British Airways Direct Entry Pilot
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Join Date: Nov 2023
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Yes I do remember what the questions are. The answer to your question is all in the thread if you take the time to read through it.
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Many friends have crunched the numbers, and if you are 30+ you are unlikely to ever claw back the loss of earnings. However, if you desire long haul its difficult to ignore and the earlier you leave the better.
There Is a chance of DEC at Gatwick for euroflyer, and you could feasibly transfer to Heathrow after 5 yrs, but this would still have you very near the bottom of the P1 seniority list, and all that goes with it wrt bidding etc.
if you join as P2 at Heathrow on the 320 you ‘could’ achieve a command after 1-2 years atm, but again, salary scales are way below the easy equivalent.
There is no escaping joining at PP1 unfortunately, whether that be short haul, or long haul.
On current PP34 scales, it would take approximately 15 years as a captain on the 320 to be earning what you currently earn at easyJet as a captain. Long haul commands historically run at about 20 years in the company.
HTH
There Is a chance of DEC at Gatwick for euroflyer, and you could feasibly transfer to Heathrow after 5 yrs, but this would still have you very near the bottom of the P1 seniority list, and all that goes with it wrt bidding etc.
if you join as P2 at Heathrow on the 320 you ‘could’ achieve a command after 1-2 years atm, but again, salary scales are way below the easy equivalent.
There is no escaping joining at PP1 unfortunately, whether that be short haul, or long haul.
On current PP34 scales, it would take approximately 15 years as a captain on the 320 to be earning what you currently earn at easyJet as a captain. Long haul commands historically run at about 20 years in the company.
HTH
Ok RYR slightly different but I was command ready but jumped to BA.
I crunched all the numbers, food costs, travel, medical, staff travel etc etc.
BA was way ahead even though I’m mid 30s.
My year 1 at BA as an FO I will be showing over £90k end of the tax year. Not that much overtime compared to some.
Looking at BA spreadsheet.
LHS SH 15 year will be basic £131k
785 hours £14k
Time Away from Base £9k. (I found this very conservative even as a mostly day tripper.)
All in around £155k easy.
Add another £10k by end of current pay deal. (June 2026)
Pension £25k a year from BA.
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Looking at the numbers I don’t think it will take 15 years at BA to be same as at Easyjet.
Ok RYR slightly different but I was command ready but jumped to BA.
I crunched all the numbers, food costs, travel, medical, staff travel etc etc.
BA was way ahead even though I’m mid 30s.
My year 1 at BA as an FO I will be showing over £90k end of the tax year. Not that much overtime compared to some.
Looking at BA spreadsheet.
LHS SH 15 year will be basic £131k
785 hours £14k
Time Away from Base £9k. (I found this very conservative even as a mostly day tripper.)
All in around £155k easy.
Add another £10k by end of current pay deal. (June 2026)
Pension £25k a year from BA.
Ok RYR slightly different but I was command ready but jumped to BA.
I crunched all the numbers, food costs, travel, medical, staff travel etc etc.
BA was way ahead even though I’m mid 30s.
My year 1 at BA as an FO I will be showing over £90k end of the tax year. Not that much overtime compared to some.
Looking at BA spreadsheet.
LHS SH 15 year will be basic £131k
785 hours £14k
Time Away from Base £9k. (I found this very conservative even as a mostly day tripper.)
All in around £155k easy.
Add another £10k by end of current pay deal. (June 2026)
Pension £25k a year from BA.
' during the years it takes to get there. How long is it going to take to claw that back - especially when you consider the lost compound earnings in ones pension.
Join Date: Jan 2010
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I didn’t actually know EZY LHS pay.
Yeah that would make it a much harder decision from a financial perspective.
Would have to look at what you want from your career.
With that in mind in your situation what about another 10-15 years at EZY, pay down debts/ mortgage etc and look at DHL/ other cargo operators for Long Haul experience?
Join Date: Nov 2008
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Not sure cargo would be my thing. We all like options and I would like the option to go long haul later if I so desire. At the moment EZY works great and I have no complaints but in 10 years time when I’m probably divorced and the kids want nothing to do with me I know I’ll be thinking I wonder what it would be like to be flying to Bermuda rather than Barcelona. And whether it’s worth bailing now and taking a hit. I previously left a very well paying job to pursue flying and probably should have left fly-orange when I had my 500 hours like others did but life was a bit busy and then here we are 8 years later
With that extra EZY money , I guess you can afford to scratch the long haul itch from the comfort of a First Class seat…and if it was my money I’d be using Emirates not BA!
LHS money is good but not flying first or business good… unless you’ve no kids of course.
For what it’s worth I don’t think you are mad asking the question, I’m also at an orange airline 14 years in and I’m seriously looking at BA. Money is one factor, but the (hopefully) remaining 30 years of my career and what I want from it are another factor. My wife is understanding and supportive, another important factor.
For what it’s worth I don’t think you are mad asking the question, I’m also at an orange airline 14 years in and I’m seriously looking at BA. Money is one factor, but the (hopefully) remaining 30 years of my career and what I want from it are another factor. My wife is understanding and supportive, another important factor.
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Financials aside.
Career options.
Either train set can change.
BA LH/SH options. Yes you can’t flip and change as you like, frozen for 5 years etc but it’s nice to have the option.
Part time options. Unsure how they are at EZY. I know guys who are less than a year in and have been given 75%. I dont plan on being full time past 55.
