Apparently, British Airways currently has a higher demand for flight attendants than for pilots. In an internal circular, the carrier is now looking for pilots who are willing to work temporarily in the cabin. They also contact administrative staff.

The IAG subsidiary calls the in-house program “Take To The Skies”. This should enable pilots and ground staff to work temporarily in the cabin of the London City-based subsidiary BA CityFlyer. Apparently there is an acute shortage of flight attendants there that they want to bridge.

However, it is not entirely possible without training, because the basic course for cabin crew must be completed. Employees must commit to working as flight attendants for at least 2,5 months. You should then be able to return to your normal workplace.

Also interesting is the way British Airways is trying to attract pilots and administrative staff to work in the Embraer 170/190 cabins. For example, you advertise that you would “meet a lot of new people”, “travel to many destinations” or “what it's really like for our crew to do their job”. The salaries should be maintained during the assignment as a flight attendant. According to British Airways, this should also apply to pilots.

It is not entirely clear which concept British Airways is pursuing with this programme. It can be assumed that BA Cityflyer in particular is heading towards an acute shortage of flight attendants. During the corona pandemic, the cabin crew was downsized or many left the company voluntarily. No discussions have yet been held with the unions regarding the use of pilots and administrative staff in the cabin.