BA Direct Entry Pilot.
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: The Winchester
Posts: 6,003
Also, when I say useful day at home, day 3 of a trip can be quite a problematic half day at home depending how you handle it / partner's sympathy to Mr Dead, corpse like state etc.

Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 319
No, I call day 3/return home day my "just inching off being single/right, that's it I'm jacking this LH crap in if I live through the night and don't melt or self combust along with the sofa" day. 
Day 1 off is "being single immediate threat over/it's ok really, just have a small bit of washing and some chores" day.
Day 2 off is....." more chores/ oh not that bloody suitcase again [insert location of where you live]" day

Day 1 off is "being single immediate threat over/it's ok really, just have a small bit of washing and some chores" day.
Day 2 off is....." more chores/ oh not that bloody suitcase again [insert location of where you live]" day
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: The Winchester
Posts: 6,003
Can someone who knows what's what say roughly how widespread this unpaid leave offer is.
Has it been offered to all fleets?
Has it been offered to all fleets?
The 900 hour'ish Longhaulers are separate issue and I'm sure will be dealt with as per the usual longstanding procedure ( i.e. via the monthly bid process by to some extent limiting trip selection), rather than standing down targetted indviduals as part of an unpaid leave process.
Last edited by wiggy; 30th Apr 2017 at 12:00.
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: London
Posts: 151
With any luck we will be allowed to remain in the pool until there is a requirement. It's not in BA's interest to make us do it all again.
To be fair, the plan changes very quickly so what's happening now doesn't guarantee what's going to happen next year.
Last year there was unpaid voluntary leave offered on short haul. DEP's joined in Jan/Feb. Go figure.
To be fair, the plan changes very quickly so what's happening now doesn't guarantee what's going to happen next year.
Last year there was unpaid voluntary leave offered on short haul. DEP's joined in Jan/Feb. Go figure.
Join Date: May 2009
Location: somewhere in the middle
Posts: 258
Realistically though, how much does it cost?
Day 1; A days wage for someone to administer, then mark the written tests. A proportion of the purchase cost of said test (which given that they will be used across the BA organisation, for engineers, clerical etc etc, means that proportion is less), the purchase cost of the computer exams.
Day 2; a days wage for 6 or so pilots, plus 6 or so HR bods. Some money for a round of Tesco sandwiches.
So for the first 2 screening days, the main cost is wages, I'd say. And given that these people are already employed full time, they'd be paying that wage anyway.
Mentally I'm resigned to having to go through the whole rigmarole again.
Day 1; A days wage for someone to administer, then mark the written tests. A proportion of the purchase cost of said test (which given that they will be used across the BA organisation, for engineers, clerical etc etc, means that proportion is less), the purchase cost of the computer exams.
Day 2; a days wage for 6 or so pilots, plus 6 or so HR bods. Some money for a round of Tesco sandwiches.
So for the first 2 screening days, the main cost is wages, I'd say. And given that these people are already employed full time, they'd be paying that wage anyway.
Mentally I'm resigned to having to go through the whole rigmarole again.
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Right of the Middle
Posts: 349
A quick vow-pox from people - given the 18 month hold pool time now, when do you sink?
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: The Winchester
Posts: 6,003
The old and overly posh HR types working at BA have an archaic view of things and could be the grandmas of most of the pilots BA has hired over the last 3 years.
That aside reading the comments here I can accept that overall it may not be perceived as a great experience for many - I think the mad dash to recruit a year or two back has led to expectations which may now not be delivered, but sadly it's also fairly typical of the roller coaster ride that can be the 'BA employee experience' ...
Sciolist (look it up) of the first order
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 949
Lots of good points mentioned above. Regarding the cost to BA to run the recruitment process; yes it might not cost a great deal to empty the pool and start again but in this day and age of cost cutting, you do wonder what's the point of incurring any additional unnecessary costs though?
Having failed a couple times prior to being successful this last time I do know for us candidates it's certainly not easy to pass, but I wonder what their logic is regarding our ability to do the job if after 18 months they don't offer us one. Provided we are still working in our current airline and having already passed BA, what exactly do BA think has happened to our ability in this time? As far as I can see we've only gone and gained even more experience and are bringing even more to the table.
It is of course their train set, and while I'm still positive I do know two things;
1. I'm happy I passed and am at least in this situation instead of having failed again, and
2. Having passed I now know then level you need to be at to get through. Should I need to do it all again, while I won't be overly happy, I'm pretty sure I'd pass.
FWIW I expire in early March 2018.
Having failed a couple times prior to being successful this last time I do know for us candidates it's certainly not easy to pass, but I wonder what their logic is regarding our ability to do the job if after 18 months they don't offer us one. Provided we are still working in our current airline and having already passed BA, what exactly do BA think has happened to our ability in this time? As far as I can see we've only gone and gained even more experience and are bringing even more to the table.
It is of course their train set, and while I'm still positive I do know two things;
1. I'm happy I passed and am at least in this situation instead of having failed again, and
2. Having passed I now know then level you need to be at to get through. Should I need to do it all again, while I won't be overly happy, I'm pretty sure I'd pass.
FWIW I expire in early March 2018.
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: The Winchester
Posts: 6,003
in this day and age of cost cutting, you do wonder what's the point of incurring any additional unnecessary costs though?