Whenever I hand over, or take-over, from one of those flights, the Mixed fleet crew have at least one, if not two, crew members more than us so it's hard to believe that they are not completing the service. Their crewing level is more akin to our old matrix at present so with all the experienced flyers (albeit from other carriers) there should be no problems whatsoever.

Seriously sad to say goodbye to VIE, a real gem of a city with the best hotel on the short-haul network.

I have done a ton of MAN and AMS flights since we got them and never not completed a service, I’m not saying it hasn’t been a challenge some sectors (especially if crew haven’t done them before) but we’ve always completed them.
There might have been cases of service being completed but surely this used to happen on EF occasionally as well due to a number of factors?

ottergirl

I find it really sad that we have taken so many nice routes from EF. I know we have taken some from WW but I dont think they miss LAS or LAD very much :p

I wish there was some way for us to have been intergrated (with out starting a huge debate).

Thanks elldee,

Have you seen this debate on Flyertalk about MF, not all bad but there is some useful feedback for you to share in the briefing room.

Terrible F experience... - FlyerTalk Forums

Ultimately we all work for the same great company so we all want it to succeed. Happy flying.

ottergirl

Sadly, these comments do not suprise me. I've said it once and ill say it again. We should not be First trained on our initital course. We should gain 6-12 months experience and then be First trained.

I don't think M/F are over crewed anymore because they were actually short of crew last month and this month and some E/F crew have been used off standby to operate, as a whole crew, a Prague and Amsterdam flight for them due to the shortages. They were initially going out with extra crew and quite often new CSMs have to have a supernumerary flight and then they have two CSMs.

We E/F and WW are on the other hand over-manned and sitting at home doing non ops far too much!

I have been told by a number of E/F Airbus Captains that the service on the Manchester and Amsterdam are often not completed. One pilot told me that the CSM tried to ask him not to land. One aircraft apparently landed with the tray tables down and these stories have been told to me by pilots that were on the flights. Elldee, on E/F we always complete the service!

That link to Flyertalk is a bit worrying. It is of course not the fault of the Mixed Fleet crew, who are doing their best with little training! After all it takes quite a number of years to get to be First trained on WW or SFG and this really is the result of a real rush. I think it is a great shame that M/F crews could not have been integrated into our fleets.

I would like to think it can only get better but with the pace of recruitment, I don't think that will be the case, more and more new entrants are coming on line and they are being trained by people that themselves have only just joined! You couldn't make it up!!

But of course it is not the M/F crews fault at all.

When you get crew in F or J that know what they are doing, its FANTASTIC for us and the customers. When you are training new guys its hard but not their fault and you can see they are enthusiastic. When you get crew that are not interested in working in the premium cabins and are only there because all the other positions are gone, you have problems.

Couldn't agree more crew looking for segregation. I think the hats have made it awful as well. We should be looking to our EF and WW crew for inspiration and guidance, not trying to better them or see ourselves as something superior. Because quite simply were not!

I think MF should get some 'First Champions' like they have with uniform etc. That way they could establish the folk that have First experience from either BA, other airlines ,top restaurants - some even have VIP and private experience on MF. Most of these guys LOVE to work in First and prefer it there to any other cabin. Why could we not have them working in First (if they chose to) semi-permanently and coach say one person at a time per flight to learn how to do things properly (a BA brand behaviour) so this kind of feedback doesn’t get written again?

I think you are both right.

I have all along been saying that this, them and us thing, that has been totally created by management, is unhelpful. The hats just high-lighting it!

Yes there are a few union nutters that will, I am sure, put their 10 pence worth in but they are few and far between. The vast majority of crew, on all four fleets, are dedicated to giving good customer service.

I feel very, very sad to read that thread, and of course you do from time to time get WW or E/F crew that are lack luster too, but this problem has actually been created by BA management not actually understanding that, being a great cabin crew member, actually requires experience and wont just happen because you say someone is elite, when they clearly are just normal crew, that need some good leadership from people that actually know what they are doing!!!

