(BAY.L) British Airways PLC Buy/Sell

"I think they will vote to strike (about 15% of crew favour the proposals by the way) but when the time comes, they will find ways of not reporting for duty via sickness or car breakdowns etc so they are not formally recorded as being on strike.

End result will be the same though."

6 inch heels: Don't I have a vague recollection of this loophole being somehow closed after a previous cabin crew dispute - maybe a couple of years ago? I seem to remember some talk of such excuses not being accepted during industrial action - although I would be the first to admit to memory playing those old man tricks.

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6 inch,The best inicator will be the result of the ballott.

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Trust me its a big if!

perhaps he/she (caetan) would be the first to reduce his salary to £500pcm,on the basis that we have wonderfull annalyists in INDIA too,imagine that,i am sure you would agree to that.Can we not get back to the merits or otherwise of discussing BA as a stock to trade in and not use this as a staff bashing tool,its so obvious who the BA managers are on here.

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caetan, no doubt you know your subject and so on, but one of your statments shows a lack of attention to the human condition.

You say...

"Good luck Willie and guys support BA so they can bust the cabin crew once and for all and retain the good ones and reward them with excellent profit share in future years."

I disagree with this point as being a good strategy. I have never heard of a company that suddenly produced either good ideas or gave good service - following having been 'bust' by the management.

It is as unlikely as BA becoming a resounding success if a strike 'bust' the management.

I don't doubt you are spot on with your business appraisals but it will always be true that if you kick an employee into working hard enough when you are not there the employee will respond by goofing off. This is because they will view the beating as 'over the top', 'unfair' and so on. The world is not fair but they will not care about that, they will see themselves as blending in with it.

The way a business succeeds best is by good leadership. Give someone an employer who they will follow into any struggle and then you have a company.

So go ahead and wish for someone to 'bust the cabin crew' - you won't find me buying the shares in acompany that does that.

"Amazing stance by a group of people..." No, it's not. And the reason I say that is - "But then what do I know I am just an aviation analyst."

Yes that is it, you are not them, the cabin crew. I'm not either, but I think your statements are in the red zone, ease off a bit and I will listen to what you have to say and thank you for it.

If you are an aviation analyst here is a question - who does all the aircraft servicing for the airlines? Is it done by their own staff or do all airlines use a service company? How does it work? If you know, or where I can read about it I would be grateful.

Good luck,
Nick

ps I fly with BA and Swissair. My last flight was with BA and on that occasion I gave the cabin crew behaviour 10/10.

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Hmm, not sure about rosters, but there's a few female BA cabin crew I'd like to give a roasting

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Get me an application form,i cant wait to work for £500 pounds a month,and you are an analyist.

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Didnt really expect to hold this for a year but hey ho.

The negatives of the returning macro problems, the upcoming pension announcements, the merger seemingly being priced in now, the very old looking and historically unprecedented 6 month stock market rally seem too great to me to justify holding onto the long position.

I'd be a buyer again if we return to the 100p area in the second dip recession.

Of course if we dont have another recession, i could see this continue going up but that ain't my current thinking.

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caetan...a very good post.

We all know what cabin crew can be like, you get some very nice hardworking down-to-earth people and then you get those with a selfish lazy victim-mentality attitude. That is the case across all airlines. Some people go into it for the job and they give great service, some people go into it for the lifestyle and they hate the job, passangers, pilots, WW, you name it they moan about it. Unfortunately, it is the latter that seem to have the loudest voice but they are kidding themselves if they think they will bring all the good staff out on strike to support their lifestyles and egos.

I agree, Willie will win.

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Totally agree with you.

I fly with BA because of the product and the safety and professionalism of their pilots. I understand they have taken a pay cut and are totally behind the airline.

I find the cabin crew with BA inconsistent, and generally there for themselves, apart from the Gatwick crew.

See no reason why Heathrow cannot be run like Gatwick, one base, and crew work on any aircraft in accordance with company rostering.

Jet airways cabin crew paid 600 GBP per month (main cities in India more expensive to live in than London), share accomodation and are given a roster, no pay when sick, so no sickness spikes during Ascot, Wimbledon etc. Yet Jet, Emirates, Singapore and Etihad cabin crew work extremely hard on peanuts. My friends who work as waiters earn one quarter of the BA cabin crew and work flat out with no bunk beds to rest.

I will keep flying with BA, because in the end Willie will win, an excellent opportunity to follow through and dismiss the ones that dont tow the line. An abundance of higly trained crew unemployed at present and considerable wet lease aircraft lying around to prop the operation.

Good luck Willie and guys support BA so they can bust the cabin crew once and for all and retain the good ones and reward them with excellent profit share in future years.

