JamesKidd

I don't know about US, but the salary is on par with some of the ME carriers. I believe the captain salary averages around $110k on EK, though those on old contracts could be on better salaries. Obviously, they've got an advantage of it being tax free.

krispy84

A P Yu

One sticking point historically at BA related to Profit related bonuses is that BA have often wanted to link them to some performance measure / metrics - so to get the bonus not only the company had to do well, but also the individual had to prove that they had done their part to that success (e.g. successfully passed a performance review covering a number of competencies / behaviours). Some of the unions were always against any sort of performance component - but in the real world I don't think its too unreasonable. Someone, for example on a written warning, probably doesn't deserve one.

Pascoe

Look at the way Louis Litt treats the associates in "Suits"......

Oh wait - that was fiction????

SonTech

The problem for the BA pilots is the general public at large, not those who frequent these boards, think the pilots are already paid enough and think they are being greedy and just wanting to ruin their hard earned holidays and other trips which they have been saving for months and cannot just change at the drop of a hat as most on here seem to be able to and could lose thousands of pounds. I am on several holiday type forums and no one is supporting the pilots.... just saying. By the way its not just BA its the potential strikes at Easyjet, Ryanair and Heathrow staff amongst others.

jeremyBA

Why not? Ryanair has an amazing safety record. They are the sole major airline to have never suffered a fatality.

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel...-a8309831.html

The job is the same. To fly form A to B safely an in accordance with the manufacturers / operators procedures.

Ryanair have customer service issues ( they are better than they were), the cabin crew speak with accents I cant understand over the PA, but the planes are new ( 25 year old 747 anyone) and they have an enviable safety record. So by all means slate the cabin crew of Ryanair but I dont see any reason to slate the pilots.

Globaliser

If that's the only metric by which you judge a safety record, then you're welcome to it. Those who have a genuine interest in aviation safety, from whatever perspective, may be a bit more sophisticated about the issue.

Misco60

There are many airlines that have had no fatalities during the period that Ryanair has been operational.

Edited to add: A brief internet search reveals other major airlines that have never had a fatality, including Easyjet, Emirates, Etihad, Eva, Hainan, Qatar and Virgin.

AlanA

MNMAA

Including British Airways, I believe.

Agent69

So nobody has ever been killed while travelling on a bus?

Globaliser

Do you really want to keep trying to equate the skill level of driving a bus to the skill level of an airline pilot? If so, why don't we set up two parallel airlines and see how far we each get?

Beltway2A

And worth noting that while the magic circle can get away with paying their newly qualified solicitors less than £90,000 at home, the market in the U.S. still forces them to pay their first year associates in their U.S. offices the same $190,000 salaries their competitors are offering.

If the market required them to, BA would find a way to pay their pilots decently. The strike could be that force.

W213Sal

I'm not slating the pilots I'm commending them on becoming unionized as of last year, the only reason I said you don't want them paid the same as Ryanair pilots is because this isn't a race to the bottom

jeremyBA

<br />

But equally there is a marketplace, and within that a market price. The flying of an airliner to the required standard seem in effect to now be a commodity. Your dont even get to see them much anymore behind their closed doors.

This seems proven as promotions are based in huge huge part on time served not supreme ability. You have to understand the systems and fly it properly, hold the medical etc to get the job - so the entry requirements are high. It is probably the last industry where time served and hours flown are the almost sole determinate of seniority as opposed to ability.

Does hours flown make a difference. Absolutely. But there will be a point where you enter the law of diminishing returns as those hours will have allowed you to see a wide variety of weather, systems issues etc.

I know it would be nice to think of BA pilots as special but they will hold the identical licences to their colleagues, have identical line checks, medicals etc.