BA 747 rostering
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BA 747 rostering
Hi guys, can anybody flying for BA as a (junior) F/O on the 747 tell me what their roster is like? how many D/O per month? how many days is one trip? how many SBYs? Is it easy to make your own roster and do you usualy get what you've asked for? (guess not if junior?) if not do you get at least some weekends per month? roster stability? all those things......just to get an idea? thanks
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Altho not junior, having flown wth guys who are i think the rosters for junior guys will include a fair mixture of trips.
You would get a Blind Line most months, meaning that most trips would be allocated to you from the trips no one else bid for. But one trip would be chosen assuming you were able to get a seeded BL. That will mean you will be working most weekends, but you can request them off, altho thats just a preference. As for days off, well that varies depending on what kind of trips you get, and how clever you are in placing your seeded trip, but will be around 10 - 14 days. If you're looking for an airline that doesn't work too hard, look elsewhere!
There aren't that many 2 crew trips on the fleet, but you will get a fair share of the ones there are.
I'd guess you would generally get Naritas, NY's, LA's, Lagos', and Washingtons. Having said that anything is possible on Blind lines and the fleet contains a huge variation of trips.
All in all it's a great fleet to be on, and doesn't have many unpopular trips.
All the best.
Edited to add that roster stability is very good, had just 2 trips changed in 9 years.
You would get a Blind Line most months, meaning that most trips would be allocated to you from the trips no one else bid for. But one trip would be chosen assuming you were able to get a seeded BL. That will mean you will be working most weekends, but you can request them off, altho thats just a preference. As for days off, well that varies depending on what kind of trips you get, and how clever you are in placing your seeded trip, but will be around 10 - 14 days. If you're looking for an airline that doesn't work too hard, look elsewhere!
There aren't that many 2 crew trips on the fleet, but you will get a fair share of the ones there are.
I'd guess you would generally get Naritas, NY's, LA's, Lagos', and Washingtons. Having said that anything is possible on Blind lines and the fleet contains a huge variation of trips.
All in all it's a great fleet to be on, and doesn't have many unpopular trips.
All the best.
Edited to add that roster stability is very good, had just 2 trips changed in 9 years.
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10 to 14 D/O, I would have expected a little more. thanks for the info. No worries no curious reporter or angry girlfriends here. just checking what the roster 's like.
thanks.
any other info from others still welcome.
thanks.
any other info from others still welcome.
Juniorish 744 Capt here - 'fraid 10 -14 days off a month sounds about right for a Blindline holder, as does working most/every weekend. Don't forget you will also get days off downroute at some destinations...wether that floats your boat or not is another matter - depends on the destination ( Narita anybody 
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I feel reasonably well informed having spent 3 1/2 years 18 from the bottom of the co pilots list! Only just started moving up and rosters are good.
Its been fine, very rarely get blind lines, work most weekends, but i'm prepared to do that to get decent trips. Blind lines are great for a tactical weekend but to be honest if you're very junior you'll only get the rubbish blind lines (NRT, LAX etc) so you're better off taking a trip line. Multiple weekends off in a month is a problem, but not insurmountable. Lots of people swap trips regularly and you'll be surprised what pops up there. Weekend trips are often more fun (junior captains and fos more to do downroute etc). Theres much less stratification of trips on the FOs rosters than the Capts as majority of good trips have 2 fos but 1 capt. For example every night BA have 24 fos at some point on a HKG trip but only 16 on JFKs.
Most of the trips are fine, I think we're a bit spoilt compared to the junior 777 boys. Looking back over the last few years i've averaged 1 2man trip each month (JFK most often) 2 3 man (generally a 4 day and a 3 day) and 1 4man (HKG or GRU usually, SIN is senior), but in last 6 months i've only done 2 x 2 crew and more 4 crew than 3. Average 13 days off, 10 would be an extremely busy month and you'd be putting lots of hours in the bank if you were bidding well.
However if you do need weekends you will a, spend your life on the E coast and b, work on average 1-2 days more per month due the lack of hours these trips accrue.
Roster stability wise, you almost never get disrupted, but you'll have to do 1 standby month per year. However this is an excellent chance to pick up some great trips at the second stage of bidding so is not all bad.
pm me if you want more info.
Its been fine, very rarely get blind lines, work most weekends, but i'm prepared to do that to get decent trips. Blind lines are great for a tactical weekend but to be honest if you're very junior you'll only get the rubbish blind lines (NRT, LAX etc) so you're better off taking a trip line. Multiple weekends off in a month is a problem, but not insurmountable. Lots of people swap trips regularly and you'll be surprised what pops up there. Weekend trips are often more fun (junior captains and fos more to do downroute etc). Theres much less stratification of trips on the FOs rosters than the Capts as majority of good trips have 2 fos but 1 capt. For example every night BA have 24 fos at some point on a HKG trip but only 16 on JFKs.
