BA may not re-open LGW

[Wodrick]

LGW operation

[Boac]

The BA heart has never been in it anyway.

[Capetonian]

As far as I am concerned I have lost the last vestige of respect I had for BA's management. It's a tragedy for the dedicated and hard-working staff, who have seen their privileges and working conditions eroded, the company ethos changed from one of pride and dedication to one of bitterness and suspicion towards their lousy rotten Irish/Spanish FSW management.

I mentioned elsewhere that a friend's daughter is a CSD. I spoke to him today to find out how she is, and the answer was that they had a three hour tearful discussion over her future. She is about 30, loves the job, has done very well in the 10 years or so that she's been with the airline, and is now distraught over the possibility of being laid off. She is currently furloughed.

I did two shorthaul flights from/to LHR in December on BA in 'Club' and on both sectors the crew, service, and food were excellent. The whole thing is such a shame that these two pricks have destroyed an airline that was once the pride of the nation.

[tango15]

Boac:
I think the same. Gatwick was used for the 'holiday' traffic largely, where there was unlikely to be much transfer traffic, which LHR relies on to a much greater extent. The whole BA involvement with LGW was brought about by their takeover of both BCal and Dan. Until then, BA saw LGW as a second-class airport. I suspect that BA will flog off the slots and make a bit of coin to keep them going for a while, when things return to something approaching normal.

Capetonian:
Couldn't agree more. BA have some of the best people there is in the business at working level. Flight crews, engineers, ground staff etc., but the managment is appalling. I have friends who were flight crew (now retired), who say they are glad to be out of it, which is always a sad comment to hear. My recent flights with BA were also in Club and I couldn't fault the staff or the service, but I felt sorry for them having to work in the way they do now.
My friends who are now retired think that the cull will invole many of the older staff members, whose salaries, by definition, are higher than those of the new entrants and they believe that this is the gift from God which BA has been looking for for some time.

[barkingmad]

BA never liked LGW, though their participation, enthusiasm and pride in Jubilee House and the North Terminal initially belied that ‘commitment’.
The slow inexorable rundown of schedules, the creeping ‘selloff’ of Jubilee House and finally moving out of their pride & joy to the South Terminal, traditionally the site of those ‘peasant’ charter scum, meant only one thing which has come to pass under the Covid cover.
Does anyone know if this is at the direction or instigation of the FSW and what is Wee Willie doing to earn his generous salary and pension/stock rewards?
All I can say to BA staff is accept my commiserations. I was glad to escape 10 years before final headset hangup, into the independents’ world with no regrets and I hope with your pedigree you will find suitable employment in what’s left of the airline industry after this worldwide business suicide is done & dusted.

[Capetonian]

.......... older staff members, whose salaries, by definition, are higher than those of the new entrants and they believe that this is the gift from God which BA has been looking for for some time.

It may also be a gift from God for those older staff members who are tired and jaded after years of doing the job. When I engineered my way out of my old company at the age of 55 and got a reasonable 'package' I was laughing all the way to the bank. I made them want to get rid of me, they tried to get me to leave voluntarily, but I was tougher than they.

ll I can say to BA staff is accept my commiserations. I was glad to escape 10 years before final headset hangup, into the independents’ world with no regrets and I hope with your pedigree you will find suitable employment in what’s left of the airline industry after this worldwide business suicide is done & dusted.

+1.

[ExSp33db1rd]

........and what is Wee Willie doing to earn his generous salary and pension/stock rewards?

And his Lifetime Staff Travel, once promised to all but now only retained by him ! Barsteward.

My only ( now minimal but once 100% ) respect for BA these days is because of my pension, I know it's supposed to be a separate issue, but never say never and I don't trust them not to raid the fund if they go under - remember The Daily Mirror and United Airlines ? - so let's hope they survive in some shape or another. Also read a comment that not only Gatwick, but they may close down their Heathrow operation - Huh ?

[Boac]

I've seen too much of 'BA-think' to be wary of the offer of re-employment for the 'dispatched' on new terms.

[ExSp33db1rd]

I agree. Know thine enemy.

[Ibbie]

Noticed a rumour yesterday somewhere that Jet2, who are very quiet at the moment and not doing much to attract attention, may be eyeing up some of BA's shorthaul operations at Gatwick and possibly some of Norwegian's short and longhaul from there as well.

It's almost fire sale time!

[barkingmad]

Workforce’s were screwed in the post 9/11 “restructuring” which seemed to happen suspiciously quickly. This gave rise to the idea that these plans had been “taken off the shelf, dusted down and activated”, having been drawn up long before the relevant cataclysmic event.
What’s the chances we’re watching a repeat of that strategy and that these current moves were not thought up on the hoof by FSW and WW but have been ‘date-stamped’ some time ago.