You can't just call a group of brand new crew 'elite', 'outstanding' 'the future' and then think that they magically can be without having any guidance from crew, who are actually outstanding; and on all fleets there are crew that BA should be proud of and it's a crying shame that good people are being made to feel that BA is no longer interested in them. It's a crying shame.

Betty girl

You hit the nail on the head. :ugh:

I think that might just be a rumour about Man and Amsterdam but I have heard that E/F have done some M/F work, due to crew shortages on M/F.

I had heard that it was because the Haneda got reinstated earlier than BA had thought and so it left them a bit short of crew.

Who knows, BA is so keen on M/F being shown as a complete success that it is hard to find out the truth about anything!

CSMs are so keen to be better than other CSMs, that they are not telling BA about things that go wrong, so BA are really unaware of the mess that is going on on some of the flights. Having said that though many of the crew are great and all are keen, just many are very inexperienced!!

I started reading this forum as I was looking to move from a low cost airline to BA. I have wanted to fly for BA since I was a kid, but looking at the pay and the way you are treated I will stop where I am and get paid more for it. Im shocked to be honest, good luck to all of you and i hope the pay gets better.

fr-

To be fair FR- the money has recently improved and the basics have gone up by 1000- per year and the quarterly bonus, for good attendance and customer survey scores, has been increased to £450 per quarter and the hourly rate has gone up to 2.60 per hour since this thread started.

If you were wanting to move up through promotion quickly, now would be the time to join; but having said that it is more like a brand new airline with nearly all the staff being new, not like the BA I know!!

It depends what you want. If you want to work for BA and see some of the world, this would be a good choice but if you want to earn loads of money, maybe not.

Since I started M/F I can honestly say that it is a good place to be, and having worked in the LowCost market myself, I do not regret the move, It did take some time to settle in, and there is a lot, and still a lot to learn, but it's the people that make an airline, and MF has a really good bunch of crew who are determined to make MF a success.

The only negativity I hear is about money and rosters, and by the look of it, it's something that BA are aware of, and have already started to change.

Having flown for various airlines for many years I can say BA is a good place to be right now!

Atmosphere!

Allowances
 

Folks is the 2.60 per hour paid around the clock when you are downroute in lieu of getting an allowance at hotel?

Yes, from check-in to clear at the end of the trip.

I think you would find it very hard to commute from Cornwall.

It would be possible but there would be many times that you would need to stay with friends close to Heathrow or get a B&B.

Your roster would be a mix of short-haul and long-haul and you are required to do standbys where you need to be able to get to the airport in about two hours.

Some longhaul trips only trigger one day off after and some shorthaul trips would require you to be back in at work just 12.30 hours later, worst scenario but possible!

It wouldn't be possible to avoid some short-haul work and some days are very long and tiring; I really don't think that it would be safe to drive that far.

If you really want the job, I think you would have to consider moving up and sharing a house with some of your training course but you could give it a go, rather you than me though.

Good luck.

I live in cornwall but am lucky to have my little sister living in west london with a spare room.....if you have a family at home in cornwall it's not going to be easy....but if you want to make it work, I'm sure you'll find a way.....one life....live it.....

Chicago (x2 daily), Lisbon and Paris Orly from November..
AMS and ATL back to old fleets

Please, stick with it! From a driver's perspective, you are a breath of fresh air and make the job far easier as there's no need for treading on egg-shells for fear of offending someone's sensibilities. There are fantastic cabin crew on both sides of the fence, but at least we know(?), or at least feel, that MF do not hold a grudge against the company or the pilots for keeping the company going.

In Rio (GIG)
 

Hi Guys,

To eat in Rio depend on the time, if is not too late in the evening ask at the reception (hotel) where you can find a Self-Service Restaurant. The food is always delicious and you can eat as much as you want, whatever you want and its cheap, but you will pay separate for drinks and dessert.

Enjoy it.