BA - lifestyle and work/life balance

[Full Left Rudder]

As an outsider to the company who may be interested in joining, I would be grateful if anyone on the inside can elaborate on the reality of life at BA from a family and work/life balance perspective.

I am cautious that it is easy to assume BA is the best thing going 'because it's BA'.

How many days a month can you expect to be away from home?

How many days off at home do you tend to get a month?

Can you maintain a healthy family and social life?

Do you genuinely enjoy the lifestyle?

Perhaps a more revealing question would be to ask how high the divorce rate is at BA?

[Calmcavok]

Done to death on here, look at the BA DEP selection thread, with a beer or a cuppa, and after an hour or so of reading you will have more than you asked for, in detail.

[Full Left Rudder]

Thanks calmcavok.

I have read the thread but it is largely about the selction process, as per the thread title.

I just get the impression that maybe people on the outside of BA are aspiring to join just because it is BA, and people on the inside are happy for people to do so rather than spill the beans on the reality of life there. I just wonder why this is? Could it be because they don't want others not to aspire to join, as that would mean they would lose some of their pride in working for BA? Afterall, pride in ones work has a big effect on job satisfaction.

Just thought it might be useful to have a thread just about the lifestyle to run alongside the selection thread.

[ltn and beyond]

Full Left,

BA is a large varied airline giving a wide range our lifestyles, of which everyone tends to find one that suits their outside work lives.

There is absolutly no reason for any one to try and hide anything!!, BA is a very transparent place to work. Ask yourself why of the 3000+ pilots employed very few leave to other airlines and maybe you answer your own original question !!!!!

[Full Left Rudder]

Thanks for your comments.

I understand that there are different lifestyle options available. However, that does not mean that any of them are necessarily any good. I would be grateful if someone was able to offer some facts or information on what may be available.

My question is just about lifestyle and work/life balance. I would imagine that many people don't leave BA because it is the best paying job in the UK, it offers good career variety, job security and a pride in working for the flag carrier. I am just trying to establish if lifestyle is also a reason for joining, or if it is something that is compromised in order to enjoy the aforementioned benefits.

Afterall, I know many many captains at my current employer who want to leave but can't because of the pay cut involved, joining a new company as an FO, relocating their families etc. It is in no way proof that someone is happy in the job just because they don't leave.

I am not trying to be obtuse with this, just to make an informed decision about my future.

[kotakota]

1. It is NOT the flag - carrier , but may be perceived to be by many . Not flown the Union Jack on its hulls for YEARS . Branson had to do it for some reason that is beyond me.
2 . It is well paid and well pensioned , if you do the time , it is not instant Xanadu.
3. The reason people stay , and enjoy it , is because after 3-5 years of graft and little life/ fleet choices , you get to have a fantastic balance of work / family / social life , and that makes happy crew . Most do 900 hours per annum ( longhaul ) but have big input to their roster / lifestyle .Some people leave because they are impatient for command , many of those regret doing so.

[Full Left Rudder]

Thanks kotakota.

I am sure life is better once you have seniority. However, the total workload will no doubt remain the same?

That is why I am interested in number of days off a month etc, as even the most senior pilot in the company still has to do his 900 hours.

On the face of it, 900 hours flying whilst spending a lot if time in hotels doesn't exactly sound like a good lifestyle. In fact it sounds dire. I want to find out about the reality of life at BA so I don't just make a decision based on just this big picture view. I am after the nitty gritty.

[kotakota]

Shorthaul = Many days flying , some time at home , not many days off.
Longhaul = Not many days flying , more days off , more days at home.

[tfly737]

longhaul = Hours spent twiddling your thumbs at 3am, higher chance of divorce, bored in shopping malls in the states, fatigued and generally overweight!

short haul = Harder days, cities with lots of culture, away far less and if you've done a few years you can be away or home as much as you want. Probably still married and after a long week, one decent nights sleep and you're back to normal!

