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-   -   BA Direct Entry Pilot. (https://www.pprune.org/terms-endearment/538503-ba-direct-entry-pilot.html)

zero/zero 18th Mar 2019 19:46


Originally Posted by Jumbo2 (Post 10422848)
... within BA you only have to be junior once!

This is indeed true, but in reality this means refusing command and therefore an effective pay cut in order to have a liveable lifestyle

Jock Trapped 18th Mar 2019 20:07


Originally Posted by MikeAlpha320 (Post 10422732)
Not had a weekend off besides leave on SH... been here nearly 12 months.

Could I ask about reserve months? I read somewhere here that they include 7 days in a row free of duty? Obviously that would include a weekend. Can you bid for reserve or is it just allocated to you from time to time?

Stocious 18th Mar 2019 20:27


Originally Posted by zero/zero (Post 10421589)
I stand ready to be corrected but you’re quoting LGW P1 figures, where a lower local pay scale combined with mainline pension makes for a big difference. For a PP34 Mainline LH Captain, the pensionable pay is less than his basic.

Not sure which figures you're looking at but for every year on the PP34 P1 Mainline scale, every pensionable pay point is higher than the basic with the exception of PP1, some of PP2, PP33 and PP34. The figure I chose for the biggest difference is SH PP24 where the difference is over 40k.

LGW doesn't have a lower payscale though, it's identical to LHR SH, just with a cap.

hunterboy 19th Mar 2019 05:42

You can bid for reserve, though probably struggle to get it from Sep to Dec, when pilots start strategically bidding for their Christmas roster . To be honest, reserve isn’t a bad gig if you live within 2 hours of the car park and don’t mind being flexible. The last few reserves months I’ve done, I’ve sat at home on call or visited my parents and counted that as a day off if not called. I ended up with an average of 18 days “off” each month. I accept that you don’t know it’s a day free of duty until the end of the standby period, but if you are happy to be flexible and drop what you are doing if the company call, then it’s not a bad gig. I know some junior guys were doing 4 a year on some fleets and gaining another 4 weeks off a year with the 7 day fixed days off block.

wiggy 19th Mar 2019 07:14


Originally Posted by Jock Trapped (Post 10422904)


Could I ask about reserve months? I read somewhere here that they include 7 days in a row free of duty? Obviously that would include a weekend. Can you bid for reserve or is it just allocated to you from time to time?

In the context of Longhaul as was mentioned upthread the first 7 days are days free of duty which will include a weekend off.

You bid for reserve but there's an associated points system and also tier/banding system tied into time in the company so your "time to time" can be fairly often though you can't be "assigned" (i.e. forced) to do two reserves in consecutive months.

As hunterboy has correctly pointed out if you live within 2 hours of the airport Reserve can work to your advantage if you are prepared to live with a bit of uncertainty.

wiggy 19th Mar 2019 08:14


Originally Posted by AIMINGHIGH123 (Post 10423302)
We were told at a BA presentation that it takes about 7 years seniority to get at least 1 weekend day of regularly.


I'm looking right now at some Longhaul (very new) DEP rosters ( middle 4000 seniority) and FWIW there are a few some with single weekend days off (i.e; the Saturday or the Sunday completely clear)..but certainly not many, and there a lot of rosters where every weekend day of the month (April)is touched by work.

There are very very few who can guarantee regularly getting a particular specific weekend day off, to do that on a regular basis you need to be extremely senior (left or right seat). That was certainly the case under Bidline and looks like being the case underJSS.

..and it is tough on family life, hence the attractiveness of the various part time contracts

Jock Trapped 19th Mar 2019 09:07


Originally Posted by wiggy (Post 10423316)

..and it is tough on family life, hence the attractiveness of the various part time contracts

Thanks for all the info Wiggy, as a potential new joiner, hopefully faced with that decision in the near future, it’s really useful to be looking at a DEP role with eyes open.

Does anyone know how accommodating BA are wrt parental leave, not for a new born, but the gov’t allocation of unpaid weeks upto 18yrs old. Thinking using that, along with reserve, leave, and an understanding other half may all make the move manageable re lifestyle.

skyflyer737 19th Mar 2019 10:13

When I was at BA you had to complete 12 months’ service before parental leave was an option. Then, you could email them and they’d email back with dates available for your fleet / seat. They were accommodating in so far as they have to offer it but not so accommodating with regards to when it was available. Ultimately family life was unmanageable for me as a junior longhaul FO who lived more than 2 hrs from LHR.

