British Airways Direct Entry Pilot
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Rejected at video interview stage
Hi guys, just wondering if anyone else has been rejected after the 3 question online video interview stage? Would appreciate any information, open to DM’s. I gave very straightforward standard answers and wore a shirt & tie etc.
Join Date: Oct 2022
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BA
Hi,
Hope you are well.
very sorry to hear you weren't successful this time. It’s not the end of the world. I am
more than happy to help. If you want, we can dm ? I’m still applying, nearly half way through !
Hope you are well.
very sorry to hear you weren't successful this time. It’s not the end of the world. I am
more than happy to help. If you want, we can dm ? I’m still applying, nearly half way through !
Join Date: Oct 2022
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Hi, 7fly, i have tried to DM you. Dont worry. This can happen, its all about learning and improving from past experiences. I have tried to DM you. I would like to help wherever I can 
Roughly how long did it take to get a reply after the recorded interview whether BA would be taking your application further?
Cheers.
Cheers.
Hi All,
I am just wondering how long it would take to be a Captain for a newly hired experienced F/O (with more than 5000 hours of Airbus experience and currently flying as a Captain with relatively fewer PIC hours) at BA? Does the experience matter or is it all about seniority? One of my colleagues was Captain for my airline and after he was hired by United in the U.S., he was able to be upgraded to Captain again after 18-20 months. Would this be the case for the BA? Thanks in advance.
I am just wondering how long it would take to be a Captain for a newly hired experienced F/O (with more than 5000 hours of Airbus experience and currently flying as a Captain with relatively fewer PIC hours) at BA? Does the experience matter or is it all about seniority? One of my colleagues was Captain for my airline and after he was hired by United in the U.S., he was able to be upgraded to Captain again after 18-20 months. Would this be the case for the BA? Thanks in advance.
the opportunity to undergo a command course is strict seniority (presuming you meet the experience and license requirements - which a new FO will do by the time they get 5 years in).
Your previous command experience, while valuable, is not a factor in determining when you would get a command at ba.
Last edited by White Van Driver; 3rd Jul 2023 at 15:53. Reason: Turns out i was wrong
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I’d applied for BA EF DEC NTR and was advised by the recruitment manager that should I wish to switch my application to Mainline NTR DEFO, I would be eligible to upgrade after 1 year. Not sure if being eligible is the same as reaching the seniority to upgrade? In any case it’s academic now where I’m concerned.
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I'm not sure where Percula got that info from but it doesn't match mine. I joined in 2018, and would have just had seniority for an A320 command later this year. So that's around 5 years.
the opportunity to undergo a command course is strict seniority (presuming you meet the experience and license requirements - which a new FO will do by the time they get 5 years in).
Your previous command experience, while valuable, is not a factor in determining when you would get a command at ba.
the opportunity to undergo a command course is strict seniority (presuming you meet the experience and license requirements - which a new FO will do by the time they get 5 years in).
Your previous command experience, while valuable, is not a factor in determining when you would get a command at ba.
It went to the bottom of the seniority list. I joined last summer and it went well below me (I didn’t bid for it).
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for those who are waiting 5 years I think it is because they do not have the total hours requirement.
As of this week if you have 3500+ on CS-25 you will be eligible for command on the 366th day. Recruitment days are confirming what Percula states along with the current bid
As of this week if you have 3500+ on CS-25 you will be eligible for command on the 366th day. Recruitment days are confirming what Percula states along with the current bid
Join Date: Aug 2002
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The removal of 31 (I think it was) 747s from the long haul flying programme during covid was a big step change in long haul flying, which will now be being recovered as quickly as BA can get their hands on new long haul aircraft. Many A320 captains are therefore obtaining moves to long haul, and the seats they are vacating need filling - resulting in the current very junior A320 commands. At the same time, the end of 2023 also sees the end of the NAPS P2 to P1 transition capability, and so larger than normal numbers of long haul SFOs have bitten the bullet and taken short haul commands so they do not miss out on the pension uplift. I suspect far fewer will do so in 2024, and so I predict the large numbers of P32L to C32L conversions to continue into 2024. That being said, it is difficult to know how many current A320 FOs are kicking themselves for not bidding for commands in 2023, and will not repeat the mistake in 2024.
Predicting seat change seniority is complicated, and just one year to a Heathrow command is very much an extreme covid induced abnormality at the moment, which should not be relied upon. How long it will last is anyone’s guess.
Predicting seat change seniority is complicated, and just one year to a Heathrow command is very much an extreme covid induced abnormality at the moment, which should not be relied upon. How long it will last is anyone’s guess.
Surely of greater or at least equal significance is the spectre of being at the bottom of the C32L list and watching your life get turned upside down by JSS. I believe several Airbus skippers have demoted themselves to RHS long haul this year for that very reason.
Imagine there are several probably kicking themselves for actually bidding for it.
Imagine there are several probably kicking themselves for actually bidding for it.
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Far more seem to prioritise seat seniority and quality of life. Bottom of the list LHS just doesn’t seem worth money
I gather BALPA are attempting to tweak JSS to make life marginally more palatable at the bottom (mainly by facilitating a couple of weekend days a month). If they succeed then you might see C32L go more senior again. If not then it wouldn’t surprise me if we eventually saw DEC airbus at Heathrow.
junior C32L demoting themselves to RHS LH, senior C32L not bidding LH, P32L not bidding for RHS LH so as to maintain their high seniority on the status. But you cant blame them - why would a senior P32L actively choose to move to a fleet where they're going to be 98% on the list for the next 5 years, doing 5 or 6 2-crew LH trips per month, with no weekends off?
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I gather BALPA are attempting to tweak JSS to make life marginally more palatable at the bottom (mainly by facilitating a couple of weekend days a month). If they succeed then you might see C32L go more senior again. If not then it wouldn’t surprise me if we eventually saw DEC airbus at Heathrow.
They’re already doing DEC 320 at LGW aren’t they? Probably just shift them across if times get tough and keep recruiting at LGW.
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junior C32L demoting themselves to RHS LH, senior C32L not bidding LH, P32L not bidding for RHS LH so as to maintain their high seniority on the status. But you cant blame them - why would a senior P32L actively choose to move to a fleet where they're going to be 98% on the list for the next 5 years, doing 5 or 6 2-crew LH trips per month, with no weekends off?
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For the reasons several of you mention, and more, there will be plenty of people will have actively chosen to stay in the right hand seat. I certainly cannot dispute that as I was one of them for many years on long haul. But I still believe there will be plenty of junior FOs who didn’t bid for it this year, but will next year. Junior FO or junior Captain? Might as well be a junior Captain? Plus with C32L having gone right to the bottom of the list this year, an FO with just a couple of years of seniority will have people below them when they change seats. When their freeze is up, and they’ve had enough, they can choose to demote themselves to right hand seat long haul - precisely the career path being chosen by some junior C32Ls this year.