That’s absolutely true though it remains to be seen whether or when that might happen.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens and when. Like many I made it as far as the sim assessment before being ‘frozen’ I do hope they stick to their word. The application is still active online which I guess is a good sign!

It seems there are two real questions from all of this…

1) when will there be a new recruitment campaign

2) even if there is a new recruitment campaign, when will new recruits / existing holdpoolers (non PHP) / those mid application process previously be given actual start dates.

I would guess that for PHP there’s hope for a start date this year but for everyone else even if there is recruitment it may just be to end up joining and sitting in the hold pool for whenever it is that BA decide they want people.

With inflation and LH aircraft delays it seems actual start dates won’t happen until later next year :/ there’s been no actual official holdpool update since mid last year so it doesn’t paint a great picture :(

For those in BA, does it seem likely that any new recruitment will be primarily for LGW rather than LHR LH?

BA will as always do what suits them (minimum courses) - DEP long haul fleets, LHR short haul or LGW. I think that’s all one can rely on.

It is logical that they would return to those who have been through assessments as it saves them time and money.

Makes sense for them to take from people who were mid-assessment - as said, saves time and money.

Apparently the requirement for crew is very fluid.

I would assume they offer LGW offers first then LHR/DEP LH offers if/when the LGW ones are rejected. Basically they will do whats cheapest (LGW) /more convinient. (DEP LH)

As i said previously, its more suitable for thos who care about their instagram feeds rather than their working conditions.....

The troll! :E “Your friend” amazing, my brothers girlfriends cousins dog walker told me something different!
I never said it wasn’t a nice base, As someone who is here, and not receiving third party info from “friends”, living, breathing and working, colleagues are lovely and the operation is semi smooth. The rostering is the issue.
I can even send you screenshots of my beautiful roster if you don’t believe me :ugh:
But let’s not allow facts to tarnish a good thread.
Best go and make the most of my minimum rest. Wonder if your friend would be willing to swap with me?

Looking at the Gatwick rosters on ibid, they're the sort of rosters I'd wince at during my charter days. At least back then we had a quiet winter to look forward to and in the meantime a decent fatigue system. Good job BA has a good FRMS... So good I hear Wizzair want to use it!

If you came from mainline without a solid reason and an exit plan then I've limited sympathy - it's been apparent almost from minute one who BA were looking to copy with the EF project (hint; it's not a western European airline).

If you came from the PRP however then you really do have my sympathy. You've been let down by an uncaring employer, facilitated by a union who failed to stand up for its members who were most vulnerable and had the most to lose. Permitting fire & rehire, the loss of scope & another (low cost) airline access to the MSL is naive at best. I suspect it'll come back to bite us all on the botty, and probably soon given the recession that's coming.

When I read the post saying 4 hour sectors x 2 a day leaving 12 days at work and 18 off, I did look at the rosters to see if it’s like this. Have to say I think that’s untrue going off iBid. Plenty of shorter sectors in there which stops that working. No one on either rank seems to be maxing their hours in 12 days leaving 18 days clear. Fairly frequent single days off scattered about, rows of earlies. Lates to earlies either side of days off. Seems to be 10/12 days off. People I noticed who have more days off I think are P/T.

With BA having scrapped 10,300 short haul departures until October does this effectively mean a halt in taking on any new joiners, including those in the PRP? Or are they continuing to bring people on board?

I remember hearing from a BA trainer some months back that the 787 fleet for example is extremely overcrewed at the moment and that when new airframes arrive it’ll just even things out rather than needing new people on that fleet. Does that sound about right even now?

I’m still confused as to how people in the regular hold pool can anticipate start dates even next year when there are people who say they are in the PRP who have heard nothing yet 🙉

They are fishing in the PHP now for LGW interest, so who knows? Emails hitting inboxes currently.

Oh interesting. Fishing for interest but for imminent start dates or start dates at later times? 🤔 or…. Simply just looking for interest.

Also….. are you allowed to reject LGW short haul in favour of waiting for LHR long haul or will that result in being chucked out the hold pool?

Have any offers for long haul been made to PRP?

I think the chance of LH DEP is actually quite low for the next year or so. Nearly the entire P32L list is eligible to move now and most courses will be to 787 and 350, which will be very popular internally. Having said that there could be a chance at the less secure 777 and 380 fleets as BA now (attempt to) do redundancy by fleet. It all depends on what internal bidders gun for.

Imminent offers and start dates but limited numbers I believe for LGW, asking for expressions of interest from PHP if you want to be considered. It is after all EuroFlyer and not mainline.

I think you have two bites of the cherry if you pass on the first offer but doubt you can just hang on for LH - if you're in the pool I would be expecting A320 really.

Balpa/BA have allowed a degree of leniency for the PRP to pick and choose, as a lot came off LH fleets. I wouldn’t expect this to carry over into PHP and regular hold pool, generally you take what you’re offered or bye bye. Regardless for PRP (maybe PHP too), LGW was non binding do you could turn it down indefinitely.

No LH offers yet.

I believe demand for pilots pretty much hinges on the ability to ramp up other aspects of operation, ground staff cabin crew etc..

For those of us who are outsiders, can anyone define and explain what PRP and PHP are?

PRP - Priority Return Pool - those made redundant being brought back.

PHP - Priority Hold Pool - those with previous offers and contracts which were never fulfilled due to COVID first in line for new offers.

O dear covid is only just over and it's a moaning Nigel. What did you do for 2 covid years apart from get paid?
If it's that bad just go

Applications are already in mate. When I get a reply, you'll be the first to know.

So reading between the lines, it’s anyone’s guess and no one really knows when external recruitment will open up, with the proviso that those in any kind of pool will get a crack at any openings first, followed (maybe) by anyone that was caught up in the assessment process when it all came to a stop.

As an interested observer, my guess is not before the winter schedule and most probably not before the new year; and that’s before making any allowances for the effects of new COVID variants and related restrictions coming back into play, and the state of the U.K. economy and more broadly the general economic situation globally

Very difficult to predict. Best places to bide one’s time are probably Ryanair or cargo.

Waiting in the hold pool for a number of years now with no update since mid last year it really is anyones guess.

The state of the uk economy doesn’t paint a hopeful picture.

You are right in that cargo may be the best place to wait but the problem is waiting somewhere that you don’t want to be long term at the expense of alternative opportunities which will be lost waiting around for BA :/ it’s a tough one :(