british airways staff travel perks

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Online services for airline employees (staff travel)

As an airline industry employee where can I find help with my personal admin and/or booking staff travel concessions?

Serving and retired employees of British Airways:

Please refer to the BA intranet -  my.baplc.com - for all Staff Travel and Employee Self Service functions.

If you're a former staff member/retired, the Touchdown website  has all the information you need, with a special staff travel section within the "Help" area.

You'll need your staff number/user ID and a BSAFE password to log into this system. If you don't have a BSAFE password, or have difficulties logging in, please contact the BA IT Service Centre on+44 020 8562 4000.

Queries regarding Hotline bookings should be emailed to the "Hotline Helpdesk" team, accessed via the 'Travel' section of the BA intranet or on the home page of the former staff intranet site.

Employees of other airlines:

Staff from other airlines should list for the British Airways flights they hope to travel on using this site: https://idtravel.ba.com  . Please contact the interline/staff travel team within your own airline if you have any problems listing with your ticket.

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Seeking new cabin crew, British Airways tweaks staff travel policy

British Airways is looking to hire cabin crew for summer 2022 and is hoping to encourage applications by offering staff travel perks right from day one. 

The BA hiring drive is the latest sign that the industry is recovering after the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many airlines now looking to rehire staff. 

In a statement given on October 14, 2021, British Airways said that it has already been in touch with people who left the company last year. The carrier also said that it was hoping to appeal to a broad range of applicants to create a more diverse crew workforce. 

“After 18 long months of closed or restricted borders across the world, we are finally seeing a demand for travel return as countries start to open up and ease their restrictions,” chief executive Sean Doyle commented. 

“As we look ahead to next summer, we are excited to start welcoming brilliant new people and former colleagues back to the British Airways family.”

To encourage new applicants, British Airways revealed that it was dropping a requirement for new starters to complete six months at the airline before they can access staff travel. It also highlighted that its cabin crew do a mixture of long and short-haul routes, giving them the chance to travel to more cities than other airlines. 

“Crew will be able to earn up to £28,000 a year with flying/duty pay and a tax-fee subsistence allowance, as well as generous company benefits,” the airline promises. 

Recruitment is now open, the airline said, adding that it hopes to get people on training courses in January, which would mean they are ready to work by March 2022, when the summer flight schedule begins. 

Etihad Airways announces plans to recruit up to 1,000 cabin crew

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British Airways

Staff travel information

BA staff travel loads are not always accurate and should be taken as an 'approximate' guide to availability. It shows the number of listings and priority, but not commercial overbookings, etc. There are also examples where more available seats are shown than the cabin capacity, particularly in J class, due to moveable cabin dividers. Loads become available 72hrs before the departure of the flight.

For details, please see:

www.britishairways.com/travel/bagchk/

Checked baggage

Please note that once you have made a listing on BA (see Flight Listing section above), you can go to ba.com and check the baggage allowance for your specific flight. It is essential to check that information, because that is the allowance which will apply, regardless of what may be on your ticket.

No single bag or piece of baggage will be accepted if it weighs more than 23 kg/51 lbs, regardless of the allowance applicable to the flight on which you are traveling. If you have an item which exceeds that weight, you must re-pack into separate bags. If this results in you exceeding the baggage allowance, you must pay any applicable excess baggage charges.

Duty travel checked baggage

Your allowance will be in accordance with the type of ticket you are using. JIDxxS1 will mean you are eligible to the business class allowance. YIDxxS1 will mean you are eligible to the economy class allowance.

Cabin baggage

One medium bag, maximum dimensions 56 x 45x 25 cm (22 x 17.5 x 9.85 ins), maximum weight 23 kg/51 lbs (but you must be able to lift it into the overhead locker yourself).

One laptop bag OR one briefcase OR one handbag

BA has a dress code which is applied to rebate passengers. Please ensure that your attire is appropriate for the cabin of eligibility.

Seat allocation will depend on how you present yourself. If your attire is inappropriate for the cabin of eligibility, you will be seated in a lower cabin, or may be refused travel.

If there is a need on the day to upgrade on departure to a cabin higher than your cabin of eligibility, those who do not comply with the dress code applicable to the available cabin will not be considered for an upgrade.

Club World and Club Europe cabins

Employees should dress in a smart casual style which may include smart, clean jeans and training shoes.

In any cabin, for comfort on long-haul overnight flights, employees may change into a plain-colored track (running) suit after take off.

Any items of sports or beach wear or any other extremes of leisure wear are unacceptable in any cabin.

