And they’ll receive a five year freeze for that whopping three sims on the Operators Conversion Course.
(Dons flak jacket, retreats to safe distance).

I hope that’s for short haul only? I reckon there won’t be too many 74/77/78 rated guys and gals in the pool. Seeing as one has entered the LH pool as a regional jet jockey, one hopes to receive a call :)

Thanks for any updates from within lads! Much appreciated.

From what I gather, there is no LH pool. There is a BA holdpool. Might not be the news you want, but managing expectations and all of that.

(Hope you'll get what you applied for of course, but be prepared for something else).

Of course, theres only one pool. Should’ve been more precise. I applied to the LH campaign back then. If a SH position comes around I’ll be happy to take it! It’s just being passed by type rated guys left right and centre is sometimes not easy. But it’s their train set!

Well that’s 3 RYR guys I know of, off to BA. 1 747 and 2 777. If they were plucking rated LH DEPs out the pool then clearly they’ve exhausted them all, that or they’re just going down the list in order. Either way it’s good news for you Saab. Especially as their last email said they’d be no DEP offers in 2018. You’ll get your call soon don’t worry.

Plucking type rated guys out the pool is understandable. Last I checked, I’ve not received anything that says we’ll be called in the order we entered the pool. Very very first email mentioned that, ‘when matched with a pilot position in the airline, you will be contacted and given a verbal offer.’

I wonder if people with a 737 rating will have a shorter course? I know, bit far fetched perhaps but I do believe Qatar airways did do a shortened course for small boeing to big boeing.

Perfectly understandable if they have a huge need for Airbus guys and need em ASAP. It’s all good news to be honest. From no DEP to at least a few :)

No it won't be a shortened course, far from it!

Any idea of split between LHR/LGW?

On the SH airbus fleet leave buy back is now being offered for this summer for both first officers and captains.

I presume this is very positive news for the hold pool pilots.

The latest company newsletter states rated DEPs joining the 777 in April, with more to come. Also anticipates DEPs on the 787 later in the year. Add that to those I know one way and have had long haul offers recently, there seems to be a fair bit of movement again all of a sudden. Good news for all!

Goes to show that any news from pilot recruitment, who, like everyone, are subject to the vagaries of the Big Plan, is accurate up to 0.01ms after the send button is pressed.

Ain’t that the truth...though you might need to revise that figure to 0.001 milliseconds due to the introduction of JSS..., which, rumour has it, is leading to some of the current difficulties with predictions/forecasts regarding manning levels... .:oh:

It will be interesting to see how this plays out for everybody over the next few months:

For those already “in” will Bidline monthly rostering get a stay of execution? (edit to add: Just read something that might lead one to believe there might indeed be a temporary reprieve..though that would lead to high CAPs..there's a surprise)...

For those waiting to get into BA just how quickly and by how much will the level in the hold pool be lowered?

Anyway has been said by previous posters it can only be good news for the hold poolers, though of course 0.001 milliseconds will be up by the time you have read this.....

On the subject of leave buy back I can’t see a big uptake as the deal is not very good.

I for one have no intention of giving up eighteen straight days off in peak summer for all the tea in China, especially as the CAPs this summer are likely to be so high. I’m acutely aware in part of the irony that the CAPs will remain high as a result but some respite will be needed.

For those in the pool (and prospective poolers) planning on travelling to/from LHR/LGW by using staff travel

... you might need to know that we have found out from the union overnight that BA are going to be quite proactive from now on in checking how and when people have travelled into base prior to work - they have just announced a two month audit.. This to ensure crewmembers comply with the latest rules BA have come up regarding personal travel into base and subsequent rest at base prior to a duty. At the moment it seems BA are only going to look at those who fly in using Standby tickets or the discounted commercial tickets available to staff.

