A significant over simplification in my opinion.

I worked at EZY for 5 years, then spent my first 3 years in BA based down at LGW (leaving there not very long ago).

Some differences -

1. BA workload is much quieter during the winter than EZY. My highest annual hours were around 700. Easyjet was 800-900 each year.

2 True that nightstop destinations are limited, but lots of decent length layover times in the town centres rather than minimum rest at airport hotels. Decent amount of clear days off in EDI or GLA should that be your thing. I loved them.

3. Small base so you know everyone and so enjoy the friendly atmosphere that goes with it, which is not the case at the massive LGW easyjet base.

4. The knowledge that if you don’t enjoy it, or begin to lose your enjoyment of it, then you can move to LHR or long haul rather than being relatively trapped in the job at EZY.

5. Significantly lower number of 4 sector days.

6. Tastier crew food IMHO. Certainly healthier.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to slag off easyjet. There are plenty of plus points to working there.

Just trying to help people from avoiding the trap of not moving airlines because they took it at face value when someone said that BA at LGW is just EZY in blue. There are similarities but there are significant differences too.

Hope that helps anyone considering the move.

Money, you lose money. Management’s attitude to FOs is slowly shifting as well. About time too.

Thanks for al the info!
From ppjn I calculated roughly the pp1 take home pay (incl tafb and block hour payments) for long haul. Is a figure of £4500,- net realistic? What would this be approximately in 5 years time?

Thanks again and good luck to all applying.

you can avoid nightstops quite easily at LGW if you want to, as there aren’t masses around. At LHR it’s harder to avoid them entirely though.

Re nightstops and:

I’ll admit short haul isn’t my aisle but I thought the days of BEA and “Back Every Afternoon” had long gone for all but the most senior (if that’s what they want)....If maximum number of nights at home per month is an important criteria is BA (certainly at LHR) necessarily a wise choice? That’s not intended as a pointed comment - I’m just throwing the question out there to hear what people think.

nrn you must be using host a LOT if you’re lucky to take home £4K after 3 years on LH. I’m a Short Hauler in the company a similar amount of time to you and even in quiet months I’m taking home £4K easily. Is your tax code correct?

Sorry to hijack the thread, but in reply:
There is rumour about BACF upping pay but nothing confirmed. We recently had two surveys thrown at us, one BALPA and one company re pay. Our current pay deal is until July 2019. There are also many more rumours going around BACF. Most laughable.
Too many people at BACF hear a rumour and then spout it as fact, often claiming first hand knowledge. Most do not materialise!! One fleet manager loves to gossip.

Last three year deal expired April this year, talks with the company are due so talks about the talks have been rattling along for some time on the in-house forum...

BA are making a massive profit, bonuses all round for the upper echelons so I’m expecting RPI plus not a lot for the pilots if history repeats itself, though TBF the Union is now operating under different management so who knows. As this forum’s existence demonstrates BA has not historically had a problem attracting pilots or retaining them though there are signs things might be changing.

The management POV is since BA still runs a seniority pay scale most pilots get a pay rise every year ..:oh:

yeah I couldn’t believe the Bonus (if you can even call it that) we got ! Almost like a sick joke from the guys at the top !!
Just about sums up BA to be honest

The pay question is a good one. BA’s incremental pay scale means you get about 2.3% per year. The issue is that when these scales were bought in SH commands were around 12 years. With the improved terms at RYR, EZY, Jet2 etc a command on SH at BA is not well rewarded for new commands. The gulf is huge. 78k to 148k for doing the same job!!? Let’s not point the finger at the top because that’s not the issue. The issue is how far behind the lower end of the pay scale has fallen away. I would hope that is addressed to at least match the low cost carriers....after all “Gap to market” was a favourite phrase from management until recently.

Another way way to look at it is that any increase is enjoyed by the tax man more than the pilot. Healthcare for the family would be very welcome. That’s just my view talking for myself and I know little of LH or FO pay etc. What I do know is our ex bmi colleagues should get flight pay and I feel some of our FO’s are dreadfully underpaid for any overtime that they do. It is time we were less of a push over. Yes invest in our future, but we invest for our future whilst the shareholders etc take now and tomorrow there is never any reward as we must invest again.

My take home home pay is static if not less than it was a few years ago.

People are leaving BA. Of course there are those who retire and those who lose their medicals etc, but there is a small flow of people who decide BA is not for them. Some of these come from LH and some come from SH. I know directly of 2 FOs who decided the 744 in BA was not for them and quit to return to their previous employers. I’ve heard of a couple who got their command on SH and who’ve left to earn a lot more cash. I’m not sure how it was 10+ years ago, but BA certainly isn’t what it used to be. That said, I would rather look at the sun through a pair of binoculars than return to my previous employer (Jet2). But, everyone is different....

Sorry thats a PP1 take home pay with minimal HOST and no overtime. I’m a TCP right now so I’m not sure how that compares to a PP4 line pilot. But right now it’s a lot more but that is because I do an extra sim every now and then.

With regards to the upcoming pay negotiations, I’m expecting the BACC to push for an absolute massive payrise. We all winge about lifestyle, but when you compare us to EasyJet we are lacking behind in cold hard cash. Right now we’re making a !!!! tonne of money and I bet you the company is going to hide behind BREXIT this time next year. The time is NOW!

the reality will probably be slightly different though....