Would you like a chance to come to our mobile event?
Jul 15, 2010, 8:25 am
#32
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: London
Programs: MUCCI; BAEC Lifetime Gold; Marriott Bonvoy Emeritus Titanium; Hertz#1, Avis President’s Club
Posts: 3,214
It was great to see some familiar faces and to meet Dilly in person, he is really a star. ^
After some wine and nibbles, we had a short presentation on the new apps and what is coming soon. Apps for the Android and Blackberry are behind what is about to be launched for the iPhone. The new apps for iPhone are quite exciting. We then had demos from the experts in small groups, and got to see how this is going to work. The iPhone looks great, simply log in to your EC account, and you will see your upcoming flights, which are synched with your calendar, you will be able to check-in very easily and see your BP on your phone, which is going live from Monday on LHR-EDI route. Timetables and existing bookings and other stuff is easy to see. Looks great.
We passed on quite a bit of feedback, some useful comments I think, which they are keen to listen to. Finished off with some nice sandwiches, was good to meet a number of BA's IT and PR/press people, great hospitality, well organised, thank you to all involved.
After some wine and nibbles, we had a short presentation on the new apps and what is coming soon. Apps for the Android and Blackberry are behind what is about to be launched for the iPhone. The new apps for iPhone are quite exciting. We then had demos from the experts in small groups, and got to see how this is going to work. The iPhone looks great, simply log in to your EC account, and you will see your upcoming flights, which are synched with your calendar, you will be able to check-in very easily and see your BP on your phone, which is going live from Monday on LHR-EDI route. Timetables and existing bookings and other stuff is easy to see. Looks great.
We passed on quite a bit of feedback, some useful comments I think, which they are keen to listen to. Finished off with some nice sandwiches, was good to meet a number of BA's IT and PR/press people, great hospitality, well organised, thank you to all involved.
I agree the apps do look good and it was a nice event, unfortunatley I was a bit tight on time so never really got to meet anybody.
Thank you BA for the invite and the little goody bag with the Blackberry headset ^:-:
Jul 15, 2010, 9:33 am
#34
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: London
Programs: MUCCI; BAEC Lifetime Gold; Marriott Bonvoy Emeritus Titanium; Hertz#1, Avis President’s Club
Posts: 3,214
Jul 15, 2010, 11:35 am
#35
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
Agreed on all counts! I'm very sorry that I'm missing the chance to meet Nicci this evening, although I have the consolation of having met a number of new FTers at lunchtime instead - but obviously not all who were there!
I got the feeling that our feedback was being taken seriously. Some of our suggestions will, I know, be much more difficult to implement than others, but I think that BA does understand that we have pointed out the things that will really help passengers.
I have taken to heart Swanhunter's suggestion that smartphone non-user like myself is quite a good test of the new product. And I have to say that when the phone can be reliably used to carry and store the boarding pass as well as access other core travel information, that will be a very strong incentive to get an iPhone. I've seen few iPhone apps that have offered any reason to move away from my trusty current phone, but this is a strong contender.
Many thanks to all at BA for a very interesting and enjoyable outing this afternoon, and for the goodies!
I got the feeling that our feedback was being taken seriously. Some of our suggestions will, I know, be much more difficult to implement than others, but I think that BA does understand that we have pointed out the things that will really help passengers.
I have taken to heart Swanhunter's suggestion that smartphone non-user like myself is quite a good test of the new product. And I have to say that when the phone can be reliably used to carry and store the boarding pass as well as access other core travel information, that will be a very strong incentive to get an iPhone. I've seen few iPhone apps that have offered any reason to move away from my trusty current phone, but this is a strong contender.
Many thanks to all at BA for a very interesting and enjoyable outing this afternoon, and for the goodies!
Jul 15, 2010, 12:11 pm
#36
Join Date: May 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 3,951
Incorporating the BP into the app will be a great improvement, i noticed last month that T5(or at least when i was there) prints BP's on the flimsiest of paper.
