Originally Posted by
Ian429
“Inflight is now clearly split between experienced and inexperienced crews”
There in lies the problem As an senior, seniority doesn’t affect me as I need to work in the same position all the time. I do however want experienced confident crews to work in First and Club. When I started flying, it was nearly 15 years before you got near First. Now there are crew in First and Club who’ve done 2 years.
But I repeat my point. Surely this has to do with the salaries BA are now offering. I used to recruit cabin crew many years ago and the terms were really good. Today, BA is offering the minimum wage (£8.91 per hour equates to £18,532 annually) and with all the bonuses and extras, an offer to earn just slightly north of this. In a central London restaurant, someone with excellent customer-service skills could probably earn double this, given that they get a share of the mandatory service charges which are applied. A friend of mine is a concierge in a 5 star hotel and he earns a basic salary of £25k and he says he makes about another £500 a week in tips, so we're talking £50K.
There are excellent cabin crew who are still working for BA, I presume they get paid more than the newbies and I presume they stay due to loyalty to the brand and love of the job. But surely money is also a key factor in deciding who you work for.