[JordanD]

I’ve got to say, regardless of the above, what BA offers to its staff members as part of the terms of their employment or as part of their employment (non-contracted) package is entirely their choice. It seems odd people are so keen in wanting to go into whether Pilot ‘A’ or CSD ‘B’ gets XYZ as part of their package – and I guess (and it is only my guess) that these same people would be the ones who would get upset if it was the other way around.

That’s just my two pence. I’ve always been one not to look a gift horse in the mouth, so if it is all above board (i.e. a permissable gift or offer), be it a free ticket to an event or a VIP entry card, I’ll happily accept!

[MartynSinclair]

1. There is a difference between a free gift and a perk. A perk is generally a taxable benefit. Employees of airlines should not be exempt from paying their share of tax on “perks” that most other employees would suffer (I certainly had to suffer a P11D charge when I was employed and my family benefited from travel perks).

2. Staff benefits bother me, when revenue passengers are affected. The pages are filled with concerns about the difficulty of using Avios points, the number of tier points needed to reach certain levels and the size / capacity of some lounges, as well as the access rules of such lounges, especially the T5 arrivals lounge. Giving away these highly valued benefits for free, to staff or others, is simply wrong.

3. I believe in rewarding staff properly, but in their pay packet, not un-taxed freebies. Captains earning £150K++ is very fare. Cabin Crew earning less than £18K, IMHO, should be paid more. However, that doesn’t mean companies should bait employees with perks.

[londonlad]

Ok Martyn, you obviously have an agenda. See your post:

“This stems from their own ban on staff kids in F right up to CEO level until aged 12.”

I have seen many staff members with kids under 12 using F, generally all pilots.”

Oh and how did you know they were pilots? Wearing their Ray Bans?Now, that NEVER happens. Any child under 12 means the whole family have a Club priority. It is all done by computer.

No revenue passenger is EVER affected by a staff passenger. So please, go and check your facts.

[MartynSinclair]

“No revenue passenger is EVER affected by a staff passenger”

If only that were true!

Your current handle appears new to this forum (3rd post) so with the greatest of respect to you, please research previous threads on the subject.

[Binman62]

Londonlad….you are on the wrong forum to start defending BA staff perks. I have been affected by how staff have behaved and been treated. Being the only F passenger on a flight HKG LHR and finding at push back the sudden appearance of 13 klingons. The entire atmosphere of the flight changed and is was unacceptable given the fare paid. Customer relations also accepted that this was entirely wrong.
No one cares about what perks you have it is about how they are flaunted and there are too many examples of unofficial upgrades and service degradations caused by staff passengers. This might be the infamous 60B issue or the crowds hanging around gates trying to catch the eye of the redcap. This particular post lamented the idea that flight crew would be given complimentary silver cards and thus further erode the lounge experience. It may have been a rumour without foundation however coming as it did in a year that has seen the erosion of benefits especially for gold card holders it struck a nerve. As things stand the summer will be a bumper one for staff travel as there is currently about 3 months when redemption seats are almost nonexistent on long haul
As a premium passenger with a gold card earned via my own spend and not some corporate entity I can also tell you that BA policy towards families is poor and toward children in premium cabins worse still. It is by and large driven by the internal policy of banning children up to the age of 12 from First for senior managers and those who have access to that cabin. Consequently the sight of a 6 year old in First is often, but not universally, treated with horror. The same is true n the lounges. My favourite game when flying BA, and I will play it again next week, is send my two kids both under 10 towards the entry to T5 Concorde room that is reserved for First passengers. They are invariably shooed away only for the embarrassed dragon to allow access second later when they produce boarding passes.
BA is a very good airline but it is flawed in many ways. Staff attitude to customers has improved but in many respects has a very long way to go. Before there is further naval gazing at BA more focus on the customer is long overdue.

