Nice to hear but where did that news come from?

Apologies if already mentioned but BA issued aspirational part time contracts last week starting early 2018 which came as a happy surprise to some.
Hope That cheers some of you up

That's wonderful news thanks for posting! Can we assume this gives some hope for us in the pool or is it more to alleviate too many crew?

Spoke to someone today in Flight Technical Training (Ground-School) who said that 2018 was going to be "manic on all fleets" and that they were recruiting extra instructors. Don't know how many of these courses will be internal BA fleet changes but I reckon a fair few will be external recruitment.

I'm told there are up to 60 FPP cadets who have been delayed into next year, and that they will likely have priority over any DEP entrants as the company have a 'duty of fairness' to them. In reality, the training department might have something to say about that of course.

I was also told that there would be a total intake of around 150 crew in 2018, inc FPP, suggesting ~90 from the hold pool, but potentially later on in the year if the FPP guys/gals are starting first. Suggestion was that hold pool expiry dates might be extended again.

All rumours of course - I was told this by a friend in the company who spoke to someone in pilot resourcing, but it seems, per SOP, there isn't really a definitive plan at the moment!

The annual bid has just opened and the results won't be out until November at best. Once they are out and the number of part time contracts are taken into consideration I imagine there will be a better picture for 2018 towards the end of this year.

That said they won't keep extending the holdpool deadline for no reason, if they didn't want people they would let them fall out, I hope so for all of you swimming any way. Good luck.

Thanks for the information everyone, all small pieces to the puzzle of a larger picture. For those of us that will 'drown' within the next 4 months (like myself) its hoping for an extension of at least another 6 months. I have heard the 150 number as well but mainly on the mini bus. 'Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.'

I would Saab, but the water is round my ears now. Think I will stay where I am.

Added to which the waitlist for RTR (Right to Request) is standing at over a year and counting. There are large numbers of us (even us relative youngsters) who realise part time is the only way forward in this game nowadays.

(Edited to add that the trainer I flew with a couple of nights ago also used the adjective manic to describe 2018. 150 would seem to be low balling it if these guys are to be believed. However nothing is certain until it happens.)

For you guys still waiting, the guys in recruitment have said on yammer (not to be taken as gospel) that the current hold pool will be used to fill next years' direct entry requirements. I know information is always hard to come by whilst you're waiting, so hope this helps.

All the hold pool? There are quite a lot of us for what people are saying aren't that many slots.

Thanks for the info Wonderbus. You're right, information is hard to come by, I appreciate we are a long way down the list when it comes to hard info, but it doesn't make it any easier. Sometimes it feels like the story of the 3 blind men and the elephant!

Before reading that much into it, remember that not so long ago they said exactly the same about the current hold pool and the 2017 requirement. The other thing is they don't even know how many in the pool would (or are in a position to) still take the job. So it is difficult to see how there is any certainty in the plan right now.

Rex on the pension front that may affect things too. NAPS looks like it will get wrapped up or at least that's what the company want. That may cause more people on NAPS to go part time to draw their pension and lock it in so to speak. As far as BARP is concerned from the lady who is in charge of this ", a clarification re BARP: any changes we propose will look to increase rather than reduce the pension current BARP members can earn." I think with the closure of NAPS BARP will be improved to try and smooth a transitional path for those in NAPS.

VA 787
 

Is there any likelihood that VA will lure any 787 FOs away from BA with their latest recruitment? If so, I assume this would be (selfishly) positive news for swimmers?

My ill-educated assumption would be no. I'm not sure what your seniority would need to be at BA to get onto the 787, but I guess you'd need a solid few years of service. Not sure why you'd leave that to start at the bottom again with VS. I suspect Norwegian drivers would be more likely to jump to Virgin.

Can't fault your optimism PressTheTit, but it might be misplaced this time...

As a fellew swimmer I'd say the above is probably true, it's unlikely any BA 78 FO's would jump to VS. What might have happened though is the BA pool might have got a bit thinner if there were people in who've now gone to VS while waiting for BA to call?!

Virgin have a much more streamlined seniority procedure compared to BA , even if you are junior in VA you still can get some bids in due to the seniority group rotation .

Virgin also have a history of laying junior people off when they are struggling. Which they seem to do with monotonous regularity! AFAIK BA have NEVER made compulsory redundancies!

Take your choice chaps!

Re FoxChaRomeo's comment from 5 July.


FWIW a very senior flight ops manager said pretty much the same in a face to face forum in the last few days, i.e. get the "graduated" FPPs waiting in the wings started, then (and here he was slightly more optimistic) go to the hold pool for perhaps 100 plus. Doing the sums it looks like a total intake of FPPs / DEPs of perhaps 200, tops,...but of course that plan is probably already out of date..............


( yes I know, somewhere somebody is muttering "I thought that selfish old f*** had "gone away" :p ...)

Did anyone ever find out how many of us are in the hold pool? I have this sinking feeling some of us might be disappointed next year.