Tay Cough 19th Mar 2019 10:44


Originally Posted by AIMINGHIGH123 (Post 10423302)


We were told at a BA presentation that it takes about 7 years seniority to get at least 1 weekend day of regularly. The first 3-4 years very unlikely to get a full weekend off. The pilots were quite honest showed us loads of rosters.

If you have a young family with partner working as well it won’t be easy.

You can guarantee a weekend off every month at pretty much any seniority by doing reserve. Not ideal for the other three weeks - but in desperation...

As mentioned, as a junior bod you should be able to get a Saturday or a Sunday most months. What you won’t be able to guarantee is a specific one. You may be able to be a bit picky about specific midweek days (probably not a Friday) but that’s about it.

In short, if you need specific weekend days off - especially if it’s every month - you will not be able to achieve them at BA, irrespective of fleet, until you have been in for several years.

VJW 19th Mar 2019 13:17


Originally Posted by Tay Cough (Post 10423441)
As mentioned, as a junior bod you should be able to get a Saturday or a Sunday most months.

Wow that sounds beyond horrific for anyone with a life outside of work; be it family or social and/or a combination of the two.



no sponsor 19th Mar 2019 16:51

I’ve been in 8 years. I regularly get at least one of the weekend days off a month. Either by landing early on a Saturday and subsequently having the Sunday off, or departing on a Sunday, therefore getting the Saturday off. I honestly don’t specifically bit for that, it’s just how it seems to work out. Don’t forget a lot of guys don’t care about working weekends. Everyone has different ideas of what is good or not. Spending a Saturday night in Accra could be for you!

Dont forget we we do have our six golden days per year. These are days on a first come first served basis where you bid for a specific 1-2 days off. Seniority doesn’t come into it.

I am LH, and I can’t speak for SH, as I left that a few years ago. I don’t recall it being too bad though. No ideas under JSS.

At LGW there are other ways of getting out of duties and swapping stuff with those in charge in the office, as long as you were reasonable and flexible. :}


wiggy 19th Mar 2019 17:16

I get the impression that the issue that might be raising eyebrows for some at the moment is the difficulty (or not) in getting a specific day off on a regular basis, perhaps to tie in with domestic issues such as a partner's working arrangements or children's activities..

I'm inclined to say it can't be done without going part time, but as you say the newly introduced Golden Days might provide a solution 6 days of the year.

bex88 19th Mar 2019 20:14

JSS is terrible at the bottom. I essentially bid for all work, anything, everything but please limit my day trip to 4 or less. Result.....fall back and 14, possibly 15 reports to LHR. I live well within the required 90 minutes but that is more than 1 and a half days driving!

There are some benefits to JSS but the protections and inhibitors need adjusting. As has been mentioned weekend work is not a issue. Has anyone actually tried to go anywhere at the weekend? Nightmare! Give me a week day off most of the time thanks

Hotel Mode 20th Mar 2019 11:50

The vast majority of the most junior Capts and FOs are doing plenty of 2 - 5 day tours though, so its something in your bid that's putting you in fallback not a fundamental result of JSS.

By limiting JSS even in your lowest BG to 4 day trips in a month on a short haul fleet you are seriously harming JSSs ability to create a roster. Surely it would be better gradually relaxing that limit and not going into fallback and at least getting some of what you want?

red9 20th Mar 2019 11:58

I wouldnt have thought that requesting a maximum of 4 day trips in a month to be unreasonable ?, especially for some one who is perhaps a commuter or someone who just prefers night stops and doesnt mind where / when / with whom ? I agree JSS just doesnt work when your near the bottom ( by near I mean less than 50%)

Hotel Mode 20th Mar 2019 12:07


Originally Posted by red9 (Post 10424619)
I wouldnt have thought that requesting a maximum of 4 day trips in a month to be unreasonable ?, especially for some one who is perhaps a commuter or someone who just prefers night stops and doesnt mind where / when / with whom ? I agree JSS just doesnt work when your near the bottom ( by near I mean less than 50%)

No, its not. I'm not saying don't bid for only 4, but, if JSS needs to give you 5 for whatever reason do you really want lose every other preference? Just gradually release the requirement until JSS can produce a roster. Limiting day trips to 4 is a very powerful bid.

bex88 20th Mar 2019 15:09

Its not a bidding issue 100% guarantee. Even the JSS trainers are powerless to help. It’s a JSS issue

WhatTheDeuce 20th Mar 2019 16:29

Are you in the ex bmi bubble? Could have something to do with it

bex88 20th Mar 2019 16:38

:ugh: It may have a lot to do with it.

Is it different?

red9 20th Mar 2019 17:37


Originally Posted by bex88 (Post 10424872)
:ugh: It may have a lot to do with it.

Is it different?

It shouldnt be, but it is.........


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