There are a few junior A320 captains working their notice and going to EZY too.

No great surprise those in the LHS look shocked. It ain’t the junior long haul life they lived.

In response to TT (the OP) and:

Just pointing out the perhaps obvious for anyone thinking of joining as a DEP on a Long Haul Fleet:

1. you are never going to get a quick upgrade on Long Haul,

and

2. Post joining type freeze means you aren’t going to be moving to a relatively fast upgrade fleet for a few years ...


Frankly if anybody in the LHS at BA is shocked they are either acting or they need to pay a bit more attention to what is going on around them.

It is a commonly held POV that large parts of the rostering system formerly known as Bidline has been trashed and the consequences of that have really bitten this summer. Nobody in either seat, regardless of seniority, can make concrete plans for days off even a month ahead, outside of leave. You can have successfully bid for work that gets you above the CAP and even so still get an extra trip stuck on your line/line rejigged- in other words forced overtime (July seems to have been bloodbath on the 744)........and to add to the problems as we head towards some fairly important elections for Union reps the association is giving a fair impression of being in disarray.

it won’t be long and we’ll be seeing a lot more pilots leaving BA for other airlines.

I tried both.
As a young stud I did long hauls and more long hauls, 30-40 hour duty days, around the world, crazy stuff.
Did 24 years of it, then started short-haul, or turns as we say here in the colonies: MIA-STT-MIA and similar.
I really liked to be home every day to wife and dog, sleep good then do it again next day. More time on the road driving to the airport, but got a good car and a subscription to satellite radio with the comedy channels. Figured that would be as much fun as I had all day and loved it.
Did the occasional long haul, like MIA-MAD, or CDG but got tired of being tired, back to short haul.
(on the 757/767 fleet you can do both and change every week or every month, perhaps same with BA?)

Just curious because opinions can differ, but what about life on the 747 fleet at BA is better or worse than life on other fleets like the 777 and 787? Is it longhaul Flying in general or specifically life on the 747 fleet that is objectionable (ie changing layovers, contracting number of routes, specific schedules, etc.)?

Might be one for a current 747 pilot to answer - in the mean time obviously (?) the 747 Fleet is seeing a gradual reduction in “plum” destinations but it has still got some good ones. One even ended up in SIN last month as “sub” for the 380!!!!

OTOH all the Longhaul Fleets are seeing some uncertainty and last minute plan changes due to the 787 engine issue.

As for Longhaul life at BA in general - TBH I am increasingly of the opinion that many will find the model BA seem to be aiming for and one which BALPA seem to less and less able to moderate will be one that is unsustainable over a full time, multi decade career. A single person with minimal commitments outside work who additionally never gets a cold or flu might manage.....for mere mortals with families, especially young ones I have my doubts.

I am not sure how long you have been in BA, but many find the first few years hell. I nearly left to go to EK.
I am now 75% part time to make my work life balance bearable. However I do not think that LC would be any easier than BA SH/LH unless you get a based where you live. Not necessarily an easy thing to achieve. I have conssideded that myself.

But regardless make sure to think long term. What do you want in 10 years time and how do the T&C compare with LC when you get there.
If you hang in there on the 747 until your freeze is up, you’d be almost guaranteed to get a A320 command at LGW. Do 6-12 months and then move to LC.
At least you have your command time and you’ll have many more options.

I know people who have chased quick commands, and it has rarely worked out, due to empty promises or unexpected downturn etc.

Just my opinion. ATB with whatever you choose to do :)

Re the SH Captains working their notice, I believe there are many more seriously looking around given many of the discussions I have had over the past year. I’m led to believe also that the latest recruitment campaign has not been as oversubscribed as it has been in the past. Perfect storm coming of people leaving and recruits not so much drying up perhaps but certainly not plentiful. Maybe this will wake Cruz and Walsh up to the fact that the constant attack on Ts & Cs is having real detrimental effects and will do in the future.

(Wouldn’t hold my breath though)

I also jumped ship from the Queen of the Skies at BA to head to low cost shorthaul. People were shocked - I even shocked myself - but in hindsight I’m a whole load happier. The reality is I should never have gone to BA in the first place but I’m still glad I tried it.

Edited to say I completely agree with Wiggy and planning my life at BA was nigh on impossible and work basically rules your life unless you have leave / duty free week etc planned. For those single chaps / chapesses it’s fine but for those of us with family commitments I find the low cost roster (although still tiring) way better. Having a command also makes work far more enjoyable.

I did think about BAP’s idea of bidding for an LGW command after initial type freeze was up (5 years) but then thought why wait 5 years for something I already had at easyJet? Money is not the be-all and end-all but the financial incentives also stacked up being LHS low cost.

Best of luck in your decision making!

You’re not nuts at all. Anyone who suggests you are needs to wake up to the world outside BA, as Wiggy has alluded to.

My take on it is BA is now very much just another airline, and the full time job has pretty much become unsustainable for an entire career, particularly since the introduction of EASA FTLs. Life expectancy will seriously reduce for anyone who attempts it. Part time is the way forward, and once you’re going down that route, you’re looking more and more at lifestyle choices, and being based at Heathrow is not one of the better lifestyle choices. I’ll have been in for 20 years by the time I get my first command, but once I have sufficient command hours, I’ll be looking very seriously at other airlines. Working for BA has drained the life out of me. I’m constantly bewildered by anyone who leaves another airline to join up. I don’t think outsiders appreciate just how weak, and indeed actively damaging, BALPA within BA is. Our decline at the hands of the current BACC has exceeded all expectations.

LC even admits on Yammer that DEP’s are signing or being offered contracts to start & then turning them down! Quite simply we’re not the only/best gig in town... However long may it continue... the only way things will improve is if people stop coming!

‘Part of the CAP pressure has also been down to some DEPs signing contracts with us, and then withdrawing, for various reasons’

I’m in the land of Orange LHS. We have a bid preference that so far is working really well for me. I asked for all 2 sector days for July, all my duties are 2 sectors apart from 2 days and a good portion of my 2 sectors are short days, Edi and back etc. Really made a difference to how tired I feel, regional base so my winter was rather quiet and so far touch wood my summer as been steady.

Paywise you can look at it in two ways, yes, BA will have a higher salary but how long will it take to reach it? If you actually get that far? EZY basic CPT is 105k alone, add on sector pay, loyalty bonus (15%) after 10 years, share awards, performance bonus. It all adds up and you’ll be earning much more quicker than at BA.

Depends what you want, like your own bed and wish to see your kids or live on the continent, don’t think you can do better than EZY. Want to see the world on someone’s expense, BA it is.

Regional base with EZY is a brilliant gig overall, not perfect but no job is.