BA Holdpool

[skyflyer101]

Originally Posted by thetimesreader84

Apparently BA's jets have been moved out of storage to the boeing plant for rework before delivery late Autumn. 787 is currently overcrewed and very probably over subscribed with internal bidders.

When people talk about internal bidders and movements internally, when do these movements actually happen? Is there a set date during the year or is it on a rolling basis? For example, if it is the former then will there not be a date by which we will know what the actual internal movements were?

[thetimesreader84]

Originally Posted by skyflyer101

When people talk about internal bidders and movements internally, when do these movements actually happen? Is there a set date during the year or is it on a rolling basis? For example, if it is the former then will there not be a date by which we will know what the actual internal movements were?

Traditionally, there would be a bidding process in around June / July (known as "PRIAM" for... reasons). You'd submit what fleet / seat you'd want to move to. The computer would crunch the numbers vs the network plan (what aircraft are doing what routes, + deliveries - retirements etc) for the next year, and eventually there'd be output a big list with everyone's bid on it, and if you're successful next to your chosen bid would be "OK". OK bids would be allocated by seniority - start at number 1 and work down.

The actual courses would be allocated in seniority order. You'd officially get notified of your course in the monthly bid pack, so about 6 weeks notice of a start date.

Thats the basic version. Theres various edge cases (waifs, pay protection, forced / aspirational bids, MOP, etc etc) that arent really relevant for this discussion.

However there's been a change for this year. Instead of one big bid, which was usually hopelessly out of date by the time the courses started, we're having a rolling bid. The bidding process will be open for months, you can change your bid as and when, and at some indeterminate point (I've heard every 3 months, but that's not official) a snap shot of people's bids will be taken. Results will be published and courses allocated in a similar way to the above. There won't be one published list (GDPR), youll get your results individually, but I'm sure the number crunchers will provide some results to show what the lowest successful seniority bid for each fleet & seat was.

The bid is currently open. I haven't heard when it will close (the old PRIAM bid had a defined closing date).

[skyflyer101]

Thanks for the explanation.

So whenever it is that this "bid" closes will shed light to the recruitment team about where people exactly are going to be needed and when?

[Jwscud]

The 747 sim still exists, no knowledge of whether it’s planned for recruitment use though.

[thetimesreader84]

Originally Posted by skyflyer101

Thanks for the explanation.

So whenever it is that this "bid" closes will shed light to the recruitment team about where people exactly are going to be needed and when?

I think the recruitment team already have an idea of the rough numbers required for each fleet. They know that 95+% of internal bidders are unfrozen, so that'll cover most if not all LH and SH Captain slots. The only outstanding question will be how much SH recruitment is required to backfill those leaving SH for pastures new I think.

Obviously this is all based on a forward looking plan, based on current projections of demand etc. Personally I don't think it'll change too much, but if you can predict the future you'd be better off playing the lottery than being a pilot.

[Busdriver01]

Originally Posted by Jwscud

The 747 sim still exists, no knowledge of whether it’s planned for recruitment use though.

It doesn't actually belong to BA anymore - was sold when the fleet was scrapped. It's external TRI/TREs that use it now. I heard it was 787 that was most likely to be used.

[A320LGW]

Thanks for the answers. Wow 787, I guess the 320 sims are under extreme pressure. I don't think I know of anyone doing assessment prep on a 787 just yet. Do they usually give much notice between interview and sim?

[balpalover69]

Originally Posted by A320LGW

Thanks for the answers. Wow 787, I guess the 320 sims are under extreme pressure. I don't think I know of anyone doing assessment prep on a 787 just yet. Do they usually give much notice between interview and sim?

An a320 sim would hardly be a challenge, would it?

surely the purpose of shelling out to hire a 787 sim for ‘prep’ defeats the objective of an assessment…?

[Alrosa]

I had the impression the BA sim assessment was more about teamwork and making sound decisions, than about the ability to fly a given aircraft to within an inch of its life. That’s not to say you shouldn’t brush up on raw data flying etc.

[A320LGW]

Originally Posted by balpalover69

An a320 sim would hardly be a challenge, would it?

surely the purpose of shelling out to hire a 787 sim for ‘prep’ defeats the objective of an assessment…?

My username is just a username

Anyway any jobs I've been applying to have all used narrowbody aircraft so 787 is definitely not the norm, unless you're rated on it and going for a job on it so. I agree regarding assessment prep, but they exist for a reason and genuinely do boost your chances as I have experienced.

[A320LGW]

Originally Posted by Alrosa

I had the impression the BA sim assessment was more about teamwork and making sound decisions, than about the ability to fly a given aircraft to within an inch of its life. That’s not to say you shouldn’t brush up on raw data flying etc.

I'm also sure that's the case, as it is with nearly all airlines. However the more familiar you are with a particular environment and particular aircraft's characteristics, the more spare capacity you will have which you can use to focus on the soft skills.

[balpalover69]

Originally Posted by A320LGW

I'm also sure that's the case, as it is with nearly all airlines. However the more familiar you are with a particular environment and particular aircraft's characteristics, the more spare capacity you will have which you can use to focus on the soft skills.

Any decent sim assessor would be able to tell if a 320 rated pilot had practice on a 787 sim… Pretty sure they used to discourage prep sims, iirc.

[A320LGW]

I can understand where you are coming from. The thing is though, these assessments are exams. You don't go to any exam without preparing the best you possibly can (certainly not exams you seriously want to pass anyway), this includes mock exams for A levels etc. They do it because it works. A prep sim is essentially a mock exam. I can't talk for BA, but I have been to 3 airline open days where the pilot speakers actively encouraged doing it and made strong arguments for them.

I don't like them entirely because I think lots of them price gouge, but that's mostly down to a lack of serious competition in that particular market and is an entirely different conversation.

[Busdriver01]

An A320 sim would be a challenge for someone with no airbus experience, and a Boeing sim would be the same for an airbus only pilot. The BA sims are, as suggested above, looking for teamwork and soft skills as much as they are physical flying ability. They're also, crucially, looking for an upward trend in your ability over the course of the assessment - do you get better throughout the sim, and make the same mistakes less etc.

I think it's entirely reasonable, and actually very sensible, to do a practice sim before an assessment. It doesn't have to be a 787. If you are an airbus pilot, simply going in a 737 sim would be enough to get you used to having a yoke and having to trim. that alone could be the difference between having enough capacity to complete the sim successfully.

[ToCatLady]

Preparing for a sim assessment should never be a bad thing and shows an early enthusiasm towards the job position. Wether this be a practice sim session or just some armchair flying. . Perhaps circumstances such as cadet entry level would I possibly advise against it if I was an assessor, Only so that you get a clear indication of someone’s natural ability to learn and improve throughout the session.

[iFunFlyer]

Any ideas as to when BA will start arranging interviews?

[Jwscud]

If you are out of practice, I would certainly recommend plenty of raw data flying to up your capacity and scan rate.

[GetTheQRH]

Has anyone heard back from submitting the online application yet or are they just waiting to garner a stack of interested applications before sifting through them?

[Phantom4]

You should answer the questions very carefully and spend considerable time on the application up to a week.
The HR department can spot the ‘back of a fag packet’ responses,they’ve seen it hundreds of times before.
Before submission ask your soulmate to critique it..
When you reach the interview stage,download IAG Financial Results for 2021.Enormous amount of information including sections such as the threats facing the company.You need to present yourself as someone who stands out for the right reasons.Good Luck.

[BentleyTheDog]

What has anyone put for the salary expected question? I don’t want to undervalue myself or come across greedy, any advice?