British Airways Direct Entry Pilot
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
From: Dublin, Ireland
Hi All,
Apologies if it is in here somewhere but a thread search has yielded no results. Got the email for the Eagle Test, went to book and the options are all on one day which I just cant do. Do these dates update as they become available or do I need to contact someone and see if there is anything I can do?
Cheers in advance
Apologies if it is in here somewhere but a thread search has yielded no results. Got the email for the Eagle Test, went to book and the options are all on one day which I just cant do. Do these dates update as they become available or do I need to contact someone and see if there is anything I can do?
Cheers in advance
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 182
Likes: 11
From: London
I’ve been at BA 1 year 5 months now. In that time 300 DEPs have been recruited behind me on the 320 fleet so I’m 50% on the seniority.
This month and last month I’ve been working 6 on, 2 off pretty consistently. Actually one month recently I worked 6 days of reserve, 1 day off 6 back on.
The irony is, I lived in in Italy before for low cost, and commuted home on a 5/4 full time roster. I spent more time with my partner in the U.K. then, and we live together now. My social life is non existent atm.
What worries me now about my choice to move to BA is that I regularly fly with people in the LHS who have been in company 10+ years and are so annoyed they still can’t get weekends off to be with their family. Their seniority is >70% on fleet after a decade and they don’t know what to do about it other than apply for part time.
So options now, go longhaul. That’s why I wanted to come. However it doesn’t look roses there. 5.5 trips a month from what I see with 2 days off inbetween but at least less time at Heathrow. The other option is go part time to gain some normality in my 30s. But I feel I shouldn’t have to go part time to live a normal life. Last option is to do what a good handful including one of my joining coursemates has already done and leave.
I really was happy about joining BA in the beginning, despite a really shambolic onboarding process, I enjoyed the first few months of new countries, a handful of nice hotels and I once got upgraded on a long haul holiday. Now I’ve realised how it’s impacted my life and I don’t see it changing. New joiners won’t move up the list as fast as I have so will be stuck at the bottom for a while and they will be short for a long time.
it’s so antiquated now that I think there’s a problem, how can they convince the guys and girls of Ezy etc to give up fixed pattern, the ability to plan your life for the year, regional bases, decent money etc, to come to a place so complex with the promise of weekends off once in a while somewhere in the future and to spend most of your life away in the meantime.
Give it proper consideration, I did. I’m hoping for the long run, but starting to lose hope when people after 15 years feel trapped. I wonder if I’d got my command at previous and part time how much more simple life would be.
This month and last month I’ve been working 6 on, 2 off pretty consistently. Actually one month recently I worked 6 days of reserve, 1 day off 6 back on.
The irony is, I lived in in Italy before for low cost, and commuted home on a 5/4 full time roster. I spent more time with my partner in the U.K. then, and we live together now. My social life is non existent atm.
What worries me now about my choice to move to BA is that I regularly fly with people in the LHS who have been in company 10+ years and are so annoyed they still can’t get weekends off to be with their family. Their seniority is >70% on fleet after a decade and they don’t know what to do about it other than apply for part time.
So options now, go longhaul. That’s why I wanted to come. However it doesn’t look roses there. 5.5 trips a month from what I see with 2 days off inbetween but at least less time at Heathrow. The other option is go part time to gain some normality in my 30s. But I feel I shouldn’t have to go part time to live a normal life. Last option is to do what a good handful including one of my joining coursemates has already done and leave.
I really was happy about joining BA in the beginning, despite a really shambolic onboarding process, I enjoyed the first few months of new countries, a handful of nice hotels and I once got upgraded on a long haul holiday. Now I’ve realised how it’s impacted my life and I don’t see it changing. New joiners won’t move up the list as fast as I have so will be stuck at the bottom for a while and they will be short for a long time.
it’s so antiquated now that I think there’s a problem, how can they convince the guys and girls of Ezy etc to give up fixed pattern, the ability to plan your life for the year, regional bases, decent money etc, to come to a place so complex with the promise of weekends off once in a while somewhere in the future and to spend most of your life away in the meantime.
Give it proper consideration, I did. I’m hoping for the long run, but starting to lose hope when people after 15 years feel trapped. I wonder if I’d got my command at previous and part time how much more simple life would be.
Plus, I witnessed some improper conduct during the recruitment process that I felt it was unfair and unprofessional. I asked the chief of pilot recruitment about it so we could have a chat and she never replied. So I told them to stick it and looked elsewhere. The process is biased, that’s all I can say here.
It is not what people think, if you want to tell people down the pub you fly for BA, then great. But they own you, say goodbye to social Life. I had a look at both shorthaul and longhaul Airbus and Boeing rosters. They work harder for less money, into LHR which is stressful too.
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 22
Likes: 2
From: UK
I declined the offer in the end because I went on a trip with my partner, and got the chance to speak to the flight crew about rosters, work life balance, salaries etc so I ran a mile. I compared everything and felt it wasn’t worth the pay cut.
Plus, I witnessed some improper conduct during the recruitment process that I felt it was unfair and unprofessional. I asked the chief of pilot recruitment about it so we could have a chat and she never replied. So I told them to stick it and looked elsewhere. The process is biased, that’s all I can say here.
