Have been thinking recently that drowning in the pool a year or so ago was good for me. This has added weight to that feeling.

It does seem that people are drifting slightly from thread purpose. Whilst those of you who have always been or have been for a long time are mourning the passing of the good old days of BA, the fact of the matter is, is that compared to most jobs out there, it still has superior T&C's. It is still an excellent place to fly a variety of aircraft and have various opportunities in and out of the flightdeck. I'm sure there are hundreds if not thousands of pilots around Europe who would jump at the chance, and so please feel free to swap places. As for the morale issue, a workplace is only as happy as you make it!

It would be very easy for the pilot managers to respond to the various concerns the pilot community has. That they don't is imho indicative that many of those worries about the future are very justified.

The silence speaks volumes. It has been one-way traffic for an extremely long time...

We helped during the cc strikes.
We have taken a pay freeze + accepted less than inflation pay deals - ie pay cuts
We have had to fight hard for an RPI linked deal this year - during a time of profit!
We have largely embraced BFD
We have become adept at safe SE taxing - saving the company millions annually
We as part of the BMI integration deal - agreed to a 5% saving of SH Bidline, gave 2 days holiday back, changed pp24 to pp34 for new joiners, dropped the holiday pay entitlement claim - even though this was ruled legal by the highest court in Europe
We have seen our workload increase even through minor stuff like the fuel app

Yes they hold 'chats' , coffee and doughnut mornings and 'have a brew with Drew' etc - but what you really get is some face time with amateur politicians and in reality afterwards you'd be equally as informed by consulting a ouija board.

The truth is it is time for BALPA to grow a pair. Softly softly gently gently has lead to the above. Time me thinks for a course correction.

Apologies for the thread creep.

Chief Brody I'm alarmed by your first point We helped during the cc strikes.

Now that shows how weak you were and short sighted in the long run following true union values. If only you and your colleagues had remained Neutral and not interfered in a legal dispute things could have been different. Fast forward to 2014 and you can see a very divided workforce where FC and CC don't generally mix silent bus rides to the hotel solo dining being just a few examples. The damage to CRM has been ruined for a generation luckily we have ex bmi pilots who know the wrongs of the past and freely admit they are paying the consequences. Never will you receive any sympathy with regards to your conditions in the future I can tell you with every force draft that takes place a big smile appears on the faces of cabin crew sometimes unfortunately it's an ex bmi FC so some sympathy can be extended.

Wotersidew@nker

You are so far removed from reality, you troll status shines brilliantly, as ever. I admire your fervour for the irrelevant.

I'll give folk the truth, the bus rides have been raucous, the dining convivial and 'sporty', the extra-curricular as good as ever. Watersid . . . please let it go. This is 2014 and the 'red pens in the shirt pocket mob' are the ones who generally eat out of their Delseys- their blinkered bitterness gnawing through their souls.

Trust me. Please trust me. Life is good.

+1 wedge! Watersidewonker claims not to troll but he continues. The midland thing is a fantasy which he and his poisoned blood holds dear. There is no divide, which he speaks of, 20% 'volunteered', (I was employed elsewhere at the time before you start), 40% of the current shorthaul pilots didn't work for BA at the time. Keep pedalling your nonsense you sound like a barrel of laughs. Your union did a fantastic job by the way. How someone can stay bitter for 4 years + is beyond me! Grow up!

I suspect this thread will rightly shortly be cropped to get it back on the straight and narrow but whilst WW comments remain on view and are being read by prospective applicants they can't remain unchallenged:

No, that's simply not an accurate portrayal of how most crews behave on the line, and before you ask I don't always fly with mixed fleet. It's probably wishful thinking on WWs part. Certainly if he/she genuinely works for BA and is experiencing the above then I'd draw my own conclusions about who is causing the division.

More generally I'd point out (again?) to prospective employees that the rate at which life, the universe and everything ;) is changing at BA is escalating ( downwards - can you do that? :sad:). Even so there's still a tendency to view BA T&Cs through rose tinted glasses. IMHO it's probably still a good "gig" for some and would be worth the move, particularly if you are living and working in some remote hell hole and just want to get the heck out of Dodge - but I wouldn't join BA just because, to paraphrase "it's BA, it must be better than where I am now", because you might be in for a shock...."frying pan and fire", "caveat emptor" and all that.

The irony....

Did he go through the recruitment process?

:E

I doubt he's heard of Herb Kelleher.

:rolleyes:

Falling morale equals falling safety. Happy peeps concentrate on the job more and loyalty is the best motivator. These ******* airline bosses has no idea sometimes!

Makes the guys loyal and they will follow you to the ends of the earth.

Ps, it's been a long day and I'm not feeling the love ))

Some of the most recent drowned DEP's have been called up (last month or so) with a job offer for 'bus courses (non rated DEP's that is) starting in the next month or so. Anyone know any more?

I've heard recruitment isn't going to be for the Airbus now.

No Sponsor,

Where did you hear that info... I'd be surprised if BA DEP onto LH as there are many unfrozen SH pilots. Plus I think this would be the final straw for a very miffed SH group, many of whom have very strong aspirations to go LH ASAP. I'm not sure in the current climate that this would go down too well with many of my fellow colleagues....

BASHLH

Agreed, any attempt to recruit externally onto a Long Haul fleet at the moment would lead to, errrr, "problems":rolleyes:

If not airbus, how about 737 instead??

No, the recently called up ex-drowned DEP's (the ones I know anyway) are going on the bus.

No one will be going to the 737, it is a dying, contracting fleet with people posted out every month. BA are managing its decline - there will be no additional training to this fleet. It's the all electric death jet for everyone!

BA want to standardise the SH fleet to Airbus. As stated above most of the aging 737 fleet is already on its way to Victorville.

The current meat grinder that is SH is full of pilots wanting to make the move from SH to LH, an aspiration that is central to their giving continued support to the BACC during productivity changes that seem to be pointed squarely at SH. Any change to this aspiration attributed to DEP onto LH as has happened in the past would be met with a huge amount of resistance, so much so that I believe the BACC would have to block any such recruitment plans for the protection of its current members.

DEP onto the LH fleets will not happen for some considerable time, if ever IMHO. BA requires A380 pilots to have BA airbus experience, the 767 is winding down as is the 744, the 787 is becoming the most junior LH fleet with a massive queue of SH pilots waiting for it and the 777 fleet becomes more senior by the day as the 744 guys transfer across.

Whilst I think that DEP will be opened for non type rated pilots again they will all be going to the French Electric SH death jet either at Heathrow or at Gatwick under whatever rostering system exists at the time.

When does recruitment resume for the "death" jet for someone who flies a slightly bigger version?

That's the million $ question isn't it. I think the current mess with manning levels, 'bidline's broken' management mantra and system replacements etc. will have to be resolved before any thought is given to that as established manning levels will, obviously, be a prime driver in future recruitment.

Ok thanks, I'm hearing rumours that it may commence very soon though.