EXCLUSIVE: the new British Airways cabin crew pay offer revealed – big cuts for legacy crew

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• Cheshire Pete says:

  15 May15 May 18:54

  This probably fits into the bigger picture. Many seasoned travellers like the familiarity & service provided by the legacy crew. Many of the younger crew simply don’t have the gravitas to convey that feeling of welcoming warmth. I remember once on a domestic in CE being told by someone very young they couldn’t hang my coat as we simply don’t do that on short haul. Now not all of them do this, but it’s not what I expect as a customer. Legacy crew would never say that.

  Probably fits into the picture that BAEC don’t seem overly keen on extending membership. I’m sure it’s all part of the BA strategy going forward. Cut that familiarity and as the famous phrase goes from the infamous BA board meeting note. Show us your f…..ing money!

  • the_real_a says:

    15 May15 May 19:21

    Its a popular opinion, but my experience was the complete opposite. The rudest, coldest staff and the worst flights of any airline have always been the mature legacy fleet personnel. Of course there are a great staff out there and i have enjoyed many a great flight but its just so inconsistent – i have said for a long time there is MUCH deadwood that needs clearing. Still, its not nice at all for the staff involved.

    • Josh says:

      15 May15 May 20:10

      I’ve noticed legacy fleets to be one extreme or the other. Either cold indifference, with an air of arrogance thrown in, or excellent service. The younger crew have invariably always been warm and charming. Still…the better crews outnumbered the lackluster ones.

• CV3V says:

  15 May15 May 19:03

  Its not free, crew will usually pay for a standby ticket which covers the taxes (etc.), this then gives them the cheapest ticket going and its fully flexible – the ticket is more of a travel voucher for redemption i.e. don’t get on the first flight to LHR, try for the next one and regardless of airline as long as they participate in the scheme. Plenty of London based crew stay in Glasgow, Edinburgh and in European cities such as Paris – lots of flights into London. Looks like the end of that.

  • plobs says:

    15 May15 May 19:18

    Crew can also fly in the jumpseats, including the cockpit jumpseat I believe. This gives them much more probability of getting on the flights. Also, I think the captain can choose the order of staff who can get on the plane when there are only jump seats left, so commuting crew probably have an unwritten agreement to get on first

    • Esmiz says:

      15 May15 May 19:30

      Thanks, had no idea about that.

      Was this the standard in many airlines?

      I guess these days nobody hires cabin crew with those conditions.

• Aston100 says:

  15 May15 May 19:04

  Someone please explain how ‘worldwide fleet’ people only do 4-5 flights a month.
  Obviously there is more to this but I’m unfamiliar with BA cabin crew t&cs.

  • Rob says:

    15 May15 May 19:24

    You can only fly 75 hours per month by law, averaged over the year. Let’s assume an average BA long-haul flight is 10 hours, so 20 hours return. You can do fewer than four of those per month.

    • Kevin says:

      16 May16 May 06:46

      Although adding in holidays means that your 75 hours per month, or 17 hours per week, should really be 19 hours per week (when working) or around 83 hours per month.

  • insider says:

    15 May15 May 19:25

    a return trip to Sydney for example could take (in the old days) 12 days in total. Then the required days off between trips, you can see how it adds up.

    • Cal says:

      15 May15 May 19:32

      Did crew fly all the way from LHR to SYD? I thought they changed in SE Asia and returned to LHR?

      • insider says:

        15 May15 May 19:39

        But then who flies the bit from SIN to SYD?! Yes they stopped in SIN, rested then went on to SYD, rested, flew back to SIN, rested, back to LHR

  • Chris says:

    15 May15 May 19:29

    900 flying hours a year is 75 hours a month.
    Say you do one long-haul trip a week.
    That’s approx 18 flying hours each trip. So 9 ish hours each direction (each trip is a return.
    That shorter than the likes of West Coast USA, most places in Asia, South Africa, most Carribbean etc.

    So you could do a JNB or LAX return once a week and exceed your yearly flying quota.

    • AJA says:

      15 May15 May 21:08

      Is the 900 hours after or before taking holiday? If its 900 hours after taking into account the 30 days holiday then that 900 hours is divided by 11 which is just over 81 hours a month which allows you to do 4 trips a month with 10 hour long return flights. If you’re on short haul flights you will be doing more trips. If you then combine long haul and short haul you will end up doing a fair bit more flying. The flexibility is good for BA, not so good for crew, if you prefer LH over SH.

