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.