BA Ground Staff In The Regions
 

Whether you are Mainline or Regional or BA Connect Ground Staff working in the regions please share your thoughts, news, and any other information with fellow colleagues across the country here.

With the Flybe takeover of BA Connect imminent, the next few weeks could be a turbulent time with some of us facing redundancy etc..... so this can be our place to share our views without pilots comparing how big their Aircraft Engines are.

MAN Mainline
 

stupot7783,
I hear @ Man they allready have the 3rd party handler to take over from us mainline staff its now up to us to prove we can do a better job than them during oue 90 day period through the union !! only have no confidence in the union to do us justice and only try to get us a better servernce package instead of fighting for our jobs

BAR
 

Jarvis
 

So they are calling as far as MAN into the inner walls of Fortress LHR, to defend the last base held.
Surrender the 'Flag' 'BA' they are not worthy to hold it.

We don't want to surrender we want our jobs, its our work why should 3rd party do it and us out on our ear?:ugh:

What the latest at BHX boredcounter????

MAN Mainline
 

You honestly see mainline as tru?
MAN will die for long haul. BA need to consolidate, guess where.
Before you ask, not worked BA. 3 years, drove my more economic franchishe down. We were backed by a company that could of bought BA, for cash.
It is another feeder plan for LHR. SHT will go,

The deal is done, watch for the announcement Monday.

Here at BRS, we're all going. Not sure where yet, but TUPE to Circusair is a strong possibility. A lot of the staff already have jobs elsewhere, and are waiting to see what cash they can pick up before they go.

BA are ending 40 years of association with BRS in 2 days, our 'end of life as we know it' party is on 31Mar

GB

If the BA Connect staff go to Servisair at Bristol, will that not mean they have a monopoly at BRS? Surely an airport the size of BRS has scope for two handling agents.

There's certainly scope, and BIA management a) are not happy about it, and b) cannot prevent another GHA coming in ( more than 2m pax p.a.), but no-one else can come in without having a contract from an airline. EZY signed for 2 years with Servisair last October, the next biggest is whatever Flybe operate from BRS, and Flybe have a global contract with Servisair. No-one is going to come in for 4 a day from Eastern.

So it's Servisair

GB

"Flybe have a global contract with Servisair"

So why do swissport handle them @ MAN???:confused:

Jarvis

There are other anomalies, too. They handle themselves at GCI. The original info came from Servisair BRS.

GB

Heard here at MAN the BE contract went out to tender and the rumour doing the rounds today is that SAS are going to be the GHA for them, but then again you know what airport rumours are like!!!

From BA Intranet
 

BA completes sale of BA Connect to Flybe

Today British Airways has completed the sale of the regional operation of its subsidiary airline BA Connect to Flybe.

BA has also confirmed that it is in exclusive talks with Aviance UK, the UK’s largest independent ground handling company, about a transfer of its ground handling operations at Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester airports.

This follows an extensive review of the airline’s UK regional ground handling operation. A third party already carries out ground handling at Newcastle airport and at the majority of airports around the world on behalf of British Airways.

Ground handling at London Heathrow and London Gatwick airports is unaffected.

Staff at regional airports work for British Airways and provide ground handling for BA Connect and some other third party airlines. The sale of the regional business of BA Connect to Flybe reduces ground handling by more than 40 per cent.

If a contract is placed with Aviance UK, around 730 staff will be affected and BA has started a 90-day consultation process with their trade unions.

In the event of agreement being reached with Aviance UK, staff can choose to transfer under Transfer of Undertakings and Protection of Employment (TUPE) regulations. Alternatively, they can be redeployed within British Airways or take voluntary severance.

In addition, the sale of BA Connect means that 250 staff at Birmingham airport, that only handle BA Connect and third parties’ flights, have the option to transfer to Swissport, Flybe’s ground handling company. At Inverness, 21 staff can choose to transfer to Loganair’s ground handling company. Staff at both airports can also be redeployed within British Airways or take voluntary severance.

British Airways will continue to operate 54 return flights a day between Scotland and London and 16 return flights a day between Manchester and London.

Stupot

No mention of BRS. Strange

GB

Whats happening in BRS?
 

Yeah that is weird, Have you heard anything yet?

I bet its still early doors at the mo cos now the unions will be negotiating stuff.

Flybe are keeping on routes though I noticed from BRS so there could be jobs for most of you in some shape or form.

Maybe....Maybe not
 

Stupot

As this a rumour network, the strong one here at the moment is that Flybe are going to pull the plug totally on BRS.