      • Kevin says:

        16 May16 May 06:51

        AJA in you calculation you are seeing the 30 day holidays as just that. The reality is that these are 6 full weeks (so actually 42 days). Probably better go say that they work 230 days per year.

        I am sure the contract will state the number of working days as well as hours. Otherwise you could be expected to work almost every day but only flying a couple of hours every day.

• Phil G says:

  15 May15 May 19:08

  As a loyal passenger you always knew which crew you had onboard the minute you boarded.

  • Journeying John says:

    15 May15 May 19:13

    I hope in combination with the ever declining service and the response to CoVid19 this will cause you to question your loyalty

  • mvcvz says:

    15 May15 May 20:31

    Couldn’t give a toss. I just want a safe, reasonably comfortable and reliable journey.

    • Lady London says:

      16 May16 May 11:32

      so you’ll be flying on Ryanair or Easyjet then?

• the_real_a says:

  15 May15 May 19:17

  Its sad for the staff but… £40-50k, “commuting” from a place in the sun, 4-5 trips a month – it was probably a better lifestyle than a company director, doctor or scientist. Is it really such a different job to a Tesco canteen person with a fire marshal and first aid qualification? Probably not, and the new pay structure reflects that.

  • Dave H says:

    15 May15 May 20:12

    Calling the crew a fire marshal with first aid training is a disgrace! I bet you think train guards just check tickets and open the doors too?!

    Most of the time you don’t need their training, but when there’s an emergency then you want a well trained crew.

    • Josh says:

      15 May15 May 21:50

      Some train guards aren’t even required to check tickets.

    • the_real_a says:

      15 May15 May 22:16

      I’m afraid you presume wrongly – since moving Northwards a couple of years ago I joined the 92% of the population that find train’s totally irrelevant.

      • Josh says:

        15 May15 May 23:15

        Don’t tell that to railway staff 😂 you’ll be marked for life

  • Josh says:

    15 May15 May 20:13

    Being a scientist is more of a vocation, than anyone doing it purely for money…at least in Britain.

    • Alan says:

      16 May16 May 01:45

      Sadly true!

    • Bazza says:

      16 May16 May 07:34

      I know a couple of scientists in the NHS who are band 8 – it’s good money. 35 days annual leave. Start at 8 finish at 4.

      • Rob says:

        16 May16 May 09:27

        Investment bank traders do the same hours for often £1m+ per year, no educational qualifications required 🙂

        • CE says:

          18 May18 May 10:52

          I think most banks have come some way in the past 7/8 years since you left the business, Rob!

          Trading roles are fiercely competitive these days, and go nearly exclusively to very well-qualified students from top universities. It would be almost impossible to get one of these roles if you didn’t come from a target school, or have some serious connections.

          They (we) are still unbelievably well-paid (/overpaid!) but making £1m+ is not remotely common any longer, save for maybe the most senior/successful MDs.

  • Aston100 says:

    15 May15 May 20:24

    I was pondering the disconnect between the salary/benefits and the small amount of work put in.

• Scottish Reader says:

  15 May15 May 19:29

  Wife’s dental hygienist – in Scotland – is part-time BA long haul cabin crew.

  Basically one or two flights a month from London, job done.

  Don’t know her, but suspect she’d be exactly the sort of employee BA will be hoping quits.

• Ming the Merciless says:

  15 May15 May 19:48

  I’ve got 2 clients who live overseas and work in London.

  One in Spain who flies in 3 or four days a week.

  One in Israel who works in London Monday to Thursday in London, Friday and Saturday off, Sunday from home.

  Long commutes aren’t in usual.

  • mvcvz says:

    15 May15 May 20:28

    1) No-one cares
    2) One suspects none of these clients are BA cabin crew.

• Dace says:

  15 May15 May 19:48

  It is horrible that is is happening and I really do feel sorry for the crew that this is happening to, as once you have a job that you do well and you have certain provisions, you build your life around that.

  However, upon finding out that some where on £50-70k, with decent pension, for 4 flights a month, all I can think is that these crew members were living the dream.

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