End poverty pay at British Airways
End poverty pay at British Airways #BAlowpaynoway
BA cabin crewThousands of cabin crew working for British Airways ‘Mixed Fleet’ are currently voting on whether to take strike action over ‘poverty’ pay levels which are leading to crew sleeping in their cars between shifts. The ballot closes on 14 December.
Since 2010 all British Airways new cabin crew employees join what is called ‘Mixed Fleet’, where despite promises that pay would be 10 per cent above the market rate, basic pay starts at just £12,000 with £3 and an hour flying pay. Unite has seen no evidence from the company of crew achieving anywhere near the advertised potential rate of £21,000 – £25,000 for the job.
These pay levels are among the lowest in industry and put the UK’s national carrier to shame.
A recent Unite survey lifted the lid on the toll ‘poverty pay’ was having on Mixed Fleet crew at BA. Nearly half said that they had taken on a second job to make ends meet with some saying they had to sleep in their cars between shifts because they couldn’t afford the petrol to drive home.
Elsewhere over two thirds admitted to going to work unfit to fly because they could not afford to be off sick, while a massive 84 per cent said they had experienced stress and depression due to their financial circumstances. Viewed as premier airline in the industry, Mixed Fleet cabin crew take great pride in working for British Airways. Increasingly though they are becoming fed up at being paid bargain basement wages.
With the parent company of British Airways predicting annual earnings of £4.7 billion between this year and 2020, it’s clear that the UK’s national carrier can pay the people who keep us safe while we fly a decent wage.
Are you British Airways Mixed Fleet cabin crew?
If you are not a member of Unite contact your rep or join Unite today.
If you are a member of Unite and have not received your ballot paper contact Unite BA cabin crew via email.
Do you fly British Airways?
Send a message of support to your cabin crew and say #BAlowpaynoway
Mixed Fleet cabin crew what they say
“I can’t afford to live on the money BA is paying me. BA expects me to give 100% for them when I work, but pay me peanuts in return.”
“Work/life balance was better with my previous employer Ryanair.”
“I love my job, but you shouldn’t have to take on a second job to live.”
#BAlowpaynoway memes
Show your support for BA mixed lfeet and tell #BAlowpaynoway
- See more at: http://www.unitetheunion.org/campaigning/end-poverty-pay-at-british-airways/#sthash.b6ireBpU.dpuf
Saturday 26 November 2016
Wednesday 23 November 2016
PMSL
BA boss shocked to find out that third Heathrow runway will raze his HQ
Airline chief Wille Walsh furious about not being told of demolition – and about fact he will ‘end up paying for the destruction’
British Airways’ Waterside HQ. Six U-shaped buildings are linked via connecting bridges and a glass roof 17 metres above a cobble-stoned street.
British Airways’ Waterside HQ. Six U-shaped buildings are linked via bridges under a glass roof. Photograph: British Airways/PA
Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent
Wednesday 23 November 2016 00.38 GMT
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The boss of Heathrow’s biggest customer, British Airways, only discovered that building the airport’s planned third runway would require the demolition of his airline’s head office after looking at a map.
Willie Walsh, the chief executive of BA’s parent company IAG, claimed that despite the group being responsible for about half of all flights at the London hub, he received no formal warning of the proposed demolition.
He said: “We were never actually informed or advised by Heathrow that they intended to knock down our headquarters.”
The challenges Heathrow airport must face over third runway
Caroline Pidgeon
Read more
Both IAG and British Airways are based at Waterside in Harmondsworth, which opened in 1998 at a cost of £200m and sits in a 115-hectare (280-acre) manmade park. Walsh said the HQ was “a fantastic environmental achievement on our part”.
However, it looks unlikely to stay that way. “The first I saw of it was when the Airport Commission report came out and I saw a map and I thought, that looks very close to Waterside,” Walsh said. “Then I discovered it actually went right through Waterside.”
Walsh’s grievance over his doomed HQ has been compounded by the prospect of being effectively charged for the compensation bill.
While all properties in the path of the runway will be compulsorily purchased at 25% over the market price, the way Heathrow’s charges are set by the Civil Aviation Authority means that airlines are likely to pay more to operate from the airport as expansion costs grow.
Walsh said: “That compensation goes into the regulatory asset base and we end up paying 56% of that.
“We can’t have a situation where I end up paying for the destruction of my own head office.”
