 Poster: A snowHead
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Blame that horrible little man Willie Walsh.Theres no doubt BA needed to cut costs because there longer serving cabin crew are on probably the best pay and conditions in the industry but the mixed fleet staff get absolutely horrendous pay and conditions,fewer rest days than other staff ,can be moved from short haul to long haul on consecutive trips.I would imagine also that because of the fact they have fewer rest days they need to live nearer Gatwick or Heathrow than other staff .Try doing that on £25k a year or less. Not much fun.
But on another note .One thing that really annoys me about ba,is that in peak times you can never use your Avios but ba staff can use their free flight perks to get flights whereby loyal customers who pay a fortune regularly cannot.And to make matters worse they don't get taxed as a benefit in kind.So a ba employee can take their family of four ( for example ) on a long haul business class flight which could cost up to 20 k if you were paying and not pay any tax .
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Angus og, loyal customers spending a fortune can use their Avios whenever they want... it's just that your definition of a fortune is different to BA's.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Sky News just tweeted the BA strike will be on Christmas Day and Boxing day.
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Ski flights look fine. Geneva, Lyon, chambery etc all ok.
Official statement here: http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/help-in-disruption/strike/latest-information
"If you are due to fly on a short haul flight to/from the list of cities below on December 25 and December 26 then you can take advantage of our more flexible rebooking policy.
Aberdeen, Basle, Belfast, Bergen, Bilbao, Bologna, Budapest, Dusseldorf, Gibraltar, Gothenburg, Hamburg, Hanover, Helsinki, Kiev, Krakow, Lisbon, Luxembourg, Manchester, Marseille, Oslo, Paris Orly, Pisa, Prague, Stavanger, St Petersburg, Stuttgart, Vienna, Venice, Warsaw and Zagreb."
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| p20pjd wrote: |
Anyone who wants to strike should be sacked on the spot and someone who Is desperate for the job should be able to apply, get the bas****s on the dole then they would only wish for their job back.!
Good luck to everyone.. |
Bit harsh, but agreed completely. They saw the contract before they took the job. As I said in the Apres strike discussion....either suck it up or move on.
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The wave of strikes across the airline industry at present is because these people, who do a difficult job, are not being paid a wage that they can live on. BA mixed fleet are paid about 18 grand a year. In London. Good luck living on that....
Yeah an argument can be made that they knew what they signed up for when they took the job, but they have voted to strike because they are being offered paltry pay rises which don't keep up with inflation. I'd point out that striking is the last option for staff who have a legitimate beef with their employers. Most will be losing money they will barely be able to afford.
Calling them scum and bas****s, because your wee Tyrol or Japanese ski holiday might get disrupted, is ridiculous. Get a grip of yourselves
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Airport staff on pre-Christmas strike.
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Check-in staff, baggage handlers and cargo crew at UK airports are planning a 48-hour strike from 23 December, the Unite union says.
The union said more than 1,500 workers at Swissport, the world's largest ground and cargo handler, would walk out following a long-running dispute over pay and conditions. |
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Nelbert75.. you're living in the dark ages and so are the unions.
This is a disgusting and despicable way of disrupting innocent families at a very important time of year and therefore isnt just about skiing..! The actions will hurt significantly more people than the relative few that are striking and will impact families emotionally and financially way more than themselves as people make special visits all over the world at Christmas. If you think people should get a grip over that you must have a heart made of stone (I haven't).!
If you have a 'beef' with your employer and and provided they aren't acting illegally, leave and get another job and let someone else who would be more grateful apply for it, but whatever you do, don't try to ruin Christmas for hundreds of thousands of families.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Nelbert75 wrote: |
The wave of strikes across the airline industry at present is because these people, who do a difficult job, are not being paid a wage that they can live on. BA mixed fleet are paid about 18 grand a year. In London. Good luck living on that....
Yeah an argument can be made that they knew what they signed up for when they took the job, but they have voted to strike because they are being offered paltry pay rises which don't keep up with inflation. I'd point out that striking is the last option for staff who have a legitimate beef with their employers. Most will be losing money they will barely be able to afford.
Calling them scum and bas****s, because your wee Tyrol or Japanese ski holiday might get disrupted, is ridiculous. Get a grip of yourselves |
Generally I'd agree, but I think striking on 24th-25th Dec is pretty damn low. I understand why they want to strike then to achieve maximum pressure, but 20-23 or so would have done that without completely screwing over many people flying home to families for Christmas (I fly on 22nd btw).
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@Nelbert75, Please don't tell me to get a grip. I'm justifiably ragin' at the prospect of not being able to get to Japan because I've literally been dreaming about it for years. I'm not angry with the strikers though, I'm angry at BA for treating their staff like shi-te and letting it get to this stage. Seems to be common practice at the minute. I hope it gets resolved for everyones' sake.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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So in real terms, what does this actually mean for people (me) who have flights booked on either the 23rd or 24th?
