The difference of course is that SSP’s used to join with their TR paid for by BA so the reduced salary was arguably fair enough. Now the TR cost is paid upfront and the pilot does not catch up to DEP pay until year 5 on the PP34 scale.

GS-ALPHA. Spot on.

Me being one of them.

6k+ in various large aeroplanes, plus other vaguely exotic stuff and previously worked in similar cultures. Did stages 1-3 last time around before accepting something else. Applied recently again on a whim but the thought of going through the hassle of 3x trips to LHR at considerable expense to do the same rubbish I previously managed, alongside the clusterf*ck of equal opportunies BA HR, made me realise I just couldn’t. Not for a c.£55k basic and mediocre pension to (likely) sit RHS in a 320 out of LHR working every weekend until the kids have left school, sat next to a 26 year old #BAsmart. Frankly the thought was akin to being repeatedly stabbed in the knackers with a blunt pair of scissors. (N.b I do appreciate most at BA are decent guys and gals).

Shame, once upon a time I’d have sold my Gran to work for BA.

That grumble aside though, in my opinion it is the best designed recruitment process out there. If you get through it you obviously meet their standards and you really, really want to work for BA. I’m evidently not that person. The process seemingly works well... Fair enough!

I’ve always found the BA recruitment process a little bit strange tbh. Very set in their ways, I feel there is no scope for example saying “well he didn’t have the best interview, but he seems like a nice guy so lets see how he gets on in the sim”.

I remember running into a guy who was once in the holding pool for them, ended up drowning. Applied again and didn’t get through the interview, seems to make little sense to me.

That said, my initial airline had an incredibly long winded recruitment process and I saw loads of good guys get canned during that process also. I think like most things, if comes down to how you feel on that particular day and a large degree of luck of the draw in relation to interviewers and sim checkers etc.

So do we think they will improve the T&C’s or just lower the standards? Answers on a postcard to Waterside......

can I ask where you get this info from? I can only see a total of 7 people leaving this month of which 3 are retirees.

I personally know 4 whom have left BA to KLM. With me being nr 5 in June. I have the feeling there are more than that. Looking at iBid there are a fair few Dutch names leaving

Struggling with the accuracy description of a “mediocre” pension too, tell me where you’re going to find better in the UK now given that pretty much all final salary schemes are now closed in all industries, not just ours? In that context, it’s actually pretty decent.

VS and pre 2015 TCX for a start, granted the later no longer available to new joiners.

I do take your point, “mediocre” is perhaps a little flippant but for somebody leaving either of the above, as but two examples, it’s a definite backward step and probably not industry leading if you already have your feet under the table elsewhere. But yes, I would agree fairly decent in this day and age in the context of UK airlines.

Virgin has exactly the same company contribution as the new BA scheme so its on par not better. Not only that but they (VS) want to remove this benefit to new joiners. Thomas Cook as you said not available any more either, so whatever you think of the BA pension, you’re not going to find anything better as a new joiner anywhere nowadays. I do take your other points though, BA isn’t for everyone, I’ve wrestled with the decision whether to leave myself over the last few months, I’m staying put and the only reason for that is Long Haul. Short Haul (whilst I’ve already said it’s not as bad as many make out on here) there are better options out there nowadays.

He didn’t say that they had.