[rferguson]

@ alexpo

I believe that the best BA cabin crew possible would be a combination of both MF and legacy crew on a flight. Why? Well frankly what are MF’s strengths are legacy fleets weaknesses and vice versa.

Mixed Fleet tend to be young, enthusiastic and eager to please. Yet they lack experience. By ‘experience’ I don’t mean heating up a steak or serving a glass of wine. I mean experience in dealing with situations that happen on board from time to time such as drunk or disruptive passengers, passengers complaining about an issue, people having ‘intimate’ moments, passengers getting sick…the list goes on! Legacy crew have dealt with these issues time and time again.

And on the flipside – it’s no secret that legacy fleet can appear demotivated and just ‘going through the motions’ in their job, displaying little passion or enthusiasm. Mixed Fleet could inject new blood into the legacy fleets, without a doubt.

MF are saving BA a shed load of money. Yet, there are still issues on both fleets that need addressing. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I am main crew on a post ’97 contract and take home slightly more than a CSM on Mixed Fleet. MF CSM’s and crew get 9 days off per month. I average 11-15. MF are aware of this, and many are not happy. Turnover is high and sometimes BA has to recruit to replace those lost that were only recruited twelve months ago. While BA does not want a scenario where crew stay forever, they are aiming for the two to three year mark.

However, I believe that much of the bitterness that some legacy crew felt towards MF has now gone. People are more angry with how BA have gone about ‘dividing’ the fleets. This causes problems. OK, we all know that people will be on different pay scales. Even within legacy fleet we are on different pay scales. Crew who joined pre ’97 are on significantly better than the likes of myself who joined post ’97. But we knew what we were getting when we signed up for the job, so we just get on with it.

But which other airline gives one group of cabin crew hats, and not everyone else? Which allows one group of female cabin crew to wear trousers with the uniform but not others? Even ridiculous petty things. I will share with you a quick tale now. I was recently walking through the crew report centre when a MF CSM who would have been no older than 22 approached me to advise me that ‘I wasn’t wearing my uniform to standard’. When I asked what it was that wasn’t to standard she pointed to the small key chain attached to my trousers where I keep my bunk and duty free/liquor bar keys. I told her that I had been wearing the keys as such for twelve years without issue, and that I wasn’t aware it contravened uniform standards. Very patronisingly, she offered to show me where on the intranet the contravention is mentioned. But on perusing the ‘Uniform standards guide’ she had to offer me a grovelling apology as this particular uniform guideline only applied to Mixed Fleet – not legacy fleet! Have you ever heard of something so ridiculous? Can you imagine the annoyance a 55 year old lady with 30 years service would have felt being pulled up on such a thing? It begs the question as to WHY there are two different uniform standards. I really felt sorry for this poor young girl being put in such a position.

Things have moved on though. The cabin crew head that was given the task of implementing the ‘mixed fleet’ module has now moved on and been replaced with a straight talking dutchman that has come from a background of transformational change within departments. I went to a recent Q&A with him and his view was that three separate fleets at one base was ‘unsustainable in the long term’.

Personally, I would like to see a merge of fleets. And I believe the recent pay deal voted on by legacy crew is the first step to this happening. I posted details of the pay deal in this discussion:
http://www.businesstraveller.com/discussion/topic/Saved-MixedFleet-and-777-300ER-A-pound-30m-Uplift-Save-BA-s-SYD-Route,-For-Now

***These are my personal opinions only***

[CplFizzle]

Rferguson that was very interesting to read. How long would you say the average length of time a mixed fleet crew member has been with the airline and what ratio of MF crew are there to legacy?

[EU_Flyer]

@ rferguson

I always find your posts very informative. You seem to have a passion for flying and the BA business. I always assumed you were a CSM given that you sound like someone who is/should be in a leadership role.

One question.

Would you mind sharing with the forum what it was that made you become cabin crew? I am always intrigued at what motivates people to chose their careers and what motivates them in life generally. Did you do something else before joining BA?

Please pardon the intrusion and answer only if you wish.

Many thanks from this boring lawyer who dreams of becoming a flight attendant. 😉

[londonlad]

When Mixed Fleet was introduced it was forecast they would be doing half of all the routes in 10 years.

Due to the success of the fleet and the huge cost savings this has been brought forward two years. (8 years)

The massive recruitment continues with applications running at many times the spaces available.

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

Good morning rferguson

Quite apart from the fact you write so well, I would like to thank you for your very candid post @21:49.

[AnthonyDunn]

Yes, I too endorse the comments above. I’ve learned more about the reality of day-to-day CC life from your very informative and considered postings than from anywhere else – for which very many thanks.

If I too might intrude a tad further, a propos digging out stuff on Emirates’ funding and costs of capital, I was re-reading Emirates’ self-justification published in 2012:

http://content.emirates.com/us/english/images/airlines%20and%20subsidy%20-%20our%20position%20new_tcm272-845771.pdf

and was struck by their analysis of labour cost per employee (page 17) in which they state their (2012) unit cost per employee is USD 45K whereas inter alia BA’s is USD 77K.

Emirates also claim:

“Despite enjoying a lower cost base than in Europe and North America, Emirates also has a skilled workforce with productivity rates higher than the industry average”.

Dare I ask, does BA crew management pass on such utterances and analyses to its staff, are such comparisons common knowledge in the crew room and does this influence or you and your colleagues understanding of the situation that BA confronts? I would also add that I have never forgotten Michael O’Leary’s remark that BA was “a pension fund with wings…” I am genuinely curious as to what level of understanding there is of the wider industry situation and the reality of global competition when the West is no longer able to dictate the terms.

[Author]

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