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-   -   BA Direct Entry Pilot. (https://www.pprune.org/terms-endearment/538503-ba-direct-entry-pilot.html)

lansen 27th January 2019 13:17


Originally Posted by Nauti (Post 10372228)
Out of interest, do you have hours on the 777/787? Thanks in advance and best of luck.

Yes, currently flying the 787.

kendrick47247 27th January 2019 13:19


Originally Posted by lansen (Post 10372473)


Yes, currently flying the 787.

Sent you a PM

Nauti 27th January 2019 14:28


Originally Posted by lansen (Post 10372473)


Yes, currently flying the 787.

Great, thanks for the reply.

Nauti 27th January 2019 14:31


Originally Posted by The Foss (Post 10372482)


When I applied I don’t think it was split like that, it was just DEP. I had mentioned I wanted SH LGW at phase 2 and 3, and also on getting the news I’d passed the sim check. They then offered LHR 787 so I asked again if SH LGW was available, and got that instead later the same day! As a side note, they did say they don’t usually accommodate requests, but as what I was after was usually less popular they could do it on this occasion, so can’t hurt to ask.

Thank you for the very thorough reply. All food for thought. All of my hours are A320, though I do more than meet the requirements for LH that I see in the job descriptions etc. Not sure LH will be an option for me (sim dependant of course) but I'd be more than happy with SH LGW.

A340Yumyum 28th January 2019 01:51


Originally Posted by The Foss (Post 10372482)


I had mentioned I wanted SH LGW

Have you been to see a Dr recently?
;-)

burnable gomi 28th January 2019 03:08

Does BA have status pay? Same pay no matter what fleet you are on? If so wouldn't short haul get you senior much more quickly and therefore more control of your roster?

I'm trying to compare salaries. What would a 5/10/15/20/25 year BA captain earn on PP24 and PP34?


wiggy 28th January 2019 07:27


Originally Posted by burnable gomi (Post 10372984)
Does BA have status pay? Same pay no matter what fleet you are on? If so wouldn't short haul get you senior much more quickly and therefore more control of your roster??

It’s what you are actually able to get control of that’s the problem...and still a bit of an unknown with JSS.

Compare and contrast the grumbles we hears about short haul rosters that have umpteen days of consecutive work and a nasty mixture of “lates” and earlies” vs. the grumbles about having to four or five trips in a month, three of which are HKGs and therefore not getting a weekend off....(not making that 3 HKG in a month grumble up BTW, it was made publically by a junior 380 P2 recently)

Different strokes, apples vs. Oranges etc.



738BusDriver 28th January 2019 14:42

How long is it taking to find out after stage 3?
 
Hi all,

I did stage 3, 3 weeks ago and haven’t heard from recruitment team yet. We were told we would hear within 2 weeks. Anyone waiting a similar time?

Thanks.

Phantom4 28th January 2019 16:20


Originally Posted by 738BusDriver (Post 10373499)
Hi all,

I did stage 3, 3 weeks ago and haven’t heard from recruitment team yet. We were told we would hear within 2 weeks. Anyone waiting a similar time?

Thanks.

737,Ring them up,sometimes they forget to get back to you.Happened to someone close to me

MikeAlpha320 28th January 2019 18:34

Get your application in before everyone else beats you to it... offer of a 2.3% pay rise with over a billion pound profit :D

What an insult.

red9 28th January 2019 18:37


Originally Posted by MikeAlpha320 (Post 10373732)
Get your application in before everyone else beats you to it... 2.3% pay rise with over a billion pound profit :D

What an insult.

How the hell did BALPA let them get away with that ???????

BitMoreRightRudder 28th January 2019 19:10


Originally Posted by red9 (Post 10373737)
How the hell did BALPA let them get away with that ???????

They haven’t. It’s the derisory BA response to a pay claim that is far more substantial. It will be rejected out of hand by all unions involved.

If you join now you will get treated with contempt by any and all management but you will get a lovely centenary tie pin.

Swings and Roundabouts.

SinBin 29th January 2019 09:40

Well I was stood next to a new batch of DEPs yesterday in the CRC, all looking super happy. All carrying a cardboard box, I wonder what was in there?!

GS-Alpha 29th January 2019 09:57

That all depends on whether it was centenary pin sized or iPad sized?

BitMoreRightRudder 29th January 2019 10:02

BitMoreRightRudder
 

All carrying a cardboard box, I wonder what was in there?!
Vaseline??





