BA Direct Entry Pilot.
Join Date: Feb 2013
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The truth is, no one will really know what JSS is like until we have a few months of live bidding where everyone is regularly participating. If it turns out to be as bad as some people expect, BA will have a massive problem in terms of recruitment and retention and will have to address it.
I mourn the loss of bidline as much as anyone else, but I can't believe its going to be as apocalyptic as some suggest.
I mourn the loss of bidline as much as anyone else, but I can't believe its going to be as apocalyptic as some suggest.
Join Date: Mar 2010
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To all who want to join, keep a close eye on this thread over the next few months. It will be extremely telling.
If if things go as I expect, these are my predictions. Call it an educated guess.
Practically no-one will leave a command anywhere else to go to BA in either SH or LH.
No FO from the usual suspects will even entertain joining BA short haul (future “cadets”, your time may have come).
No FO from the usual suspects aged much over 30 will want to come to longhaul as the junior lifestyle will not be compatible with young family life (not sure it is currently either to be fair).
There will always be exceptions, I appreciate that. My bet is most of those exceptions will have become fed up with opening the curtains in the morning and seeing beige. They’ll be the ones who’ve made their money.
I think BA’s day of reckoning is close.
If if things go as I expect, these are my predictions. Call it an educated guess.
Practically no-one will leave a command anywhere else to go to BA in either SH or LH.
No FO from the usual suspects will even entertain joining BA short haul (future “cadets”, your time may have come).
No FO from the usual suspects aged much over 30 will want to come to longhaul as the junior lifestyle will not be compatible with young family life (not sure it is currently either to be fair).
There will always be exceptions, I appreciate that. My bet is most of those exceptions will have become fed up with opening the curtains in the morning and seeing beige. They’ll be the ones who’ve made their money.
I think BA’s day of reckoning is close.
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Somewhere sunny
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Thank you
Yes, Captain within 18 months is possible. Latest rumours are everyone who has bid for a LGW command in 2019 will get it. LHR transfer as a FO is no problem, in fact you can probably tell them you’d prefer LHR and start there. LHR Captain is harder as you will need the seniority for a LHR command. Latest rumours for LHR command is ~3500 on a ~4350 pilot workforce.
Disclaimer: it’s rumour and appearantly very fluid at the moment.
I've tried to read this long thread as far back as I could looking for the most accurate and complete disclosable information any of us can get. BA seems like a good (but not great) gig. I guess life is not perfect.
One concern I see people getting is the holy pound vs days off. I guess it would help if the airline could guarantee some 15 consecutive days off plus commuting option to our front door and a million in the bank every month for our wives to spend in shoes and handbags. Don't get me wrong this is my kind of employer too, but it would bankrupt soon.
Last edited by sun shines every day; 30th Oct 2018 at 02:42. Reason: Ethical reasons
I would leave it a couple of months after Jan though, as I think there will be more than a few disgruntled pilots upset with their rosters in the first few months of JSS bidding until we learn how the system works. Once things bed down and the union tweaks a few parameters as necessary, we will know whether BA will be seen as a long term gig or not.
Yep, Easter will have given people four bids under JSS, most will be some way up the learning curve and an overall picture of senority vs. rosters will be emerging.
It is only then that we will have a handle on how much control the new system makes it possible for individuals to really have vs. how many are going to be on blindlines in all but name due to the consequences of Global Constraints/crew repair and the unlocking of rosters.
TBH I’m sceptical as to how much significant tweaking BALPA will be able to do once JSS is in place, so it’s a case of fingers crossed.
It is only then that we will have a handle on how much control the new system makes it possible for individuals to really have vs. how many are going to be on blindlines in all but name due to the consequences of Global Constraints/crew repair and the unlocking of rosters.
TBH I’m sceptical as to how much significant tweaking BALPA will be able to do once JSS is in place, so it’s a case of fingers crossed.
Last edited by wiggy; 30th Oct 2018 at 06:59.
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Surrey
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Hi Guys,
anyone booked in for a Sim Slot next week?
I’m on the early slot Monday 5th and would appreciate getting to know the other person before the day. So if its you, drop me a message.
anyone booked in for a Sim Slot next week?
I’m on the early slot Monday 5th and would appreciate getting to know the other person before the day. So if its you, drop me a message.
You can message BA and have them forward your info onto your sim partner. That's what mine did to get hold of me a few years back.
Join Date: Jul 2015
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Dutchflyer if you havent received feedback from the sim you aren't in the holdpool (just yet!) when you get a yes from the sim then you are. When I went through it took me almost a month to get my response from the sim, which was bloody annoying!
all the best
all the best
Join Date: May 2018
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That's not really the case at all. You can have a yes from the sim, not receive your sim performance feedback, and very much be in the holdpool (as I assume is exactly the case here)
Join Date: Nov 2018
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Join Date: Feb 2005
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Some rare optimism from me, I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised by the results of dry run 3 with JSS however they have to be treated with caution as global constraints and crew repair were not in play. My line was very similar to those unobtainable commuter friendly ones in Stage 1, the ones that always go to the same 6/7 people. Will be interesting to see how it all pans out though, especially for Long Haul.
Dutchflyer, have you considered KLM? I ask because the word is that an unspecified number of Orange “Nigels” are leaving (or are about to leave) to go back home. Might be worth thinking about.
Last edited by Doug E Style; 2nd Nov 2018 at 21:45.
Join Date: Mar 2010
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Some rare optimism from me, I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised by the results of dry run 3 with JSS however they have to be treated with caution as global constraints and crew repair were not in play. My line was very similar to those unobtainable commuter friendly ones in Stage 1, the ones that always go to the same 6/7 people. Will be interesting to see how it all pans out though, especially for Long Haul.
Unless you are towards the top of the pile, I would take the result with a large pinch of salt. The accepted wisdom is that Global Constraint and Crew Repair will go quite a way north, meaning what you’ve seen (bearing in mind there were a proportion of “fake” trips there) is going to be quite different to what you actually get.
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Tay Cough I did say treat it with caution but I’m 60% off the top at the moment of the P32L status list. I’d imagine I’ll be north of 50% at the very, very least by 2019 end if recruitment is as forecast. There’s enough tours going around to grab enough of them at that seniority and crew repair isn’t getting that far up. My point is it will be possible to gain access to “commuter lines” far easier than it is now with bidline, which is a good thing for some. If anything else it shows I’m doing the right things with my bid, even if I may be shafted with the real thing.
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Except it will Jumbo2 because you’re ignoring the fact that most of the lines in bidline are preconstructed lines which are basically a mixture of daytrips and tours. There’s only a handful of commuter lines (you don’t just need to be in the top 25% to get those, you need to be in the top 5% to have a sniff of those unless there’s other preassignments that make it unviable credit wise or unattractive to bid for those lines) but there are loads of tours available amongst the rest of the lines, it stands to reason that anyone in the top 50% could very well construct a line basically consisting of tours. Yes they might not be 4 five day tours every time but certainly the ability to build a more commutable work pattern will be far greater than it is right now and that is the one saving grace of JSS.
Join Date: Jul 2006
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I'm pretty convinced all the 4 day and 5 day trips will still end up in the top 25%, there are less then 75 4-5 day trips total and just like high credit day trips they will go senior. also at 50% you are still within reach of the optimisation process.