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Anti British Airways

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Old 6th Nov 2002, 22:12
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Exclamation Anti British Airways

after browsing the various forums around here, why are all the members so anti british airways? what have they done to annoy you? are you ALL failed applicants when they were recruiting?
Its rather interesting ,that airline has shown a massive and somewhat remarkable beginning of a turnaround, likewise great profits at LH, also EI. Yet not a gig.... nary a peep?

why?
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Old 6th Nov 2002, 23:00
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We are not all anti-BA. I do not work for BA but am delighted that BA have announced their improved results. When push comes to shove it is in the interests of every British pilot that BA does well. There is enough business out there for us all and a strong BA will help the limited recovery since Sep 11 continue. If we can avoid a fresh Gulf War then the future will be bright.
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Old 6th Nov 2002, 23:05
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Well I think it may be a mix of a bit of sour grapes, a bit of history from the 'Corporations' (when they had some very precious pilots who did consider themselves rather superior) and the usual envy of the biggest kid in the playground.

I have never worked for them, but I have worked with them - mostly on training matters and they are impressive. I think that they are a very, very serious and professional outfit - especially with regard to their training. I have been a guest at Cranebank and other BA facilities and have received nothing but courtesy - and have never been patronised. Modern BA pilots don't walk past us 'independents' with their noses in the air any more - indeed I was in the Med recently and a BA Captain wandered over, asked how we did, had a coffee and then grinned and said 'Race you back!' (No, we didn't!) Read some of the postings by BA pilots on these boards - NW1 for example, and others - and you'll see the calibre of individual they employ nowadays.

World's Favourite? Who knows - but they ain't a bunch of 'stuffed shirts' any more.
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Old 6th Nov 2002, 23:27
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not anti BA but......

Having worked for BA I have yet to understand why they treat there engineerig staff with such contempt , without doubt it is the worst atmosphere that I have ever worked in and I would have got out sooner if I had known better at the time.

BA do have a number of realy stuck up priggs mostly in flight crew but per capita no more that other airlines , and i,m shure that the rest of the BA crews know who they are and hold them in utter contempt .

The only reason that I can think of for the managments appaling treatment of the engineering staff is to undermine there confidence and self worth in the hope that they wont leave.
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Old 6th Nov 2002, 23:30
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As a mere SLF, I like BA, and it's kind of cute how the drivers now emerge from the flight deck to bid farewell to the SLFs as they unload themselves.

Other than on windy days (!), BA provide an excellent service, and they come across as very professional compared to most other airlines that I've flown with, whether European or North American. I had to fly Air Canada longhaul earlier this year, and couldn't believe how bad they were compared to BA or Virgin, and that's in their so-called Executive First (ie, faux Business) Class.
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Old 7th Nov 2002, 03:55
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Lightbulb

I also once worked for Big Airways A and C, and can vouch for their peculiar attitude to engineering and other ground employees. All five of the organizations I've worked for treated, or continue to treat, their engineers pretty badly, but BA had nothing but utter contempt for anything in overalls. Even to the extent that aircrew would refuse to speak to you. Its a bit difficult fixing departure defects when they won't tell you what the problem is, and call Maintenance Control on the radio instead. I've never come across such uppity aircrew anywhere else apart from a single example in the RAF, and I suppose that one became a BOAC Nigel when he left.

**************************
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Old 7th Nov 2002, 10:14
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Talking It's all a matter of numbers........

This topic comes up regularly and I try to answer it in the same way each time.

We keep falling into the old trap of transferring our impression of one individual to the larger group. Please keep in mind that BA employs 3500 pilots ( and a few Flight Engineers) and that if 10% of them are toffee, nosed arrogant fools thats 3150 really decent, professional men and women who are a delight to know.

I used to work for an independent UK operator and when I joined BA I was absolutely amazed at the quality of training, the high degree of motivation and the friendliness of those who I flew with. Today, as a 777 Captain, I never check to see who will be rostered with me as it does not matter. All the co-pilots I fly with are a great bunch and almost always have a good time together.

I'm sorry if that small proportion of my colleagues still upsets the rest of the world but I would suggest all large operators suffer from the same sort of people - it's just we are bigger and more visible.......
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Old 7th Nov 2002, 11:01
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I saw this posting last night, and wanted to post but needed to think carefully first, so some maybe a copy of previous postings.
This is a cabin crew perspective.