Smart national dress or company uniform is acceptable in all cabins.

Listing is required for all flights.

Passengers without a listing will be refused travel.

Important Note

Please note that BA will not accept coupons for different airport pairs. The airport pair on your coupon must match the flight on which you wish to travel.

For travel on flights operated by BA, BA CityFlyer, OpenSkies and the BA Franchisees (Sun-Air and Comair), listings must be made via idtravel.ba.com

Our listing site is not currently able to process tickets that feature other airlines and routes that are not specific to BA.

Please be sure to complete the Flight Choices section on the web-site: this gives our check-in system information to help us allocate seats, for example, whether you are prepared to split across cabins or across flights if you are travelling with other people on the same ticket type.

If you have any problems using the site, please check that your e-ticket has been correctly issued. If you are sure your e-ticket is correct, and are still having problems, please advise your staff travel office.

All airports with self-service check-in kiosks

• Please present yourself at a self-service check-in kiosk at least 60 minutes before your scheduled flight departure.
• The kiosk will tell you what to do next, so please read the screen carefully.
• The kiosk will print a boarding pass, which will show your booking reference: this is key information, especially if you are not allocated a seat number by the kiosk.
• If the kiosk prints a boarding card with a seat number, this means you have been accepted for the flight; please go immediately to the departures lounge and the gate.
• If the kiosk prints a boarding card without a seat number, the kiosk will tell you what to do next.

Additional information about Heathrow Terminal 5 You must be through the ticket presentation point by 35 minutes before scheduled flight departure time. This point is immediately before Security. You should only go to the Staff Travel area located behind Zone A in T5 if:

• You are travelling on a standby ticket
• AND You have checked in and have a standby boarding pass
• AND You have had any hold bags tagged
• AND You have had passport & visa checked where necessary
• AND It is 60 minutes before the scheduled departure time of your flight
• AND You are the party leader (when travelling in a group Once there, information about acceptance onto your flight will be displayed on the Staff Travel Screens.

Additional information about Terminal 3 Staff passengers traveling to destinations from Terminal 3 will need to check-in at a check-in kiosk on arrival at the airport. There will be no staff travel office in Terminal 3. If a seat is allocated at the time of check-in, those passengers with hold baggage should proceed to a Fast Bag Drop desk to have their bags tagged. Passengers without bags should proceed to security. Passengers who are not allocated seats at the time of check-in should retain their bags and go the to Flight Management Desk. Passengers who are not accepted for their flight and who wish to standby for a later flight on the same day will be automatically transferred to the next flight. Alternatively, passengers will be able to re-list themselves at one of the Employee Self Service (ESS) kiosks available by the Customer Service Desk adjacent to the terminal entrance door.

Changes to Terminal 3 check-in effective 17th September 2015 Check in at a kiosk in Zone D. If you are allocated a seat follow the kiosk instructions to have your bag tag(s) issued. You should then proceed to a bag drop desk. Note: there is no dedicated bag drop desk for staff passengers. If you are not allocated a seat at check-in proceed to the Staff Travel Room located to the right at the rear of the zone. You must check the screen in the office for further information. You may also receive a text message if you have registered your mobile/cell number. If accepted for travel go to a bag drop desk in the main area for your boarding card and baggage acceptance. If traveling with hand baggage only, proceed to the ESS Flight Management Desk to have your boarding card issued and documents checked. If you are not accepted for travel you will be automatically listed for the next flight to your destination if it is on the same day. You should return to the area to check the screens for acceptance. If you do not want to be listed for the next flight go to the ESS Flight Management Desk to advise.

At London Gatwick North Terminal All staff travel colleagues who are not assigned a seat when checking in at a self-service kiosk will remain on standby landside until the flight has closed. Staff travel colleagues will then be on-loaded via a dedicated Flight Management Desk in Zone A

All other airports: If there is a desk signposted for standby travel, go to that desk. If there is no signposted standby desk, go to the World Traveler or Euro Traveler desk.

Duty travel check-in Where kiosks don't exist check in at the counter for the class to which you are eligible, which will depend on whether you have JIDxxS1 - meaning business class, or YIDxxS1 - meaning economy.

Check-in times To allow for the added security procedures now in place, please ensure that you have completed check-in formalities by 60 minutes before scheduled departure time .

Through check-in Through check-in is not available to standby passengers. When planning your trip, please ensure you leave yourself enough time to land and check-in again at any intermediate point.

Once you are waiting for your flight at LHR, you can enter your PNR code at www.britishairways.com/onload on your phone. This will give you your flight status. Refreshed every minute.

