The airline that flew to Israel and asked its pilots to be flight attendants

As a result of a severe shortage of air crews on British Airways, especially ahead of the busy summer, the company is offering many benefits to pilots who will become flight attendants for two months.

But the cockpit people are not really enthusiastic

Walla!

Tourism

15/02/2022

Tuesday, 15 February, 2022, 10:43 Updated: 11:24

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British Airways Airbus A350-1000 (PR Airways)

British Airways, the UK national airline, is facing such a severe crisis that it has reached a point where it has turned to pilots and its office staff to persuade them to work as an air crew for a period of up to two and a half months.

This reveals internal documents detailing the plan.

Pilots and other employees at British Airways' subsidiary CityFlyer have already been asked to sign up for a program the airline called Take to the Skies.

In this program, they will undergo basic training of the air crew and serve as deputies.

More on Walla!

A passenger tried to break into the cockpit;

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To the full article

We want the pilots to work as air crews for up to two and a half months.

British Airways (Photo: Walla! NEWS, BA Israel)

Internal marketing: "Travel to a variety of destinations"

The Paddle your own Kanoo website reports that the initiative is controversial, due to the fact that the airline has already used a similar program in 2010, as part of a joint attempt to break an air crew strike, following a dispute over pay and additional conditions.

Since then, relations between the two sides have remained strained.

The new initiative was marketed to employees as a way to "meet new people in the field" and also "travel to a wide range of destinations", while gaining insights as to "what it's really like to be a part of the air team".

According to the plan, in most cases the program participants will only have to fly as an air crew once every 90 days to maintain their licenses, but British Airways is facing such a severe shortage of manpower that it is asking employees to work full time as an air crew until the end of May this year.

It was further stated that in some cases, some of the new staff members will be asked to advance and work full time in the future as air crew members.

The new initiative was marketed to employees as a way to "meet new people in the field."

British steward (Photo: ShutterStock)

No free (breakfast) meals

These days, the company's current air crews are in dispute with management, due to the damage to their conditions due to the global corona plague, a damage that has become permanent.

The company refused to return various benefits to employees, including free breakfasts at the hotels where they are hosted as part of their work.

However, pilots who sign up for the program will change their uniforms into flight attendants' uniforms, but will continue to earn their regular hourly rate.

Selected sources claim that many pilots refused the plan, due to "solidarity with the air crews".

After cutting its workforce at the height of the epidemic, and despite a generous government support program, British Airways is now in a race to staff and bolster air crew numbers, ahead of the busy summer.

The airline is interested in recruiting up to 3,000 air crews for the summer and has even offered current crews a £ 300 bonus incentive for persuading friends and family to sign up for the job. , As is customary in society today.

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