To tweet BA pilots that I earn less than the INCREASE they're demanding?

[CheapSeats]

I earn 18000 a year. BA pilots are asking for an increase of 20000 a year. Yeah I know about skills and responsibility blah blah blah but AIBU to be upset that my holiday might be ruined? They're bleating in the papers today that they're upset that they now only get to stay in 4 star hotels instead of 5.

YABVU and so is the twerp who compared bus drivers to pilots.

They are beyond skilled: on 18000 pa it's likely you are not but feel free to retrain as a pilot if you think you can.

Jesus. This place just gets worse.

Bus drivers have everyone else on the roads to worry about, pilots don’t.

There’s this thing called air traffic. A collision in the air is not even remotely comparable to a collision on the ground.

Think a license to drive a bus is about £1100 takes a 4 week course and if a comoany takes you on as a trainee you don't pay, they do. And would you believe it, they get to go home everyday to their families, they usually work a standard 8 hour shift, have regular breaks during their shift and earn more than £18k. Compare that to pilots who have spent £££££K for training or have served in the airforce and then taken civil aviation qualifications start work at all times if the day and night, don't get home every day to see family, have to put up with crew in foreign hotels (not everyone wants to have their 'free'time with work colleagues, have to undergo rigorous testing every year and of course be nice to horrible holiday makers. If you think they are paid too much, join them!

Earlier today an EasyJet flight from Turkey to the UK diverted to Frankfurt. There was a problem with one of the engines. The pilots shut down that engine and diverted.

American Airlines also had an aircraft shut down an engine and divert for a safe landing. Today.

Pilots did this. Not ground crew. Not engineers. Not 'techies'. Not bus drivers. PILOTS.

Oh for goodness sake how can you be so blinkered and selfish? This isn’t just about money, it’s about safety. Hotel accommodation has to be top notch so crews can get proper rest before going back on duty. Putting crews in noisy hotels means they don’t get enough sleep and that poses a safety risk. I am incredulous at the complete lack of common sense here. You know how tired you are after a flight? Well double that for the crew. Without going into too much medical detail (blah blah blah), due to the air pressure in the cabin it takes the human body double the effort to function. So a 7 hour flight is like a 14 hour shift on land.

Further to what Bus Drivers etc make another very safety orientated occupation is that of a Train driver. A quick look around train companies, ASLEF site, sees average saleries from 54 to 57 K for general passenger workings. Eurostar 70 K plus and some Freight companies with a bit of overtime from 70 to £100K

Earlier today an EasyJet flight from Turkey to the UK diverted to Frankfurt. There was a problem with one of the engines. The pilots shut down that engine and diverted

Some pilots can go thier whole career and never have that happen.

Thanks perhas to the engineering skills of people like Rolls Royce:(

Thanks perhaps to the engineering skills of people like Rolls Royce:)

That way round!

@Justaboy

Not sure what your point is. These things happen every day across the world.

I’m sure we’ve all thought about the ridiculousness of it all, but I’m pretty sure the pilots couldn’t care less about any of us.
They are thinking about their next flight, school fees, their new car, the golf club, and the new 20 year old flight attendant

The previous comment about the 5 star hotel made me laugh. Having stayed in 4 and 5 star , they are equally noisy.

Ear plugs are your friend.

The crew, just don’t want to stay in the same hotel as the rest of us.

They passenger in first class when off duty, they don’t like to travel with the herd ( us )

*American Airlines also had an aircraft shut down an engine and divert for a safe landing. Today.

Pilots did this. Not ground crew. Not engineers. Not 'techies'. Not bus drivers. PILOTS.*

You are hilarious 😂😂

Obvs the pilots dealt with the mid-flight drama impeccably (hence the pay-rate), but THANK GOODNESS for the techies doing a sterling job - otherwise the aircrew would not have been alerted to the fault by the SYSTEMS in the aircraft!

Y'know - the engine speed sensors, temp sensors, associated wiring and interfaces, the controls and warning panels in the cockpit etc - the response to the pilot's commands etc etc etc etc

Oh fuck off.