I posted a similar question in SLF forum as the paxs were hammering BA for one reason or another, mainly the Cabin Crew and the odd ground staff. I pointed out that no other industry has such a forum and that every employer and company has the type of person they are aiming at. ie the bad ones. It was a case of don`t say "all" or "never" as in BA staff or use BA.

A number of SLF agreed with the posting and I think it enlighten their views, although they may not use BA they know that some of do care.

As an employer they are good. I`ve worked for British Rail (believe me they were a good employer) and a number of airlines one being British Midland some 11 years and another smaller airline. I also worked for a major and seen as a good Travel Agents. I don`t need to say now BM treated their staff, but after that period of time I could tell many a horrior story, as could a few others. I left BM because my promotion was hampered by a petty and poor management team at my base. Funny, I get another job promotion quick and I end up training SEP and Security in front of the CAA inspectors writting manuals etc. Moving on to BA I have no such problems with management.

I`m not saying BA is perfect but comparing what I have experience at a number of other places BA is a good employer. The training is good, and is hands on. Other airlines I`ve sat and written out pages of emergency PA`s and drills which had to be word perfect to pass,(and whether you really understand what you are writting about?) if when "that" day happens on board the a/c you`d have problems remembering half of the A4 pages you`d scribled. We are treated well. Keep your nose clean and they leave you alone. Then the pay. mmm. I`m new contract but taking all in all I still earn a not bad wage, its certainly more than anywhere else I`ve been.
What I do find odd, is how other employees of the airline have a pop at cabin crew, yes we have good T&C and pay isn`t too bad. I know that there are the old contracts out there and their pay is high, but taking a pop at all cabin crew on a basic of £9000 pa plus allowances and if you take LGW cc into account you are way off the mark. As for pilots I meet on a daily bases on starting I did wonder if they would arrive with white gloves and speak with plumb in their gob, how wrong I was. They are one of the most down to earth bunch ever. They don`t dislike cabin crew and always want us to join them on a nightstop, even bribing crews with I`ll buy the first round, come on guys you coming out to eat etc. My only complaint is if I hear "its only 10 minutes away!" we end up walking for half an hour and may or may not find this place.

BA has had cheap advertising shot at it in the past few months, some which I felt made the other airline look more childish and probably turn paxs away from them.

When BA recruits cabin crew the flood gates open at every airline in the UK, bmi haemorrhages cabin crew, with up to 80 cabin crew resigning one day. I believe Britannia lost half their LGW cabin crew (and senior crew to) in the last recruitment.
Think that says most things....but thats from the cabin crew point of view.

Last edited by Tiger; 7th Nov 2002 at 18:12.
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Old 7th Nov 2002, 12:27
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It is a shame that this forum is often anti-BA. My own feeling is that certain people have a grudge to bear, for whatever reason, against the airline, and vent their anger on Pprune. Whether they have been unsuccessful when applying for a position with the company, or have experienced a poor flight, they seem intent on bad mouthing BA at every opportunity.

Following the above reports from a Captain and member of cabin crew, I thought I'd add my tuppence worth. I'm a relatively junior FO with BA, who joined through the cadet scheme. Before I started flying on line, I too was a little apprehensive after hearing legendary stories of nightmare Captains and crews. Of the 150 Captain's on my fleet, I can name 2 with whom I'm not overly keen on flying. That leaves 148 ladies and gentlemen who are fabulous to work with. Professional, dedicated, and also just as important, a great laugh. As for the cabin crew, they are just the same - a great bunch of people.

I think (and hope) the days of toffee nosed, aloof, snobby crews are long gone. BA's recruitment is great in that they take people from such varied backgrounds, particularly via the cadet scheme. This in itself destroys any form of elitism. I'm just some normal bloke who went to a normal uni, and got lucky by getting employed by BA. I treat everyone with the same respect whether they sweep the streets or Captain a 747.

As a company, BA have their faults - That's inevitable with an organisation so huge. The internal politics for example, never ceases to amaze me. However, they generally treat staff very well. I worked for several blue chip companies before BA, and in my opinion I'm far better looked after now than I was elsewhere.
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Old 7th Nov 2002, 13:27
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As a frequent passenger I concur with Nigel PAX. I like BA and I like to support them whenever I get the choice of carrier.

