cabby Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Getting a bit worried ahead of next month's ballot as have flights booked for the family at xmas to Dubai and hotel paid for. Need to check our travel insurance me thinks . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muppetboy Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 argh! Are the feckers striking at Christmas? I'm flying on Christmas eve and will be seriously fecked off if I can't go... :mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabby Posted October 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 We fly on the 21st so likewise. Heard they may strike early December to avoid increased bad publicity and backlash that action closer to xmas might cause although this could be BS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabby Posted November 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 We fly on the 21st Awesome - the 21st will be the first day of the strikes according to the Evening Standard tonight. Fecking great - been looking forward to this holiday for many months and saving hard to be able to afford it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muppetboy Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 Met a girl the other day, works as a flight attendant for BA and she was telling about this... started on £10k basic and 5 years on she earns £13k, plus allowances (no idea how much that's worth) Couldn't help but feel for them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tipex Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Once you add on commission and subsistence and london (or any airport based near a city) weighting the wages aren't that bad, plus the long hall lot get paid to sit by the pool doing nothing in blazing sunshine for a few days between flights. And they usually get paid in anything other than uk pounds so don't pay hardly any tax (if any). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHA Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Ok how much do you think my "outer London weighting" is? (not cabin crew but the figure might open a few eyes) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calm Chris Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Met a girl the other day, works as a flight attendant for BA and she was telling about this... started on £10k basic and 5 years on she earns £13k, plus allowances (no idea how much that's worth) Couldn't help but feel for them... I know a BA cabin services director / head trolley dolly that does long haul and earns £70k a year with stop over allowances. Take the LHR- San Paulo route. Fly to SP, 3 days rest, fly SP to Rio and back (1 hour each way) 2 days rest, fly home. So for 12 hours + 2 hours + 12 hours they get 10 days pay including rest when at LHR plus all food, hotacc and various additional subsistances. A very decent income, easy work and days of 'rest' in a decent foreign spot tend to make the job very appealing for party people- which sort of explains the reason a lot of gay people chase the job. They will fold, the cause is as worthy as the post office strike. Both sets of employees should show a bit more concern for ruining the Companies and losing work to alternative suppliers. Phone up Virgin and see if the will offer a back up booking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizbit Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 I have flights booked for me and the missus with BA to India over Christmas, departing 21st December. Great. I phoned BA last night to see if i could cancel and get a refund - no chance. Well actually they could cancel my booking, but i would lose almost £700 in penalties so not really an option. I then phoned Barclaycard to see if they could recover the money for me if the flights were cancelled and they reckon they may well be able to. So, if you booked via credit card then you might get a chance of a refund if it does all go horribly wrong. I tell you what though, if they do strike and it ruins my holiday, i will never fly with BA again. If many more people also do this, the cabin crews may not have any jobs in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muppetboy Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Ok how much do you think my "outer London weighting" is? (not cabin crew but the figure might open a few eyes) Oh yeah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHA Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Oh yeah fecker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabby Posted November 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Called BA today to see if there was any possibility if we could switch outbound journey by one day to 20th thus avoiding strike. Not surprisingly they said no. The slightly better news was that they said they will let us know 1 week prior to departure (day of the ballot?) how flights will be affected and if we will fly or not. If they cancel the flight due to strike a full refund will be given (allegedly). Also checked with my holiday insurer who said flight and (pre-booked) holiday accommodation would also be covered by them. Tend to agree with Chris - BA employees don't seem to realise how shafted the company are (£400m loss last year and £250m loss for first 6m of this year). A business cannot survive such circumstances without doing something drastic and unfortunately that something will result in some losing jobs/money. BA have long since lost their edge IMO and quite literally cannot afford to lose customer loyalty on the scale that this strike would cause. I'm sure the prospect of a strike is already losing them business and striking at the most family orientated time of the year would be commercial suicide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 BA - ye gods. I hate flying BA with an absolute passion. Almost as much as I hate dealing with them as a company - which fortunately now I don't have to very often. Telling comments on the various staff interviews - 'We are not EasyJet or Monarch'... Yeah, you're not wrong. Everytime I fly BA I feel that they are doing me a favour by letting me fly with them. They don't seem to 'want' my business, they seem to expect it. That's why they're losing money hand over fist. I gladly pay GBP100+ just to fly with Virgin. How crap is that? From BA's perspective I mean. Why would I do that? Well, I know Virgin want my business. They treat me well. Their problems are their problems, not mine. No more 'The belts broken t*ss off for a couple of hours till we fix it'. Couple that with the service you get on the planes.... I'm not a big fan. ....and yet.... I know some BA cabin crew. Well two. They both talk about it being 'the company' that saps their want to work, and their motivation. A company that disrespects their clients, who assumes their clients will come to them just because - well, it's one destined for doom. That goes for BA as well as the Post Office. On the post office, I know that our main postal contract has just switched to TNT..... How many other companies are doing the same? