgotten just how close to ceasing operations bmed were and with it would have come the resulting loss of jobs etc.
No one was forced, or cohearsed in to joining bmi, A large number of crew seem to have selective vision and hearing where bmi were concerned and seem to have choosen what they wanted to believe was being promised and offered.
I along with an increasing number of bmi crew are getting tired of hearing via on line forums, on board and in the QB how ex bmed crew are out of pocket by coming to work to operate 4 sectors - correct me if im wrong but you are all being paid a salary in addiiton to flight pay. What you really mean is that as you continue to choose to live a non commutable distance from LHR short haul flight pay doesnt cover your travel costs.
At no time did anyone promise or commit to you that you would only operate trips.It was very clear that you would intergrate in to the bmi rosta pattern and that was based on short haul flying.
Im not even going to dignify the complaints about the bmi uniform with mention here - suffice that the uniform has been in circulation for some years and it is common knowledge that it will be replaced next year.
There is certainly no agenda to "Push ex Bmed crew out" yes they are very different companies with different cultures and procedures - but a culture that has ensured the airline has survived nearly 70 years - Its not a perfect company but it is one that has endured the roller coaster ride of aviation over the last 60 odd years and seen many of its competitiors leave the industry.
In the last 7 days I have had spoken to a passanger who had travelled Mid haul and endured 6 hours of ex BMed crew bitching and whining about there new paymaster and indeed they refused the passanger a 2nd wine " Due to bmi cost cutting and the threat of disciplining crew who gave 2nd drinks to passangers " -ERM SINCE WHEN ????.
If your not happy dont take it out on the passangers and dont whine for 6 hours in the hearing of passangers!
I have also spoken to a crew member who has been only line a short while who had recently completed a 5 day trip where both the senior cabin crew and flight deck had spent the entire trip whining and moaning about having to work for bmi .
No one was forced to join bmi and indeed no one is being held here against there will.
Now im neither a management clone or a company clone but im getting a tad bored of the constant mis truths and lies being churned out by a small minority of ex Bmed crew. Some of who joined bmed after bmi aquirred the company !
bmi is not perfect by any means and as with all airlines has its own issues but its far from the depths of hell that the small but vocal ex Bmed minority would like you to believe it is.
Yes things have changed but had they not have changed BMed would not be here today anyway.
Once upoun a time in a land far away known as LHR there were 2 airlines who existed in blissfull peace of each other , They had many things in common including similar fleets and aspirations. One had a big bag of money and was hungry to expand, The other had little money and survived by being a clone of Big Airways and paying them lots of money for the priviledge,As time went by this airline had less and less money until one day it was clear that the the money was about to run out,and all of the fun would have to stop. And so it came to pass that the airline with some money and plans to expand aquired the clone and set about freeing it from Big Airways , Alas this was a turbulent process and not without a few problems.But for those who wanted to embrace change the future was far from turbulent....
OK
It was never going to be a perfect situation when a group of crew whose working patterns were 100% mid haul trips were required to intergrate with existing crew whos working patterns were almost exclusivly short haul. !
Along the way there was bound to be crew who were required to operate a number of short haul flights and as result not fly trips , Conversley there would be crew who would fly trips and be away from base when they prefered to be at home most nights.
There would be crew who lived well outside of the "Callout time" zone who were used to commutting to LHR to operate trips who were having to operate a number of shorthaul trips for whom traveling was going to be be an issue.
And then there would be those crew for whom nothing there new employer did would possibly be right , Rosta patterns,Uniform,T&C's, Salary all would fail to meet there approval.
Many seem to have forgotten just how close to ceasing operations bmed were and with it would have come the resulting loss of jobs etc.
No one was forced, or cohearsed in to joining bmi, A large number of crew seem to have selective vision and hearing where bmi were concerned and seem to have choosen what they wanted to believe was being promised and offered.
I along with an increasing number of bmi crew are getting tired of hearing via on line forums, on board and in the QB how ex bmed crew are out of pocket by coming to work to operate 4 sectors - correct me if im wrong but you are all being paid a salary in addiiton to flight pay. What you really mean is that as you continue to choose to live a non commutable distance from LHR short haul flight pay doesnt cover your travel costs.
At no time did anyone promise or commit to you that you would only operate trips.It was very clear that you would intergrate in to the bmi rosta pattern and that was based on short haul flying.
Im not even going to dignify the complaints about the bmi uniform with mention here - suffice that the uniform has been in circulation for some years and it is common knowledge that it will be replaced next year.
There is certainly no agenda to "Push ex Bmed crew out" yes they are very different companies with different cultures and procedures - but a culture that has ensured the airline has survived nearly 70 years - Its not a perfect company but it is one that has endured the roller coaster ride of aviation over the last 60 odd years and seen many of its competitiors leave the industry.
In the last 7 days I have had spoken to a passanger who had travelled Mid haul and endured 6 hours of ex BMed crew bitching and whining about there new paymaster and indeed they refused the passanger a 2nd wine " Due to bmi cost cutting and the threat of disciplining crew who gave 2nd drinks to passangers " -ERM SINCE WHEN ????.
If your not happy dont take it out on the passangers and dont whine for 6 hours in the hearing of passangers!
I have also spoken to a crew member who has been only line a short while who had recently completed a 5 day trip where both the senior cabin crew and flight deck had spent the entire trip whining and moaning about having to work for bmi .
No one was forced to join bmi and indeed no one is being held here against there will.
Now im neither a management clone or a company clone but im getting a tad bored of the constant mis truths and lies being churned out by a small minority of ex Bmed crew. Some of who joined bmed after bmi aquirred the company !
bmi is not perfect by any means and as with all airlines has its own issues but its far from the depths of hell that the small but vocal ex Bmed minority would like you to believe it is.
Yes things have changed but had they not have changed BMed would not be here today anyway.