Jul 15, 2010, 12:48 pm
#37
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: New York
Programs: BA, LH, VS, Hyatt, SPG
Posts: 3,813
Some photos have been added to BA's Flickr photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36000748@N08/
There are also tweets on Twitter with the hash tag #BAme
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36000748@N08/
There are also tweets on Twitter with the hash tag #BAme
Jul 15, 2010, 2:35 pm
#38
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: UK. BAEC AAdvantage
Programs: Mucci Des Oeufs Brouilles et des Canards
Posts: 3,671
Excellent Presentation and event.
Just home myself from this evening's event and well done to BA on organising a great event. I was pleased that the people I spoke to took a deep interest in what I was saying, given that I've only had an Android smartphone for a month, having shunned the whole Apple hype. I was asked to take part in a video to express my thoughts, but when I was told that it was going on BA.com I declined. I was not ready for that!! (and neither is the world!!)Happy to share my thougths, but not to be displayed on the web! Heck, I don't even have pictures of me on my Facebook profile!!
Excellent staff there and it actually felt like you were being greeted on a plane by the warmth and friendliness of the BA crew that were there! hey probably enjoyed a ground event rather than being in the air!
With regards to the development of the apps, its interesting seeing their functionality now and how it will/could grow. The core functionality seems right (from a first quick glance) but it was interesting hearing what other options people wanted to see or be able to do.
I hope we were able to provide good feedback to the team for organising a great event. Well done BA.
Excellent staff there and it actually felt like you were being greeted on a plane by the warmth and friendliness of the BA crew that were there! hey probably enjoyed a ground event rather than being in the air!
With regards to the development of the apps, its interesting seeing their functionality now and how it will/could grow. The core functionality seems right (from a first quick glance) but it was interesting hearing what other options people wanted to see or be able to do.
I hope we were able to provide good feedback to the team for organising a great event. Well done BA.
Jul 15, 2010, 2:53 pm
#39
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: Seniors Bus Pass
Posts: 5,529
BP on the phone at last! Having had this with bmi for some time it has been great when not having access to a printer and rushing to avoid a few minutes at SSCI when cutting it fine.
[ps dont even start about the bmi IT, there are multitudes of threads on the other board - but BPs have been great!]
[ps dont even start about the bmi IT, there are multitudes of threads on the other board - but BPs have been great!]
Jul 15, 2010, 4:16 pm
#40
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: UK
Programs: Mucci, BA LTG + GGL, SPG LTP, HHonors Diamond, IHG Spire Ambassador
Posts: 12,695
Just got home after a nice walk over the river. Firstly, it was a really interesting event - I was very pleased to see not only the upcoming apps, but also BA's attitude to investing in ba.com and mobile. There is some genuinely well thought-out and innovative, intuitive design going on here. The iPhone app in particular has some very nice touches and has clearly had a lot of thought put into it...and it was even better to get to talk to the people behind the new products who really wanted reactions, feedback and ideas. The great news for FTers/obsessive account checkers is that BA are making the Executive Club 'interactions' more central to the apps too ^
Secondly, it was great to meet not only BA people (Nicci is lovely, Dilly is a :-: in person too and BA’s Twitter contingent are also really nice) but also some new FTers - enjoyed talking to Teefaf, LondonAndy and BlackBerryAddict at the event and over a few drinks afterwards, as well as some older faces.
A very interesting event, and some very pleasing and genuinely useful developments on their way ^
Secondly, it was great to meet not only BA people (Nicci is lovely, Dilly is a :-: in person too and BA’s Twitter contingent are also really nice
) but also some new FTers - enjoyed talking to Teefaf, LondonAndy and BlackBerryAddict at the event and over a few drinks afterwards, as well as some older faces.A very interesting event, and some very pleasing and genuinely useful developments on their way ^
Jul 15, 2010, 4:38 pm
#41
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Glasgow
Programs: BA Blue
Posts: 509
Agree with all the above sentiments - a fun event a real treat to meet some top people. Dilly and Nicci, frighteningly, are actually as nice as everyone says, and patiently answered all my questions. Really both are credits to their company.