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted November 5, 2009 Report Share Posted November 5, 2009 Branson's saying used to be "people, customers, profits". Look after your people, then they'll look after your customers, who in turn will generate profits. I don't think anyone in BA would want to listen to ideas from Mr Branson though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHA Posted November 5, 2009 Report Share Posted November 5, 2009 Branson does treat his staff well, but pays them peanuts. However it seems to work (well from my view outside the airline anyway) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muppetboy Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 Bastards have voted to strike! I'm flying over Christmas and this could really ruin my Christmas... Not many details so far but am I right in thinking some flights will still operate? Please tell me not all flights will be grounded? BBC News - British Airways cabin crew vote for Christmas strike On a side note I think the BA staff have made a huge mistake... their airline is hurting really bad at the moment and they're nailing the coffin by striking for over a week at Christmas! At any other time people might not be able to get to a business meeting (not that big a deal, book another airline or go another day) or their holiday might get a little fecked... BUT ruining peoples Christmas is just off the scale, folk are trying to get to their families/loved ones and by ruining that you won't even have a feckin' airline. Rant over Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 Is there a year that BA don't strike I can't remember it. A friends little boy is flying BA over Christmas or at least he was due to but this throws everything up in the air. I know its hard for change in any business but if BA is going to be able to fight against the likes of the Easyjet and Ryanair in the short hall space they need to make cuts and save money. Even Michael O'leary thought that BA staff haven't had it so good and they should help the company if they want to stay in a job, says it all really. Feel for those travelling BA over the Christmas period I hope its not a total stop to flights. :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muppetboy Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 From the BA website, Willie Walsh's words... "...Our pilots have agreed a pay cut. Our engineers have agreed more efficient ways of working. A third of our managers have accepted voluntary redundancy. And nearly 7,000 colleagues volunteered for salary reductions because they wanted to help this great British company in a time of need... Our Heathrow crew will remain the best paid in the industry. Average earnings for cabin services directors are £56,000 on long-haul and £52,000 on short-haul. For junior crew, they are £35,000 and £26,000 respectively. According to the Civil Aviation Authority, average costs of BA crew are twice those of their Virgin Atlantic counterparts... In fact, despite our financial backdrop, more than 10,000 of our cabin crew will receive pay rises of between two and seven per cent this year, and again next year. In the worst recession since the Second World War, these are increases many employees in other walks of life can only dream about..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 Interesting, doesn't look like a bad place to work to me, maybe they need a week with Ryanair to realise how good they have it. I think their reputation is really getting hurt, I only look at BA when there aren't any other options partly because of my view that they are always seem to be having strike problems or other related issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calm Chris Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 That £56k long haul figure for CSD's doesn't include the overnight expenses. Say 140 nights at £100 tax free £70k for being a flying waiter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Bangle Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 The BA cabin staff are just like the Royal Mail's postmen - they don't want to give up their union established working practices, just shame you can't sack them all start again. I was flying BA over Christmas too and they axed my flights - Just glad that I had booked backup flights with RA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byron13 Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 So this is all about cutting 1 person on each long haul flight 14 from 15? Presume that is not including flight staff (3) so that is 15 to serve and look after 250 passengers? That is 16 or so each??? Yes I know it is more complicated than that but in essence it does suggest outdated and controlled working practises which are a hang on from the days of gold that BA used to enjoy? What i can guarantee though is that everyone who is f@cked up by this this Xmas will never again fly BA and may well spell the end of the entire company as they know it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chav Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 their burn rate is colossal. massive pension deficit also. same as the post office, so a strike over a few people going will cost 1000s of people their jobs. ignorant, idiotic, spoilt feckers eh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waylander Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Have been thinking about this a little over the past wee. I am not flying over this period but still my initial reaction was of abject horror at the number of people whose christmases have been ruined by this action - carefully designed by the Union. The strikes may well be the undoing of BA. After that though, something else occured to me. 80% voting turnout. 92.5% mandate to strike given by the voters - so this can't simply be spun as a Union-driven plot - and that IS what the Union is there to do after all. Negotiating for 9months with no resolution....Wille Walsh has as much to answer for as well, despite the bluster coming out in the past 24hours by him. I have a mate who works as an engineer for BA who gave me some insight as he saw things. Difference was that he was forward thinking and sorted his contract ages ago, taking the hits when it wouldn't have been so painful and seemingly bending othertimes but his colleagues are now jealous of his approach. The pilots likewise have seemingly seen the woods for the trees. By all accounts BA Cabin staff are paid much higher than their counterparts in other UK Airlines - which brings me right back where we started! I have only flown BA once [earlier this year - tickets via said mate and very good price] and to be fair it was a lovely experience - and I bumped up to WT+ on way back so I can't really comment on that side of things. If a flight is cancelled does the customer get a full refund? Virgin and co should be straining at the leash to accomodate. As always it the publish who lose out in these spats and coming over Christmas is an absolute disgrace - some things should be sacrosanct/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waylander Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 their burn rate is colossal. massive pension deficit also. same as the post office, so a strike over a few people going will cost 1000s of people their jobs. ignorant, idiotic, spoilt feckers eh. According to the Willy, they have already identified 1000 people who are leaving by the end of this week already, no matter what, which again makes some aspects of the action difficult for me to understand :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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