Local residents on Heathrow's third runway: 'I would lose my house, community and friends'
Read more
The Waterside affair may have contributed to apparent rising antipathy from Walsh towards Heathrow, which he lambasted as “fat, dumb and happy” at the Airport Operators Association conference in London.
The IAG boss accused Heathrow of failing to hold proper discussions with airlines about creating a cost-effective airport and expansion plan.
He said: “I don’t think they have the capacity to engage. They’ve never had to go out there and encourage airlines to operate from [Heathrow], unlike every other airport … Heathrow sits there fat, dumb and happy, waiting for the queue to build up.”
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In approving Heathrow’s expansion plans last month, the government said that increased domestic flights from around the UK would be a precondition.
But Walsh stated that his airlines would not operate routes to airports such as Newquay in Cornwall, “even if [Heathrow chief executive] John Holland-Kaye got down and begged me”.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “British Airways has been consulted on the detail of our expansion plans throughout, including options for the relocation of Waterside ahead of the submission to the Airports Commission.
“We are optimising our plans and are determined to work with our airlines to deliver them as cost efficiently as possible, which in turn will keep our airline charges as close to flat with today’s charges as possible.”
Airline chief Wille Walsh furious about not being told of demolition – and about fact he will ‘end up paying for the destruction’
British Airways’ Waterside HQ. Six U-shaped buildings are linked via connecting bridges and a glass roof 17 metres above a cobble-stoned street.
British Airways’ Waterside HQ. Six U-shaped buildings are linked via bridges under a glass roof. Photograph: British Airways/PA
Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent
Wednesday 23 November 2016 00.38 GMT
View more sharing options
Shares
8,464
Comments
834
The boss of Heathrow’s biggest customer, British Airways, only discovered that building the airport’s planned third runway would require the demolition of his airline’s head office after looking at a map.
Willie Walsh, the chief executive of BA’s parent company IAG, claimed that despite the group being responsible for about half of all flights at the London hub, he received no formal warning of the proposed demolition.
He said: “We were never actually informed or advised by Heathrow that they intended to knock down our headquarters.”
The challenges Heathrow airport must face over third runway
Caroline Pidgeon
Read more
Both IAG and British Airways are based at Waterside in Harmondsworth, which opened in 1998 at a cost of £200m and sits in a 115-hectare (280-acre) manmade park. Walsh said the HQ was “a fantastic environmental achievement on our part”.
However, it looks unlikely to stay that way. “The first I saw of it was when the Airport Commission report came out and I saw a map and I thought, that looks very close to Waterside,” Walsh said. “Then I discovered it actually went right through Waterside.”
Walsh’s grievance over his doomed HQ has been compounded by the prospect of being effectively charged for the compensation bill.
While all properties in the path of the runway will be compulsorily purchased at 25% over the market price, the way Heathrow’s charges are set by the Civil Aviation Authority means that airlines are likely to pay more to operate from the airport as expansion costs grow.
Walsh said: “That compensation goes into the regulatory asset base and we end up paying 56% of that.
“We can’t have a situation where I end up paying for the destruction of my own head office.”
Local residents on Heathrow's third runway: 'I would lose my house, community and friends'
Read more
The Waterside affair may have contributed to apparent rising antipathy from Walsh towards Heathrow, which he lambasted as “fat, dumb and happy” at the Airport Operators Association conference in London.
The IAG boss accused Heathrow of failing to hold proper discussions with airlines about creating a cost-effective airport and expansion plan.
He said: “I don’t think they have the capacity to engage. They’ve never had to go out there and encourage airlines to operate from [Heathrow], unlike every other airport … Heathrow sits there fat, dumb and happy, waiting for the queue to build up.”
Advertisement
In approving Heathrow’s expansion plans last month, the government said that increased domestic flights from around the UK would be a precondition.
But Walsh stated that his airlines would not operate routes to airports such as Newquay in Cornwall, “even if [Heathrow chief executive] John Holland-Kaye got down and begged me”.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “British Airways has been consulted on the detail of our expansion plans throughout, including options for the relocation of Waterside ahead of the submission to the Airports Commission.
“We are optimising our plans and are determined to work with our airlines to deliver them as cost efficiently as possible, which in turn will keep our airline charges as close to flat with today’s charges as possible.”
