about the forthcoming BA strike?

[iwastooearlytobeayummymummy]

DS (11)is supposed to be going on a much anticipated school trip next week, but both outward and return dates are strike days.
I can't begin to tell you how much he has been looking forward to this trip.

DD3 (13 )is also away, at the same time, on a choir trip, but flying with another operator.

Excited at the prospect of 2 children away,and happy to leave DD2 ( 18) home alone, DH and I have booked a much needed break ourselves, first time away without the children in 5 years.

Now everything is 'up in the air', no pun intended .

Can somebeody please explain why cabin crew are so aggreived? I've had a look at BBC's overview of the reasons behind the strike, but don't really get it.I also work for an organisation ( local authority actually) that has announced a 2 year pay freeze, recruitment freeze and forthcoming redundancies. Apart from free tea bags and instant coffee I get no other priveliges.

IABU to think they've got nothing to strike over?

pinkycheesy- so you approve of this scaretacticts and bullying?

I for one don't really care if Virgin support us or not, I'd rather be supported "at home" by the pilots, who have been very unsupportive and have let us down morally. Let's talk about this, which is the elephant in the room (or on the airplane from now on!). Let's saythat BA pilots are the highest paid in Europe and the rest of the world (except Iraq Airways, who pay their pilots a fortune, but hey, it's danger money).

My friend's husband (pilot, tho not BA) said it was shocking that our own pilots have not only criticised our choice to strike, but also volunteered to work as scabs. They should be ashamed of that, imo.
And I'm still looking after them nicely on flights (they fly me home safely after all), and don't say "no" when they ask for First class food (they shouldn't, as they take an extra peyment to only consume their crew meals instead of First class food).

Btw as an aside, the other day at Bedfont football club (the strikers' meeting point) there were cabin crew from other airlines, who turned up to show their support.

I just think it's a bit out of place of pilots' wives to come here and tell me that I earn too much, when for most of you struggling financially means giving up the new Audi for paying Fiffy's private school fees(I still picture you all wearing pashminas). Rant over, I feel better now

and i picture you onestonetogo cackling with your fellow cc about the pilots' wives while swooshing about heathrow with your trolley cases sneering at the cc from other airlines who clearly wouldn't know a mojito from a gorgonzola if it came up and bit them

you are coming across dreadfulling on this thread, not that you seem to care. you are living up to every stereotype of a cabin crew member there ever was.

*dreadfully !

I'm ex-cabin crew and worked as crew for 15 years pre-kids. I'm really saddened to see this strike, BA have always been known to have the best contracts and perks, everyone wanted to work for them. There has to be compromise somewhere, times change and we all have to change with it, however painful that may be.

My dh is a pilot (not BA) and you know what, if he had a choice between a paycut and keeping his job, we'd take a paycut, if it meant our mortgage was paid. There aren't the jobs out there to cherry-pick over, at the moment I'm just grateful he has a job at all, the aviation industry has always seen a lot of change and I personally have lived through an airline going bust.

I am sickened to read a poster calling BA pilots who are working as cabin crew 'scabs'. They are actually keeping BA afloat, good luck to them.

Oh, and for the record, I don't knit/wear pashminas/consider myself right wing. I shop at Aldi and buy my meats from the 'reduced' section at Tesco and the like, I drive an old, battered car and our kids go to the local state school. And I care not one jot.

OSTG Again my husband does not earn as much as some Heathrow Cabin Crew, and certainly not as much as an Iberia pilot, so let's cut the ballocks about pilots.

My husband is a volunteer worker because he wants the airline to survive. That way I can stay at home with our son who has certain complex needs, and he can be in work.
He gave up a very well paid job to become an airline pilot, it's what he wanted to do with his life, he doesn't want to see all that he spent (£60,000 in fees, plus living expenses) and all that he gave up in salary go up in smoke because a minority of cabin crew don't want to help cut costs.

Some of Heathrow cabin crew earn more, contributed nothing to their training and now don't want to work harder. Why should he care what they think of him and the thousands like him fighting to keep BA flying.

My understanding is that it's cabin crew who drive Audi's Porshe's etc.

I don't know a single pilot whose kids go to private school (not saying they don't exist just don't know any), there are captains who live locally who send their children to the local primary.

Glad you feel better, it seems sneering at people is what cheers you up.

OSTG you really have overstepped the mark now, How dare you think that you know anything about pilots wives' lives? You are making such sweeping generalisations about my life and all to detract from the glaringly obvious fact that you are spoilt and overpaid and are risking everything for everyone with your ill-thought out strike. By all means go on strike and lose your staff travel but don't tell me I'm a pashmina wearing, audi driving public school mum when I am absolutely none of the above.Am so glad you are showing the public what you are really like and the piss poor attitude that our husbands have to contend with. I fully condemn the strike and fully support the volunteers and your posts are strengthening that resolve daily.

munchkinsmumof2 and pinkycheesy we must remember breathe in breathe out.

almost every pilot I know sends his/her kids to private school; if I was rich and living in an area with not-so-good state school I would do the same, btw. I'm not bashing people who send their kids to private school, I was explaining that pilots and their family on average do not know financial hardship. The £60,000 necessary flight training required to become a pilot was (to many of them) paid for by mummy and daddy, otherwise you cannot possibly have paid for that and be a pilot by the age of 25. Again, that's great, but don't pretend that you know what it's like to wonder how I'm going to make it to the end of the month? Only 2 years ago I posted here for advice on where best to sell a ring so I could put food on the table.

I don't like "sneering" at people, but I disagree with the pilots' stance on our strike. If any workforce (groundstaff, for example) went on strike, I wouldn't dream of breaking their strike! It's a sad state of affairs that the people that we work with day after day should only worry about their own pockets.