When there are two or more interline employees travelling on the same flight, the time of check-in at the station where you are boarding your flight will determine the onload/offload and the cabin upgrade/downgrade order.

Please do not ask any BA staff for an upgrade. If on the day of travel seats are not available in your cabin of eligibility, you will automatically be considered for an upgrade to the next higher cabin depending on commercial and operational needs, and subject to complying with the applicable dress code for that higher cabin.

Special meals

It is not possible to pre-book special meals for rebate passengers. Therefore you and/or your eligible nominees who for any reason require a special diet, must provide your own food, in sufficient quantities to last for the duration of the flight.

Seat requests

• Seat requests are not permitted on Staff Travel. If the flight is open, the check-in agent may ask if you want an aisle or a window seat, but this depends on availability.
• Even if you are assigned a specific seat at check-in, this may be changed to accommodate commercial requirements.
• Please note that staff passengers must comply with requests from BA check-in staff, cabin crew, and flight crew, and must change seats if asked.
• Use of a safety seat for an infant is not permitted on board for rebate passengers.

Unaccompanied minors

Children under 16 years cannot travel on a rebate ticket unless accompanied by an adult travelling on the same type of rebate ticket.

No special service requirement is permitted when travelling on standby travel.

Amenity bags will not be given to staff who travel in premium cabins. If offered, we ask that you politely decline.

Please remember that for international travel, each passenger must have a valid passport, and must have relevant visas for the destination, and for scheduled points en route, in case off-loading becomes necessary.

Also, some countries require Advance Passenger Information (API), and BA requires that this must be provided before check-in, using the Manage My Booking section of ba.com .

USA: (Secure Flight data item added 18AUG10)

Please note that with immediate effect, our listing website will collect the following data items for all travel to or from the USA before the listing is created:

Gender, First name (as on passport), Last name (as on passport), Date of birth.

This information is sent to the USA authority 72 hours before departure, or at the time of listing if that is within 72 hours.

In addition to API, the USA requires all Visa Waiver passengers to have completed the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application, ideally at least 72 hours before departure. You do not need to enter travel details or address in the USA, and if approved, the authorization is valid for two years, so it is worth applying well in advance if you think you have any intention of travelling to the USA in the coming two years. If you do not have the authorization, you will not be able to travel on BA to the USA. The link to the web-site, which does show who is included in the Visa Waiver program, is:

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov

britishairways.com

British Airways flight loads

Download the StaffTraveler app to get accurate, reliable seat availability for British Airways flights.

Non-rev tips

Flying on a stand-by ticket can be challenging. We have gathered invaluable insider information and tips to help you to get on board.

Submit your notes

Add your british airways staff travel notes to stafftraveler.

Please note that this form is  not intended to ask staff travel related questions .

Only use this form to add British Airways tips & notes to the StaffTraveler Airline Notes database.

Questions submitted through this form cannot be answered, as StaffTraveler is not associated with British Airways.

Please note that this form is not intended to submit staff travel related questions as these cannot be answered.

Making staff travel easy and stress-free, like it should be!

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British Airways to Provide Better Staff Policy as Recruitment Starts for Cabin Crew

The british airways looks forward to hiring cabin crew for summer of 2022 and are providing various perks for the staff in order to encourage more applicants. recruitment is now open and they are looking to start the training by january 2022.

• British Airways on October 14th provided a statement where they mentioned that they have been in touch with people who left the airlines last year.
• Chief Executive of British Airways Sean Doyle commented that they are seeing a rise in demand as countries are opening up and there’s an ease in travel restrictions after 18 months long months of closed or restricted borders across the world.

The airlines also made a promise that crew will be able to earn up to £28,000 a year with flying/duty pay and a tax-free subsistence allowance, as well as generous company benefits.

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In a move to encourage applications, British Airways is looking to offer staff travel perks right from day one as they look forward to hiring cabin crew for the summer of 2022.

With many airlines now anticipating hiring new staff, this campaign from British Airways is a very clear indication that the industry is recovering from the crushing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a report from Aerotime, British Airways on October 14th provided a statement where they mentioned that they have been in touch with people who left the airlines last year. They also mentioned that they wanted to create a very diverse crew workforce and are hoping to appeal to a wide range of applicants.

New and Better Perks for the Staff

Chief Executive of British Airways Sean Doyle commented that they are seeing a rise in demand as countries are opening up and there’s an ease in travel restrictions after 18 months long months of closed or restricted borders across the world. He also said that they are looking forward to the next summer and are excited to start welcoming brilliant new people and former colleagues back to the British Airways family.