It is not what people think, if you want to tell people down the pub you fly for BA, then great. But they own you, say goodbye to social Life. I had a look at both shorthaul and longhaul Airbus and Boeing rosters. They work harder for less money, into LHR which is stressful too.
Plus, I witnessed some improper conduct during the recruitment process that I felt it was unfair and unprofessional. I asked the chief of pilot recruitment about it so we could have a chat and she never replied. So I told them to stick it and looked elsewhere. The process is biased, that’s all I can say here.
It is not what people think, if you want to tell people down the pub you fly for BA, then great. But they own you, say goodbye to social Life. I had a look at both shorthaul and longhaul Airbus and Boeing rosters. They work harder for less money, into LHR which is stressful too.
Not sure if it is more work? Is it more work than 2-4 sectors a day x 5 days a week?
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 182
Likes: 11
From: London
5 reports on the 777 is hard work, and 3 day 8 sectors into LHR on shorthaul is also punishing on the body. These guys are working harder than what I do for less money. That’s factual, it won’t suit everyone so it was wise advice from the previous poster.
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 250
Likes: 14
From: UK
I declined the offer in the end because I went on a trip with my partner, and got the chance to speak to the flight crew about rosters, work life balance, salaries etc so I ran a mile. I compared everything and felt it wasn’t worth the pay cut.
Plus, I witnessed some improper conduct during the recruitment process that I felt it was unfair and unprofessional. I asked the chief of pilot recruitment about it so we could have a chat and she never replied. So I told them to stick it and looked elsewhere. The process is biased, that’s all I can say here.
It is not what people think, if you want to tell people down the pub you fly for BA, then great. But they own you, say goodbye to social Life. I had a look at both shorthaul and longhaul Airbus and Boeing rosters. They work harder for less money, into LHR which is stressful too.
Plus, I witnessed some improper conduct during the recruitment process that I felt it was unfair and unprofessional. I asked the chief of pilot recruitment about it so we could have a chat and she never replied. So I told them to stick it and looked elsewhere. The process is biased, that’s all I can say here.
It is not what people think, if you want to tell people down the pub you fly for BA, then great. But they own you, say goodbye to social Life. I had a look at both shorthaul and longhaul Airbus and Boeing rosters. They work harder for less money, into LHR which is stressful too.
I posted before. Due to training etc last year I flew under 500 hours tax year 23/24. P60 said £87k
2024/25 my p60 end of 25 will be over £100k. Probably closer to £110k. Yes I am taking advantage of the overtime but still well under 100 hours rolling 28. It’s all about being savvy with JSS. Yes if I just did the roster they gave me it would be meh. I often get low credit trips. Have to be ready for when a trip drops in that’s more credit on the same day. I will then bag some overtime for that. Still getting 12 days off a month and I’m nowhere near as tired as I was at the yellow and blue airline. Yes BA SH can be really tough. Operating in and out of LHR…….need I say more for anyone who’s done it. Plus adding commuting and it can be your worst nightmare.
I have some mates at EZY. Met up with the recently and they looked dead. One of them had just finished a 5 day block and had 2 days of those landing yes landing at LGW at 4am with the sun rising. I mean if I’m landing at 11pm into LHR that’s a bad day. Living close certainly helps. Add in commuting on top of any airline roster and it will become that much harder.
I have a close mate on 777. He’s year 3 now and he takes home minimum £6.5k after tax. Yes he says the triple is brutal and wouldn’t recommend it. Landing in LHR 6/7am regularly, 5-6 trips a month is hard, if he’s lucky he might get a position in one of those to just sleep.
For me BA SH is working. I have the LH itch but at the moment I’m not even going to bid for it. The apple cart is stable.
It’s going to be interesting seeing what happens at Virgin. I heard the 750 hour rule may come back. For LH that’s at least 1 trip less a month.
Joined: Apr 2022
Posts: 47
Likes: 23
From: Europe
Wonderful, I’ll accept that as a no! 
Short notice refusal or something like that, mate of mine at big orange was saying they get X amount per year and they can call crewing and just refuse duties, even up to and after check in time. Blew my mind.
Short notice refusal or something like that, mate of mine at big orange was saying they get X amount per year and they can call crewing and just refuse duties, even up to and after check in time. Blew my mind.
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,731
Likes: 53
From: World
They can refuse changes to their duties (if the new check in is earlier than 2 hours or the check out later than 2 hours than the original duty), within 48 hours, not flat out refusing duties
Joined: Apr 2022
Posts: 47
Likes: 23
From: Europe
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,559
Likes: 55
From: London
The theory sounds good… but they are not as helpful as you’d think. Original finish time of 1300, changed to something else finishing at 1730. Great, short notice change refusal please. Now onto airport standby finishing at 1500.
Roster stability at the big orange in summer is just a myth.
Roster stability at the big orange in summer is just a myth.
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 39
Likes: 45
From: Cambridge
The theory sounds good… but they are not as helpful as you’d think. Original finish time of 1300, changed to something else finishing at 1730. Great, short notice change refusal please. Now onto airport standby finishing at 1500.
Roster stability at the big orange in summer is just a myth.
Roster stability at the big orange in summer is just a myth.
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 123
Likes: 9
From: UK
They may not be a silver bullet but when I was at Easy they were definitely a form of protection from crewing and they saved me a few times. They'd be less relevant at BA simply because, outside of reserve and/or cancellations, your roster is pretty much set in stone.