Amazing stance by a group of people when the world especially aviation is suffering. But then what do I know I am just an aviation analyst.

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I met Willie Walsh last night at a seminar. Really nice guy, down to earth (for someone with a salary of something like £700,000), and his response to striking was simply not to take what you read in the paper.

He said that he doesn't even bother looking in the newspapers as he can't believe the amount that is untrue. I know very little about BA and it's history however it sounds like something that happens in the media but not in reality.

Based on what he said, I don't think there will be any action.

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I've had G+Ts thrown at me by some very senior crew on BA. The quality of the service corresponds to the quality of the server, not their salary. I've had first rate service on bmi and Virgin, both of whom pay signigicantly less than BA.

The idea that BA's reputation has been built off the backs of the cabin crew is little more than union propaganda. An extensive network, a strong safety record, an advantageous position at it's main hub and product innovation have contributed to BAs success rather more than the inconsistent service the cabin crew are famed for.

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The best indicator for the crew feelings is the BA CC thread in PPrune.org which is currently running on close to half a million views. I spent a few hours last night reading hundreds of posts by crew and the general consensus is that crew have responded on the ballot papers with a big fat NO to industrial action.

The entire BASSA ballot paper is reproduced there too and a lot of crew are very upset with the New England Holocaust Memorial quote which BASSA uses to try and persuade members to strike.

I'm thinking that this strike ain't going to happen!

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I must confess to buying at 203p yesterday. I find it hard to keep away from this share as I've always made a few quid and never lost.
So..222p as my highest entry point this time, and will be buying as/if the price continues to fall below 200p.

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Still here.
Nothing to get uptight about my friend. Stated you need nerves of steel when investing, generally pays off in the end. Must say a bit close to the wire yesterday testing close to the 200p support level. But if all shares went straight up then everybody would use them like a bank. If 200p support holds which I think it probably will 240p resistance assault I bet will be imminent. Will take ballot result to pass now though I think, which in my opinion will not be a convincingly strong yes for I/a. We shall see.
Don`t forget to post back when there are more ££££££££££`s in the pot though will you. You will get your 222p back though in the not too distant I bet!

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Where are you Darkyhorse? I'm beginning to worry about you. Don't do it, don't jump..money is not everything, the best things in life are free remember.

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6 inch heels,
If they vote to strike (Which I think they will) they should have the town halls to stand on the picket lines.
If they do strike I hope common sense prevails and the strike is put off until the spring. If the cabin crews do strike before Christmas and the picket lines are bear the media will have a field day.
"BA Cabin crews ruin Christmas in order to bag a Turkey"
"BA Cabin crews strike to get the shopping in"

The cabin crews at Iberia seem to be winning out in their dispute which should encourage more votes to strike in my opinion

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espana SA (IBLA.MC) has agreed to negotiate with cabin crew unions a 4% salary upward revision for 2009, in an effort to prevent eight new days of strikes scheduled as of Nov. 30, Spanish news agency EFE reported Thursday.

Cabin crews already staged two days of strikes in October, forcing Iberia to cancel hundreds of flights. They are seeking pay raises after the carrier imposed a wage freeze in 2005.

Agency Web site: www.efe.com



-Dow Jones Newswires, enza.tedesco@dowjones.com






(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 19, 2009 19:25 ET (00:25 GMT)

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I am considering making a little purchase but have been put off in the past by personal experience. But must say that it's never been the fault of the cabin crew. The planes were always late, pathetic excuses and total lack of information if not downright lies.
I can only guess that after the bizarre tail fin episode albeit a different management are to blame again.
I ask though if the SP is ovewrvalued anubody got an idea of a fair price?

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yes i think BAY are overbought
there is a possible head & shoulders pattern
developing which is bearish in the short term
at least. GT

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6 inch...... so presumably when the present crew fly off into the sunset taking their over-inflated salaries and egos (ooooerr !!)with them, the next time you are travelling business class you'll be happy to have your G&T thrown at you by some spotty 19yr old on £8000 who coudn't really care less.

BA's reputation, I believe, has largely been built on it's cabin crew, so it's a shame that's now being thrown down the toilet.

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Difficult one to call to be honest. I've worked at BA for a number of years at various locations doing a variety of things. I've been involved with Crew on a number of occasions and I know what they get paid and their allowances and so forth. I understand their gripes but I understand where BA mgt are coming from and why.

Do I think they will strike?
No.

I think they will vote to strike (about 15% of crew favour the proposals by the way) but when the time comes, they will find ways of not reporting for duty via sickness or car breakdowns etc so they are not formally recorded as being on strike.

End result will be the same though.

BA has no shortage of potential crew waiting for the chance to work here.

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