Ruddynorah, I'm not your typical cc stereotype- I don't sleep with pilots

my hand is up, I admit i'm a right wing, tory voting, capitalist. I generally don't support unions or strikes. was initially at cc. now, notwithstanding ostg's nasty comments, I feel for cc, i really do. looks like their union's steered them up shit creek and paddle's nowhere to be seen.
cc will end up having to accept terrible t&c all because they placed their faith in a union that when you look at it isn't really interested in cc. Really sad and i hope cc can wake up and see the reality of the situation.

My husband isn't 25 he's older than that-a lot of the 25 year olds have loans but he worked in a good job for 10 years, and it is none of your business how pilots fund their course.
You must certainly were bashing pilots kids and their schools.
You seem to delight in sneering at people you seem to have sneered at one group or other daily.

whifflegarden agree they have been sold up smelly creek, but OSTG is beginning to make me think they deserve it.

So if all Pilots wives are pashmina wearing, audi driving public school monster mummy's is it all right to call cc high heel wearing tarty bimbo trolley dollies held together with hair spray?

Thought not.

Fact - cc by striking are jeopordising their own jobs, and the jobs of others.

Fact - you can't believe diddly of what unite say as they don't have to be held responsably according to corporate government

Fact - If you have been striking as cc, BA don't have to "roster" you on again for a while and therefore don't have to pay you.

Who is losing out? Apart from the passengers?

Doodleydoo the worst of all this is it's a game to OSTG, she isn't on strike as this isn't her working month.

Silver, it's none of my business how they get the money to become qualified pilots by the age of 25, the point I was making is that on average pilots and their families do not know what financial hardship is like. Good for them, but don't come and tell me it's of for me to reduce my wages by 30 to 40%, IYSWIM.

OSTG - as i have said many times, dh is NOT a pilot, but am pleased to say that I have had an audi - though not now, kids at private school and have been known to sling a pashmina around my bikini when i am out enjoying the sun after a lovely staff travel flight to the sun.

Such mass generalisations really are making you look very silly I'm afraid.

DH still stuck at LHR tonight volunteering in T5 after another full days work, deep joy, sick ds missing his Dad too and not feeling well , but never mind eh?! me bitter?? too bloody right!

MABS, I'd be phoning my DH and telling him to come home pronto, as his DS is more important than work. IMHO.

Poor you MABS hope DS is feeling better soon, I am sorry his dad has to be out tidying up the strikers mess.
There is still at least another week of this to go, so pace yourself as much as you can.

Actually ostg keep his employer going so his son has a home is very important. You have pushed Mr Mabs into a horrible corner-don't add insult by implying he is a bad father.

sadly, protecting his job to ensure he has one has to come first imho. Otherwise we will not be able to pay for the equipment disabled ds needs and that's a fact i'm afraid.

FYI, my DH's parents paid only for his PPL, instead of going to university. From then on, he funded all his training, mostly by working as a flying instructor. That is a pretty common route into commercial piloting. BA also offer a FEW sponsorships to train.

OSTG - you are totally OTT in your criticism of pilots. They would be the first to support you if they believed what you were doing was right. Instead they are supporting the cc who choose to work, they are volunteering to do a tough job down the back of the aircraft, and as a union are remaining neutral, which is how it should be. Parents who send their kids to private school do so because its the best eduacational choice, and many sacrifice holidays/cars/outings/clothes to be able to afford to do so. When the plane is about to hit the LHR tarmac some way short of the runway and probably kill all those onboard, arent you glad that there is a quick-thinking well-trained pilot at the helm? At that precise moment, you wouldnt care if he earned 50k or 500k, it would be worth the money to ensure you dont die. Well, take those feelings away and remember that those sorts of scenarios are precisely WHY pilots are paid well.

Oh and just for the record, we drive 2nd hand mondeos, use state schools, stay in Travelodges on holiday, and shop in Primark

thanks Silver,and for the record he is a brilliant father, well written too pink.

We feeling bit brighter in the mabs household as just seen dd school trip to Italy on Saturday is not cancelled as all LGW flights operating normally. Trivial i know, but having one happy child at this very difficult time is a great help, it also gets her away from the house for a week! ;-) always good...

Yes agree pinkycheesy it is also the pilot who has saved all those people who will prob lose job and not work on the flt deck of a commercial airline ever again as a crash is a crash regardless of how many people they save, where as CC get counselling paid leave and a job to go back to

My 25 year old nephew is £60k in debt from borrowing funds from the bank through a loan to pay for his training. He learned to fly at school and in the CCF initially. I know many 25 year olds with the same debts from learning to fly. Many I know slog it out teaching PPLs to fly - my DH for one, before getting a training contract, and then into debt.

I am a (huge amount ) BA shareholder and used to travel BA business long haul all the time with the children, It used to be fantastic and BA was always my first choice airline. Sadly it is not the same and I had the most appalling service this year on LHR- BAH and to LHR - Singapore, thank goodness we came back on codeshare with Quantas on the A380 which was amazing, the staff were outstanding!

Someone further down wasn't wrong when they likened BA Business to Easyjet on a good or was it bad day.( I have flown with them and they were brilliant!)

I am flying with bated breath, BA business in the summer, to the Maldives, because they do a direct flight, but it is out of Gatwick, so hopefully all should be good.

BA pilots are still the best in the world and I would trust my life with them. My father was an Air Traffic controller for 35 years, he never flew with anyone else, but now, he is too old to put up with poor service and the risk of strikes when visiting his grandchildren ( and great gc's) and is flying Virgin who he swore he would never fly with.

I know a BA pilot who committed suicide over a near miss over LHR many years ago, although found not guilty, he couldn't live with the shame and knowing that he would never fly again.