Exclusive: British Airways reveals improved cabin crew pay offer – a win for Mixed Fleet

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• Mark says:

  20 Jun20 June 09:35

  Out of interest how many days do they work a month?

  • Paul says:

    20 Jun20 June 10:50

    Depends on trips, but usually 8 I think, which sounds great equal to evey weekend, but like everything with BA you have to look a little deeper. If you don’t get home until 10:30 pm having been up all night most of the next day is lost. when you do wake up everyone else is at work, the Golden wedding anniversary or grandmothers funneral has been missed. So yes a normal number of days off but they miss so much

    • CV3V says:

      20 Jun20 June 11:10

      You also need to factor in a few days of jet lag when home and not ‘working’, then to recover from the jet lag and fly off again. Some LH destinations not so bad, bad long haul to Asia can be tough on the body, think Tokyo is one of the worst.

    • Briandt says:

      20 Jun20 June 11:49

      Having travelled the world on business for the last 40+ odd years, I too, now regret missing the kids special school and sports occasions as well as the odd family event. But, that’s the choice I, and my wife, made. Do I regret it now, looking back….of course.
      But, I should have changed course years ago, but stupidly thought I was doing it all, for the family. Lesson learned.

• Scott says:

  20 Jun20 June 09:56

  Legacy CSDs earned £58k pre-pandemic? Quite a pay differential compared to the standard crew members. Never support downgrading of Ts&C’s but surprised the unions have permitted such blatant inequality between fleets for so long!

  • Derek Scott says:

    20 Jun20 June 11:19

    Possibly because a higher proportion of legacy crew would afford and pay union fees to protect their interests?

• Mikeact says:

  20 Jun20 June 10:21

  According to ‘Paddle your own Kanoo’

  ‘An astonishing 99.2 per cent of British Airways employees say they have no confidence in the airline’s chief executive Alex Cruz over his handling of the Corona crisis in a poll of 15,000 staffers by the Unite union. The landslide result will heap further pressure on Cruz and British Airways who are facing a revolt over plans to sack 12,000 employees and drastically reduce the terms and conditions of employees who remain.’

  • Lady London says:

    20 Jun20 June 11:07

    WW and Mr. Cruz are both leaving. So they are ideal people for this job. Their replacements will start afresh.

    So many factors have aligned for BA to get this done and I don’t blame them for getting stuck in. Their longterm survival and success depends on getting this done. Assuming civil aviation continues at anything like previous scales BA is going to be performing excellently on a world scale, able to manage their own destiny and a source of taxable revenue to governments that make sure BA shares with them where it operates.

    • Marcw says:

      20 Jun20 June 11:09

      When is Cruz leaving?

      • Lady London says:

        20 Jun20 June 12:19

        @Marcw Rob did an article early this year but IIRC around November. BA would be wise to retain him in post until this job is done. The his successor can have a fresh start.

        • marcw says:

          20 Jun20 June 12:44

          Cruz is not leaving. Luis Gallego, from IB is going to be the next CEO of IAG, while the carrent CEO of Vueling will go to IB and someone from the finance department in IB is going to lead Vueling. AFAIK, no changes planned at Aer Lingus or British Airways.

    • Paul says:

      20 Jun20 June 11:17

      Long term survival doesn’t depend on the drastic actions being taken, Most of the profits wil be siphoned of by IAG as is the case with Cargo at the moment so relying on a good return from taxes would be a mistake. It’s mainly about Wee Willie Walsh’s ego and the fact that at this moment in time he feels like a failure as he couldn’t get the job done at the first time of asking

      • Lady London says:

        20 Jun20 June 12:23

        @Paul this is why I mentioned governments will need to make sure BA / IAG share profits / contribute taxes wherever they operate.

        Same issue as has not been resolved with the likes of Google Amazon et al except BA will have more physical presence than those in countries where they earn so easier to tax.

    • Opus says:

      20 Jun20 June 11:33

      oh, i didn’t know Alex Cruz was leaving?

  • mark2 says:

    20 Jun20 June 11:10

    what was the turnout?

  • CV3V says:

    20 Jun20 June 11:14

    An opinion poll will make no difference, cash talks. The only action which will make a difference is to strike, which I can’t see happening. Or fall all the staff to refuse the new contract, which also won’t happen. People will be desperate to hold on to a job in what will be a terrible jobs market. Good old Willie Walsh knows this.

  • J says:

    20 Jun20 June 11:22

    A survey of regular BA passengers would return a similar result. BA deliver an often poor consumer experience but they’re always going to be the best option enough of the time because they’ve got the majority of slots at Heathrow. It didn’t take a management genius to make BA a cash cow. It’s a common theme that old state monopolies were privatised, inherited all those privileges and then use their dominant status to deliver poor service and value (just look at the trains and BT).

