The problem with this argument is pretty obvious really. I became a captain when I was 30. Running my take home pay backwards through a UK salary calculator shows that I would have to earn well over £200k a year to have the same net pay in the UK, and I work part time. Granted, I live in an expensive part of the world, but not appreciably more so than London.

I'm sure there are BA captains who earn more than me, but they'll have been in the company a long time, and almost certainly have training and/or management responsibilities (or do a hell of a lot of overtime!). The power of a (relatively) high salary when you're (relatively) young is in compounding (the same reason why sticking money in a pension is a good idea at the earliest opportunity). Financially it simply wouldn't make sense for someone like me to make the move; yes, I'd probably earn more for the last few years of my career, but I've got around two decades a of earning more. All assuming Ts & Cs remain static of course!

As others have eluded to, going to BA certainly wouldn't be a decision based on finances for many. This is all to say nothing of the other reasons to make the switch.

I think I'm wrong in my assumptions that BA is still a career airline, at least in some regards. The figures ENZO provided in his last post were a bit surprising to be honest.

Maverick,

I'll start by saying as many others have, money shouldn't be the driving factor for choosing this career.
However I think enzo was slightly conservative. If I'm looking at it correctly I'd say a 25 year LH trainer is on circa 164k basic plus 20k training plus flight/duty pay (pp24) & 140k basic, 20k training, again plus flight/duty pay (pp34).

Obviously it'll take a long time to get there but you asked!

Not a lot in the great scheme of things, especially when paying income taxes, AA exceedence taxes and the costs involved in coming to work in the South East.

Whether one considers it 'a lot' or not is subjective, I was just trying to provide accurate figures.

I can appreciate that JS...just trying to add to the debate. BA has fallen behind in the pilot pay over the last 20 years or so. We work pretty hard for not much money in the great scheme of things. Sadly, mostly given away by ourselves and our reps. But that is a whole new thread. :)

The Assistant Pilot Recruitment Manager mentioned in the last email to those in the pool was at CTC last weekend (L3 sorry) which could confirm many of the rumours on here...............

Hunter boy... Agreed! :ok:

Has anyone contacted BA to ask about the "white tail" rumour? They were pretty quick to stamp on the FlyBe -> BA 777 rumour a few months ago, their silence on this says a lot I think...

And on the subject of contacting BA HR, has anyone filled out the survey regarding their "Candidate Experience"? :E

Hunterboy, I'm not having a dig at you as I'm sure I've skewed your comment slightly out of context but to be fair, we're not exactly on the breadline working our fingers to the bone. I suppose it's all a case of perspective. How great is the great scheme of things? Everyone else I know who earns comparable money spends most of their waking hours tied to the job, stress levels through the roof and never really having a 'day off'. Year 1 DEPs in BA are in the top 7% of earners in the country even if they do the bare minimum, top 5% if they do a couple of days' overtime every other month. Captains with 20 years' service are top 2-3%. The phone doesn't ring on days-off, and from a personal perspective I walk away from an aeroplane and don't even think about work until I turn up for my next shift.

I speak to people from outside aviation and the effort/reward ratio is staggering. Seriously, go out and see what jobs attract a STARTING salary right at the bottom of the stack of £56,500 plus over £10,000 in extras. Also see whether those jobs have a guaranteed increase every year for the rest of your career, and then more often than not an annual pay rise on top of that. Middle or Far East pay it may not be (nor even necessarily LCC I concede) but it's a damn comfortable existence that I don't see people walking away from in their droves.

Currently promised. Not "guaranteed"!

Big difference!

airbus38 Thanks for your comments. It's great to get a different perspective on things .
My profile probably shows I live abroad now and I guess my experiences and expectations have changed my opinions. It does seem that other EU flag carriers and our US competitors are still doing pretty well, for a lot less work. A problem I see with the UK is a serf mentality and a system that has been pretty well designed to milk the last drop of tax out you.
Much of this isn't the employers fault, of course, however, if I was a younger, more thrusting pilot, I'd be exploring options outside of the UK like a flash. It's a big world out there, full of opportunities for the talented and enthusiastic.
I'd certainly view being an airline pilot nowadays as a stepping stone to something better. It isn't a sustainable career for a 20 something starting out in the job.
I foresee many changes for BA flight crew. I'd suggest reading the Emirates threads as it will all be coming to an airline near you in the near future I suspect.

It's not a rumour.

Willing to pay for a type rating and take a reduced salary to join BA?

Tell you what - I'll auction off my airside pass and the idiot's guide to the 380*.

Pay me 30k up front and half my salary for the next 6 years and you'll be living the dream.

(Sorry Wiggy, et al... the very thought of paying for a type or voluntarily reducing a salary in our company is shocking)


*clearly not a serious offer

I've already started a crowd funder on the fleet Buter :)

Its going great.

That's why I love y'all!

Must wind up the rest of the company to know that we're now the best fleet to be on and it's a closed shop!

My sincere best wishes to all those in the hold pool.

Curious as to what you consider better?

Anything with a better balance of risk v reward v health. That will depend on your personal circumstances.

Euro millions fleet is probably better but I don't see much else. "A stepping stone" to what? I don't feel particularly qualified to do much else.

Just to correct Enzo's figures, basic pay point 24(old scale)/34 (new scale) long haul skippers pay is £164k. Variables would amount to about another £20k pa. A TRE earns an additional 18% on basic. So something in excess of £200k with no overtime for a full timer TRE.