I’m sure for the vast majority here that won’t be a deal breaker but be careful about planning a lifestyle based on flying into base the same day as report, or at the very least owning up to doing the same...that might cause problems :rolleyes:

Double standards methinks. Especially as British Airways’ own policy for a home standby (ie being allowed to drive two hours to the T5 Car Park) technically contravenes what they consider as being rested. Yet sit back in an airline seat for a (in some cases) 40 minute flight and you’re under the microscope as that’s apparently more fatiguing. It’s sickening.

Is it too early to say exactly how much this is going to drain the pool; potentially leading to more recruitment later in the year?

Rex

Absolutely....

banterbus

Yes..see previous comments about plans at BA being valid for at most 0.01 or 0.001 milliseconds...

]TBH many drivers can't "get from home.... and report to the LHR reporting point all within two hours".........even on a good day.

That said people are going to have to live with this (or make plans to plan to live with it if they have yet to join - just said that to keep this on thread).

Rumours are starting to circulate that once the flying commuters have been audited to the company's satisfaction then some of the utterly crazy driving commutes that we all darn well know go on will get looked at.

What are these latest ba rules for commuters. You must plan adequate rest. ie overnight hotel if you reside more than 2 hours from base?

And how will they enforce non-compliance. Temporary removal of staff travel?

Devil is in the detail and I may well have got this wrong but as I read it even for short haul commuters ( so MAN, GLA, AMS etc) it looks like 12 hours "rest" required between arriving at base using what BA call "personal travel" ( which seems to defined as traveling to base by air) and report for any duty...there is no mention of a local night or a room being required, just "rest".

In fact to my uneducated eye there appears to be room for some sillyness in the rules as written..for example it looks like you could beat the system by getting up at sparrows dodah to arrive at LHR at 0800, hang around in a coffee bar, not working, watch iPlayer or something all day, and then be legal for a 2000 or later report, OTOH you could sleep in at home till gone midday, fly into LHR arriving at 1900 and be deemed illegal for the same report....:bored:

IMHO probably much much more understandably there are more restrictive rules for Long Haul "commuters", even those experiencing a minimal time zone change.

No idea where we are with "punishment"....as yet we are looking at a two month audit. Just a IMHO but hopefully worse that would happen to a transgressor first time round might be a *****ing and a note on file...I wouldn't like to test the system too often though, the rules are in the Ops Manual and I wouldn't like to be the first one up against the wall.

If we’re going to start nitpicking then all crew, regardless of whether they’re commuters or not should have their activities monitored because apparently every activity inbetween lying in bed and reporting for duty could be construed to be fatiguing. But it’s not in the company’s remit to be policing people’s personal lives. We’re all professional individuals and should be given the right to exercise their judgement as to what constitutes sufficient rest and a stressful commute.

For the record and putting my neck on the line I don’t think I’ve ever had twelve hours rest at base in that case before the first day of a block of work - and neither for that matter has someone driving ninety minutes on the motorway - but not once have I reported to work unfit for duty and the number of ASR’s (absolutely minimal and none in any way related to my performance at work) submitted would seem to bear that out.

It is fortunate then that I commute on another airline most of the time outside of the gaze of over officious and prying eyes.

As soon as middle management have got bored it will be some forgotten text to be used for arse covering. It gives very good guidelines on what is not rested though. Anytime you have a min rest turn at LHR just say your are not rested in accordance with OMA.....7 as you don’t sleep in the car park.

anyone know if any offers went out this week?

Yes- a mate was called for 777 on Tuesday last week I believe. He'd been in the pool 2 years come April time and they gave him 3 months 2 days notice for a course date

The internal course list for April and May was rather short, suggesting the main training load is new entrants of one sort or another. More offers likely to come soon if that is the case...

There are also less substantial rumours of a new campaign for Airbus rated DEPs as they have apparently got the numbers v wrong yet again. Perhaps if they didn’t use antiquated legacy software to do all their manpower planning...

Lots of LHR 320 FO's have had their 787 / 777 courses binned. There were already planned DEP's to go LH but likely to increase as a result.