    • Derek Scott says:

      20 Jun20 June 19:43

      I disagree. I’ve had great service most flights on BA and unless I knew which routes had been MF routes or that the CSM is the MF equivalent of the Lead Crew/ Purser/ CSD, I wouldn’t know of the service was from someone earning £50 or £500 for the flight.

      I can say that where the service has been excellent, it’s been both WW and MF. Where it’s been questionable, it’s been for both Crews.

      I truly don’t believe passengers would vote based on staff pay or conditions… I’ve never filled in a customer survey from ANY company based on how staff are treated… only how I’ve been treated for the service I’ve paid for

      • mvcvz says:

        21 Jun21 June 23:53

        Possibly because it’s none of the customer’s business?

• Derek Scott says:

  20 Jun20 June 11:38

  I just want to call out that whilst the BA situation is a tricky one, it’s disappointing to see so many people become rude on here, when a good proportion of commentators don’t even work for the company. Wonder if they would behave the same if the shoe was on the other foot?

  by all means have an opinion as a casual observer if you’re not an employee, but be respectful and remember that the only people who truly know the facts of the situation are those going through it. (I am not a BA employee, but I have recently going though a Dismiss & Re-engage contract harmonisation process and know what that entails).

  Most employers these days have considered such an approach when multiple contracts through decades have resulted in difficult situations in managing multiple layers and variances in T’s & C’s.. and irrespective of the changes proposed in each scenarios, the main purpose is reasonable… treat each staff population doing the same job the same, and bring all the conditions together to support that. The end goal of the principle of the process in Law is a reasonable one.

  *this is not an opinion on the handling of the BA situation, as I, like most, don’t have all the facts and figures to have an educated view.

  • CV3V says:

    20 Jun20 June 15:53

    +1

    For a website dedicated to travel and reward schemes although its fair to be kept informed of what is happening to BA i don’t think opening up these articles to comment is proving to be either wise or worthwhile – but it keeps the posting numbers up….

    The judgemental attitude of so many commentators is disappointing to see on what used to be a very positive and only constructive website. Its a real shame to see so many people think they can deem what is and isn’t acceptable for BA crew, and yet they are not fully informed – ill informed comments don’t help. Flying on a plane, and it doesn’t matter how many years, doesn’t make you an expert on the industry. Whats even more ironic/disappointing is that over the years a number of the commentators on here have been BA staff who have provided tips and facts (rather than opinion which becomes confused as fact).

    If I ‘pay’ (ahem) to fly in First or Business on a ticket worth thousands of pounds, on a flight which could last 11 or more hours I want the crew who are looking after me to be well paid, well trained and experienced. BA management seem to have a different opinion.

• Victor says:

  20 Jun20 June 15:39

  I’m working for BA as a cabin crew and this article is one big LIE! THAT’S NOT WHAT THEY ARE OFFERING US!!! it’s 14k basic and 3 pounds for flying hours which roughly add up to 22k!!!!! Where did you get that info? STOP CONFUSING PUBLIC!

  • Rob says:

    20 Jun20 June 16:18

    Er…. this is from Amy’s slide show to EF and WW yesterday 🙂

  • Ian says:

    20 Jun20 June 17:56

    I’m not confused, just sick and tired of the bleating. If you don’t want to work for BA, leave and find something else to do….I hear Tesco is recruiting at the moment,

    • steve says:

      21 Jun21 June 12:07

      I think you’re mixing up two completely different types of person.

    • Martin Louis says:

      21 Jun21 June 13:17

      They only take you if you are a pilot who they can mention at every PR opportunity.

• C says:

  20 Jun20 June 18:04

  I’d love to see the reaction from all the people on here vehemently defending BAs actions should their very own employers decide cut their pay by 50% in the middle of a pandemic and on the edge of a recession. Ask yourselves how quick you’d be to defend your employer. Why should anyone just ‘take it on the chin’ and be grateful? These crew are being played.

  On the other side of this, whatever the outcome, employee engagement is going to be through the floor and for the first time, all fleets are going to be united and could take action collectively if they wish to and make a big impact on operations with the further backing of all pilots and ground staff who are similarly now going to be very jaded. The way this is being handled only serves to affect many of your future travel experiences for a long time to come. And not for the better.

  • marcw says:

    20 Jun20 June 18:19

    Don´t worry too much about bein united. They will do the same as IB did… creating IB Express, just so they have a bargaining tool when dealing with unions. Interestingly there´s been a lot of peace at IB´s Unions since IB Express creation.

• Talay says:

  20 Jun20 June 19:35

  Can someone tell me what the transferable skills are from flying a few days a month on a plane to the real world of going to work 5 days a week ?

  And then show me the ground based job which pays the same or more ?

  No, the truth is that whether the tactics are right, the BA staff seem overpaid and I don’t think trolley dollies need £1000+ a week for 1 or 2 shifts a week.

  • J says:

    20 Jun20 June 20:53

    Let’s hope you never have a heart attack at 38,000 feet.

