What does CSD stand for anyway.

Chief Sandwich Dispenser?

Completely Spoilt Dinosaur?

Collecting Serious Dosh?

Certainly not cabin service anything if the standard of ba cabin services ex lhr (specifically) is anything to go by. If you can get them to stay on board before departure they throw the food at you and head for the rest area,have an unnofficial policy of ignoring a call bell that rings more than once(insider info), quote health and safety or company policy when asked to fulfill any random occasional unusual requests, give new meanings to patronising and condescending and generally cant be arsed with anything except their BLRs.
A generalisation it is , but isnt that what publics (that i have spoken to) perception is. Every one of the above bar the unusual request happened to me on a recent lhr longhaul flight, both sectors. It was the same 10 years ago when i last used them as well.That palce needs an enema

I much prefer a virgin

They dont call them Chief Sandwich Dispensers for nothing!
Consider this as well.The 744 has bunks and those bunks will be used by the cabin crew regardless of length of flight eg. lhr-cairo.
What really smells is that they have the cheek to ask the pilots for the use of their bunks when they are 2 crew! And you are quite right,they will be off that aircraft as quick as saying jack s**t. They do not clean up the aircraft during the night either,it looks like a bomb site on arrival,unlike singapore airlines.

multi skilled
 

A CSD is........
Like a
Policeman
Nurse
Grief Counsellor
Para Medic
Referee
Crowd Controller
Team Leader
General Manager
Empathiser
Sympathiser
Toilet Cleaner
Firefighter,safety professional.........and So On
All without the back up and facilities available to all of the above.
In my youth I was police officer working my A off to get a commercial pilots licence.I flew as an FA (flight Attendant) for 3 years and now have a command.
The most underpaid and villified....being a cop.
The most satisfying being an FA
With whats available on the flight deck these days....the least stressful and best renumerated....Being a Captain.
Life is not always fair.Those that deserve the high income don`t always receive it.A quirk in history sometimes means some receive a higher wage than many for appearing to do something simple and glamorous.Walk a mile in someone else`s mocassins before being critical.(and covetous)

Please do not compare cabin crew to 'policemen', 'nurses', 'para medics', 'firefighters' etc as their job has no comparison whatsoever!
As for the topic as a whole, it raises the whole issue of overpaid airline employees in general....and it's ironic how some on this forum are totally against cabin crew getting overgenerous renumeration while it's ok for them to receive it! Kettle + black + pot = .......

Mr.Stinger...FYI
 

Amongst the ranks of Cabin Crew you do in fact have policemen,firefighters,nurses, teachers etc.In greater numbers than you are obviously aware.

Indeed and all the ones I've spoken to know which is the easier and better paid job.

Point Being?
 

Harder in some ways,easier in others.Definitely better paid.So what?All occupations are paid differently dependant on the industry norm.People here seem to begrudge crew their wage.If its so good then everyone should apply for the position and stopping slagging off at them.

Dicksyenormous - on what authority do you make such a sweeping generalisation???? One or two perceivably negative experiences and you throw in the boot like this?

I am sorry to say that this whole thread comes across as ridiculous to the extreme and smacks of very bitter people who are more preoccupied with what others are getting but have little to say about their own (also very generous?) salaries. If BA CSD's have worked 20-25 years plus and earn a decent crust, then good luck to them - as someone else pointed out on here, some of the crap that they have undoubtedly had to put up with in their time is more than a lot of people would even contemplate.

As for Prima Donna's, their existence is mutually exclusive both sides of the flight deck door - and this is from first hand experience, believe me.

If only people would direct all this energy into a more positive or worthwhile argument............:confused:

Afur-sixpence, you said "They also, it has to be said, have a large difference in salary between LGW and LHR the latter getting higher rates of pay)." And while you're kinda right, there is reasoning behind it.

Heathrow is a far more senior base than Gatwick. People working on Heathrow Worldwide have been with the company for a long time and many of them joined in the days of the "old contract" where the basic was far higher than it is today.

Gatwick has had exactly the same number of "higher" basic earners, but most have moved up to Heathrow.

The allowance structure is very fair. If it's expensive somewhere, you're paid more to go there. If it's cheap somewhere, you're paid less.

I also can't believe the number of people on this thread complaining about the amount of money we earn. What's it got to do with you?

There are lots of places for the company to look to save money - it's just easier to go straight for salaries.

It's not unreasonable for someone who has given 30+ years to this company to expect a salary like this CSD is earning.

well....................








..............nah no point, is there? A licensed engineer earning 30-35k is greedy when the tech's he oversee's and countersign's work for are earning £2-3 a week less than them, and some tech's are earning MORE than some LAE's!!! Yes it's happening, but why?

Then you read this thread............something's not right at all and something needs sorted with the way the pay system works.

I have the greatest respect for Cabin Crew and know alot of them, this lady is very lucky indeed and obviously looks after her saving's and investment's. However disgusted some of you all are she does not deserve the abuse dealt out in this thread by certain members.

