BA Direct Entry Pilot.
You’ve come up with the two main variables to add to basic: flying pay and time away from base payment..
Closest to an “overnight payment” is the “Daily Overseas Allowance”...which will not make you a millionare..
Overtime (if you can fit it in) is available ...but doesn’t pay a staggeringly high multiple of the normal rate.
Disruption payments (and similar such as the much lamented “lateness credit) have been whittled down over the years and on Longhaul only really starts to kick in if you are a day late back into base or more, so it is not something you can plan on as a regular top up to the income.
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Year 5 L/H FO basic is £67658
Additional pay is as follows.
flight pay block to block £10 per hour
Time away from base (starts getting paid at check in and stops at check out in LHR) £3 something an hour of which about 30% is tax free although that won’t last much longer.
I would say factor in about another 15 to 18k a year in flight pay and TAFB pay.
Bonus forget about it, apparently there was some share scheme but I have never been paid out from it so I would write that off to.
Pension as previously mentioned 6/15.6%
overtime will be paid at about £60 per hour of credit (which I still don’t understand properly).
As with most things at BA the rostering/Pay/contracts/agreements are so complicated it’s almost impossible to give you a straight forward answer to the question.
Additional pay is as follows.
flight pay block to block £10 per hour
Time away from base (starts getting paid at check in and stops at check out in LHR) £3 something an hour of which about 30% is tax free although that won’t last much longer.
I would say factor in about another 15 to 18k a year in flight pay and TAFB pay.
Bonus forget about it, apparently there was some share scheme but I have never been paid out from it so I would write that off to.
Pension as previously mentioned 6/15.6%
overtime will be paid at about £60 per hour of credit (which I still don’t understand properly).
As with most things at BA the rostering/Pay/contracts/agreements are so complicated it’s almost impossible to give you a straight forward answer to the question.
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Thanks for the figures.
Very surprising to be honest; a lot of people would be giving up commands on 737/320s if joining BA. I didn't realise that the pay cut you would have to take is so dramatic!
Very surprising to be honest; a lot of people would be giving up commands on 737/320s if joining BA. I didn't realise that the pay cut you would have to take is so dramatic!
I’ve been in BA just a few decades and In all honesty I have never ever heard any crew (pilots or cabin crew) parroting those old and somewhat dated advertising slogans as their reason for joining....at all..ever.
.
More likely reasons for joining I have heard from my pilot colleagues are things like being based in the south east U.K, being able to fly the likes of the 747, 777, 787, even the 380....In days of old people joined in part because it was a company with a decent pension scheme, and a “world leading rostering system” (stop laughing at the back) and the Aspirational bid system was and is a plus because it still allows people to dabble in Shorthaul, move to Longhaul, see the world..etc.
Just my MHO though (oh, I do agree with your comment about pay)
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Whilst I concede that BA isn't going to perfect (show me a job that is), it'll do for me and I'm very happy to have made the grade. In the unlikely event that I don't like it, I'll move to somewhere else (and give 3 months notice, not 12).
Skaterboi...Firstly congratulations...
Well...there is the return to ISB on the 787.........
..., that aside you will find there are some “interesting destinations” with security issues at ground level, plus silly stuff like the odd scud thrown in the very general direction of RUH from time to time and at least one other occasionally “hot” ME destination where one has been known to have to take cover...but I do take your point 
..., that aside you will find there are some “interesting destinations” with security issues at ground level, plus silly stuff like the odd scud thrown in the very general direction of RUH from time to time and at least one other occasionally “hot” ME destination where one has been known to have to take cover...but I do take your point 
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Skaterboi...Firstly congratulations...
Well...there is the return to ISB on the 787......... ..., that aside you will find there are some “interesting destinations” with security issues at ground level, plus silly stuff like the odd scud thrown in the very general direction of RUH from time to time and at least one other occasionally “hot” ME destination where one has been known to have to take cover...but I do take your point
Well...there is the return to ISB on the 787.........
..., that aside you will find there are some “interesting destinations” with security issues at ground level, plus silly stuff like the odd scud thrown in the very general direction of RUH from time to time and at least one other occasionally “hot” ME destination where one has been known to have to take cover...but I do take your point Join Date: May 2005
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Oh well...I stand corrected .. I’ve never witnessed that myself ....are you actually literally hearing people saying e.g. they joined “ to fly the flag” or similar...
??? I’ve never even heard the real real youngsters on the other side of the flight deck door -Mixed Fleet, regurgitate that sort of nonsense..