As they look to encourage applicants, British Airways are now dropping the requirement for new starters to complete six months at the airline before they can access staff travel. They also revealed that its cabin crew would do a mixture of long and short-haul routes in order to provide them with an opportunity to travel to more cities than they would in other airlines.

The summer flight schedule begins in March of 2022 and British Airways is now hoping to start the training period from the January of the next year. The recruitment for which is now open.

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Anupam is from Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh and is a pursuing freelance digital artist who creates photoshop and 3d artworks. Has always been passionate about writing and pursues it as a passion.

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Apprenticeships

If you have the passion and the ambition, then we have the experience to help you embark on a thrilling career in aviation.

Our apprenticeships offer young talent the chance to learn from the best in the business across our Customer, Business and Operations teams.

You’ll earn while you learn, and gain qualifications along the way, too.

This is your chance to begin a journey with the nation’s flag carrier, and get a head start with one of the UK’s very best apprentice employers.

Why British Airways?

We want all our people to feel valued for the role they play at British Airways. That includes all our young talent. It’s why our apprentices get the same benefits as our other colleagues, right from the day they join. Here are just some of the rewards you’ll get to enjoy when you arrive at British Airways. They include some rather good travel perks, too.

Staff travel

British Airways colleagues get access to brilliant staff travel benefits from the day of joining. This includes unlimited basic and premium standby tickets on British Airways, and up to 30 discounted ‘Hotline’ airfares per year for yourself, friends, and family.

We offer a market-leading defined contribution (DC) pension. Colleagues are enrolled at 2% employee contributions and 7% employer with an option to increase.

Flexible benefits

Choose from benefits including critical illness cover, cycle to work, additional life insurance cover, private medical insurance, dental plan, and healthcare cash plan.

You’ll receive a market competitive salary for the work you do. You’ll also be eligible for a salary increase after you have completed the first year of your apprenticeship.

Tech Scheme & Cycle to Work

Get up to £1,500 towards tech purchases, with the cost spread over 12 months through your salary. Eligible colleagues can participate in the Cycle to Work scheme to purchase a bike through salary sacrifice.

Flying Start

Our Apprentices have the chance to get involved with British Airways’ Flying Start initiative, our long-running partnership with Comic Relief. That might mean joining overseas trips to support our charity projects.

Start your ascent

From Customer Services and Data Science to Engineering and Ground Operations, we offer apprenticeships right across British Airways. Explore all our apprentice programmes here.

Get to know us

We’d love to chat with you. Sign up to our dedicated Student and Graduate website, Speedbird-Z, to chat online with our colleagues. Gain access to learning modules to build your confidence in employability and learn more about our exciting industry – all for free.

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Silver benefits

Changes to your tier point collection period.

We're constantly improving the British Airways Executive Club for our Members, which is why we're changing your Tier Point collection period to make things a little simpler.

An easier, faster way to travel. As a Silver Member, enjoy business class check-in and relax in the tranquillity of our lounges before boarding your flight earlier with priority boarding.

More rewards, sooner

As a Silver Member, you'll collect eight Avios per qualifying pound (GBP) spent whenever you fly with British Airways or American Airlines, and seven Avios per qualifying euro (EUR) with Iberia.

On other one world® airlines it depends on how far you fly, your choice of cabin and which airline you fly with.

Your lounges await

Think of our lounges as your Club rooms, your own personal space away from the hustle and bustle of airport life, where you and a guest can unwind, recharge and prepare for your flight.

With complimentary food and drink and a range of business facilities at over 170 lounges worldwide, you can enjoy a relaxing environment whenever you fly with British Airways or one of our airline partners.

Make your time your own at the airport

Your Silver membership opens up access to worldwide business class check-in desks and priority boarding*, whatever cabin you're flying in. So you can enjoy more time relaxing in the lounge or browsing the shops before you board your flight.

You'll see a group number on your boarding pass which will automatically reflect your priority. As your group will be one of the first to board, you’ll be able to settle in and relax before take-off. If you arrive after your priority group has been called, you can use the priority lane to board at your leisure.

You’ll also receive priority over Blue and Bronze Members on reservation waitlists and airport standby lists, giving you added reassurance on busy flights.

*Priority boarding is not available to Silver Members at London City Airport.