Most of the trips are fine, I think we're a bit spoilt compared to the junior 777 boys. Looking back over the last few years i've averaged 1 2man trip each month (JFK most often) 2 3 man (generally a 4 day and a 3 day) and 1 4man (HKG or GRU usually, SIN is senior), but in last 6 months i've only done 2 x 2 crew and more 4 crew than 3. Average 13 days off, 10 would be an extremely busy month and you'd be putting lots of hours in the bank if you were bidding well.
However if you do need weekends you will a, spend your life on the E coast and b, work on average 1-2 days more per month due the lack of hours these trips accrue.
Roster stability wise, you almost never get disrupted, but you'll have to do 1 standby month per year. However this is an excellent chance to pick up some great trips at the second stage of bidding so is not all bad.
pm me if you want more info.
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Ok thanks. If you join as DEFO on 747, can you move after lets say 5 years to 320 and get a good chance for the command within a few years in that case?
Are command transfers on overall seniority or fleet seniority?
cheers
CT
p.s. i thought the 787 were mainly just going to be replacements for 767 and 777 serving quieter routes rather than expansion
Are command transfers on overall seniority or fleet seniority?
cheers
CT
p.s. i thought the 787 were mainly just going to be replacements for 767 and 777 serving quieter routes rather than expansion
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Just a thought ?
Just a thought guys
What sort of relationship do you have with your rostering/ops staff ? Do you have any idea the stresses/strains that they have to deal with everyday. Moaning crew uninformed fleet management and the day-in-day out operational crap which they have NO imput but have to deal with BALPA/BA nonse ?
Spare a thought they/we do hav family/lives/mortages etc
What sort of relationship do you have with your rostering/ops staff ? Do you have any idea the stresses/strains that they have to deal with everyday. Moaning crew uninformed fleet management and the day-in-day out operational crap which they have NO imput but have to deal with BALPA/BA nonse ?
Spare a thought they/we do hav family/lives/mortages etc
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Controller: don't worry it will be much better when all the new systems come in to play.
Would have thought that an ability do deal with uninformed management and moaning crew came with the job? Or would you prefer the phone never rang?
Not sure what is BALPA 'nonse', most crews are onside and keen to get the job done (industrial action notwithstanding of course )
Would have thought that an ability do deal with uninformed management and moaning crew came with the job? Or would you prefer the phone never rang?
Not sure what is BALPA 'nonse', most crews are onside and keen to get the job done (industrial action notwithstanding of course
)
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Ok thanks. If you join as DEFO on 747, can you move after lets say 5 years to 320
As for the 787s well the first few are expansion (cant remember the numbers 8 rings a bell) before they start replacing 767s, also the 4 new 777s in 2009, although i suspect 1 aircraft will be used as a replacement for YMM until the New club fit is complete.
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How about part time
Hey there ,read your thread and was just wondering wether BA offers part time contracts, or parental pt right after employment.
Didnīt apply yet, but strongly thinking of.
i now have around 7000 hrs total (prop and jet command),do they employ you as junior f/O or already a few stages up the ladder, and what would the average salary be then?
Thanks for info
Best regards
Didnīt apply yet, but strongly thinking of.
i now have around 7000 hrs total (prop and jet command),do they employ you as junior f/O or already a few stages up the ladder, and what would the average salary be then?
Thanks for info
Best regards
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You could but you'd be certifiable! Pay cut to go RHS Airbus! Theres no requirement to do Right to Left on Type at all, Command course can be with the type rating. Just stay on the 74 until your command comes up
But to clarify you said SH command is maybe only 7 years, whereas longhaul is lets say 15 for arguments sake? So if you were to move after year 5 from 74 to 320, would be a paycut in the first instance but if you got the left seat 2 years later im sure it would work out plus you could possibly transfer back at a later stage as a captain?
cheers
But to clarify you said SH command is maybe only 7 years, whereas longhaul is lets say 15 for arguments sake? So if you were to move after year 5 from 74 to 320, would be a paycut in the first instance but if you got the left seat 2 years later im sure it would work out plus you could possibly transfer back at a later stage as a captain?
cheers
captain_toga
Nope, it's not the money...I think part of the point my esteemed colleagues may be making is:
Right hand 744 to Right Hand A320 means:
Transferring from LHR Longhaul to LHR Shorthaul yet no pay rise means:
Certifiable
Right hand 744 to Right Hand A320 means:
Transferring from LHR Longhaul to LHR Shorthaul yet no pay rise means:
Certifiable
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The way to do it would be to sit in the RHS of a 400 for 7 years until senior enough to get LHS A320. The only reason you'd go to the RHS of an Airbus from the Jumbo would be to get used to the Airbus/Shorthaul pre-command. However there is no requirement and people have, do and will just go RHS 747to LHS Airbus. It's all about seniority numbers. If you have the seniority, aren't frozen and there are vacancies you will get what you bid for.
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Hotel mode en co. Thanks a lot for all that info. I have a course comming up indeed. Didn't expect to get a call anymore anyway as I was approaching the year in the hold pool. It all looks nice and I'm looking forward to get started.