[MartynSinclair]

londonlad you failed to comment on the P11D issue and why you feel it is right that BA crew should be exempt from paying tax and what clearly is a company perk or are you of the opinion that its not fair that you should be taxed like everyone else.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

I have no idea whether this rumour is true, but what I find interesting is the feedback from some posters on the forum.

BA has certainly annoyed a percentage of it’s core customer base over the last year or two, reducing standards and providing poor ground service and pumping up prices, as well as withdrawing some card entitlements.

Given the outlook for 2012 and the massive sales seen recently, one does wonder if the management team made the right calls on some of these decisions.

The BA management team would do well to recognise the wisdom of carefully managing existing customers and not poking them with a sharp stick.

[CallMeShirley]

Guys, please be wary. There are threads on 2 BA cabin crew forums stirring this up and crew are purposely posting on sites like this to try and spread rumours and reporting back to their mates. It’s the same industrial terrorism that got the “BA captain gets teen pregnant” story in the press earlier this week.

There is no plan to give pilots silver cards but there is a plan to allow pilots into the lounges during disruption to talk to customers. This requires a change to company policy as it stands, as quite rightly pilots are not allowed into the lounges in uniform. That is the only change that is being considered. There is no justification for just giving them a silver card gratis and if there was it would be part of a wider negotiation within the company.

The trolls on here are being encouraged by their colleagues on other websites to get premium customers like yourselves to kick up a fuss and write to management. They tried this previously over the Captain’s ability to upgrade as they saw fit once doors are closed. petty internal squabbling played out in an undignified way in front of our valued customers. Please accept my apologies on behalf of my cretinous colleagues.

There is a political agenda behind this, please don’t fall for it. My guess is a recently sacked rep is sitting at home and engaging in this terrorism to smear BA and particularly its pilots. Expect more stories, this twisted individual will not stop til he’s locked up.

[BeckyBoop]

Forget the BA perk/benefit for a minute.. I get free gym membership paid for by my firm. On top of that they own (have shares) in a different a spa and gym so if i go i am autmatically a vip because work at the corp office. I get free manicures, pedicures and discounts of all the other treatments and products they sell.. does this put me in the same situation as the ba staff and make me and me and my co tax cheats or be imoral?
xx

[MartynSinclair]

The idea of any staff member walking around a lounge and speaking to customers is excellent but would question why the need to change out of uniform.

Whether its Cabin Crew , Pilot or even an Engineer (with or without overalls), passengers would appreciate the visibility of a staff member to approach and speak to about any concerns or even praise.

In T5 there is a chaplain with a very visible badge that often wonders around and on occasions I have spoken to him. Why should there be a need for a company representative to change into civvies to walk round a lounge to talk to passengers. Its not as if they are entering the lounge to consume alcohol or eat the food!

It may even awaken the lounge dragons from their “slumber” and make them focus more on becoming lounge angels.

[RichHI1]

It might be an idea for members of BA management to include talking to passengers in the lounges on a regular basis as part of their job. IF customers are still seen as important that is.

[Hippocampus]

Well surprise, surprise, so the claim pilots are being given complimentary silver cards as a perk is utter tosh intended to wind up BASSA members and stoke division and envy.

I for one welcome greater visibility of the pilots amongst passengers and this seems to be shared amongst many passengers.

There really are some sad and bitter members of BASSA.

[RichHI1]

The difference being you do not belong to BASSA?

[MartynSinclair]

BeckyBoop – you may find the attached interesting.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/paye/exb/a-z/s/sports.htm#2

I have no idea what profession or sector you are employed in and whether you earn over the £8,500 threshold.

The issue surrounding perks is more relevant today than maybe 5 or 6 years ago, simply because of “austerity”.

Just because a space is available or an item remains unsold does not mean it is available for use without the payment of tax or national insurance.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

Martyn

How many years has the P11D limit been £8,500?

I think this would be below the legal minimum wage for a full time employee.

It used to be for directors and ‘higher paid’ employees.

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