British Airways, pilots become flight attendants: idea causes debate
An area company linked to the famous carrier British Airways has made a surprising and unexpected proposal to the [...]
An area company linked to the famous carrier British Airways has made a surprising and unexpected proposal to its pilots, to say the least. It is the CityFlyer, which anticipates the arrival of a scorching summer, to say the least, in terms of bookings. And that is why it intends to increase its number of flight attendants by as many as 4,000, in time to meet the needs of the many flights departing in the coming months, while avoiding having to subject the "few" currently salaried employees to grueling shifts.
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But what, then, is the proposal for the pilots? They are offered the opportunity to take a training course of as much as six weeks. This would enable them to train as flight attendants, so that they can intervene if necessary. They would have to learn the security measures, the whole routine, and would be allowed to serve food to passengers.
Pilots become flight attendants: it's controversy
Does CityFlyer's proposal really turn pilots into flight attendants? The answer is obviously no. The training course offers additional skills, but under no circumstances will it change the salary received, which certainly does not come close to that of stewardesses and stewards. At the same time, however, there is also no provision for a salary increase, to be triggered should their interventions among passengers become necessary.
It is one of those situations where the company asks for a sacrifice from employees for the common good. A condition that turns noses up, and not a little. The main reason, in addition to the fact that the pilots find this incredibly ridiculous (a source told The Sun), is the fact that British Airways laid off as many as 10,000 employees not more than two years ago.
To find ourselves now asking for the help of pilots, even though we are talking about a satellite carrier, is quite absurd. Some of that staff could have been redeployed, and instead today we are surprised at the low number of flight attendants. This is the thinking of the employees, according to the anonymous source.
The Discovery program
Discovery is the name given to the learning program launched by British Airways, which said through the words of a spokesperson, "We are proud to have launched our Discovery learning program, offering employees the chance to try their hand at operating in other areas for a limited period."
There seems to be no interest on the part of the pilots in this option. Should one or more of them accept, however, they would find themselves stepping in as flight attendants, if needed, for a minimum period of 2 1/2 months, which could be extended and perhaps last from May to September, i.e., for the entire summer season.
British Airways pilots also recently received a 5% increase on their salaries. An opportune timing, considering the request made. In the case of other employees, however, it was a bonus of 5%, non-repeatable therefore. Speaking of bonuses, the carrier tries to throat with a proposal somewhat reminiscent of those of telephone companies: bring a friend and receive a discount. In this case, however, by involving friends or relatives in the Discovery program you get a ÂŁ300 bonus, about 350 euros.
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