Eng

I don't think people begrudge anyone a good salary, but the whole point is on what grounds is it justified against what is an unskilled job! And the role of CSD is another superficial level of "management"(i.e managing the IFE switch!) that only BA can invent since 99% of airlines have senior pursers of the day in charge of flights, doing the job perfectly well!

From my experience the BA CSD walks up and down First and Club trying to impose themselves on pax! What makes CSDs believe that Mr X in 1A is in the slightest bit interested in chitchatting to the incharge tea lady/boy?

BA's global position as a "financial shambles" (without mentioning the pension deficit!) is the result of these layers and layers of redundant management roles......sorry, the word is "executives"! Tea and coffee executives.

Cruel but fair Jerry, cruel but fair.....................

I have to admit there is a point there! Wow- this thread is going to run and run.....

Finals,

I make the sweeping generalisation based on extensive travel with ba in the past , revisited recently (even worse) and extensive intimate relations with a long serving cabin crew member ( who doesnt have an axe to grind but works out of lhr regularly as well as other bases). Also I have two relatives who work on the flight deck at lhr, so a fairly balanced cross section of crew and pax wouldnt you say. Oh and a very well to do good friend , terribly british, travels extensively on longhaul who wont go near them for the same reasons. They would travel by donkey first.

Only those in the self perpetuating cabin organisation at all levels at lhr dont see what a poor product it is in terms of service, attitude, and a classic case of the pax are just something to putup with before the allowances are paid, not the reason you have a job.

Like i said it needs an enema

I don't think most people are having a go at the lady in question but merely expressing incredulity that BA have got themselves into the position of paying such a grossly over the top Salary and Allowances to a member of Cabin Staff regardless of how many years in the job. BA just cannot survive if this is the Norm.

No doubt new contracts are more sensible but I guess that in most peoples opinions BA Cabin crew are still overpaid in the main. It might be a tiring job at times but hardly that demanding on the Brain or Brawn.

If only BALPA had a bit of spine, and would actually help pilots to maintain ts and cs! Maybe I'll chop my ATPL and go Cabin Crew.....

yeah, right on brother, those bloody BALPA are always trying to ruin the fun for us real pilots

Oh Wow! Now BALPA's getting mud slung at it! This is most entertaining.
As an employee of said organisation, I find it very difficult to take issue with the points just raised by the Gypsy with the EnormousDick! Jolly entertaining stuff though!

One can only express complete astonishment that an organisation can value its cabin crew more than its pilots (and pay them accordingly), but this is the same organisation that introduces a new engineering spares system in August and ruins its good name through not employing enough low paid staff in the critical areas for the critical period (then doesn't have anybody's guts for it). Yes, for want of a 100 or so people, the operation at main base almost ground to a complete halt. And now 1000 services are chopped to Christmas. One can only express admiration.

Now, about this CSDs salary, she will obviously be on the "old contract" as it is known. So are a lot of senior ground staff, ie have been their forever and a day.

BA cannot get rid of these kinds of contracts as the terms of leaving (on the ground) means you lose your pension and who is going to do that? The only option, and the staff know this, is redundancy and that does not make for good headlines, which is something they can seriously do without.

About the situation when LHR stopped: If I, hypothetically, started at BA now, i would be offered a rolling six month temporary contract, therefore never getting concessions as my date of joining would roll every six months and management wonders why LHR ground to a halt? Wages on the ground these days are abysmal, it's only the concessions that keep us there and some nice now routes every so often!
:E

And so here we go again. A (very) small percentile of long serving staff whom have over the (many) years been fortunate enough to benefit from succesive pay deals. Reality is that these people make up an increasingly smaller percentile of the BA Cabin Crew workforce. With more poeple retiring literally every day, the holes are being replaced from the bottom up with crew on new contracts (with basic pay of just 9k a year). Oh, but don't forget those 4k a month allowances people cry! Sorry, my projected allowances this month, at about 500pound, will mean I'll be lucky to clear 1100 for a full months' work. Am I complaining? No. Just (yet again) trying to dispel the myth that all BA Cabin Crew are living in 450,000 pound luxury homes taking home 4, 5 of 6k a month.

And we've already covered (ad nauseum) the 'unskilled' job topic, suffice to say that whilst Cabin Crew does not require the same technical degrees or expertise (and skill) as say, an engineer, the role demands different 'skills'. Being able to deal with an ever demanding general public, maintaining a great cabin service whilst dealing with often difficult situations with little or no outside help...

Our skills might not be as 'on paper defined' as an engineer. But a good crewmember who can diffuse the most difficult and stressful of situations with a win win result for all involved, is most certainly drawing upon a wide range of 'skills'.

The success or otherwise of airlines depends on no small part on the experience customers have on board... especially on long haul journeys. Some airlines are renowned for better cabin service than others... could it be that this is because of the attitude, demeanour and skill of the differing cabin staff?


Jerrystinger... are you a pilot? If so, I pity the 'Tea Girls and Tea Boys' that have to work with you on your flights... I can only imagine that your obvious hang ups and the apparent need to belittle the role of your co-workers in the back can hardly contribute to a good team rapport... So whilst on the subject of skills, maybe you might want to hone your CRM skills...?