The long sleeves are definitely an Airbus phenomena, I think the glasses come with age!

I agree it does remain to see what JSS brings, and as such then I'm staying put with my fellow flat earth conspirators to keep my seniority for the time being.

I do think a lot of the ME and Africa work does suit commuters due to the +/- 3 hour time difference requirement to back to back work, but how much gets hoovered up isn't clear. I think guys at the bottom of the pile won't get constant rubbish destinations, but they won't get to choose when they go anywhere or where they're going.

I've worn long sleeves on Boeing and Airbus fleets. I don't find I get too much grief about it.:}

I once flew with a Captain who thought he'd flown a really good route check but then had not been given a really good score to reflect it. When pressed for feedback, the Captain in question was told he'd been marked down because his First Officer was wearing a long sleeved shirt! :ok:

Yeah, but in your case nobody would dare... :oh:

That’s because the tattoos are just visible through the material and people assume you’re a hard nut!

Congrats to those in the pool that have got courses.

BA have only released start dates for Feb and Mar for those looking to move seats within the company. I guess those hold-poolers who have just got slots are back filling courses where internal candidates cannot be released from their own fleets. I suspect a similar process will happen every few months as the course programme is put together.

One word of warning though to those going to the 747. For the first 5 years in BA you have an engagement freeze which means you are their b***h and they can do with you what they want. As the 747 is due to retire in 2022 there is the danger that you could be directed (forced to go) to the mini-airbus. Its unlikely but it is a possibility. Just a note of caution.

All the best

There seems to be a bit of back handed negativity / sniping going on.

These guys have been treading water for well over a year. I only did it for a month or so and had no finger nails left by the end of it so can’t imagine how happy these guys must be right now. Let’s not p*** all over it with “enjoy Riyadh” and “it’s a dying fleet and you’re their b****”. They know all that and as someone that joined a dying fleet, yes it certainly has its downsides but these guys will end up doing lots of east coast stuff as the jumbo runs down. Not so bad is it. And by the time the fleet goes they’ll either have a year left of engagement freeze so will likely stick in an aspirational bid and get what they want (see 767 junior FO postings in PRIAM) or have to go somewhere they don’t necessarily want to be for a year or so. Again, not the end of the world is it.

Many congrats and Merry Xmas to the guys / girls that have received offers. I’m sure you’re grown ups joining with your eyes open.

Hear, hear! I personally can’t think of anything more awesome than getting to fly the Queen for a few years before she goes. Try 18 months in the pool and NTR, with a tide of cadets ahead of you - fingernails!! Ha, I’m down to my elbows.

Negativity...maybe, perhaps some of it. It might however also be an attempt to cut off, ahead of time, the possibility of numerous threads along the lines “if only I had known, ******* BA etc, I would have stayed at.etc etc..” that appear from time to time on here or on union forum...

I think we all absolutely understand the drive and wish to get onto the MSL, but it is still worth being aware of how events can unfold and how the rules work as a fleet runs down.

Well spoken 2W2R.

I'm ex-easyJet and after 1.5 year in BA I'm 20% off the bottom on the Airbus. Life is significantly better than it was before. Being junior I quite often get blind lines, which is not always a bad thing. I am only working 14 days in December and that's without using leave.

So far I have done 2 4-sector days in BA. In easyJet I did about 3 a week.

I know most people in the hold pool are waiting for positions on long haul. Being junior on long haul is probably still significantly better than the current jobs most swimmers have at the moment.

Good news for the guys who got start dates. For the ones who don't have start dates yet, stay positive. It is worth waiting for. Good luck everyone and I hope you don't turn down a really good opportunity because of this (very irritating) delay. There are definitely more positives in BA than negatives imo.

NLP were you a FO at Easy?

Congrats to those rescued from the pool (as someone who drowned in 2012 I know how frustrating it is) it will be great to have people join us other than FPPs / whatever they are called now....

I just missed out on a long haul slot this year less than 20 places but with 90+ FOs moving on means I reckon a climb of 20-30% in the seniority list which will take me into the top third/quarter so happy days with regard quality of life and rosters so every cloud has a silver lining...

For those Joining us, despite its faults, it’s a great place to be so congrats again

2R2W,

Sniping/negativity was not my intension at all. As I said a couple of days ago I'm a glass half full type of guy.