Was also cool to meet some fellow FTers for the first time - all of whom graciously welcomed me into their hallowed circle. Though somehow I managed to miss BlackBerryAddict.
So cheers for the invite Nicci, and pass my thanks to the team for a fun evening. And best of luck with the future phases of development.
Was also cool to meet some fellow FTers for the first time - all of whom graciously welcomed me into their hallowed circle. Though somehow I managed to miss BlackBerryAddict.
So cheers for the invite Nicci, and pass my thanks to the team for a fun evening. And best of luck with the future phases of development.
Jul 16, 2010, 1:56 am
#42
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,753
The event was indeed absolutely superb; not just as an opportunity to preview upcoming developments and to meet some of the faces behind the names, but also as a very obvious expression of the interest that BA has in garnering direct customer feedback.
The wine was well-chilled, the canapes were dainty and the venue suitably hip, but the most important thing seemed to me that the BA folks' pencils were well-sharpened and their note-taking was constant.
The apps themselves (in their next-gen guises) are, I think, a significant leap forward from those that they will replace. Bringing mobile boarding passes into the mix is not ground-breaking, but the the apparent intention to subsequently roll the system out on a grand scale probably is.
What's undoubtedly industry-leading is the functionality and ease-of-use that these apps will bring to the generic field of mobile 'Manage my Booking'. Nifty features like one-click itinerary downloads to BlackBerry calendar will, I'm sure, prove useful to many.
And to echo others' sentiments, it was indeed a treat to meet other FTers, including the charming Shuttle Board, BlackBerryAddict and LondonAndy. The author of this post:
may consider himself off my Christmas card list, however
.
If British Airways organise similar kinds of event in future then I'd jump at the chance to get my opinions across again, and I'd strongly encourage other FTers to take the chance too, if and when the opportunities arise.
In the meantime, a huge vote of thanks from me to Dilly, Nicci and Nuria, who are indeed magnificent ambassadors for the company; to the presenters Chris, Richard and Chris, to the infectiously enthusiastic recent addition to FT: ba.com Gavin and all the members of the team who came to listen to what we had to say.
Finally, it was lovely to meet Twitterer Technokitten. For anyone who's interested in the 'mobile environment' more generally, you can follow her at http://www.twitter.com/technokitten.
:-::-::-::-::-:
The wine was well-chilled, the canapes were dainty and the venue suitably hip, but the most important thing seemed to me that the BA folks' pencils were well-sharpened and their note-taking was constant.
The apps themselves (in their next-gen guises) are, I think, a significant leap forward from those that they will replace. Bringing mobile boarding passes into the mix is not ground-breaking, but the the apparent intention to subsequently roll the system out on a grand scale probably is.
What's undoubtedly industry-leading is the functionality and ease-of-use that these apps will bring to the generic field of mobile 'Manage my Booking'. Nifty features like one-click itinerary downloads to BlackBerry calendar will, I'm sure, prove useful to many.
And to echo others' sentiments, it was indeed a treat to meet other FTers, including the charming Shuttle Board, BlackBerryAddict and LondonAndy. The author of this post:
may consider himself off my Christmas card list, however
.If British Airways organise similar kinds of event in future then I'd jump at the chance to get my opinions across again, and I'd strongly encourage other FTers to take the chance too, if and when the opportunities arise.
In the meantime, a huge vote of thanks from me to Dilly, Nicci and Nuria, who are indeed magnificent ambassadors for the company; to the presenters Chris, Richard and Chris, to the infectiously enthusiastic recent addition to FT: ba.com Gavin and all the members of the team who came to listen to what we had to say.
Finally, it was lovely to meet Twitterer Technokitten. For anyone who's interested in the 'mobile environment' more generally, you can follow her at http://www.twitter.com/technokitten.
:-::-::-::-::-:
Jul 16, 2010, 2:13 am
#43
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA CCR/GGL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,483
I'd like to echo the sentiments of those above. A really well organised event and an interesting mix of journalists, "normal" BA travellers and of course quite a few FT'ers.
