Bored at BA, time to move on...
 

I've been flying for BA at LHR for about 2 years now and am absolutely bored senseless. I am 23 years old, single and fly with someone I have something in common with about once every 2 weeks. I am sick of flying with crew who are much older than me (no offense to any of them, most of them are great people, I'd just like to work with younger crew more often). I am seriously considering a move to charter for a while, anyone got any advice for me?

I am more than happy to work my **** off as long as the crew are up for a laugh and the money is not too bad. I am happy to take a bit of a pay decrease as wherever I go living costs are unlikely to be as high as they are near LHR. I have no ties whatsoever and would happily work from Gatwick, Manchester, Leeds, pretty much anywhere.

Anyone in a similar situation? Any advice from anyone at all would be very useful.

Are you mad in the head?

That wasn't the kind of reply I was looking for really

The answer is no by the way, but I am going that way through boredom.

You would be too if you were 23 and single, but surrounded by people who don't leave their hotel rooms downroute and talk non stop about their kids and houses.

BA may pay well and have good terms and conditions, but it's all irrelevant if it's not in the slightest bit enjoyable. BA definitely is NOT for everyone.

Well I think you are mad as well!!

You don't know when you are well off. I would give my eye teeth to be in your job.

Be careful that, in changing jobs, you don't go from the frying pan into the fire!! :hmm:

Mad for wanting to work with someone interesting once in a while?

It's not as great at BA as some people seem to think.

Although you are living my dream, that is working long haul for BA, and you have a one of the most coverted cabin crew posistions, i still empathise with the way you feel.

I have worked jobs that i thought would be the greatest only to find they were not so - largely because of the people etc.

Whatever you decide chewy, i wish you all the best and i hope you find happiness.

Get a job in a circus. Interesting people there.

Flying for BA was my dream until I got here.

Never had any idea that the average age would be sooooo much older than me. I'd still love to fly longhaul, but I want to actually get out and see the places I go to, not sit in my hotel room like so many BA crew seem to do (who can blame them to be honest, they've probably done it all before).

Some days at BA can be an absolute ball, I did a trip the other day and at 2 years online I was the most senior main crew member on the 767, we had a fantastic time. Unfortunatly days like that are few and far between...

EDIT: I can guarrantee that within an hour or so someone will post here and slag me off for saying that older people are boring... No offense intended, I'm sure most of your generation will find chatting about family and houses a lot more interesting than my boring talk about cars, clubbing and music.

Really ChewyTheWookie

You are doing a job so many only dream of. I am not saying anything, but go out in your private time, have fun with your colleagues, of course if you have that sort of people around you, that make you feel good. Don't expect that in a working environment...If you get it, take it as a plus. And by the way...there is a new recrutiment drive for Lhr ww and maybe it is worth staying a couple of months on. :E
As some people here emphasize all the time....you never know with BA!:ok:

But if you wish to leave, do that...it's your life...it's short....enjoy it!!!

Regards

You're in the wrong job matie! It appears that you're the one who's out of step. Why not get a job in a bar or a rep for 18/30 club etc? You'd be well suited you gorgeous young thing!!! :)
I've just retired after 30 plus years of flying, ................... loved almost every minute of it and could work with crew who were younger or older with no problem. Socially it was the same, you just mixed with people younger or older, 'cos that goes with the job!
Good luck with whatever you may be suitable for, but just bear in mind that the longer you stay in a job you will, surprisingly enough become 'old' yourself.
:)

Not in the wrong job, just with the wrong company...

Chewy, I feel very very sorry for you! At least you recognise the fact that your pay and work conditions will deteriorate very quickly, especially if you dive straight into charter work. Think very carefully; you owe it to yourself.

Have you considered Eurofleet? Not longhaul, but it may be right down your street, especially if you're wanting to work with people your age...then there's always Gatwick single fleet. You needn't leave the company!

If you're that desperate and want to stay on longhaul I would also suggest looking into people like Qantas, Virgin, BMED etc.

My personal advice to you (being about your age and working in the same company) is to move to Eurofleet LHR (longhaul 767 work around) or go to Gatwick and do a mixture. Eurofleet is a young crowd and we make the most of our nightstops..... ;)

Sorry, thought I'd mentioned that I am on Eurofleet LHR...

It's youngish (although I rarely fly with anyone younger than me) but few people seem interested in actually getting out and doing anything downroute. I've lost count of the number of times recently I've got to a hotel and asked if anyone's going to the bar only to hear "it's minimum rest" and the click of everyone's door locking behind them. There is still a lot which can be done in 13 hours, even with 8 hours sleep.

I was planning on moving to longhaul LHR but with the current situation it's unlikely that it will be offered now. Reason I'm looking at switching jobs now is that I want to do longhaul but get the feeling that if I'm bored now, it will be unbearable on worldwide.

Gosh, you must have had some really boring crew/been unlucky.