Not read full thread but DH is a pilot, not BA but the majority of pilots, irrespective of employer work very long hours, get up ridiculously early or come home stupidly late. The job doesn’t just start or finish at the aircraft but way before in the crew room & often continues long after their flight has landed. The amount of paperwork DH has to complete, the reports that need filing for even the most minor of (non) incidents is humongous; not to mention the ongoing learning & keeping on top of updates, changes to procedures, 6 monthly assessments and so forth.
The initial costs of learning to become a pilot are substantial & they are not eligible for career loans. Very few companies pay to train pilots these days (none that we have found of late, eldest DS wants to be a pilot too) & even once they have obtained initial air line transport licence, many airlines want a pilot with a type rating particular to the aircraft in their fleet. That can easily add another £30 to £50k on to training costs. In the event that an airline will take you on without a type rating, they bond you to the airline for a period of years to ensure they can seek redress for training costs of you break contract within a specified period. So in my experience, pilots more than earn their money.

@bernietaupinspen

You said 15 hours ago you couldn't be arsed to join in and I was on my own. How about you stick to that?

I never said a word about or against aircraft engineers, so take your pictures and piss off.

I get what Op means it is a lot of money to be asking for a raise. But it is a hell of a job with huge responsibility and a value can’t really be put to it. They’re looking at the industry and how well they’re paid inline with other companies.

They passenger in first class when off duty, they don’t like to travel with the herd ( us )

I think you need to brush up on the reality of off duty travel.

I have 2 pilots in the immediate family and one fleet engineer. Thankfully they’re nothing like Dusty and Bernie or the house would be a war zone.

What @SallyLoves said. YABU as there is a huge initial investment (100k) to become a commercial pilot + degree and training. Not to mention the responsibility and accountability they hold for a huge number of lives every time they go to work. Pay them as much as they want. Your wage is irrelevant unless you are in a similar position.

@Andysbest

Talk shite... 2 pilots I know are not from rich backgrounds and my brother was in the forces, again not rich and wanted to be a pilot but eyesight prevented him. Cokehead wankers who cheat, really? You don't think they'd be drug tested? I'd rather my pilot relaxed in a 5* hotel, they've earned it.

Why would I lie [about being an aircraft technician]?

Is this a serious question? I've no idea if you are lying or not, but people bullshit about all manner of things on internet discussion sites, for the attention, to annoy other people, to impress other people, or to try to win an argument.

If you are lying, it's presumably the last one.

Brother is a BA pilot. Whilst he wasn’t actively supporting the strike, I personally think that pilots deserve a pay rise.
It is so expensive to train to be a pilot (funded entirely by himself). (100k+) He sold his flat and worked any job to save and train in America. He has studied hard on and off for years. We were so proud when he qualified. We saw a level of dedication we had not seen before.
He is my no means rich and leads a very modest life. He leads a nomadic life, never being able to commit to family functions, school events etc Often on standby (incl Christmas). Missed out on much of his family life. He flies long haul so some of it sounds amazing - the places he visits etc. But it’s also the challenges he faces in the plane which require a certain amount of mettle (eg someone sadly died last week on his flight which he had to deal with).
Times have changed and pilots do not lead that luxurious lifestyle of 30 years ago.

Hotel accommodation has to be top notch so crews can get proper rest before going back on duty. Putting crews in noisy hotels means they don’t get enough sleep and that poses a safety risk.

I support striking and specifically I hate any race to bottom argument on wages. This point is hilarious though, they don’t get more sleep in top notch accommodation than in good.

In fact, I used to work in the industry and I’d say you’d have a much better chance of a well rested crew if you put them somewhere without a fancy bar. Also when they used to have the choice (when there was a cash allowance instead of accommodation booked for them) they’d stay in shit hotels and/ or sleep several to a room and pocket the difference.

Are these the same pilots who my daughter saw taking the piss out of a passenger for having a "hungry bum" sure they found it funny but the passenger didn't, very proud of my kid for telling them to be more professional.