Friday 18 November 2016
LESS ROOM ON BA IN FUTURE
SHOW ME THE F***ING MONEY!’ Greedy British Airways bosses joke about crude slogan ‘Show Me The F***ing Money!’ as passengers face less leg room and cramped seats
Slogan was on a slide at a presentation for investors as hundreds of redundancies are announced
EXCLUSIVE
BY STEPHEN MOYES 17th November 2016, 2:39 am
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BRITISH Airways passengers face less leg room and narrower seats — as axe-wielding bosses joke: “Show Me The F***ing Money!”
The crude slogan was on a slide at a presentation for investors by parent firm IAG, led by Willie Walsh.
BA slide
5
Slide used at presentation with the crude slogan
Meanwhile hundreds of redundancies were announced, and BA’s Boeing 777s are to squeeze an extra seat in economy class rows.
It was among the first seen by IAG and British Airways bondholders, City investors and board members in a slide show titled ‘Annual Report & Accounts 2015’.
World Travel Market trade show, ExCeL, London, UK - 07 Nov 2016 REX FEATURES
5
Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG took responsibility for the slide
The obscene swear word was written in full except for an aeroplane replacing the ‘U’.”
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A respected online travel blogger said: “Crass, tasteless, infantile and moronic are just a few ways I can think of describing the decision to use a slide like that but, more than anything, it shows just how devoid of class IAG (and by extension British Airways) now is.”
A senior union boss representing BA staff who face the axe said: “No one will seriously think he cares about staff or passengers after this.”
british airways waterside headquarters ALAMY
5
‘Hundreds’ of workers will go from BA’s headquarters at Waterside
Despite existing cramped conditions on BA flights, the current nine-seat row on its long-haul aircraft is set to get even tighter – with toilets being stripped out to make way for more seats.
The 10-seat rows in economy will feature in economy cabins on long-haul Boeing 777s flying out of Heathrow and Gatwick.
On industry observer said: “BA is to become even more uncomfortable, with narrower seats and inevitably less leg room.
BA also announced another jobs cull.
Bosses are considering closing its call centres, forcing passengers wanting to book flights online.
BA announced it is spending £400million on improving its Club World inflight section.
Last night the offensive slide had been removed from the pack available to download on the BA presentation to parent firm IAG.
Willie Walsh, chief executive of the International Airlines Group and former boss of British Airways, unashamedly took responsibility for the “crass” slide.
British Airways AP:ASSOCIATED PRESS
5
BA’s Boeing 777s are to squeeze an extra seat in economy class rows
h
Video of plane flying across New York night sky is coolest Supermoon clip yet
He spoke to investor at last Friday's meeting.
A spokesman for IAG told The Sun yesterday: "Willie Walsh has always been unapologetic about the airline industry’s inability to make proper returns and this time he wasn’t going to be outdone by the colourful language of one of his rival airline CEOs."
British Airways said: "We are flying more customers than ever before to our expanding network of destinations.
"To meet this demand we are updating our 777 cabins to bring us into line with many of our competitors and allow us to offer even more low fares.
"As part of the update, we will also be fitting new entertainment systems with bigger screens.
"We will also be making a significant investment in our Club World cabins."
Slogan was on a slide at a presentation for investors as hundreds of redundancies are announced
EXCLUSIVE
BY STEPHEN MOYES 17th November 2016, 2:39 am
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
1
COMMENTS
BRITISH Airways passengers face less leg room and narrower seats — as axe-wielding bosses joke: “Show Me The F***ing Money!”
The crude slogan was on a slide at a presentation for investors by parent firm IAG, led by Willie Walsh.
BA slide
5
Slide used at presentation with the crude slogan
Meanwhile hundreds of redundancies were announced, and BA’s Boeing 777s are to squeeze an extra seat in economy class rows.
It was among the first seen by IAG and British Airways bondholders, City investors and board members in a slide show titled ‘Annual Report & Accounts 2015’.
World Travel Market trade show, ExCeL, London, UK - 07 Nov 2016 REX FEATURES
5
Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG took responsibility for the slide
The obscene swear word was written in full except for an aeroplane replacing the ‘U’.”
–– ADVERTISEMENT ––
A respected online travel blogger said: “Crass, tasteless, infantile and moronic are just a few ways I can think of describing the decision to use a slide like that but, more than anything, it shows just how devoid of class IAG (and by extension British Airways) now is.”
A senior union boss representing BA staff who face the axe said: “No one will seriously think he cares about staff or passengers after this.”
british airways waterside headquarters ALAMY
5
‘Hundreds’ of workers will go from BA’s headquarters at Waterside
Despite existing cramped conditions on BA flights, the current nine-seat row on its long-haul aircraft is set to get even tighter – with toilets being stripped out to make way for more seats.
