BA strike.

[Druk]

So. That's the feared announcement made. 12 days of consecutive strikes starting 22nd Dec.

Anyone else here directly affected by this and what are your plans now?

We were heading for New York on the 29th. Hotel booked and paid for as well. Not sure if the travel insurance covers industrial action.

 

[renault12ts]

So very very cynical of them.

 

[Geezer]

Morons. I understand they have just about the best remuneration package around.

 

[lxi]

Morons. I understand they have just about the best remuneration package around.

From the news feeds - "The majority of BA’s 13,000 cabin crew, who already earn twice as much as their contemporaries at Virgin Atlantic with an average wage of £29,900, are expected to walk out."

Maybe worth learning how to mince !!

 

[Dryce]

Anyone else here directly affected by this and what are your plans now?

Nope.

I actively avoid using them and their London hubs.

 

[Dryce]

Morons. I understand they have just about the best remuneration package around.

Some of them do.

Old hands working long haul out of Heathrow who've managed to stick with the job for 15 to 20 years can do very very well - which will be bumping up the averages being quoted. But to do that you end up taking a big hit on your domestic life.

At the other end of the scale the domestic/European crews working out of other locations - especially those on newer contracts - don't do as well.

The opportunities for discounted personal travel have dropped off a bit too. Fewer ID90s available as aircraft have been downsized.

 

[Druk]

Nope.

I actively avoid using them and their London hubs.

Hindsight's a fine thing. Note to self.....don't use BA again despite them being £600 cheaper than their nearest rival.

 

[Rory]

Some of them do.

Old hands working long haul out of Heathrow who've managed to stick with the job for 15 to 20 years can do very very well - which will be bumping up the averages being quoted. But to do that you end up taking a big hit on your domestic life.

At the other end of the scale the domestic/European crews working out of other locations - especially those on newer contracts - don't do as well.

The opportunities for discounted personal travel have dropped off a bit too. Fewer ID90s available as aircraft have been downsized.

Although I'm up in the NorthWest, through family and colleagues I know several people who work at BA and it's not the job it used to be.

Real pay hasn't changed much in years as allowances have been chopped back and they get messed around terribly now. They all hate working there so it's not surprising there's such a huge number in favour of striking.

I guess the business changing is not unusual - it has for many industries. Maybe we'll all end up in minimum wage menial jobs.

BA should just bite the bullet and become RyanAir. Smashing.

 

[Dryce]

Hindsight's a fine thing. Note to self.....don't use BA again despite them being £600 cheaper than their nearest rival.

I stopped using them by choice years ago. Heathrow became a hellhole from the early nineties. Their attitude to domestic transfer passengers was somewhat offhand. Ground staff didn't always know the fare restrictions. They progressively pulled back from the regions to focus on becoming 'London Airways'. And their allegedly award winning IFE in the back of the aircraft in the late nineties was behind that of the likes of SIA and MAS. Seat pitch was one of the tightest in the long haul industry.

Generally their cabin crew were (and to some extent still are) some of the best.

I much prefer flying out from the UK via Amsterdam.

 

[Charmer]

So. That's the feared announcement made. 12 days of consecutive strikes starting 22nd Dec.

Anyone else here directly affected by this and what are your plans now?

We were heading for New York on the 29th. Hotel booked and paid for as well. Not sure if the travel insurance covers industrial action.

Did you pay by credit card? You will be protected by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

I really think the BA Cabin Crew are putting a gun to their own head. They really need a reality check.

The timing of the strike will do nothing to win favour with the general public.

 

[Dryce]

Did you pay by credit card? You will be protected by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

The airline will refund or rebook anyway so the CC act isn't really relevant.

Either way it doesn't cover you for the unpleasantness of the uncertainty if you have arrangements - or the knock-on costs in changing your arrangements if you want cancel and rebook - or the knock-on for messing up your Christmas if you cancel and have no alternatives.

 

[Druk]

Yes, paid by CC but that's not the point. What is, is that we're looking forward to seeing the New Year in, in New York. We have 30 days grace to re-book with the hotel and, no doubt, BA will get us there at sometime or another. Just not the same to arrive on 6 Jan when everything's done and dusted.






ps. 'is is' and 'in in' in the one sentence. Beat that.



.

 

[bhafcrgr8]

I was also supposed to be going to New York for xmas leaving on 22nd.......doesn't look good now does it!

 

[C240Sport97]

BA cabin crew must be mad ..

Airlines are suffering all around the world.

So, let's make BA customers really angry .. let's forget that they ultimately pay our (cabin crew) salary.

So, in the long run, their jobs are even less secure as customers go elsewhere.

 

[adm]

I love BA. I fly with them most weeks, and sometimes several times a week.

They treat me really well, give me free upgrades and preferential service. On the whole I have no problems with them and choose them over other airlines even when they are more expensive.

I'm not travelling after Friday this week for three weeks, so the strike won't effect me.

But I think it's bloody stupid. It's about time that workers realised that striking just doesn't work. All it does is piss off the customers, who then use a competing service that doesn't have the same problems. This causes the company to lose money, which normally results in more layoffs and tougher conditions for the rest of the staff.....

Dumb, dumb, dumb....

 

[190E 2.6]

It may not happen. Give it a few days WILLIE may decide to talk to them

 

[flango]

Nope.

I actively avoid using them and their London hubs.

Same here worst airline in the world along with Air France. I fly to Schipol and pick up KLM or Frankfurt and Lufthansa.

I have had so many disasters with them, cancelled flights, missed connections blown engines in mid air would never fly BA again

Been flying Iberia a lot at the moment nothing fancy but very good and punctual.

In my book BA are the same as the BA in the A team BAD ATTITUDE

 

[Mark300SL]

its corporate suicide for the both the cabin crew and the airline!

I fly Virgin normally Premium Economy, and whilst the upper tiers are from most reports more or less the same the Virgin service seems to just have the egde. CW accommodation certainly beats PE (from memory of CW) but Virgin just seem to go the extra mile. and we will be taking our first Upper Class flights in Feb as we have an awful lot of airmiles to burn. Normally I just cant justify UC but as we have about 4 UC return flights in the bag we might as well use them

The strike action from the supposedly much better paid aircrew hardly makes me want to even consider trying BA again.

 

[Druk]

Same here worst airline in the world along with Air France. I fly to Schipol and pick up KLM or Frankfurt and Lufthansa.

I tried KLM from Edinburgh. It went Edinburgh>Schipol>Detroit>New York for €900 each. Using Delta

Luftwaffe went Edinburgh>Berlin>Geneva>New York €2100 each. Using Swissair.

Hmmm?

Maybe it's the days or times we wanted to fly but not for me. Bad enough going via T5 (if it's working)

 

[crockers]

This, in my opinion, is ridiculous. The airline is practically bust, with a pension deficit which beggars belief. Whereas in other companies staff pull together here we have staff determined to cut off the hand that feeds them. I have always found BA helpful. Worse airline staff I have flown with is the arrogant American Airlines cabin crew. Nice seat pitch though.