I tried to give some reassurance that as courses have only been arranged for Feb and March, more DEPs may get offered places as further courses are arranged throughout the year.

But, as someone who joined in 2012 and had some friends directed to the 320 from the 767 which caused 1 of them to leave BA, I think it is worth knowing all the possibilities/risks. The positives of BA difinitely out-weigh the negatives for me, but its pointless to stick your head in the sand and not make people aware of the possible yet improbable downsides.

Once again congrats to the new joiners, I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Yes I was VJW

Feb 2024. IAG Presentations. Capital Markets Day page 25.

http://www.iairgroup.com/phoenix.zht...-presentations

Whoever you fly for, it's your attitude to the job and what you make of it. On reflection, I wished I'd stayed with a previous, but it was the right decision at that time - bit like women :hmm:

I've been swimming for close on 19 months and a silent but keen observer of this thread. I'm desperate for info but I guess due to the heavy workload the answers are not very forthcoming. Looking forward to the web chat that has been mentioned in the last email but not sure what that will achieve. The problem is that my life and big decisions have been pretty much on hold for a year and a half and it is very frustrating to keep guessing.

BA would be a massive step up from where I am now, so an excellent career move which i am looking forward to, however, I've effectively postponed buying a house and turned down a fleet transfer (which comes with an improved roster (and a bond)) due to not knowing if and when the call will arrive.

The fear of drowning is real. having said that the previous 6 or so posts have been encouraging and a breath of fresh air from the high level of negativity I've come to expect on this thread! So cheers guys.

Yeah fair enough but one would assume that as professionals they’ve carried out due diligence and made a decision based on info available so surely no ones sticking their head in the sand. Obviously things change but I would argue that joining BA for the short term, whether it be for a specific fleet or roster, is not the right mindset. It is, and always has been, about the long game (as the new ish 767 drivers have been discovering for the last 18 months). As wiggy said above, we all know the importance of getting on the MSL asap. And as for future moaning, I suspect the current volume of moans and groans regarding some very serious changes to pensions will drown them out anyway.

My point was simply that some of the comments above are hardly welcoming to the new joiners. I’m delighted for them having been kept waiting for what most of us would agree is a totally unacceptable amount of time given the time, effort and money candidates Are generally required to dedicate to the process.

Let’s hope 2018 brings some more good news to those still swimming and congrats once again to those with offers.

2R2W,

If you don’t personally know any BA pilots to get questions answered, reading threads like this is part of ones due diligence. Unless issues are raised by others an applicant might not know that something was even a problem. A Rumsfeldian unknown unknown.

While the MSL is king in BA, a decision to join and on what terms is a very personal thing depending on your time in life. The decision of a single, twenty something to join will be very different to a married with kids, forty year old who has a short-haul command with a LoCo or is ex-military. The latter probably has low expectations of a long-haul command but is maybe moving for a long-haul FO lifestyle. They may have made a different choice had they known there was a risk of being forced onto short-haul.

Regards

Binsleepen

Whilst I agree with what you say to a degree I am ex military and ex loco captain.

I drowned in the pool in 2012 and when successful in 2014 I thought long and hard about the longhaul/shorthaul conundrum but after talking to my many ex colleagues about the MSL I decided to take the shorthaul offer, a move I have never regretted despite being nearly 50.

I have just broken 50% on the airbus seniority list and am moving rapidly forward, when I compare my roster to those who joined on the jumbo on the same day, I hate to say it but mine are better.... more time at home and more days off, this is purely due to the fact that I am getting one of my top 5 triplines every month and as a commuter that is invaluable. Who knows what JSS will bring but I am seriously considering not bidding for longhaul until there are more junior pilots below me.

The question is then, is senior shorthaul (let’s say 45%) giving a better lifestyle than junior longhaul (90%)???? Remember those joining now on the jumbo will be the most junior pilots on that fleet until it retires - that said if offered take it, enjoy it and welcome to the company.

I think people who joined the 320 before 2016 have enjoyed unprecedented movement up the seniority list, it has not always been that way and wont be guarantied to be that way in the future. I joined about 16 months ago, started at 95% and that’s where I have stayed not moved one place. 2017 might see some movement but not huge. My point is even on the 320 don’t expect rapid progress through the seniority system, so prepare for many years of weekend work and multiple reserves per year (4 in my case).