From my standpoint as a customer I find their service to be very good quality. On my commute between LHR and Madrid the cabin crew are quick and efficient and are extremely professional/courteous with those loud, aggressive passengers who believe it is their right to bring mountains of hand luggage into the cabin – especially on Friday nights. The flight deck crew seem happy to answer questions and give information, and back in February this year the Captain came into the lounge to explain to us about the weather problems at LHR and the consequent delays due to only the short runway being in use (23??). I’ve never experienced that on any other carrier.

In short they do everything I want them to do and they do it well, whether its Business or Economy. I’ve had colleagues who like to bash BA but when you ask them to substantiate their dislikes they only come up with stuff that affects all carriers, like delays, technical problems, baggage handling etc. Sure, there are always things that are going to go wrong but when you look at the big picture I thinks it’s pretty good.

I can only speak as an outsider, but they seem to be a company that has shown the ability to change in a turbulent market, with improving results to show for it. Not easy for any large organisation.
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Old 7th Nov 2002, 17:42
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We all know that deep down, every pilot would give their right testicle to fly for BA, I know I would have! Great set-up, brilliant training, great fleet and great routes AND great people. And as a pax, they're superb, I've used BA for their all inclusive holidays over the past few years, taking me to the carribean etc. They've always been top notch. It's great to use an airline like that to book your whole holiday, they've a huge variety of destinations and are very flexible.

I suppose the problem is they're just so bloody big, there's tossers in every walk of life and in a big company like BA you might just run into more of them. But when you put it into proportion it's a small percentage. the only criticism you could have of BA as a pax, would be something that's not their fault and that's Heathrow. Getting from T1 to T4 ain't no fun!

But it's a shame if the company don't treat their engineers right. A pilot or airline managerwhose been in the game 5 minutes knows how crucial engineering is to the sucess of the airline.
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Old 7th Nov 2002, 18:23
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OneWorld 22

I see you have used BA Holidays in the past. Not sure if you knew but BA staff get 20% discount on holidays- BA and Thomas Cook Signature Holidays the posh holidays not the package/charter jobs. They also do accomodation only deals, cheaper than Hotline-It`s costed as 20% off the hotel "extra night" stay. We also get the offers such as stay 4 nights get 1 free and 20% off the special offer brochure . Hotels always good and the res. staff helpful and have all the info such as building work in the hotel or near by area.

Last edited by Tiger; 7th Nov 2002 at 20:45.
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Old 7th Nov 2002, 20:54
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Dear OneBallworld,
I for one have no intention of donating any part of my anatomy to join the world's favourite.There are numerous jobs out there offering the same if not better flying jobs(+prospects!).

Referring to the original post,its not just PPRUNE,what about today's Daily Mail? 2stories about BA, 1 about Kylie being escorted by a grumpy CSD(nothing new there)down to cattle class having been 'mistaken' for an UNMIN,the other about an alleged serial rapist,who is a BA First Officer.Maybe the Editor failed the selection and has a gripe!!!!
P.s. I didn't nor have I ever applied ,for the record
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Old 7th Nov 2002, 22:21
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it is interesting to see how attitudes have changed, as i thought! for whatever reason the general opinion has improved of ba, hope it lasts for them.
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Old 8th Nov 2002, 09:40
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I too have noticed this over the course of my time on this board and have considered asking this question.

You've got to look at it in proportion. BA is larger than any other UK airline and so flies more routes and employs more people. As a result there are more propblems that are highlighted as there are more chances of it happening, there are also more disgruntled people out there that may have been affected by these problems.

As has also been said being an older airline there are some "older employees" some of which are fantastic and I wish I could fly with every day - others which love nothing more than grumping, complaining, and generally yearning for the "good ole days" to return.

BA is a good employer and I for one can see that as most of my friends work out of the industry and certainly don't enjoy the lack of stress plus the salary and benefits I recieve.

I also have friends who work for Virgin too - they also really enjoy it but are in no way looked after the way we are in BA. Lots of our staff recently have jumped ship to go to Virgin, I wish them all well but I wonder when they get there if they find the grass is actually greener?

One more thing - I think BA could do with more of an inspiring leader (bit like Branson), someone who can rally the troops, someone who can address a forum of people and make them shiver when they speak about their enthsiasm for the company and how we are going to "take on the world". Someone who can make people "want" to improve the company instead of looking to see what the company can do for them. It's a tall order I know and looking for charisma amoungst management is like looking for a white rabbit in a snow storm, but I'm sure there has to be someone out there with some common sense, experiance in the aviation industry, and more PERSONALITY!!! than a Vauxhaul Vectra?