Clearly there's going to be massive disruption, what how bad will it actually be?
Presumably some effort will still be made to get passengers checked in and onto planes?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@p20pjd, It's not just the unions living in the dark ages. There are good employers and bad employers. If employers treat their staff properly they don't have problems with unions. In today's labour market it is not always so easy to find another job.
@Thornyhill, Have you considered the impact of replacing a significant percentage of your workforce and having to train them up to the required standard. The better employers treat their staff so they see no need to strike. Win-win situation in my opinion.
@element, You have my sympathies as an innocent victim of this. Hope it resolves for you
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Do you all fly with BA because they (obvi) have a lot of routes out of UK? Or just some loyalty to a homegrown carrier?
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You know it makes sense.
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| Rabbie wrote: |
@Thornyhill, Have you considered the impact of replacing a significant percentage of your workforce and having to train them up to the required standard. The better employers treat their staff so they see no need to strike. Win-win situation in my opinion.
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Win-win..... until Ryanair comes along and steals all your business. The employees accepted the job and (I assume) read the contract and T's & C's.
You don't need to sack them all. Do it one at a time....like a hostage situation  The rest of them will catch on quickly.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I was looking for the Snowheads forum but seem to have stumbled into the Daily Mail Comments section instead.
Whilst we're at it why stop at sacking them all? Perhaps try flogging them or perhaps setting the dogs on them. That'll teach them not to winge anymore.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@essex, for me it's the inter-continental direct routes. They have their faults, but I find them better than the big US carriers and generally worse than the middle and far eastern airlines. Depends where you're going, though, but BA usually can get you there direct.
Within Europe there's a lot more choice for direct flights and although its rare to get BA as part of a ski package holiday, but if you have enough status you can get lounge access and extra baggage which often makes them effectively cheaper than the competition (and you can use your ski holiday to help keep that status).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| TommyJ wrote: |
I was looking for the Snowheads forum but seem to have stumbled into the Daily Mail Comments section instead.
Whilst we're at it why stop at sacking them all? Perhaps try flogging them or perhaps setting the dogs on them. That'll teach them not to winge anymore. |
OK - You pay them what they want out of your own pocket so they can't hold the country to ransom. Could be expensive. You probably aren't getting value for money.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The dates being confirmed as Christmas Day and Boxing Day is surely about minimising disruption. Most people who are travelling for Christmas have travelled and are eating turkey and recovering from a hangover on these two days. And they are a sunday and Monday this year.
Oh and if you want a return to the 'dark ages' of Victorian style pay and living conditions, then it would seem that we are very likely on the way there, especially in the capital.
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Oh behave nelbert75, arguing that trying to minimise disruption by doing xmas day and Boxing Day couldn't be any more nonsensical if you tried..!
Why do it at all around xmas time unless to cause maximum distress and upset for families at such an important time? It's a malicious, targetted, heartless action.
Chrismas may mean very little to you and if it does then fair enough but I'd suggest that's not how the majority of families see it.
Couldn't this have been done early december or mid- January? Surely that would minimise the impact at such a special time.!?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| essex wrote: |
| Do you all fly with BA because they (obvi) have a lot of routes out of UK? Or just some loyalty to a homegrown carrier? |
No, in fact I fly Easyjet far more than anyone else and BA maybe once a year, partly because I never actually want to fly into Heathrow - depending on who I'm visiting, Gatwick and Luton are far more convenient. But for this trip the timings just worked out much better with the BA flight to Heathrow, even factoring in the inconvenience of having to go into London and back out again to get to where I actually want to go. Or so I thought! 
@clarky999, @Nelbert75, , @p20pjd, I also think that 25-26 is "less" disruptive than 22-23. Huge numbers of people are trying to get home or wherever to see their families on 22-23, by the 25-26 they are mostly there, and the 27-28 again get really busy as people try to get back. I flew on Christmas day a few years ago, it was really quiet at Gatwick.
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@mikeycharlton, it means very little for 23/24. My understanding is that the strike starts for flights originating from the U.K. So, if a crew is already overseas on 25/26, they will operate the return flight. As a result, there isn't an issue of stranded aircraft and thus flights the day before should be normal.
It looks from the BA site as if they expect the same, the free cancellation or change offer only relates to specific routes on 25/26.
@element, why are you raging at the prospect of not getting to japan when BA have said all long haul will operate as normal?
The downside of the dates they've chosen is that there are only a few flights on the 25th so if you are affected there aren't many alternatives.
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@Nelbert75, You are right Christmas Day is normally the quietest day in civil aviation. @Nelbert75, You are wrong Boxing Day is one of the busiest days of the year.....
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| essex wrote: |
| Do you all fly with BA because they (obvi) have a lot of routes out of UK? Or just some loyalty to a homegrown carrier? |
Club Europe.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@snowdave, sorry, I was referring to the Swissport strike (check in, baggage handling staff) on the 23rd and 24th. Not the BA one 2 days later.