MikeAlpha320 29th January 2019 12:34


Originally Posted by BitMoreRightRudder (Post 10374273)


Vaseline??





:D:D

Give it 6 months and see how happy they are working every weekend, constantly changing early/late and working ridiculous rostering patterns. But we have leave? They'll just fit all the hours into the rest of the month!

MikeAlpha320 29th January 2019 22:11


Originally Posted by TangoAlphad (Post 10374420)
Sadly there isn't much better alternatives out there. It may not be perfect but it isn't exactly a bad gig is it.


I never had pay withheld at previous (cap overrun). I understand Christmas NCP has also been 'missed'. SH rostering is far better elsewhere. Its great to see BALPA standing up given the company response to the pay deal, though.

BizJetJockey 30th January 2019 22:35

When was the last time BA released slots for the 3rd stage?

2 Whites 2 Reds 31st January 2019 08:07


Originally Posted by MikeAlpha320 (Post 10374943)
Its great to see BALPA standing up given the company response to the pay deal, though.

Agreed. Let’s see how far the courage for a fight goes over an insulting pay offer. That said, the initial pay claim was very weak given the current profitability of the airline.

Not sure if this has been discussed before but has a Fixed Pattern Roster ever been explored? Had it at a previous company many moons ago and it made a HUGE differerece when it was introduced. It has big benefits without really costing the company a penny save for the extra manpower hours required to administer it. I reckon it would decrease sickness and fatigue which would more than payfor those office hours.

Any thoughts from applicants at EZY, FR & DHK?

MikeAlpha320 31st January 2019 10:24


Originally Posted by 2 Whites 2 Reds (Post 10376176)


Agreed. Let’s see how far the courage for a fight goes over an insulting pay offer. That said, the initial pay claim was very weak given the current profitability of the airline.

Not sure if this has been discussed before but has a Fixed Pattern Roster ever been explored? Had it at a previous company many moons ago and it made a HUGE differerece when it was introduced. It has big benefits without really costing the company a penny save for the extra manpower hours required to administer it. I reckon it would decrease sickness and fatigue which would more than payfor those office hours.

Any thoughts from applicants at EZY, FR & DHK?

Would never get fixed roster at BA I don't think. It doesn't guarantee you every weekend off/ specific days of the week people bid for. Senior guys/girls wouldn't let it happen IMHO. I think it would be great to get some more days off but can't see it happening!

RexBanner 31st January 2019 10:39

For what it’s worth I quite like a random roster in the sense that yeah you might only get a couple of days off after a long six (or even seven!) days but to balance that you get 5+ days off somewhere else which are far more useful for commuting than just three days for instance. Horses for courses I suppose but I wouldn’t welcome a 5354 pattern at all.

PilotStepper 31st January 2019 11:11

To anyone that has attended stage 1 recently - can you recommend any online software for practice?

wiggy 31st January 2019 11:43


Originally Posted by 2 Whites 2 Reds (Post 10376176)
Not sure if this has been discussed before but has a Fixed Pattern Roster ever been explored?



Certainly not at BA during my aeons at the company.


Had it at a previous company many moons ago and it made a HUGE differerece when it was introduced. It has big benefits without really costing the company a penny save for the extra manpower hours required to administer it.



I think I can see how fixed pattern could work quite well somewhere that is pretty much limited to day trips but I think it would tough to do it on BA Shorthaul due to the mix of single day trips, night stops through to multi day tours,without getting rosters very limited in their variety. It would probably be a complete non starter on Longhaul where you have anything from the odd (very odd) day trip right through to the 9 day trip down to SYD on the 777.








2 Whites 2 Reds 31st January 2019 12:01


Originally Posted by wiggy (Post 10376349)


Certainly not during my aeons at the company.


I think can see how it could work quite well somewhere that has limited nightstops but I think it would tough to do it on BA Shorthaul with the mix of day trips and tours, and probably a complete non starter on Longhaul where you have anything from the odd (very odd) day trip right through to the 9 day trip down to SYD on the 777.



FWIW it was decided at said company that it wasn't possible to implement Fixed Patterns on the LH aspect of the company but it worked REALLY well on the SH side where we were doing almost exclusively day stops all over Europe. The flying was a mix of 1-4 sector duty periods. Not everyone was on it or indeed wanted it but the ones that did want it and got it were generally very happy with the rostering part of the job.