GB

I have worked in Customer Service for the airport in the Isle of Man for 7 years now and in that time I have gone from Manx Airlines who, if any one can remember, were brought by good old BA where we were transferred across and were all given nice new uniforms and sold the BA way only to be sold down the line 2 years later when BA decided not to self handle.
BA flights were then passed onto a handling company Manx Regional who have continued to do the job for BA in a very effiicient and proffessional way giving an excellent customer service under sometimes very difficult circumstances. Now BA have sold out to Flybe and once again no one knows where their future lies as far as jobs go here with all the speculation over who will be the handling agent. But what we have at Manx Regional is a very efficient, proffessional and friendly team who have served their customers well not only the airlines who we handle but the passengers who we deal with every day. Working for an Airline like BA is not the be all and end all because at the end of the day you are a small fish in a big pool and when you are no longer needed they just cast you aside and leave someone else to pick up the pieces.

Bristol
 

Ba1604
 

To add insult to injury Flybe have operated the BA1604 MAN-CDG for BA Connect the ground services( except checkin and boarding ) were handled by Swissport and not BA!

No answer to why BA didn't do it?
Anyone have any idea?

Many thank

BA at the regions!
 

Firstly may I say it's with saddness that all you BA staff are in the predicament you are in! for years un-fortunatley you have all been saying what a fantastic company BA is and how proud you all are of working for "The World's Favorite Airline" what RUBBISH! BA for many many years now have openly said they would rather have business and first class pax on there aircraft to HELL with us lot, we have all been trying to warn BA staff for years that the great company don't see you as loyal employee's, numbers at the end of the day!!! and when the going gets tough BA start closing down they always have and always will.
In reference to 3rd party handlers like us gaining the work from you, remember we are trying to secure our future to, so un-fortunatley there's no sentiments when it comes to pinching a contract, its a dog eat dog business that we are all struggling to survive in!
Lastly don't trust your so called unions because as before in the past they will sell you up the river, unions hinder nowadays not help as long as there monthly subcription is coming in they don't care about your personel lives, and thats the same for our union too! good luck to all the BA staff and hopefully it will come good for you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D

Jarvis apparently BA did not have sufficient crew's to operate that flight, so they did what any other airline would do they ADHOC another to operate it, bit of an insult using FlyBe i know but you know how BA operates you have been there long enough mate!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (thats what we were told yesterday anyway):rolleyes:

Doh!
 

Paul
As the FOD said previously Flybe and BA Connect are the same company now. Why would they want to adhoc anybody? They just use one of their own aeroplanes and crew, which happen to be painted in a different colour. How is it an insult to service your own route with your own aircraft? Why pay somebody else to do it when you can do it yourself?

Do you know that if you accept a new job within the 90 day period BA don't have to pay you redundancy - be careful

Quoting airfrump - "Do you know that if you accept a new job within the 90 day period BA don't have to pay you redundancy - be careful"

Quite correct, I got made redundant 5 years ago and was fortunate enough to have an potential employer who was prepared to wait a couple of weeks for my services. Otherwise after 17 years with my former company I would have lost out on quite a large redundancy payment. As it worked out I was technically unemployed for 1 day (New Years Day).

But be warned, some employers will do anything to get out of making giving that deserved 'farewell' payment.

Scottie Dog

BAR BHX Ground Staff
 

We were basically told today that if we do not check in the Flybe services that are using the Emb 145's from 25th March we will not get our retention money and face disciplinary.

However they certainly gave me the impression if we leave anytime within the 90 days consultation period we will receive the basic severance but lose out on the retention payment.

There seems to be a great divide in who wants to learn the Flybe computer systems so it should be an interesting few weeks ahead.

No definate date was given though for how long we would be doing Flybe check-in/boarding.

Treaclecat is talking the truth. Manx Regional provide great handling services for BACON. Flybe could do a lot worse than to use them.

There is no doubt that Manx Regional did a very good job for BACON. However, they belong to Eastern and Eastern WILL be the next target for a Flybe take over. Might as well employ a new third party handler now, so that you are not shooting yourself in the foot when you make the Eastern ground handling staff redundant in the future. :{

Flt Ops Director
 

"Swissport completed the pushback as BA do not have the correct equipment to push back a Dash 8 Q400"

Flt Ops Director, not sure where your getting your info from but thats not correct, in fact we weren't even asked if we had the correct equipment, I was told from a swissport employee that flybe wouldn't lets us handle it!

That what I mean by insult to injury, its bad enough losing the work and our jobs but we are contracted to handle BAConnect till March 24th so we should.

Now I am guessing you work for flybe?
can you explain?

Jarvis

Flt Ops Director
 

Thanks for your reply and explination, this information can now be used when this event no doubt happens again, it will make things a lot clearer for our staff.