The 10-seat rows in economy will feature in economy cabins on long-haul Boeing 777s flying out of Heathrow and Gatwick.
On industry observer said: “BA is to become even more uncomfortable, with narrower seats and inevitably less leg room.
BA also announced another jobs cull.
Bosses are considering closing its call centres, forcing passengers wanting to book flights online.
BA announced it is spending £400million on improving its Club World inflight section.
Last night the offensive slide had been removed from the pack available to download on the BA presentation to parent firm IAG.
Willie Walsh, chief executive of the International Airlines Group and former boss of British Airways, unashamedly took responsibility for the “crass” slide.
British Airways AP:ASSOCIATED PRESS
5
BA’s Boeing 777s are to squeeze an extra seat in economy class rows
h
Video of plane flying across New York night sky is coolest Supermoon clip yet
He spoke to investor at last Friday's meeting.
A spokesman for IAG told The Sun yesterday: "Willie Walsh has always been unapologetic about the airline industry’s inability to make proper returns and this time he wasn’t going to be outdone by the colourful language of one of his rival airline CEOs."
British Airways said: "We are flying more customers than ever before to our expanding network of destinations.
"To meet this demand we are updating our 777 cabins to bring us into line with many of our competitors and allow us to offer even more low fares.
"As part of the update, we will also be fitting new entertainment systems with bigger screens.
"We will also be making a significant investment in our Club World cabins."
Thursday 3 November 2016
BA PLAY DOWN FUME EVENTS!!
British Airways accused of downplaying toxic fume risk
British Airways has been warned to stop "downplaying" potentially "toxic fumes"in plane cabins.
It comes after a British Airways flight from San Francisco to Heathrow had an emergency landing last week when crew members reportedly began vomiting mid-air.
The airline later described it as an "odour event" despite flight crews and air traffic control saying the incident involved "toxic gas-like fumes".
Another such incident occurred on a British Airways plane to Los Angeles a day later on October 26, according to the Unite union.
British Airways again put it down to an "odour event"- but Unite understands a full fume drill was performed on the flight deck - which would have involved the crew putting on oxygen masks.
The union is now calling on the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to release figures on fume incidents and investigate how airlines classify "fume events".
It has also urged people who have been involved in a fume event to record it on its dedicated fume register or phone its hotline number 03330 146569.
A British Airways spokesperson said: "We continue to conduct thorough and detailed investigations which we share with the CAA. We always encourage our people to report any potential incident to allow us to investigate them."
In 2012, former BA pilot Richard Westgate died after repeated exposure to contaminated cabin air, according to his parents.
Judith and Peter Westgate believe their son was the victim of "aerotoxic syndrome" - a condition the aviation industry does not recognise.
The coroner who investigated Richard's death, Sheriff Stanhope Payne, was so concerned about the evidence he encountered that he wrote to BA and the CAA to warn that there is a risk of future deaths unless action is taken.
BA PLAY DOWN FUME EVENTS!!
British Airways accused of downplaying toxic fume risk
British Airways has been warned to stop "downplaying" potentially "toxic fumes"in plane cabins.
It comes after a British Airways flight from San Francisco to Heathrow had an emergency landing last week when crew members reportedly began vomiting mid-air.
The airline later described it as an "odour event" despite flight crews and air traffic control saying the incident involved "toxic gas-like fumes".
Another such incident occurred on a British Airways plane to Los Angeles a day later on October 26, according to the Unite union.
British Airways again put it down to an "odour event"- but Unite understands a full fume drill was performed on the flight deck - which would have involved the crew putting on oxygen masks.
The union is now calling on the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to release figures on fume incidents and investigate how airlines classify "fume events".
It has also urged people who have been involved in a fume event to record it on its dedicated fume register or phone its hotline number 03330 146569.
A British Airways spokesperson said: "We continue to conduct thorough and detailed investigations which we share with the CAA. We always encourage our people to report any potential incident to allow us to investigate them."
In 2012, former BA pilot Richard Westgate died after repeated exposure to contaminated cabin air, according to his parents.
Judith and Peter Westgate believe their son was the victim of "aerotoxic syndrome" - a condition the aviation industry does not recognise.
The coroner who investigated Richard's death, Sheriff Stanhope Payne, was so concerned about the evidence he encountered that he wrote to BA and the CAA to warn that there is a risk of future deaths unless action is taken.
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