According to a leaked memo explaining the job offer and criteria of the employment, Spanish cabin staff engaged on temporary contracts to work for British Airways will receive only two and a half weeks of training.
In comparison, the typical BA cabin crew training course lasts up to six weeks.
British Airways wants to get its first batch of temporary Spanish cabin crew in the air by the end of May or early June at the latest, averting yet another operational collapse at the troubled airline.
The Heathrow-based airline revealed on Friday that it will operate a temporary crew base in Madrid with flight attendants engaged on fixed six-month contracts to help supplement BA’s cabin crew staff during the busy summer months.
Despite a significant level of interest in cabin crew openings, British Airways claims the temporary base is needed since rigorous security vetting and referencing checks can take up to 12 weeks per candidate. As a result, new hires are still having difficulty commencing work.
The airline also has a post-COVID staff sickness rate of 7%, which is significantly higher than previous averages.
The training session will last around two and a half weeks, including days off, according to the message.
The contract cabin crew will learn BA’s operating regulations and procedures, as well as safety and emergency procedures, aviation medicine, aircraft-specific knowledge, and customer service delivery, throughout that period.
Cabin crew, on the other hand, must have an attestation from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) proving they’ve completed a generic safety and emergency procedures course.
Cabin crew with prior flying experience, particularly on the Airbus A320 series, are also sought by the agency.
British Airways claims that its new-hire cabin crew training course can run up to six weeks, but that this includes general training in order to obtain an attestation.
The training can be cut in half for recruits who already have an attestation.
Although the leaked document says that some training may be performed in Madrid, Spanish contract cabin crew are likely to be taught at BA’s state-of-the-art training site in London.
Although BA has no trouble recruiting cabin crew members, the firm stated on Friday that it is having trouble filling ground staff positions owing to a “tough labor market.”
In recent weeks, a shortage of ground workers has resulted in planes taking off without any luggage since no ground crew was available to load it.