[Boac]

OK - here's my theory on BA/Gatwick: The nasty grabbing management now see way to get the low-cost BA airline set up at Gatwick, having mostly failed after taking over DanAir.

First, get the government to fund the furloughing rather than use any of our own Euros

Second, declare absolute death and destruction needing the lay-off of 12,000 staff

Third, drop broad hints that BA Gatwick will not 're-open'.

Fourth, set up a new LC outfit using Vueling (an IAG subsidiary) at Gatwick using existing leased airframes and IT systems.

Fifth, recruit from the large pool of 'hungry' staff to fill the posts in 'BAling', not forgetting to offer those we made redundant the opportunity to apply also for the (reduced) T&Cs there, and wave some small titbit to make them feel better like "We will recognise previous BA service (up to xx years)

It's a gift. I guess also there would be some 'grandfather rights on existing slots. parking, facilities etc etc

We appear to be at stage 3 at present.

[Woody]

We’re already at stage 5 at LHR, but no recognition of previous service

[Undried Plum]

Noticed a rumour yesterday somewhere that Jet2, who are very quiet at the moment and not doing much to attract attention, may be eyeing up some of BA's shorthaul operations at Gatwick and possibly some of Norwegian's short and longhaul from there as well.

I hope you're right, Ibbie.

On the 29th of March I bought 8,000 shares in Dart Group.

My reasoning was that the collapse in the airline industry is going to eventuate in winners and losers.

The losers will be the ones with: low cash reserves; high debt; bolshie unions; low and deteriorating reputation. The winners will be the ones who are left after the losers lose.

My feeling has been, for months before we'd heard of Covid-19, that Norwegian is in the same condition that Flymaybe was for well over a year. I guess that the Noggie gumment may prop up a domestic rump for a while, just as they will support Widerøe and Braathens, because domestic air travel is vital for Norway.

The bog-trotting harpies will prolly survive as they have an excellent capital structure and their reputation as ruthless exploiters of stupid people is already lower than ***** and cannot possibly sink any lower.

Baboons Arse will survive, but in a form whose truncation has been eloquently described above by people who know far than I ever will.

[Boac]

We’re already at stage 5 at LHR, but no recognition of previous service

That comes as news to me! You are saying redundancies have been actioned and 'new' posts are being offered?

[Capetonian]

Time alone will tell if it was a good move, but on the same basis as UP, I bought shares in EZJ about 3 weeks ago. Obviously the intent is to hold them for a while.

[Woody]

I’ve posted a longer version of this elsewhere

. BA intent to make 12000 staff redundant across the whole airline, with the figures for our areas outlined below:

2. British Airways have already stated that they intend to begin making remaining employees redundant from the 15th June onwards and offer new inferior contracts to those they believe to be suitable.
3. Anyone made redundant will be forced to leave employment on statutory redundancy pay, rather than a severance package. This is often a third of the value of severance.
4. If you are deemed “suitable” to be re-employed, all your current pay, agreements, terms and conditions, and even the employment policies that cover you, will become null and void. If you do not accept these changes, you will be immediately dismissed.
5. BA have stated they will begin to do so 43 days from now.

[Boac]

Thanks, Woody - found the other post. That is disgraceful. Sorry to hear it. Has there been anything official from BA as I see that was just part of a Union letter? Does anyone know how the 'redundancies' are going to play at Gatwick?

Have BA said how they will be conducting the 'selections'? If it is like DanAir, my letter began "You have not been selected" ........(at which point I suffered a BM Hasenfutter ingestion) - "for redundancy" - breathe again. Apparently that form of phrasing was necessary for legal reasons to avoid possible action for those less 'fortunate'. Three weeks previously I had exchanged contracts on a house 4 times the price of the one I had moved from In Scotland............

Again it was 'statutory redundancy' only for the ones not 'retained'. Is there any indication of when the new 'inferior' contracts will appear on offer and what they comprise?

[G-CPTN]

Is there any indication of when the new 'inferior' contracts will appear on offer and what they comprise?

Zero hours with crews expected to assemble at airports from which they will be selected for flights.

[Woody]

BOAC haven’t been able to copy the company “offer”, but that’s pretty close to it, amazingly every section got the same letter, just with different figures redundancy!

LGW , if it does reopen all staff would be transfer to Gatwick Ground Services, wholly owned subsidiary, no idea about t’s and c’s