Here's to hoping......
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Old 8th Nov 2002, 13:48
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I've flown as SLF with many airlines to many different destinations over the last 20 years and I have to say that BA is the one which most improved its act during that time (though it is deteriorating a bit of late). The attitude of cabin staff has improved and is now really good (Air Chance are the worst I've encountered for truly unhelpful, snotty, arrogant staff). There are some airlines which offer really good levels of service in the cabin for we SLF, but one wonders what the level of competence of the cockpit personnel is like. That's one thing I never wonder about on BA because from everything I've heard their level of crew training and competence is right up there among world-class leaders. From postings it seems that one thing the company is lacking these days is inspirational leadership, but that's difficult in these days when bean counters rule the world.
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Old 8th Nov 2002, 13:56
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My first flight was on a BOAC VC 10 in December 1965, LHR ~ JNB, so I was a natural supporter of BA, there were my first choice. I had used VS (both classes, as then was) and was very pleased by them. I admired Branson but BA was still my first choice.

Somewhere around 1991 (I think it was) the 'Dirty Tricks' against VS came out. After that, BA has always been bottom of my list.

The reason? BA management had a VERY good product. They had fine staff and maintenance of the highest order they had no need to play dirty tricks. The management showed themselves to be pathetic little boys. I felt that the only course of action was to withdraw my custom - miniscule though it is.

I have flown BA many times since then and have always enjoyed the service. Mostly it has been short/medium in Y and one or two mediums (Europe) in C. Always good. Always reliable. But I have not flown long haul BA (in any class) for eleven years.

I continue to admire the staff of BA and the very fine service they offer but when I heard Eddington say on radio this week, "We have a very good proposition and product", I knew that he has too much management speak.

So, I am sorry for BA staff and always enjoy being on your aeroplanes, you are great people - but your management are not ones that I wish to reward.

Could I 'forgive' them, after the passage of ten years? Since VS look after me so well - why should I? So, next Tuesday I am off to JNB and know that I shall enjoy the Upper Class experience again.

I have also 'converted' my family and there are four other people going out to the same wedding in South Africa. One going in PE (which BA also copied) and three more going in Upper.

I am not anti BA as such, just anti BA management.
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Old 9th Nov 2002, 08:17
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I would like to commend British Airways crews for there professionalism. I work dispatch and get to meet lots of European Airline crews. Some crews are terrible but for me BA is top of my list of friendly and professional crews.

Cabin Crews?
Well I think they are just the nicest bunch of crew you could ever meet, they always offer me a cup of Coffee or Tea and they always have a laugh and smile. Of course there is always one Dragon CSD but that's 1 in 100 and to be honest I know when she gets off the flight her life is probably one sad joke. Apart from that I think its a pleasure dispatching your aircraft.

Cockpit?
Well nice bunch of people here as well, very professional and they always always say hello and make you feel welcome, sometimes they chat with you and sometimes you can see they are knackered so you leave them alone. BA pilots seem to respect dispatchers more than any other airline, they seem to understand the aviation jigsaw a little more than other airlines, that's nice!

I was dispatching a BA flight the other day and I couldn't help but smile. I always heard about the Nigel's of BA but though it was just a myth, well the other day the CSD shouts to the cockpit "Hey Nigel what is your second name" No answer but another cabin crew shouts " here is Trevor (F/O) coming ask him"

At least BA staff have a sense of humor.

Before I dispatched BA flights I thought BA was a crap airline (sorry) but its only now once I have seen a little more I realized they are simply one of the greatest out there.

Keep it up!
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Old 12th Nov 2002, 09:02
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Incidently, the alleged pilot rapist didn't work for BA, he worked for a franchise.
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Old 14th Nov 2002, 08:49
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Can anyone tell me then, if BA happen to put on a face to impress
why can they do the same for internal staff who wish to progress.
I work for them on the ground and aggree with what the engeneering staff.
I' ve just completed the JAR licence conversion, and BA DONT WANT TO KNOW.
'Sorry sir but we think with your experience, too high for the cadeship and too low for direct entry, not enogh time on aircraft over 25 tones or military jet, try your luck elswhere.
I am sure that if given the chance i will ouperform some the two stripers who come accross as people that you would not feed to the sharks.
Many Regards
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