[SimonS1]

Apologies if you thought I was rude but I can’t see anything in the article which refers to an average UK income of less than £12,000 or remotely suggests that.

A quick Google of the term “average UK salary” gives the answer from several sources – £26,500.

[nmh1204]

as I said, I made a mistake,
If you scroll down the article, there is a table, most of those figures are below £12,000.

[KarlMarx]

“s far as £12,000 being more than the average worker earns I would suggest nmh1204 does some further research. Then again this forum does have a record of posters who don’t have a scooby what they are talking about.”

This was rude, no doubt about it and I would prefer that SimonS1 apologised properly, there is no need for this type of snarky comment.

[SimonS1]

Nmh1204 – yes but you actually have to read the headings on the table. Look at the line that says “average disposable income” and see how many figures are under £12,000 (and that is after tax – gross income would be higher). In other words a wage of £12,000 would have put you in bottom 10% of population 3 years ago.

KarlMarx – thank you for coming to nmh1204’s defence. I did apologise earlier however I doubly apologise again for being rude, maybe as you are the go between you can pass my apologies on.

[BigDog.]

It is a pity the UK Govt cannot protect the “British” brand name when a user falls desperately short of acceptable British standards.

It is scandalous that the taxpayers need to sub the BA payroll. If it were possible, similar to Royal Patronage being withdrawn (eg Harrods under Al-Fayed) HMGovt should withdraw its patronage and suggest British Airways is rebranded as Canary Hamlets Airways or Tower Warf Airways as its behaviour is more synonymous with their modus operandi and typifies their morals.

[Goldielox]

Hauptmann,

Welcome to the forum. As I am sure you have surmised by now, this is a very sensitive topic of conversation and is best not to speak of such praise of the new generation world of BA and their aforementioned CEO in such a positive light, especially in your first post. Unfortunately the austerity measures, efficiency and transformations programs like that of the Mixed Fleet initiative developed by Walsh and his leadership team have not been popular by many members, as many have had their fingers and toes burnt by the various ‘enhancements’ (changes) implemented within the company to products and services, working conditions and some cases even their financial investments destroyed. If you have been fortunate to had a primo experience with the airline, then it still is not best to counter the argument but to perhaps be more sympathetic to their argument, unless of course however your experience relates to the glory days of the pre Walsh era where the airline lead the commercial aviation world through innovation, quality, world renowned service and was a top employer.

[JohnHarper]

” Goldielox – 23/06/2014 21:09 GMT

Hauptmann,

Welcome to the forum. As I am sure you have surmised by now, this is a very sensitive topic of conversation and is best not to speak of such praise of the new generation world of BA and their aforementioned CEO in such a positive light, especially in your first post. Unfortunately the austerity measures, efficiency and transformations programs like that of the Mixed Fleet initiative developed by Walsh and his leadership team have not been popular by many members, as many have had their fingers and toes burnt by the various ‘enhancements’ (changes) implemented within the company to products and services, working conditions and some cases even their financial investments destroyed. If you have been fortunate to had a primo experience with the airline, then it still is not best to counter the argument but to perhaps be more sympathetic to their argument, unless of course however your experience relates to the glory days of the pre Walsh era where the airline lead the commercial aviation world through innovation, quality, world renowned service and was a top employer.”

Oh dear, oh dear. The game playing has well and truly started again.

[JohnHarper]

As I’ve just pointed out, Wee Willie is now on a daily rate of £13698. When you consider that your safety may be in the hands of a member of mixed fleet crew earning as basic less than that a year his earnings are nothing short of grotesque. Wee Willie will of course earn more than 8K in bonuses too.

I would value cabin crew way above that nauseating character.

[Hauptmann]

Willie Walsh has lead BA/IAG through difficult times and delivered results, I do not understand why other posters would attack such a talented leader. If he earns £14K per day, then that is fully justified by the cost savings he has skillfully delivered, leading BA/IAG to a profitable business, when other competitors are experiencing real difficulties breaking even.

A CEO is not employed to be popular, but to get results and WW has done that, creating a healthier group, with sustainable employment for the thousands who work there, including many IT professionals and other professionally qualified personnel.

Cabin crew have always (as long as I remember) needed 2 GCSEs to work for BA and the university degrees mentioned by other posters simply over qualified some people and their expectations. Cabin crew stay with most airlines for a few years, see the world (without having to kill foreigners), have a great time and then move on to real careers, where they benefit from the experiences they gained, a kind a gap year with pay and responsibility. I watched the BA TV show and though the selection process worked well, with Alice being recognised as the right type and some others being weeded out as not up to the job. How other posters can say that people like Alice are not to be relied on is beyond me.

I have recently flown on BA on new 77W, A380, 787 and 320 aircraft (with the brilliant new Club Europe seat, that is so much more comfortable than the old converter type) and it is obvious to any open minded individual that BA has turned the corner and is now moving into a new phase.

A cost conscious and profitable business is a sustainable business, employing thousands of people and I salute WW and the IAG board, as well as Keith Williams, for sticking with their winning strategy and delivering sustained success. IAG will now use it’s honed turn around skills to finish the job at Iberia and integrate Vueling into the group, making it the strongest airline group in Europe.