    • J says:

      20 Jun20 June 20:56

      But I’m not gonna lie I have nothing but contempt for those who lack empathy. I’m sure one day an employer will do you over – or a loved one. Remember how it feels. Gigantic corporations are attacking ordinary people – if you’re on their side you’re just a useful idiot (assuming you’re not a billionaire).

      • Joe says:

        20 Jun20 June 21:30

        Jeremy Corbyn – is that you?

        Seriously if you have useful marketable skills they can’t really screw your over.

        • Lady London says:

          22 Jun22 June 12:02

          Sorry @Joe but not true. There may aell be a surpkus of people with the same set of skills. Or for relatuvely unskilled work, juat too msny people avsilable who coild do the job.

          And if your government has accepted your country having an open market for people as well as goods, then you have to take int account populations in other countries if they can mobilise to reach your country (and your job) as well.

          So people with skills an employer can choose are
          1. local employees (who may not have the same standard of education as immigrants)
          2. immigrants eg EU or other authorised immigration sources. Including from countries with historical links to the UK and often family links
          3. illegal immigration.

          So long as the UK economy remains open for people, whether this is UK government’s strategy or not, then those who have the same skills as sufficient available people in any of the above categories are likely to find that in the UK their income is under pressure to drop in real terms.

          For those in those categories that can’t mobilise to reach the UK then digitalisation, including automation of white collar tasks by AI, and outsourcing may mean you can take someone’s job in the UK without having to mobilise tonbe in the UK.

          The French call digitilisation ‘dematerialisation’ and that’s what’s happening to jobs – they’re dematerialising. Remaining lowish-skilled jobs like cabin crew are going to find salaries keep dropping in real terms until the supply of labour balances.

          Some would say this gives a more level playing field around the world but the opportunities seem to be mire for entrepreneurs and possibly the self-employed than the employed.

    • marcw says:

      20 Jun20 June 22:29

      You better hope there’s a nurse or doctor on board.

    • Neil says:

      21 Jun21 June 21:19

      He probably will with that level of toxicity in his body.

  • BS says:

    21 Jun21 June 11:19

    Just to clarify that nearly 50 percent of BA Cabin crew start off with 15600 basic and then only earn anything extra at just over 3 pounds an hour from the time they checkin to base the time they return to base with no guarantee on how many or how long any trips they might get every month. Sure they get to stay in 4 star hotels but have to pay for their own food or take with them. For that money they have to be prepared to give first aid , clean up someone being sick, at times take a lot of abuse from passengers plus be subject to regular assessment to ensure that should there be an emergency they can act accordingly.. Sure you could argue that the other 50 percent of crew get paid more or too much but thats not their fault as opposed to their employer so cannot put all BA crew into a single bucket beyond them performing the same role.

  • steve says:

    21 Jun21 June 12:15

    A ‘tolley dolly’ who would get you out of the plane in an emergency, despite you deciding you’re too cool to have watched the demonstration earlier. Who will tackle an on-board fire. Who will intervene and stop abuse from drunken passengers. Who will try to save your life when you have a heart attack six miles up and away from any health-care professionals or even, as has happened in the past, deliver your baby. All this in addition to spending on average three nights a week out of bed and having to cope with 8-10 hour time-changes and not being with their loved-ones for birthdays, Christmas, school plays and open-nights. No, I really don’t think they’re worth more than a shop assistant do I?

    • Nigel says:

      21 Jun21 June 15:08

      Worked for BA many years ago, the silence was deafening from cabin crew when we all lost our jobs. The situation is simple. The aviation industry has undergone massive change (even before Co-vid), with the emergence of low cost carriers over the years, and where now the industry rate for a cabin crew member is 16-20K per annum. For years I’ve been told the role is primarily safety, first aid etc. If that’s the case, why is the market rate 16-20K, don’t other airline staff perform the same duties? Secondly, BA are not only facing increased low cost competition, but their profitable market (long haul business travel), is the biggest unknown factor in the future, given the increase in video conferencing etc. All in, BA cabin crew should appreciate they’ve had it good for many years, but the reality, just like in many other industries over the years, the good times are over. Either carry on, and earn less, or get yourself down to Morrisons for a check-out role.

      • Wardy says:

        25 Jun25 June 14:47

        I suggest you re read Steve’s message of 21 June a little more closely.

  • Clifford says:

    21 Jun21 June 21:56

    You probably wouldn’t make it thru the six weeks training or wet your pants doing the evacuation drills.

    • Nigel says:

      21 Jun21 June 22:58

      Clifford, sliding down a slide, really scary!!
      Any chance you could answer my question and justify £50-80K a year for your role?

      • Wardy says:

        25 Jun25 June 14:51

        Think you should Re read Steve’s comment of 21 June.

• David says:

  21 Jun21 June 07:19

  Yeah for sure regardless they will check in to Hotels and Pubs and complaint to get free drinks

  • Wardy says:

    25 Jun25 June 15:16

    Hmmm. And you wouldn’t obviously.

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