I'm just thinking maybe BALPA could have made real inroads into improving conditions for our SH colleagues rather than just chasing money money money (and not much of it at that in this particular claim!) The numbers clambering to achieve part time would suggest money isn't the be all and end all. Possibly a conversation for another thread but just my thoughts.

ChrisE 31st January 2019 12:06

Quick question - I applied for DEP in October and am still going through the recruitment process. The application is now split between 777/787 or A320/A350/A380. I've been placed into the latter bracket, despite only having a few hundred airbus hours. Will this have any bearing on fleet offer if successful? Or is it still a 'placed where needed' system?

Thanks

2 Whites 2 Reds 31st January 2019 15:49


Originally Posted by ChrisE (Post 10376365)
Quick question - I applied for DEP in October and am still going through the recruitment process. The application is now split between 777/787 or A320/A350/A380. I've been placed into the latter bracket, despite only having a few hundred airbus hours. Will this have any bearing on fleet offer if successful? Or is it still a 'placed where needed' system?

Thanks

From what I garnered on a recent internal conversion course, the training system is at max chat and will remain so for some time to come. So while the systems needs will always feature heavily, the current rating on your licence will also be taken into account as minimal footprint on the training system is now more important than ever.

That said, a guy I know who is airbus rated applied to the general DEP LH recruitment (and was then labelled A320/A350/A380 when they recently split it) has just been offered 777.

It remains a variable feast. Best of luck with it.


8029848s 31st January 2019 17:02

2 Whites..2 Reds...

No the stratergy is correct.

SH work / life balance is top of a list of items to be addressed, most likely departmentally at the back end of the ongoing corporate pay deal.

A return of the duty rig from 1.8 to 2.0 to be specific but the financial figure to achieve this is relatively small.

Cold hard cash pays for mortgages, buys part time ( when available) pays for schools etc etc.

The current plan for this summer is so ambitious that it will most likely fall apart due LTS, fatigue, etc so Flt Ops will have to do something about it anyway.

Why solve their issues at the front end of a pay negotionation? We are about to post huge profits....go for the cash while it is there would be my advice.









captain8 1st February 2019 02:25


Originally Posted by 8029848s (Post 10376657)
Why solve their issues at the front end of a pay negotionation? We are about to post huge profits....go for the cash while it is there would be my advice.

Same case at CX/EK and most every other airline these days. Seems only BA actually will type rate without taking it out of pay etc.

What happens when there are insufficient pilots who are able and/or willing to try to pass the BA selection process? Will they up pay, or change the process, as they did in the mid 90s?

ChrisE 2nd February 2019 14:54


Originally Posted by 2 Whites 2 Reds (Post 10376589)
From what I garnered on a recent internal conversion course, the training system is at max chat and will remain so for some time to come. So while the systems needs will always feature heavily, the current rating on your licence will also be taken into account as minimal footprint on the training system is now more important than ever.

That said, a guy I know who is airbus rated applied to the general DEP LH recruitment (and was then labelled A320/A350/A380 when they recently split it) has just been offered 777.

It remains a variable feast. Best of luck with it.

Great, thanks for the info. I've just gone back to the A32X fleet at my current employer from the B757/767 so I guess BA will be spoilt with choice should I progress further.

Right Engine 2nd February 2019 21:38


Originally Posted by 8029848s (Post 10376657)
2 Whites..2 Reds...
A return of the duty rig from 1.8 to 2.0 to be specific but the financial figure to achieve this is relatively small.

The current plan for this summer is so ambitious that it will most likely fall apart due LTS, fatigue, etc so Flt Ops will have to do something about it anyway.

I think you meant return the Duty Rig from 2.0 to 1.8. This would mean most low credit 4 sector days will attract up to an extra 45 minutes credit and the odd 2 day 6 sector similar. The overall cost would be around 800 hours extra credit for the same monthly work requirement. Equivalent to 9 extra Captains and copilots on the Airbus.
Getting agreement from Finance for that would be tough.

ChaseIt 3rd February 2019 08:53

Not to long ago their was barely any recruitment at BA, now it seems that every few months their are opportunities and even road shows. Is BA getting desperate or just very picky?