A tailored service

We've included a few thoughtful details to take some of the hassle out of travel for our Silver Members:

• Free seat selection on British Airways flights from the time of booking for everyone on your booking, excluding exit row seats on long haul flights
• A checked baggage allowance of two pieces in economy for everyone on your booking, except on our Basic fare that is hand baggage only with no checked baggage included. This benefit also applies to others travelling with you on the booking. Not available on group rate bookings
• A weight allowance of 32kg (71lb) per checked bag in any travel class. This benefit also applies to others travelling with you on the booking. Not available on group rate bookings
• A direct line to our dedicated team of customer support staff for when you need to speak with us

Peace of mind with Reservation Assurance

We know there are times when it's absolutely vital you make a flight. Reservation Assurance will provide you with an economy seat on your chosen British Airways flight, even if the flight is full, for some extra reassurance at those important times.

To benefit you just need to:

• book a full fare, flexible economy ticket more than 24 hours before the flight
• check in at least one hour before departure

Unfortunately, we may sometimes be unable to offer this service, due to circumstances outside of our control. We're not able to extend this service to your travelling companions, nor can we ensure you're allocated a particular seat.

Keep your Executive Club status while on maternity/paternity/adoption leave

You can apply to keep your British Airways Silver status if you're planning to take maternity/paternity/adoption leave, even though you'll be taking fewer flights during this time. Also, if you enrol your child as part of your household account we'll welcome them with a gift of 1,000 Avios.

To extend the validity of your card for an additional period, all you need to do is send your documentation to us at [email protected] . Once we've verified your documents, we'll send you an email confirming the renewal of your status and walk you through how to enrol your child into the Executive Club as part of a household account.

Sharing your Avios

As a Member, you and up to six other members of your household, including children, can link your Club memberships together for free. You'll continue to collect Avios individually, but we'll pool them for you to spend together, bringing those rewards even closer.

You can also share your Avios with people outside your household, by adding them to your Family and Friends list.

Member-only offers

You’ll be the first to hear our news and take advantage of our Member-only offers.

We'll bring you regular, exclusive deals on luxury holidays and hotels, offers on car rental and experiences, and lots of great new ways to boost your Avios.

Exclusive Gold benefits are waiting for you

We understand that your time is precious — that’s why we’ve developed a range of exclusive benefits to enable our Gold Members to make the most of every second.

To reach Gold, you'll need to fly BA at least four times and earn 1,500 Tier Points.

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Striking BA cabin crew will lose travel perks

British Airways has warned cabin crew that they will be stripped of travel benefits if they take part in a strike over staffing cuts.

BA said that any employee who joined the walkout would no longer receive discounted or free fares. Many French and Spanish cabin crew rely on the BA travel scheme to commute to the airline's Gatwick and Heathrow bases and would be left out of pocket by the move, according to trade union sources. The Unite trade union, which is locked in an increasingly bitter dispute with BA, described the move as "shocking" and "another act of provocation".

A BA spokeswoman confirmed that the airline has written to its 13,400 cabin crew ahead of a strike ballot that opens on Monday to warn that taking industrial action would see participating staff lose travel and pay benefits.

The airline added that Unite appeared set on a lengthy strike despite having a 12-day Christmas walkout ruled unlawful by the high court last month. "As a responsible employer and in view of Unite's apparent wish for a lengthy strike, we have written to crew individually today to set out the consequences of different ballot outcomes," she said.

Increasing the pressure on employees, the BA executive in charge of cabin crew, Bill Francis, has admitted in a letter to cabin crew that the failed Christmas walkout has cost the airline "millions of pounds" in lost revenue as passengers booked elsewhere. "We cannot go on like this. In December we saw what our customers and the wider public thought about a strike. Their patience is running out. It is time to be absolutely clear about what will happen if a strike takes place."

Francis added that the standard of hotel that staff use when abroad would be reviewed and warned that anyone who called in sick during the strike would be assumed to have joined the industrial action. "History tells us that absence rises significantly during industrial action."

Len McCluskey, assistant general secretary of Unite, said the warning on staff travel perks was an act of "pettiness". He added: "Whoever dreamt up this scheme is presumably trying to inflame the situation. Managers who are macho generally aren't macho. More talking and less posturing will resolve this dispute."

The ballot of Unite's cabin crew branch, BASSA, will close on 22 February and the earliest possible date for strike action will be 1 March. However, Unite said this week that it will not strike during Easter after the high court ruling referred to the ­timing and duration of the planned ­Christmas walkout. However, an ongoing poll of BASSA members indicates strong support for a strike lasting longer than 10 days if, as expected, the 12,000 cabin crew affiliated to the union vote for a walkout.

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