Where did you get this gem from? Not saying you’re wrong, but there hasn’t been comms from BALPA, as they have to agree all P&P changes, there hasn’t been a massive outcry on yammer.... yet, and the company hasn’t issued anything on it. That said, I can see why the company would do it given the 320 manpower cock up.

So whats happened with the A320 "cock up"..... is recruitment looking less likely....have we gone from needing loads to only a few....whats the situation?

I would say (speculating) that it’s a shortage cock up, not an overcrewing cock up. Have heard multiple sources talking of leave buyback offers on SH at LHR over the summer, and offers were made from the pool last week for May start dates.

I suspect the floodgates may be opening. Good luck to all.

Re the binned SH to LH conversions - anyone with an OK bid who is yet to have a course date would have been a freeze waive. According to NS, the plan now is for no further freeze waives this year. Followed it closely as it looks like I've just missed out. Usual 0.01ms caveats notwithstanding.

Good news for those that want in and are happy to do he LH junior thing. But what about next year? We'll want to be flying those Monarch slots ourselves. Super junior LGW commands anyone?

Time will tell but the whole NAPs thing is supposed to result in commands going senior again.

Smokey Lomcevak

When you say "happy to do the junior Long Haul thing"....what do you mean? What's the pros and cons?

Smokey Lomcevak - when you say NS has said there will be no further freeze waives this year, do you mind me asking where you read that?

As one of said people with a potentially cancelled freeze waive, I’m clearly very keen to know about it. Thanks for your help. I can’t see anything on Yammer that says such a thing?

Retrojet
Nobody can answer that question as BA pilots are just about to change to a method of rostering that is brand spanking new. Few, if any, have the slightest idea how it will all pan out.

As far as freeze waivers is concerned, this issue comes up from time to time. BA are obviously able to do whatever they wish with pilots during their 5 year engagement freeze. It’s bad news for those already in the company, who wish to move on. But great news for those hoping to join BA on LH, skipping completely the SH ‘grind’!

Retro: I think it's been done to death, here and elsewhere, and ultimately 4468 says it all: its a massive unknown.

Ellan: look in the comments to a previous thread on there. Not the most recent one. Can't remember which. Expect the "uproar" when the June and onwards plan is released, if my understanding is correct.

Re freezes - it really doesn't mean anything - if one was unfrozen, and one's fleet was more underestablished than first anticipated, there's nothing to stop LH DEP taking place to protect the choke point. Didn't we see that 2 years ago?

Comment from NS about freeze waivers was made in the yammer thread started by initials RW. My reading between the lines is that they were going to mainly cover the recruitment requirement through FPP to short haul and freeze waiver to long haul. However, the now increased requirement means FPPs alone won’t do it, so they’re cancelling the freeze waivers, putting FPP into short haul, and then any further requirement will just go wherever, from the DEP pool.

Thank you guys. Found it now.

Interestingly, the Yammer post says that “potentially” some of those who’ve had their freezes waived and who are not yet coursed will get refrozen. So there’s still a glimmer of hope from my perpective!

Well I for one wish you the best of luck Ellen in the interest of fairness and getting the whole process moving as it should. For those of us a little further down the list this has the potential to delay our moves away from the short haul grind for at least another year on top of the time remaining on our freeze. I’m certainly willing to serve my time but DEP’s coming in and immediately gaining access to a better lifestyle than those hundreds of places above them on the MSL really does stick in the throat, even if I’m aware of the reasons why it’s done.

Ellan and Rex - it sounds like we're all not too far from one another. Personally I'm secretly a little bit chuffed. I've gained 10% in seniority going into March, and the more I thought about doing a course to slot in at 90% on LH, the less appetising it became. It looks like Spring is going to be hard work at both airbus bases, but that brings opportunities for OT/RDW too.

Some FPP courses now being binned...

Without revealing the source, an FPP Cadet with a start date in March has had his course indefinitely delayed. This has come directly from the person involved.