Try Virgin....

Chewy, dont you think your jumping on the bandwagon a little??? Of course you are going to be offered WW. And soon enough, it may not be this side of the summer but its hardly a long way away. If you love flying but dont enjoy the poeple you work with, that will not change if you move airlines. I hate to say it but other airlines crews are just as settled as BA ones im sure. But then you pack in your terms and conditions and in the long run you will seriously be kicking yourself.
Unfortunately there are a load of young crew who dont realise how lucky they have it in BA as they have never worked with other airlines, fortunately I am someone who really appreciates it after my last two experiences!

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.

BA tend to get crew and have them stay there for a long time. I know for a fact that charter has a much higher crew turnover and therefore a high higher percentage of younger people. Not for everyone, but it appeals to me a lot more than working a bit less, being paid a bit more but being with a load of people who I have nothing in common with.

Get over it!:{

Hey go to the charter airlines, you'll love it! The crew will love to go out on the turnaround on those night Tenerifes! Nightstops? Well you might got one every few months as junior trash. Plus you'll have to do hard work instead of two short sectors per day, have fewer days off, earn less money, take more sh*t and get laid off in the winter season. Seems to me that what you are unhappy about is the fact that you can't get pissed and get laid downroute. Ever thought of getting off your ass and making your own entertainment instead of relying on everyone else to provide it for you?

Thanks for that. It's ok for someone who probably has a family at home and doesn't give a toss about anything else, but not all of us do. I'm sure it's fine for you to hear about people's kids and husbands all the time as you can probably relate to it. Problem is I can't and it becomes very boring very quickly.

Before anyone else has a pop at me, please bear these facts in mind:

1. BA shorthaul at LHR has a total of over 3000 crew. You could spend weeks at work without seeing a single face you even recognise, let alone get to know anyone enough to become friends. Add to that the fact that very very few crew live anywhere near the airport...

2. BA (as any airline) takes over your entire life so it's very very hard to keep friendships going with people in 9-5 jobs.

3. The VAST majority of crew at BA are not interested in making friends anyway. They have their friends/relationships/family outside of work and want no more.

So before anyone else has a go at me, please consider the situation I'm in. It seems a lot of you are looking at the job based on it's terms and conditions. I've yet to meet someone who has worked charter and who hasn't said that it is good fun. Hard work but fun. Personally I value an enjoyable life more than money...

Hand Solo:

Make my own entertainment? What do you suggest? I enjoy a film or good book as much as anyone but it gets a little boring when it's all you ever do. If my days off were spent out socialising then an unsociable job wouldn't be so bad, but as it happens my days off are spent wondering what my friends will be up to at the weekend when I am at work... Human beings are meant to interact with each other, unfortunatly at BA (especially long haul) not as many people seem to enjoy being sociable as you might expect.

Here's a brief reality check for you:

1) With over 3000 short haul cabin crew and 1000 short haul pilots I rarely go to work and fail to see someone I recognise from somewhere that I've flown with. Try saying hello to someone you recognise. Now I'm on long haul I see a load of faces I recognise from short haul or other long haul trips. Its a job, not a social club, and as you've never worked anywhere but BA, let me assure you that if you work in any other job it's equally unlikely you are going to be drinking buddies with your workmates.

2) BA does not take over your life unless you let it. Claiming it's very very hard to keep in touch with people in a 9 to 5 job is an exaggeration. I managed it when I was working every weekend and commuting long distance. Try doing something other than the massive Friday night out. I see most of my 9 to 5 mates on a weeknight for a few beers after work. I can have lots, they can't. Bonus for me.

3) Thats the way of life. I doubt it'll be much different elsewhere.

Remember everyone looks back on their days elsewhere through rose tinted glasses. I certainly remember the piss ups and parties at a regional base, but I'm prone to forgetting the utter tedium of doing the same limited routes each day, the lack of nightstops, the sheer grind of the hard work. The few cabin crew I know who left BA looking for better either quit the industry all together or came back to BA, even the ones who went to the so called party airlines. The grass is always greener, and when you find yourself in the kebab shop downroute at 5 am with yet another disgruntled Virgin crew member telling you what a bunch of miserable, catty, b1tching whingers they're flying with you'll begin to realise that.

As for making your own entertainment, here's a suggestion. Next night stop ask the flight crew where they're going for a beer. If you don't like that, go out on your own to a bar, sink a few beers and talk to some locals. Works for me.

PS You might be pleasantly surprised at the social scene on long haul. Life's what you make it.

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.

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.

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...! :D

Best of luck whatever you decide!!

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.

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... :hmm:

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! :ok:

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.:ok:

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! :ok:

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. :)

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...

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!!! :D :ok:

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 :)

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!!

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...

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

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!!!!

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! :eek: :eek: :eek:
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:ok:

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!

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

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.

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!!! :}

[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! :rolleyes: