Chief B,

For the unitiated it might be worth putting a bit of meat on that, this is my no doubt flawed model of how it works/will work, you may well see it/describe it differently:

Present system:

Stage 1 - "pick your line" out of the published list, which may or not have anough work on it to be a complete roster. Fail to get a line you'll be rostered ("Blindline") or on Reserve. If you have a line then move to Stage 2

Stage 2 - Pick trip(s) to fit your line to make up the hours. On seeing Stage 2 results you may have an vague or not so vague idea of your final roster.

"Stage 3" (my term, newish process): Final Assign (FA) - Company Assigns work into gaps or even re-jigs your roster to optimise (maximise?) your work. You're most vulnerable if post Stage 2 you're a bit low on hours and/or have left big gaps on your line, so you can get a bit of a feel beforehand of whether you're likely to get extra work assigned or not.

All in all a lengthy process.

Under one of the possible 2017 systems:

Stage 1 stays as is.

Stage 2 and "Stage 3" are combined. You may get what you ask for but the company may also optimise the roster (i.e. change what you had before). So whilst it's correct to say there will be "No Final Assign/Draft Assign" the assignment of work is almost certainly going to happen, but it now takes place in the combined Stage 2/3 process. It's a much quicker way of doing things for sure but many have concerns that the process is more than somewhat opaque, to say the very least, because so much can be hidden in the name of "optimisation". If you end up with a roster far far removed from your bid it will be almost impossible to analyse why you got what you got and whether you have been miss-handled or not, because it may have taken umpteen iterations of optimisation to get there.

How it works out in reality you'll see, personally I hope out of Dodge by then :p.

(BTW folks a Health Warning - the full rule set is so complex it's possible only one person in BA understands how it all works, and is contained in a document the size of a small novel...the above precis is very definitely a precis of a precis of a precis)

And that one person will write an app and make a small fortune!

Let's hope he can soon. :ok:

The new stage 2 will also swap trips between pilots so should have a lot of flexibility. For example, if you want to go to a particular destination on a given date and another pilot who has that trip wishes to get rid of it in favour of something else, in theory that trip will go to the first pilot as it will be released by the second pilot who will then pick up from the third pilot, etc.

My understanding is it will be significantly better than the current position.

As you say " in theory"....the worry some of the more clever grown ups have is that if the company wind "optimisation" up to 11 :E pilot A could see their trip being changed but pilot B not getting it, and ultimately neither of them being satisfied because the company have intervened and dumped different trips of their choice on both pilots lines.

It's perhaps worth pointing out the current system already has a fairly good trip swapping mechanism, albeit the swap happens much later in the process, but is negotiated, agreed and actioned in the system directly by the pilot(s) involved. That said complex multiple swaps are tricky.

Sorry if I/we are perhaps drifting off the core intent of the thread, in defence I know the rostering system (and it's future) is of interest to some prospective joiners.

Update... apparently a few folks have been offered A320 at LGW for end of January :) Good luck to all those in the pool!

Good news, are these guys rated or not?

Might signal the start of the next round of recruitment?

Next round of recruitment to open on Friday, a general round but priority given to those with an Airbus rating. Approx 340 guys/girls needed for next year.

All type rated at the minute, I believe.. I hear that courses have been offered at the start of January too.

Airbus rating as in a mini bus or one of the bigger ones too?

Non-rated
 

Thanks for info. Billibud.

I am non rated and have been swimming for a few months now. Any ideas if they are planning non rated courses?

I am starting to get concerned about priority being given to 320 rated guys and girls. Hope I'm not swimming for more than 12 months!!

I would guess the A320 LGW are the rated guys referred to a few posts back by BASHLH.

I'm not at all concerned as a swimmer if they are re-opening recruitment this week as there can't be too many of us in the pool. Just being patient and waiting for the suggested October shakeup and hopefully some news then.

BA have repeatedly stated there are jobs for all of us in the pool.

Careers Events in Luton and Stansted
 

I'm sure those of you with your ear to the ground will already know about these but I've just seen that BA are holding some roadshows in Luton and Stansted next week.

I think the Luton ones are on the 6th and Stansted on the 7th. On Yammer it didn't give more details but I've just googled "BA career event in Luton" and it came up with something in Eventbrite? to book places...

For those interested it might be worth a look.

Things must have taken a turn for the worse if BA are having to do roadshows. It used to be that if there was a sniff of a pilot slot, you'd be killed in the rush. Think very carefully before coming to shorthaul.

They'll soon be bonding at this rate.... :eek:

I just wonder if BA are getting close to exhausting the pool of suitably qualified people willing/able to consider an almost daily commute to LHR.

And afford it in the South East!!!

:ok:

Yep .....I was trying to be non-controversial and was including that under the "able" heading but you're right, affordability has (or should be) be a major consideration....there's a limit to how long you can operate out of a Bath Road B&B :bored:

Billybud, where did you hear that recruitment was to start this Friday?

From an internal email sent round asking us to 'spread the news'!

As an aside it seems the BA Pilot Recruitment Team will be at the "Jobshow London" at Westfield on 9th & 10th Oct ........

Home Page - London Job Show

Looks like you were right, recruitment is open again for DEP, closing date 1st November, good luck!

Feeling happy and relieved in the holding pool (NTR), thanks for all the information provided by posters here, it was mainly very helpful although you really need to spend a few days going through it all. At my sim assessment it was mentioned that they are certainly going to be ramping up courses in the new year after a bit of a lull at the end of this year. With my 3-month notice period hopefully I'll get some news soon. Most likely to be shorthaul Airbus out of LHR apparently. They've recently been allocating LGW positions but they intend to be mainly LHR in the new year.