Friday 30 January 2009

British Airways Staff Travel

Please comment on any aspect of this topic.

And please note, only comments which properly and clearly identify the writer will be published.

4 comments:

  1. I recently published this on the www.BA-be-fair.com website .......

    I don't know what pensioners reactions were to the request from Willie Walsh to support the push for a 3rd runway at Heathrow, but I supported the request.

    I scratched his back, and he has kicked me up the **** by way of thanks.

    From a purely personal standpoint, living in New Zealand, granting me the concession to purchase ZED fares through Staff Travel will cost BA absolutely nothing, BA don't service New Zealand anymore, but I need to be part of the 'family' to use Qantas, for instance.

    The Jan. 22nd edition of B.A. News is full of self congratulatory comments from staff regarding the 3rd Runway, but also makes a comment about the imminent introduction of Staff Travel 2009 from a Hilary Brayfield, described as Policy Co-ordinator, Staff Travel - perhaps she is the person to whom you should now send your letters ?

    I have just sent this to W.Walsh, with a copy to Ms. Brayfield. Other may wish to do the same.

    31st January, 2009

    Dear Mr. Walsh,

    3rd Runway at Heathrow success.

    Congratulations on achieving the first step in the proposal to build a third runway at Heathrow.

    I responded to your recent request to BA pensioners to complete a petition supporting a third runway, which I hope assisted your case, and now I would like some assistance from you in return.

    I am one of the older pensioners who have now been retired for a longer period than we served with BOAC / BA and are about to lose our Staff Travel Concessions with the introduction of Staff Travel 2009 in April.

    My situation is worsened as a result of my agreeing to take Severance in 1983 – at the request of the Company, to also assist them at that time - so I served less time than I had anticipated, and being flying staff with a compulsory retirement age of 55 didn’t help, either.

    At age 74 I don’t consider a five year ‘concession’ either ‘generous’ – as described by the Staff Travel Manager, or adequate.

    I am not alone in this opinion, as I’m sure you are aware.

    I am prepared to relinquish my expectation of Lifetime Staff Travel in accordance with the new policy, but also wish to be treated the same as everyone else, i.e. to start my Service –v- Retirement period on 1st April 2009

    Why not ?

    I appeal to you to re-consider this cruel aspect of Staff Travel 2009.

    Thank you,

    Alan Murgatroyd
    Capt. BOAC / BA Ret’d

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  2. Has anyone tried to cummincate with BA staff travel and the Hotline Helpdesk in particular. I am getting ratehr frustrated at the lack of any urgency on their behalf and am waiting over a week for responses, which often fail to answer my original question. Does anyone have a good old fashioned telephone number I can call. Any help would be much appreciated as I would like to travel before my concessions run out!

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  3. You appear to be quite well organised so you may well have already seen the new FAQS for retirees, and the new onload and cabin priorities for we huddled masses. It's simple, really, we get onloaded after all current staff travelling on a similar type of ticket. Can anybody tell me who would have an onload and cabin priority of 56/M54 with a date of joining of 01 Jan 2009? (6 Seen recently on ESS LHR/SYD.)

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  4. Now that we retired staff have had our onload priorities downgraded and in some cases our cabin allocation, I'm sure we all feel it only fair for the company to give us a level playing field for the next five years or so.

    We all know how difficult it has been, frequently, over the years, to get in the correct seat when departing LHR, and some other stations. We talk about this in the carpark but nobody complains because we are aware that if our names were mentioned we would be lucky to ever be loaded on a flight again, and if we were, our cases would be lost forever. (if you don't think this can happen, you have led a very sheltered life.) In view of this, I'm sure most of us think now might be an opportune time for Staff Travel Management to inform all staff travel check in staff that the recent notice regarding misuse of staff travel also applies to them.

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