[JW411]

Why in God's name would you want to bust a gut flying 900 hours per year with BA when you could join Virgin and only have to do 750 hours per year?

Big difference.

[Full Left Rudder]

Thanks for the info kokatota and tfly737. It is appreciated.

Purely in terms of number of days off, how many would you get short haul vs long haul?

JW411 - it is for precisely these reasons that I am asking the questions. Everything is a balancing act between lifestyle, job security etc. Just want as accurate a picture to make a decision from as possible. For example, it would appear that job security is better at BA than Virgin. Would you not agree? So a risk for a better lifestlye vs losing your job.......

Not an easy decision to make, assuming you could get both job offers on the table of course!!

[cvg2iln]

Why in God's name would you want to bust a gut flying 900 hours per year with BA when you could join Virgin and only have to do 750 hours per year?

Big difference.

Yes, but when is an hour not an hour? The Devil's in the details, and it's the details that FLR is attempting to drag into the limelight.

900/750 actual flight hrs as measured on a watch to be a logbook entry or 900/750 of credited hours which accommodate other factors such as simulator/ground based training, hiccups in the schedule, etc?

I get paid by credited hours, which because of a nebulous formula, far exceed those entered in my logbook.

Big difference.

[Cough]

FLR - I think the best way to answer this question would be to ask it the other way round. What do you want in terms of work/lifestyle balance? We can then answer whether BA can offer what you want.

PS, I'm shorthaul and flew 620 hours last year, just under 600 the year before...

[Full Left Rudder]

Cvg - that is the kind of info I am after. Thanks. In real log book terms then, how many hours can you expect on long haul? What about short haul - similar to those suggested by Cough?

Cough - in an ideal world I don't want to be away more than 7 nights a month on short haul, and I want at least two weekends and 14 days free of duty a month. If long haul then would want more like 15 days free of duty a month. Is that possible at BA? If so, how far up the seniority list percentage wise would I need to be on my fleet?

[cvg2iln]

FLR. I fly for neither BA or VA, and I apologize if I've muddied the waters for you. My post was intended to point out that there are many variables to be considered when meeting required (contractual) hours of service. Determining QOL at any particular carrier is always something of a wade through the quagmire of differing definitions and 750 could actually be harder to attain than 900. Caveat Emptor.

I suggest that you directly ask those in the know by PM'ing a few of the more prolific posters from BA. They may reply with a treasure trove of good info, or they could alternatively tell you to PFO without the please.

Best of luck.

[silverknapper]

Cough - in an ideal world I don't want to be away more than 7 nights a month on short haul, and I want at least two weekends and 14 days free of duty a month. If long haul then would want more like 15 days free of duty a month. Is that possible at BA? If so, how far up the seniority list percentage wise would I need to be on my fleet?

Said with tongue in cheek, but don't we all!!!

[Full Left Rudder]

Indeed we do!

But I have friends at airlines other than BA who enjoy these things. Am trying to establish if BA is on a par.

[sudden twang]

Im Top 10% at BA and LH In July a 5 weekend month, I have 2 weekends off plus a saturday and 13 days free of duty. Some late starts, ie after 6pm some finishes before 8am.
5 nights off down route.
Without seniority I'd prob work most weekends.
Only 2 sectors this month 2 crew. So almost a third of my log book and credit time is in a bunk.

[Gocatcomplete]

So what you are saying is that you you are really only interested in how much time off you will get, not what the people or company are like to work for? That is what they will pay you to do....Work not have lots of time off.
Why don't you apply and ask at the interview?

[Full Left Rudder]

Gocatcomplete - yes, that is precisely the essence of my question. I know fullwell that the company is a good place to work. However, I know city slickers who earn shed loads of cash, work with good people in a company that looks after them well. Alongside this they have a terrible work life balance. This later fact is what makes them unhappy. Nothing else matters.

So to go back on thread, can anyone answer my questions in a similar way to that kindly offered by sudden twang?