British Airways Direct Entry Pilot
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: UK
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Topgunaviator, the problem is there are plenty of other more senior pilots who have also come up with the many clever ways you might think of to try and maximise weekends off.
Join Date: Dec 2012
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Training rostering is separate and you will be given a mix of day trips and nightstops, usually a 2 day 6 sector trip.
You don’t bid for it but generally training admin are pretty onside if you desperately need a day off, you can ask. Capacity for swapping things around might be limited due to the amount of line training going on at the moment.
You don’t bid for it but generally training admin are pretty onside if you desperately need a day off, you can ask. Capacity for swapping things around might be limited due to the amount of line training going on at the moment.
Join Date: Aug 2002
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You are unable to bid until after your final route check and consolidation are complete, therefore your line training roster is constructed for you. You may be able to contact training with the odd request, which they may try and accommodate if not too difficult.
When you say can’t bid, are you referring to just the flying lines? As in am I able to bid for fleet/seat changes from day 1 or only once line training is finished?
Also at which point do you get access to the leave system?
Also at which point do you get access to the leave system?
Join Date: Aug 2002
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Fleet/seat changes are done on an annual basis, so there will be no need for you to be worrying about that on day one, but if the bid window is open, you will have access.
Leave bidding is done during certain bid windows. Again, if the window is open, you will have access. The season you first join, the leave bidding process will have taken place long before, so you’ll be outside of the normal bidding process for it. I am not entirely sure how it works, but my guess is it is just allocated. You might be able to express some preference a bit like the training line preferences mentioned above. However no leave is allowed during a course or within its consolidation period (14 days short haul, 21 days long haul).
The season you first join, the leave bidding process will have taken place long before, so you’ll be outside of the normal bidding process for it. I am not entirely sure how it works, but my guess is it is just allocated. You might be able to express some preference a bit like the training line preferences mentioned above.
On a more general note, that's the best & worst thing about BA, if you find the right person in the right department, you can usually sort out anything, 99% of people just want to help & it's a big enough conpany that they can do it. But getting to that right person can be nigh on impossible at times, which makes it incredibly frustrating.
Join Date: May 2021
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Join Date: Aug 2002
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If you don’t know the time frame, you don’t need to know it, so there’s very little point in me providing it, but as an example, the Winter 24/25 bid window closed half way through March, so you’re bidding a long way in advance of the season.
Anyone joining the company will be given full access to all of this information long before they actually need it, so I really wouldn’t worry about asking all of these admin questions.
Anyone joining the company will be given full access to all of this information long before they actually need it, so I really wouldn’t worry about asking all of these admin questions.
That said:
- Annual fleet/seat bid window is currently open for the 2025 training year, and usually closes towards the end of summer, with results out near xmas.
- If you join before it closes, you can bid (but don't hold your breath for achieving anything with that bid because you'll be frozen on the fleet you join on for at least 4-5 years (unless BA actually need you elsewhere, but that usually only happens the year before your freeze was due to expire anyway.)
- The exception to that is A320 command, which appears to have gone VERY junior in the last few bid outputs - if you meet the requirements for command and place a command bid, they may well unfreeze you for that. But again don't hold your breath for that.
- Join anticipating that you will serve your full freeze before moving fleet or seat, to avoid the stress/anger/upset/disappointment/whatever, would be my advice.
- Leave will be allocated to you seemingly at random when you first join, but there's a mechanism in place to swap your leave around after you join with weeks that have spaces available so you may well end up with what you want.
- Training rosters are written by training admin as others have said - again to manage expectations you should arrive on day 1 accepting that the next 6 weeks or so is not up to you as is the case in almost every other airline i can think of. Preferences can be made, but can't always be honoured.
- The monthly roster/line bid varies on the dates it opens and closes depending on the length of the month etc (and is for the following month - ie, the June roster bid gets going in a few days and closes in a couple of weeks, with results out a few days after that) but you'll be in induction and training long enough that you'll be able work out when you need to start bidding.
Hope that helps,
ATB and enjoy
Join Date: Mar 2017
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If you do not want to believe these answers, why don’t you just ask BA?