Of course "better" is a relative term. Even with the once/twice a year enhanced priority ticket you pick up after a few years you are still going to quite possibly be on standby if you're trying to travel as a family over a holiday period, especially to the family friendly destinations.

Wiggy seems to know more about this than me but I would not make your move based on being able to hope on staff travel here there and everywhere. Many many times have I had the conversation about the gamble of staff travel. The risk of being stuck, transferring to another airport because loads are less or buying guaranteed tickets for the wife and kids. These are guys with 15 years service! When it works though.....first class JFK and back thank you.

You have the little issue of work getting in the way of all this play time though :ugh:

Harry: I hear all sorts of rumor on recruitment. Some are saying that since Crystal has been put in charge of establishing the required numbers they have dropped significantly. There had been a lot of talk from ops about how good Crystal was going to be so I do hope her mini skirt is a short as they say.

Thanks Bex.

Thanks for straight answer :sad:

What to do, what to do... The money in the Orange left seat is nice... But 45 sectors a month / 5 earlies in a row /etc... I'd never leave for SH, but LH is one tricky choice.

*scratches head*

Anyone else in the sim in the first week of Feb?

Would be good to get in touch!

Permafrost_ATPL

I had similar thoughts but then sensibly came to this conclusion: it's a short-term decision if you go with a LH offer just because it's LH. I know, you can have a very nice lifestyle part-time LHS with EZY (despite what people say, there is some terrible rostering but BA guys are working just as hard with 6 days on in a row - it becomes what you can make of the options available). Not only could you be reassigned SH (debate likelihood elsewhere) but in a few years those who joined on SH and are transferring to LH will still have seniority over you. Joining BA is a full career move and you're better off in the longer term (and at the end of your career) getting in early on SH. That way you will retire with higher seniority and that means better lifestyle. Patience is a virtue - annoyingly. Best of luck.

With regard to staff travel I am still very junior and I have found it works very well. You get one Club ticket for you and family after 6 months with the company but clearly you have to pick your flights sensibly.

Trying to get on the 1 Orlando flight a day in the middle of August is not likely to succeed but trying to get on one of the 20 flights a day to New York or Newark is much more likely.

If you are using it for your family holiday in the summer it is a last minute task. Find the open flights or destinations then book the accomodation. DON'T book your accomodation in January and then expect to get on your flight of choice during the summer holidays. For me it has been very successful but my wife is very flexible and doesn't get too stressed with last minute changes.

If your partner is high maintenance and needs everything confirmed 6 months in advance then staff travel is not for you.

The other option we have is buying confirmed tickets at a discount. Sometimes the discount is fairly considerable but sometimes its only a few pounds. Its always worth checking against the main BA website.

BA just held some roadshows in berlin, however there is no special deal. Just that they can return after two years with BA (if they manage to get in) to Air Berlin if they want to, at their original place in the seniority list (a deal that has been offered with the unmentionable middle east airline and turkish airlines as well). Apart from that they have to jump through the same hoops as anyone else, once the next recruitment window opens. It was mentioned that around 300 pilots are needed this year with around 100 already recruited, 250 to the a320 fleet and the rest to 787 and 747, but the 787 spots are probably already taken.

Difference between BA and Lufthansa is that BA is growing and actively recruiting, whereas Lufthansa is shrinking and probably seeing redundancies in the future, with a backlog of around a thousand cadets that are waiting for their place in a Lufty flightdeck.

Presumably BALPA have nothing to say about the Scope agreement?

So a need of 300. Just curious, how many SFO's have been upgraded? Where did such a massive need come from? Rostering is getting slicker right? Limitations being relaxed etc.

Where did it come from?......B...........M..........I

That's why IAG want Aer Lingus so much.

The African Dude, yes I am very aware of the seniority issue. But I am looking 10 years down the line. I fear we have it as good as it's going to get with Carolyn and the next one through the revolving door won't be as moderate. And my body is already telling me to go part time. Very, very tricky choice.

Thanks to others about staff travel feedback.

I think you're right about that and that's why I advocated jumping with even a SH offer if you're considering making the move. The main question has to be: how much better do you feel your lifestyle will be ten years down the line at BA? If it's significant for your particular circumstances, then you have to bite the bullet and go for it regardless of the fleet offer.

OK, just read your original post again :ok: Agree with you, but a bit worried about paying the mortgage.

Unfortunately I'm getting wildly conflicting stories on take home pay for year 1 SH and LH! Some make it similar, some different by almost 1k.

If the latter if true, Mrs Permafrost won't be pleased!

I have a course offer but am not yet on the payroll. A mate on the 767 (2-3 years service) seems to be netting, on average, a bit over £4k (the lowest was £3.5k ish and the highest £5.5k). It's a 'medium' haul fleet as I understand it. Others on the payroll may be able to clarify but I'm pretty sure I've seen quite a few suggested net figures on this, and other, threads.

All DEPs start on the same pay, longhaul and shorthaul. Every year, the short haul payscales go up by around 2/3 of that on long haul, however you may then go long haul after 5 years and you go straight onto long haul paypoint 5, roughy a £6-7K pay rise. I net about £4500 per month, sometimes more or less, on a short haul roster PP4 albeit I am on the PP24 pay scales. I have pretty much total control over my life as more join below me. Longhaul beckons next year, on blindlines:sad::ouch:, so I may stay on short haul especially as i have small children. Joining as a DEP on long haul, means you stay junior for a very very long time, as those senior to you bid on to your fleet as they move off from short haul.
I also wasn't that far off a LGW command this year! food for thought.

Hi,

Does anyone know if the Multidimensional capacity test when given the audio for the shape / colour needs a trigger input before selection of the colour and number or is it just the colour / number to input?

Thanks

yes, hence food for thought, but gatwick doesn't have bidline?! I haven't decided to go long haul next year (if I have the option)! I can't say how far off Im afraid nor much else on the 2015 bid.

I think it's a brave man who leaves LHR for LGW. For a long time gatwick has had to prove its right to exist.

Year one FO base your SH take home on £3800. About 1/3 of the pilots are on blind lines.

More likely to get something of what you want from Carmen in your initial bid than you are from blindlines! There are some people at LGW who are very happy with their lot. Some on the bottom page even have every weekend off this month...

It's also worth noting that those joining on PP34 scales, will have a comparative pay cap at 22 years instead of 16 for LGW skippers, and PP25 for LHR FO's.