[dutchyankee]

Oh Captain, my Captain (Hauptmann), how lovely it has been to read your BA Public Relations blurb. We were wondering when VK/SM would be reincarnated, and then here you are, Fabulous! As usual, pushing your BA agenda, but none the less, such fun that you are back. I guess with all the travelling you have been doing to Austin, Jo-Burg, Los Angeles, etc., on all those brand new BA planes has kept you from your beloved forum. You have even enjoyed the ‘brilliant’ 30 inch pitch economy seat you call the `new club europe seat.’ My goodness, but you do have all the luck and get to try all the latest and greatest BA have to offer. You cant see it, but I am applauding you right now, although getting some stares here in the lounge, never-the-less, when someone as travelled and knowledgeable as yourself shares such wisdom, I feel the need to show my appreciation wherever I am!

Curious about your view of OF being now classified as Club World, and with NF having been only a minor tweak of the OF and with BA continually offering free one way upgrades from CW to NF, will it just be a matter of time before NF is likewise classified as Club World, at least then it will become somewhat more competitive versus most other carriers latest business class. I’m just asking as your opinion is so valued.

As for WW, you are of course correct, as you always are (silly me), a CEO`s job is not to be popular but to extract the best results possible from the organization he or she leads. It should not matter at all how he gets those results, who he hurts, insults, demonizes, or destroys in the process, and of course he should be justly rewarded for his `outstanding` performance. I guess a few on this forum just have a different understanding of what WW`s just reward should be. But I for one am grateful you have cleared all that up for me.

Now where can I buy one of those lovely Pill Box Hats I see those charming crew wearing? I am sure one of them will sell me theirs as apparently they need to make ends meet on their paltry salary.

[SimonS1]

I am standing and saluting as we speak. I will even switch the photo of HM with one of WW.

[WillieWelsh]

Hauptmann – 24/06/2014 05:11 GMT

Welcome back VintageKrug, we haven’t missed you but why post under yet another name – oh, of course because you were banned as VK and SM!

All that travel on new aircraft, you are so lucky, the four A319s I’ve been on recently have all been quite dirty and had plenty of duct tape in evidence.

As you are so well connected please call in the interiors manager and have her address the problems with the existing fleet instead of inspecting new planes in safety goggles and a hi-viz jacket, she would have so much more to do with the older models rather than the factory fresh ones.

As for the nauseous CEO of IAG, well after reading the comments above about his pay v’s that of a mixed fleet crew member I think I’d quite like to scrape him off my shoe back into the bogs of Ireland.

Yes CEOs are meant to get the best from their organisation but not at the cost of demoralising people and ensuring their pay is so low it is subsidised by the British taxpayers of which I am one.

Alternatively perhaps we should not feed the troll or his side-kick.

[IanFromHKG]

Maximising short-term shareholder returns ony works short-term. After that, the risks of customer disenchantment and brand dilution may (and I only say may) outweigh the cost savings and result in decreased value

There is in many cases a natural tension between shareholder return and customer satisfaction – Ryanair being a cracking example of how focusing on the latter produces great returns right up until the latter becomes such a drag that the pendulum swings back the other way.

The trouble is that BA is trying to market itself as a premium airline – one that focuses on customer satisfaction – but doesn’t really deliver.

Here’s an interesting article on how both can be achieved.
http://fortune.com/2014/06/12/most-admired-wells-fargo/

I happened to hear John Stumpf speak recently, and he emphasised that it was never the goal to become the world’s most valuable bank. The goal was to serve customers, first and foremost. It was just that the culture of the bank, and in particular that culture of service, meant that it became popular with customers, which made the bank successful, which drove up the share price. Hey presto, a virtuous circle.

[canucklad]

The simple question is this…….
Is WW, conservatively speaking 300 times more valuable than a person who has the following responsibilities………

• To ensure operational safety, security and health and safety responsibilities are performed to the highest standards and are compliant with EU-Ops, British Airways requirements and all other relevant legislation
• Maintain safety compliance at all times with Safety & Equipment Procedures (recency) training
• Deliver world-class service excellence inline with our service standards and behaviours
• To ensure compliance with all corporate policies and procedures in accordance with relevant legislation
• To act as a British Airways role model to crew, colleagues and customers adhering to our uniform standards
• To build effective working relationships with colleagues and service partners to work as one team
• To deliver the crew objectives set by the business and a personal development plan, developing self-awareness through 360 feedback

Oh, and that’s only the guiding principles!
Strangely, the front page of glossy advert for mixed fleet makes no reference to safety !

[IanFromHKG]

More valuable to whom, canucklad? To a passenger with no financial stake in the airline/group? – of course not. To a shareholder? – presumably yes.

Value and worth don’t necessarily co-exist, and rarely stay unchanged by a shift in perspective.

Don’t get me wrong, I am no BA/IAG/WW apologist. However, a good CEO can certainly make more difference to a large company than 300 junior employees, even if their responsibilities are as serious as those you list. The realiity is also that none of those 300 hypothetical employees has sole responsibility for any of the things on the list, and if you take a closer look at the list then none of the attributes are terribly different to those of any front-line employee in a service organisation.

IAG has ample large shareholders with sufficient combined clout to get rid of WW. Since they haven’t done so, one can only presume that they feel he is worth what he is paid

[Author]

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