On the SH side LHR night curfew is a godsend really. Latest I have ever landed is 22.45. Hardly messes with your body clock like a 3am landing after 4 sectors.
But…..
No Hiding the fact if you’re junior LHS it will be a bit crap. From what I have seen senior LHS SH people with families go for the easy day trips or the 1 sectors out to Cairo and 1 back the next day.
LH junior not much better either which is why I like having the option of part time.
Seniority is everything at BA.
Career options.
Either train set can change.
BA LH/SH options. Yes you can’t flip and change as you like, frozen for 5 years etc but it’s nice to have the option.
Part time options. Unsure how they are at EZY. I know guys who are less than a year in and have been given 75%. I dont plan on being full time past 55.
On the SH side LHR night curfew is a godsend really. Latest I have ever landed is 22.45. Hardly messes with your body clock like a 3am landing after 4 sectors.
But…..
No Hiding the fact if you’re junior LHS it will be a bit crap. From what I have seen senior LHS SH people with families go for the easy day trips or the 1 sectors out to Cairo and 1 back the next day.
LH junior not much better either which is why I like having the option of part time.
Seniority is everything at BA.
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For some people it definitely isn’t a ‘slam dunk’ decision, and it does indeed depend on one’s personal circumstances and preferences or aspirations.
I joined BA after a career change, and in full knowledge I would never make it to the top payscale - but I wanted flexibility and options.
In that regard BA offers more than most (at least in the U.K. ). I didn’t want to have to keep moving companies just because I wanted to change fleets or perhaps explore different part time options.
There are definitely cons to joining BA after 30-ish but to be honest, variety and quality of life were more important to me. And as mentioned above, the LHR night curfew means one can work something approaching regular working hours on shorthaul.
Appreciate that for some, it’s not necessarily a step in the right (or even desired!) direction.
I joined BA after a career change, and in full knowledge I would never make it to the top payscale - but I wanted flexibility and options.
In that regard BA offers more than most (at least in the U.K. ). I didn’t want to have to keep moving companies just because I wanted to change fleets or perhaps explore different part time options.
There are definitely cons to joining BA after 30-ish but to be honest, variety and quality of life were more important to me. And as mentioned above, the LHR night curfew means one can work something approaching regular working hours on shorthaul.
Appreciate that for some, it’s not necessarily a step in the right (or even desired!) direction.
Just out of interest why the urge on Pprune to not refer to easyjet by name, rather “an orange airline”? Ooooh cryptic 
Is it a little bit like how actors refuse to name Macbeth and call it the Scottish play? Find this practice genuinely baffling.
Is it a little bit like how actors refuse to name Macbeth and call it the Scottish play? Find this practice genuinely baffling.
I'm surprised to hear any EZY skippers are still considering leaving for BA, although admittedly having lived the EZY lifestyle, I'd have struggled to do it for an entire career.
I would simply add that pay deals may skew the financials even further. BA PP1 is a considerable pay cut for an EZY skipper, however BA pilots have also just been handed possibly the worst pay deal BALPA have ever recommended. Conversely it sounds like EZY are in line for one of the better ones this year. There's more to it than money of course, but at the end of the day, money is why most of us come to work, is it not?
I would simply add that pay deals may skew the financials even further. BA PP1 is a considerable pay cut for an EZY skipper, however BA pilots have also just been handed possibly the worst pay deal BALPA have ever recommended. Conversely it sounds like EZY are in line for one of the better ones this year. There's more to it than money of course, but at the end of the day, money is why most of us come to work, is it not?
It very much depends on your motivations. It’s a very personal decision. The money for being LHS easyJet can quite frankly go take a walk when you’re sat relaxing on the beach downroute vs multiple sector days in and out of Gatwick. Conversely it’s a lot of time away from family and inevitably these things will become more and more important to you. The good thing about BA is it gives you options whereas in easyJet there’s basically one career path available to you.
It is moving quickly at the moment at BA but I suspect that’s going to be a relatively short term thing benefitting mainly those already in pre 2014 and the first wave of DEPs joining in 15 & the first half of 16. There’s a bulge coming of retirements but once that 5/6 year period is over there are a lot of young guys with a lot of time left who will be fixed in position and LH command will go back to being the 20+ year wait that we’ve all become accustomed to.
I’m not saying it’s not still worthwhile but if that’s what you’re aiming for if you’re the wrong side of 30 getting in now might mean you’ve missed the boat.
It is moving quickly at the moment at BA but I suspect that’s going to be a relatively short term thing benefitting mainly those already in pre 2014 and the first wave of DEPs joining in 15 & the first half of 16. There’s a bulge coming of retirements but once that 5/6 year period is over there are a lot of young guys with a lot of time left who will be fixed in position and LH command will go back to being the 20+ year wait that we’ve all become accustomed to.
I’m not saying it’s not still worthwhile but if that’s what you’re aiming for if you’re the wrong side of 30 getting in now might mean you’ve missed the boat.
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I might also add that if you think LH will be the same as it is now in 10-15 years then I believe you are in for a bit of disappointment. Constant cost cutting and possibly single pilot cruise ops might make that min rest trip to the beach slightly less attractive. Just food for thought
I might also add that if you think LH will be the same as it is now in 10-15 years then I believe you are in for a bit of disappointment. Constant cost cutting and possibly single pilot cruise ops might make that min rest trip to the beach slightly less attractive. Just food for thought
(In my opinion of course)