Maybe too much recruiting/exposure to some of our social media hero’s is causing this....I suggest we should make sure we continue to recruit more cynical/grounded old f*******
The Forces used to have a few...
??? I’ve never even heard the real real youngsters on the other side of the flight deck door -Mixed Fleet, regurgitate that sort of nonsense..Maybe too much recruiting/exposure to some of our social media hero’s is causing this....I suggest we should make sure we continue to recruit more cynical/grounded old f*******
The Forces used to have a few...Last edited by wiggy; 1st Jan 2019 at 10:16.
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I do not think there are especially many who joined purely because they wanted to fly the flag. There are plenty who assumed the ‘national flag carrier’ would have superior terms and conditions though.
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What will happen to crews as the 747 is withdrawn? Could someone join on the fleet and then be directed to any fleet without any consultation? I understand that during your fleet freeze you can be directed to any fleet but obviously this is more relevant on the 747.
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Correct. You can get directed anywhere where BA wants. So you could in theory get booted off the 747 as the fleet reduces in size. That might be to SH. The 350 is going to replace the 747 on an hull for hull basis.
However, there might be enough guys bidding off the 747 to fill their requirements leaving you protected. I guess it’s a last resort thing. Some new guys were directed off the 380 a couple of years ago. If they have an oversupply of pilots on a fleet, they normally run a supplementary bid and people can put in their preference as to where they’d like to go. Happened on the 318 when they reduced the fleet to 1 aircraft a while back.
However, there might be enough guys bidding off the 747 to fill their requirements leaving you protected. I guess it’s a last resort thing. Some new guys were directed off the 380 a couple of years ago. If they have an oversupply of pilots on a fleet, they normally run a supplementary bid and people can put in their preference as to where they’d like to go. Happened on the 318 when they reduced the fleet to 1 aircraft a while back.
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Thanks for that insight. Currently watching a fleet being retired at my current airline and the associated drama that brings. I can also relate to how a planned timescale means very little. Now oil has tanked again I can imagine they may well be around a little longer...
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Thanks for that insight. Currently watching a fleet being retired at my current airline and the associated drama that brings. I can also relate to how a planned timescale means very little. Now oil has tanked again I can imagine they may well be around a little longer...
Also based on nothing but my humble opinion, if you joined in 2019, I don't foresee see you being directed off the jumbo due to fleet retirement during the initial engagement freeze. They are cash cows for BA at the moment with oil at $55 pb.
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What will happen to crews as the 747 is withdrawn? Could someone join on the fleet and then be directed to any fleet without any consultation? I understand that during your fleet freeze you can be directed to any fleet but obviously this is more relevant on the 747.
Within reason we all got what we asked for or very close to it. The junior guys including me have largely ended up on the 777 and are very happy chappies after what has been a pretty awful couple of years for those at the bottom. Having done it once, I would avoid a dying fleet as far as humanly possible but I'm sure others will back me up when I say just get in, get your number and bide your time. The jumbo is the next to go but its a while off yet and it won't endure the same short haul pain the 767 did in its final 2 1/2 years.
Happy New Year all!
Last edited by 2 Whites 2 Reds; 2nd Jan 2019 at 08:52.
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I sadly didn’t get to the SIM have to wait a year to reapply. I have however changed my opinion of BA. I assumed the ‘national flag carrier’ had superior terms and conditions and had the thought of how amazing it would be to fly for BA. I do feel a bit naive now. I put a lot of work into prepping for BA but actually didn’t research T&Cs what’s it actually like etc. I now know people who have jumped to BA, I’m talking people I’ve worked with trained with, and the picture they paint is not what I had in my head. I was disappointed to not get to the SIM but I’m actually more disappointed in what I have learnt about BA. I was looking at it as that would be my forever airline but I feel the first 5 years at least would be so challenging, having a very young family, wife who wants to quit her job to be with family, would test us to the max. SH trips away seem inevitable and having seen rosters guys have sent me I feel EZY would be a better choice, command is quicker and pays more. LH doesn’t look as bad, you get few more days off but may have to wait 5 years to get LH and 15 years to command!!! Im mid thirties now at least 50 before command. I don’t plan on working in to my 60s. It took a heart attack for my dad(68) to stop work. Pay that’s not very good compared to how much money BA makes!!! Wife has to keep working so we can afford our bills/plan on early retirement.
I spent most of 2018 waiting for BA to open up recruitment and waiting for slots to stages 1 and 2 as that’s what I wanted I didn’t focus on much else apart from EK.
Maybe it’s because it’s 2019, 2018 went by so quickly, I need to be more proactive.
Happy New Year.
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