It looks like the 2 topics have been merged into the same thread.
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| Nelbert75 wrote: |
Yeah an argument can be made that they knew what they signed up for when they took the job, but they have voted to strike because they are being offered paltry pay rises which don't keep up with inflation. |
What inflation?
P.S. We are travelling to see family over Christmas. Although to be fair I'd probably be more upset to miss a ski holiday than the outlaws.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@mikeycharlton, have you checked if Swissport are the handlers for your route? If not, nothing to worry about. If they are, then a bad-case scenario is that you have to go hand baggage only and can't take your skis. I think Ryanair have flagged this as their fallback scenario.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Nelbert75,
Some of us need airlines for work, living in Europe, my OH has to fly back and forth to London regularly (including this week) coming. Also don't diss people going on their "wee Tirol holiday" as you sneeringly put it, some people work damn hard for their yearly skiing holiday.
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Sat 17-12-16 13:08; edited 1 time in total
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@snowdave, thanks.
I have no idea to be honest. How do I check?
It's Stansted to Geneva with Thomson.
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You know it makes sense.
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My son risks being stranded at Birmingham airport on Christmas Eve if the baggage handlers are on striked. He'll check in online and have hand luggage only, but there's no guarantee there won't be cancellations. It means trying to travel back to Durham if he can't fly and spending Christmas with no food in the house on his own.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Swissie wrote: |
@Nelbert75,
Some of us need airlines for work, living in Europe, my OH has to fly back and forth to London regularly (including this week) coming. Also don't diss people going on their "wee Tirol holiday" as you sneeringly put it, some people work damn hard for their yearly skiing holiday. |
If that is what you choose to highlight out of my fairly lengthy paragraph then I take it you agree with the vast majority of my points...
Didnt know Boxing Day was a major travel day. Good to know. Also interesting to see some of the reactions when a different opinion to the majority is offered. None of the stereotypes about this Brits who book ski holidays were dispelled there...
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Nelbert75 wrote: |
| ...... None of the stereotypes about this Brits who book ski holidays were dispelled there... |
Not clear what you are trying to say. First and foremost snowHeads is a skiers' forum. It's British based (including the HQ, snowHead Towers). It kinda follows that the views here, for the most part, will be those of Brits who book ski holidays.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@mikeycharlton, I'm pretty sure Stansted baggage is Swissport. I don't know who Thomson use for checkin.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| snowdave wrote: |
| @mikeycharlton, have you checked if Swissport are the handlers for your route? If not, nothing to worry about. If they are, then a bad-case scenario is that you have to go hand baggage only and can't take your skis. I think Ryanair have flagged this as their fallback scenario. |
We've booked Manchester to Innsbruck flights through esprit, where would you find out if they are using swissport or not on the 23rd ?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Nelbert75,
No I don't agree with your other points, I just saw that at the end of your pointless drivel and thought it rather pathetic.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Fortunately it looks like Monarch do not use Swissport at Birmingham, so it looks like son's flight will be OK.
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@gad, my understanding is that Swissport contracts with a combination of airlines and airports, to provide 2 main services - passenger handling (check-in and gate staff) and baggage (they also do cargo and other things, but those don't matter to skiers). Thus you need to look to see who the handlers are for your airline and airport - usually a couple of minutes with Google gets you there. Some airlines might have their own staff (e.g. BA at its major hubs) and others will use Swissport or similar. Some airports (e.g. Manchester) have multiple ground handling agents, but what matters is who your airline is contracted with.
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| snowdave wrote: |
| @gad, my understanding is that Swissport contracts with a combination of airlines and airports, to provide 2 main services - passenger handling (check-in and gate staff) and baggage (they also do cargo and other things, but those don't matter to skiers). Thus you need to look to see who the handlers are for your airline and airport - usually a couple of minutes with Google gets you there. Some airlines might have their own staff (e.g. BA at its major hubs) and others will use Swissport or similar. Some airports (e.g. Manchester) have multiple ground handling agents, but what matters is who your airline is contracted with. |
We're flying with Thomas cook and admittedly I've only done a quick search but all I can find is that they do use swissport.
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| Swissie wrote: |
@Nelbert75,
No I don't agree with your other points, I just saw that at the end of your pointless drivel and thought it rather pathetic. |
Fair enough. Means nothing to me whether you agree or not. You seem to be getting a bit wound up for a snowsports forum no?
I would wish you all the delays and cancellations in the world, plus a distinct lack of the white stuff when you finally get to the Alps after the nightmare journey, but I'm not like that 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Something chaotic seems to be happening at Gatwick right now. Major fog disruption I think. I had to turn back on route for GVa and now await info before setting out again.
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@pam w, yea it's pretty foggy down here today - I'm 2 miles away.
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FAQ
