Originally Posted by
HighLife
Peter Day is (mostly!) talking a load of BS. Although he is right in so far as Radio budgets are tighter than those in TV and so I am sure it is much harder for a Radio journalist to wangle J travel.
BBC allows J on flights of more than four hours for executives, and that includes certain journalists who have a certain seniority or those whose contracts and relationships with the corporation are negotiated by talent agents.
I have worked with John Simpson and Jeremy Paxman and both flew J with my team to CAI and LEN.
I myself flew J to SVO, IAD, EWR and LAS when I was a BBC employee many moons ago, and I was far from senior! I just happened to find cheaper J tickets myself than the economy fares proposed by Carlson Wagonlit who were then the in house BBC travel agents. I managed to get accounts to refund my amex just fine.
I have also seen plenty of talent in F when on BBC business... the Top Gear trio always flies F for example.
Sir David Attenborough is a unique exception, prefering to fly in Y with the crew, even in recent years when age has caught up with him.
As a license fee payer (oh oh, here we go), I would be mortified to find out we weren't sending the likes of John Simpson around in J. His reporting is excellent and I can't see him writing up a report to go as soon as he lands whilst cramped up in Y. F, on the other hand, is completely OTT. The likes of Clarkson et al will certainly be funding F out of their production company budgets, not directly from the BBC coffers. Then again Top Gear must bring in a good couple of quid to the BBC from export and format rights.
The fact that Attenborough insists on riding in the back with the lads of further testament to the fact he an absolute legend.