The Blackberry app looks good - I'll just need to persuade my IT department to allow me to install it. Being able to check in and (on the Iphone app) get your boarding pass whilst on the move will be really handy - I don't often have access to a PC when I'm abroad and flying back home. The BA IT guys also seemed genuinely interested in the feedback that we gave (except for the insistance that some American woman made that the Elemis spa treatments should be bookable on line!).
However, the highlight for me was to meet the real life people behind the handles - ContientalClub, BlackBerryAddict, Shuttle-Bored, G-BOAC and Teefaf and of course the lovely ever helpful Nicci and Dilly.
I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but surely you could have stretched to a F washbay
A great event and I'd recommend anyone to attend something like this in the future if they have the chance.
The Blackberry app looks good - I'll just need to persuade my IT department to allow me to install it
. Being able to check in and (on the Iphone app) get your boarding pass whilst on the move will be really handy - I don't often have access to a PC when I'm abroad and flying back home. The BA IT guys also seemed genuinely interested in the feedback that we gave (except for the insistance that some American woman made that the Elemis spa treatments should be bookable on line!).However, the highlight for me was to meet the real life people behind the handles - ContientalClub, BlackBerryAddict, Shuttle-Bored, G-BOAC and Teefaf and of course the lovely ever helpful Nicci and Dilly.
I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but surely you could have stretched to a F washbay
A great event and I'd recommend anyone to attend something like this in the future if they have the chance.
Jul 16, 2010, 3:27 am
#44
Join Date: Jan 2000
Programs: Latinpass Million Miler. BA Gold.
Posts: 3,544
After all the superlative words of my fellow FT'ers above it is going to be hard to surpass their kind and totally justified songs of praise for the BA team who organised this event, but I would like to express my gratitude to Nicci and her colleagues for giving us the opportunity to learn a little more about BA's mobile strategy, play around with the apps and give feedback, and meet some of the people behind the BA online programs in a very convivial atmosphere.
While I had met some FT'ers before, and one of those (who shall remain unnamed, but we all know who he is
) was here, I had until now, and despite being a FT member for more than 10 years, never attended a 'do' - partly because I was never sure how I would explain this concept to Mrs BBA . This BA event gave me the perfect excuse to combine a vaguely work-related event with an unofficial FT gathering, combining the best of both worlds.
And what a pleasure it was to have the opportunity to meet and speak with some of the names I've become so used to reading online: G-BOAC, ContinentalClub, Flyclub, LondonAndy, Mario.
And as Teefaf already pointed out, notwithstanding our virtual display of frequent flyer paraphernalia we didn't manage to actually meet up. Next time it will be.
A slight rebuke is in place for BahrainLad, who was conspicuous by his absence. I am sure he had his legitimate reasons, but we've now managed to miss each other at two events in a short space of time. Do let me know if you make it to Hampshire next week.
Once again, thanks to BA for a fabulous evening.
While I had met some FT'ers before, and one of those (who shall remain unnamed, but we all know who he is
) was here, I had until now, and despite being a FT member for more than 10 years, never attended a 'do' - partly because I was never sure how I would explain this concept to Mrs BBA . This BA event gave me the perfect excuse to combine a vaguely work-related event with an unofficial FT gathering, combining the best of both worlds.And what a pleasure it was to have the opportunity to meet and speak with some of the names I've become so used to reading online: G-BOAC, ContinentalClub, Flyclub, LondonAndy, Mario.
And as Teefaf already pointed out, notwithstanding our virtual display of frequent flyer paraphernalia we didn't manage to actually meet up. Next time it will be.
A slight rebuke is in place for BahrainLad, who was conspicuous by his absence. I am sure he had his legitimate reasons, but we've now managed to miss each other at two events in a short space of time. Do let me know if you make it to Hampshire next week.
Once again, thanks to BA for a fabulous evening.
Jul 16, 2010, 3:45 am
#45
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: London, Strathaven
Programs: BA (Gold). Various other statuses
Posts: 1,466
I wish I had gone now! If they do it again I will try and attend. I note that (as usual) apps for Android are lagging behind. Does anyone what the timescales are for delivery?