Please note we will continue to operate as normal until the 24th March, I am not there to see your services disrupted for any reason.

please feel free to PM me if you want?

aspaceman you got it wrong. How would it make sense to use another handling agent. MR provides other advantages to T3 besides handling. And you are ruling out any expansion of the IOM base

Red17
And who pray does own Manx Regional then eh? Is it not Eastern? Who is T3? I would like to see MR do the job because they are good - no need to be insulting! :rolleyes: But It will be a business decision at the end of the day

Be a good chap and edit your last insult out!

T3 is Eastern, like BA is British Airways. T3 don't own Eastern. Manx Regional is a seperate company and all it has in common is that it shares some senior management. Its like saying Euromanx own Flight Support. So when flybe dispose of them then where will flight support go?? LOL :ok:

As a long time observer of BA and LHR Unions treatment of Regional Ground Staff, my views are as follows:

Whenever there was a problem at LHR the Unions would 'demand' support from the regions, however whenever a problem at one of the regional airports the Heathrow Unions appeared uninterested.

This was compunded by Managment who 'hardly noticed' their regional assets unless it was time for a round of cost cutting.

With outsourcing now almost a religious mantra in UK Industry, it was perhaps inevitable that Ground Handling in the regions would be a target awaiting the right moment

The takeover by Flybe of BA Connect, as this provided from the company viewpoint the ideal opportunity to 'tidy up' the entire situation.

Perhaps the only surprise is that they didn't bite the Gatwick bullet at the sametime, although I suspect they are next on the list.

Finally a very long time ago when I and my then team spent a week at the NEC we had many reasons to be grateful to BA BHX for providing the BHX end of our support lifeline.
During this short period I learned enough of their situation as a station to realise their problems were effectively ignored by the Company and from their (gaurded) comments, that this appeared to apply to most other regional airports on the BA network.

As they obviously cared and from observation provided excellent service both in the terminal and on the ramp (as well as providing help 'above and beyond' to us cuckoos) this seemed a short sighted approach by Management.

Good People should matter, high standards of service must matter, but it appears Companies never learn the cost, until both have gone.

Cannot agree with you entirely as another long term observer. The BA ground staff at all UK airports have always been a militant bunch usely trying to hold the company to ransome. I would say that they have had a very good run for their money and it was clear toa all that their roles were time expired. Many sections at LHR / LGW have been 'tuped' yeasr ago and the same unions you mention did nothing for them either. It is only a matter of time before LGW find themselves outsourced as many of them think that BA owes them a living. Sad times.

Arived at MAN on Sunday afternoon and had to do a double take when I saw a member of Swissport staff driving the jetty to the door. Perhaps BA were so short of dispatchers they needed a hand or perhaps the changeover is slowly taking place?

Best wishes to all the BA ground staff who have been affected. From those dispatchers who I have chatted to it seems as if your treatment has been nothing short of shameful! Hope you all find greener grass!

Swiisport have been employed for a number of years to meet BA aircraft and put the jetty on if required they actually have a name there called "teds"

Re HZ123's post
From your profile your in a better position than I to observe the recent state of play (especially that not seen by the Customer).

i agree ir is a matter of time before LGW is outsourced and I accept that it is probable that many (and I think more prevalent in some sections/departments than others) BA owe them a living.

But from 1987 (Airtours Re-organisation) closely followed by the BCAL Ground Handling integration and subsequently the elements of DanAir.
Gatwick has been through 'interesting times'.

After such a series of 'major events' any organisation requires time to recover (say two/three years), but for 20 Years Gatwick staff have been an almost never ending cycle of FUD (Fear Uncetainty and Doubt) over the future that has impacted all Departments, whether Engineering, or Ground Services, or Passenger Service .

This sort of 'cloud of endless concern' saps morale and motiviation and is passed along to new staff within a short time.

There were several times when 'stong leadership' and a positve direction from management could have reversed this and many individual managers did indeed try, but then changes in the Gatwick Strategy would undo their work.

But it appears there is a clear Corporate Strategy and that is to outsource, so even if Gatwick was entirely staffed by Highly Motivated Company People, then it wouldn't really matter as the Bottom Line (even with the different contracts for different staff doing the same job) means outsourcing looks better on the balance sheet.

T3 Eastern dont own M R. 100% TOSH
 

Red 17 you are talking absolute tosh. I can guarantee that Manx Regional is a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of Eastern Airways.:D

Can some one please clear this up... who is going to be handling the combined BE/BACON operation in MAN??

Red 17

You have edited yesterdays post today :=

To quote yesterdays - 'I have got my facts right mate'

Any expansion of the IOM base will be by Flybe. Euromanx are the first direct target and Eastern will be next. They will shut up shop in the IOM and a new 3rd party handler will be used. Business is business - people don't matter. Not how I would like to see it but how it is. :(