To judge by the amount of space devoted to pictures and specially commissioned cartoons it appears to be the policy of BA to treat retired staff as if they are either uneducated or are suffering the first stages of senility. For example, (and only an example to demonstrate the overall attitude towards pensioners) the second Touchdown release on the subject of Nu-Staff Travel dated December 2007 devotes the entire back page of four to "Answers to the big questions on new travel policy".
So Big are the Questions that of the 116 column centimetres available on the page only 42 are devoted to the answers to them. The remainder are allocated as follows:
11 column centimetres to the title,
15 column centimetres to photos of David Lebrecht, Clare Hatchwell and Alison MacLeod looking pleased with themselves,
16 column centimetres to a humourless cartoon showing retired staff welcoming the changes, and
32 column centimetres to a photograph of an unidentified port with ferries and quayside restaurants.
That’s a total of 74 column centimetres (almost two-thirds of the entire space) not devoted to answering the Big Questions.
Questions not deemed big enough to replace the cartoon or photographs include:
Is the £10 per ticket service charge refundable when tickets expire or are otherwise unused for example those tickets that staff have to hold for alternative routings in case their preferred flight is full or if the other airline doesn’t accept ZED fares?
Why is the Service Charge to be per ticket? That unfairly penalises pensioners living outside London who have to fly to Heathrow for a connection and who often require more than four flight coupons thus more than one ticket. Why not make it a per booking or per person charge?
Will captains still be able to insist their rest seats are allocated to their friends and family ahead of other staff, even senior staff?
What is British Airways doing about getting its new descriptions of eligible travelling companions accepted by other airlines? Do any of the trio have any suggestions how a multi-carrier journey might be undertaken when different carriers have different interpretations? For example, my son lives in Seoul. Under the new Staff Travel scheme I can take my daughter aged 32 LHR-HKG rather than my wife as my travelling companion. Will Cathay Pacific accept her HKG-ICN?
If a travelling companion other than a spouse has been nominated before a pensioner dies, will any residual Nu-Staff Travel rights be automatically transferred to the spouse when he/she starts to draw their widow’s/widower’s pension or must that wish be written into the pensioner’s Will?
Why is it necessary to withdraw banked Long Service awards? Precisely how many are involved and what cost is saved by requiring pensioners to use within the next 12 months concessions they have been saving perhaps for an important family anniversary or occasion in the future? Another attack on prudence perhaps?
No doubt others have other questions that aren’t big enough to qualify for answering in public by BA - and remember Staff Travel Manager doesn’t even have a published address to which you can address questions which she might care to answer.
Perhaps she or any of her colleagues would care to answer here? Pensioners wishing to pose other Big Questions can leave them as Comments or post themselves - please send a note to the blog owner.
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5 comments:
The really BIG question is WHO agreed to the withdrawal of Staff Travel concessions from the oldest, and therefore least resilient, and incidentally the lowest financially rewarded, group of pensioners ? Let them stand up and be counted, and explain. If they dare.
This inequitable situation is very easily rectified. If BA consider it essential to introduce a more restricted scheme from 1 Apr 2009, then do so and apply it to ONLY those retiring after that date.
For all those of us retired or retiring before that date BA could easily allow us to continue enjoying the current conditions. We are after all a diminishing group.
This would seem a reasonable compromise arrangementon which we might reach agreement if we can generate enough strength in a united campaign.
I am confused - I left BA after 10 years service and now receive a part pension. I am told time and time again that I am not eligible for staff travel (which I understood I would be). Will I now be able to get it after April 2009??
I make no claim to expertise in interpreting Staff Travel 2009 but my understanding is that you are now entitled staff Travel concessions.
If that sounds too generous to be true consider that, according to Clare Hatchwell, Staff Travel Manager, it's one of the ways that British Airways is "reducing the costs of Staff Travel".
Welcome to the asylum.
Just found this site which I found very interesting have recently taken early retirement from BA and find the comments interesting and appropriate. If we can help in any way either with an on line petition or by adding our voice to yours please advise.
Sandy
18 August 2008
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