ETOPS 3rd February 2019 09:05


was barely any recruitment at BA
Not certain that is correct. BA have recruited around 250 new hires every year for some time now. There have also been cadet schemes, on and off, as well.
The combination of expansion against retirements, resignations and medical failures has driven a steady flow - gross employment increasing from 3500 heads 5 years ago to around 4100 today.

wiggy 3rd February 2019 09:16


Originally Posted by ChaseIt (Post 10378854)
Not to long ago their was barely any recruitment at BA,

Just to add to ETOPS’s comments....there was pretty much zero for 15 years from mid 70’s through late 80’s but ever since the first batch of “modern” :ooh: DEPs and Prestwick cadets joined (in I think ‘88) there has been a pretty steady trickle of recruitment over the years, even during the 10 years when retirements almost stopped due to the change in the retirement age (there was however still an incoming trickle simply due to ill Heath attrition and/or people simply leaving anyway before 65).

I agreew ith ETOPS that the upturn we are seeing at the moment is I suspect based on nothing more sinister than the need to replace those now retiring at or close to 65, plus some expansion.


ChaseIt 4th February 2019 09:47

Cheers lads, overlooked such facts. Must just be more visibile with advertisement.

no sponsor 5th February 2019 07:18

Add the fact that many many more people have chosen to go part-time, particularly in short haul, then you have the reasons why recruitment is running. To understand why you’d have to do a year or so of flying in BA SH....

There are more than a 1000 pilots now in BA than there was 7 years ago. The BMI takeover accounts for about 300 of those, the rest recruitment.

GS-Alpha 5th February 2019 08:28

There was a recruitment ban which lasted several years in the early noughties too. NAPS was closed to new BA employees sometime in 2003 and the ban had already been in place for a significant period of time at that point. I remember the BALPA mantra was that they could not legally do anything until the first pilot was recruited without a NAPS pension. I think it was several years until that actually happened, by which time it seems the membership had got used to the idea, and voted to accept BARP for new pilots. I cannot remember how long the recruitment ban lasted, but I would guess close to five years?

FRYVA 5th February 2019 12:28

Hello folks,

Couple of quick questions...

a) I have recently been offered an interview date 2 weeks or so back but whenever I try to click on a date there is nothing there (“No entries so far”). Any top tips for actually getting a foot in the door here?

b) I have c.6000 total with A320, A330/A350 on my licence (despite never flying the A350 but, alas...) . Current on both. To be blunt, knowing what I do I have zero interest in SH at BA. Any idea what fleet I would likely be offered? And, if for example, I was offered the A350, what, if any, is the chances of the old bait and switch before starting onto the A320?

Many thanks in advance 👍🏻


2 Whites 2 Reds 5th February 2019 13:42

A few guys I know have struggled getting an interview date sorted. From what I gather it’s just a case of patiently waiting for slots to open up and keep checking. Frustrating I know.

As for what fleet you might get offered.....being Bus rated doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll use that but would imagine they’ll try to if poss. As I said above, a guy I know is A330/A350 currently and has a start date on the 777. A350 DEP’s are probably a way off yet judging by the internal comms but never say never.

You could literally be offered anything but wouldn’t expect BA to start you on something and then switch you to the 320 on day one. As I said, never say never.

Best of luck with it.

red9 5th February 2019 15:42


Originally Posted by FRYVA (Post 10380930)
Hello folks,

Couple of quick questions...

a) I have recently been offered an interview date 2 weeks or so back but whenever I try to click on a date there is nothing there (“No entries so far”). Any top tips for actually getting a foot in the door here?

b) I have c.6000 total with A320, A330/A350 on my licence (despite never flying the A350 but, alas...) . Current on both. To be blunt, knowing what I do I have zero interest in SH at BA. Any idea what fleet I would likely be offered? And, if for example, I was offered the A350, what, if any, is the chances of the old bait and switch before starting onto the A320?

Many thanks in advance 👍🏻


I would expect you to be offered the A320 with a seniority number of around 4600

clvf88 5th February 2019 16:19

FRYVA,

I know two people with current 320 ratings, and no Boeing experience, whom have recently started on the 777. It does seem rather hard to predict what fleet you will be offered and seems very dependent on needs at that time (/ day!). This assumes long haul suitability demonstrated in the sim of course.

I'm sure someone will have a contrary story, but I have been told that offers have only ever been changed on a very small number of occasions and this has always been from one LH fleet to another. If you're not interested in SH, personally, I'd not worry about the 'bait and switch' you describe.

Good luck.


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