Better days ahead but J is awful
May 26, 2017, 10:50 am
#46
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: LH SEN; BA Gold
Posts: 8,405
In every seat - whether you like the seat or not - there is a crew call button. Why do you not use it. They may not hear it the first time as the galley has all sorts of equipment that makes noise. Press it again. Keep on pressing it until someone comes. Give them a few moments to get what you want. Then if it does not come, go to the galley and ask what has become of it.
May 26, 2017, 10:53 am
#47
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,174
Some F/A really don't like that! Nearly 10 years after my repeated use of the call button I still remember the death look Bibi, the Swiss F/A, gave me on a flight back from ZRH. I couldn't climb over my neighbor and was awfully thirsty. Good old Bibi kept bringing me shot glasses of water rather than simply handing me a 0.33/0.5L bottle.
May 26, 2017, 11:41 am
#48
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, TK Elite, HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 7,691
Could not agree more. It happened to me for the first time in many years of flying BA - I was 'forgotten' in my UD seat (and now I understand others' opinions about that particular seat). The cabin crew were serving starters to other passengers while I was not even asked what I wanted to drink. I had to press the call button 3 or 4 times before someone appeared. I explained that I felt that I was overlooked and the member of the cabin crew could not have been more apologetic. Yes, it can/does happen. But I did not think that BA was the worst airline or that those cabin crew were horrible. They were excellent actually. And I was not given a death look just because I used the call button. I think the cabin crew were more mortified that they forgotten about me. Things happen. On all airlines. With all businesses. One's outlook and approach to when they happen is the key.
May 26, 2017, 12:05 pm
#49
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Oxfordshire, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver, IHG & Accor Plat...
Posts: 734
On the routes you fly. Whereas I have not found BA competitive on the routes I fly for several years now or I would have used them as BAEC is/was my major FF programme. And when BA have CW sales , either my timing is off and I'm not planning to fly, or the price still isn't good enough (As in, I am happy not to pay BA an extra £1000+ to fly direct , if my schedule permits a change of planes in the Middle East). YMMV.
May 26, 2017, 12:18 pm
#50
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: BNA, ATL
Programs: AS MVPG, LH, Marriott Titanium, National Executive Elite
Posts: 118
Context; 4x TATL LHR-SFO and one LHR-DEN this year in J.
Gold isn't special, personalized greetings aren't viable. Just look around when you board, a third of the plane is Gold these days.
No complaints about the FA service. Always been attentive in my experience.
No complaints about the wine. I don't care if it's expensive or inexpensive, what matters to me is whether I like it, and I do. Montecilla Rioja Reserva 2009 was especially satisfying, that's like a $15 bottle, so what.
Before I get to the bad it's important to realize that BA is a value carrier. If you want "more better" then pay up and fly with a competitor. BA competes on price, not on quality of the experience.
The IFE sucks. There, I said it.
The selection is good and recent, but the screen size and resolution is lacking. Pair that with the fact that you can not get the screen to be perpendicular with your face as it doesn't extend far enough and I will give the IFE a D- and only because the selection is decent.
Seating .... lacking!
Mindblowing that BA continues to push the current configurations even for their 787 fleet. I have been lucky that I have been able to secure a seat that doesn't require me to climb over someone or have someone climb over me four out of the five trips. However, I do accept the layout because the flight does cost less than making the same trip on Delta One.
Sitting comfort is actually good from where I am looking. Lie flat comfort is meh. Pillow is lacking too.
However, and again, I accept those shortcomings because the cost of business class is lower *and* I don't live on the plane. I can "endure" these #firstworldproblems for 10 hours at a time and be done with it.
Gold isn't special, personalized greetings aren't viable. Just look around when you board, a third of the plane is Gold these days.
No complaints about the FA service. Always been attentive in my experience.
No complaints about the wine. I don't care if it's expensive or inexpensive, what matters to me is whether I like it, and I do. Montecilla Rioja Reserva 2009 was especially satisfying, that's like a $15 bottle, so what.
Before I get to the bad it's important to realize that BA is a value carrier. If you want "more better" then pay up and fly with a competitor. BA competes on price, not on quality of the experience.
The IFE sucks. There, I said it.
The selection is good and recent, but the screen size and resolution is lacking. Pair that with the fact that you can not get the screen to be perpendicular with your face as it doesn't extend far enough and I will give the IFE a D- and only because the selection is decent.
Seating .... lacking!
Mindblowing that BA continues to push the current configurations even for their 787 fleet. I have been lucky that I have been able to secure a seat that doesn't require me to climb over someone or have someone climb over me four out of the five trips. However, I do accept the layout because the flight does cost less than making the same trip on Delta One.
Sitting comfort is actually good from where I am looking. Lie flat comfort is meh. Pillow is lacking too.
However, and again, I accept those shortcomings because the cost of business class is lower *and* I don't live on the plane. I can "endure" these #firstworldproblems for 10 hours at a time and be done with it.
May 26, 2017, 12:28 pm
#51
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, TK Elite, HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 7,691
Seating .... lacking!
Mindblowing that BA continues to push the current configurations even for their 787 fleet. I have been lucky that I have been able to secure a seat that doesn't require me to climb over someone or have someone climb over me four out of the five trips.
Mindblowing that BA continues to push the current configurations even for their 787 fleet. I have been lucky that I have been able to secure a seat that doesn't require me to climb over someone or have someone climb over me four out of the five trips.
May 26, 2017, 1:14 pm
#52
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,145
The seat is largely what drove us to AA, with a slight coating of ex-DUB fares to the USA.
Neither of us find the CW seat either comfortable of convenient [747 and 380 UD slightly exempt in respect of iWife in her window seat] and the revelation of stowage space on AA was a massive eye-opener. Even the old 757s between LAX/HNL had places to put things!
The 1-2-1 setup on the ordinary AA A330 TATL ex-DUB shows how far BA has slipped behind the opposition for comfort, convenience and practicality. I apologise for advertising AA, but this is in context. Shelf, water bottle holder, decent pillow ... where's BA in that equation?
Neither of us find the CW seat either comfortable of convenient [747 and 380 UD slightly exempt in respect of iWife in her window seat] and the revelation of stowage space on AA was a massive eye-opener. Even the old 757s between LAX/HNL had places to put things!
The 1-2-1 setup on the ordinary AA A330 TATL ex-DUB shows how far BA has slipped behind the opposition for comfort, convenience and practicality. I apologise for advertising AA, but this is in context. Shelf, water bottle holder, decent pillow ... where's BA in that equation?
May 26, 2017, 3:00 pm
#53
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Cambridgeshire
Programs: Varies
Posts: 1,296
I had my first J trip to GIG in the last few days with BA which was my first since December. Ive flown J with QR 4 times, CX once, Finnair once, AA once and MH once all long haul... By far BA is by far the most underwhelming and im BA gold.. it is really sad. My observations were the following on this trip 777-200er.
1. No CSD personal welcome during the whole flight.. standard affair on QR i feel even though im BA gold.
2. Although better days ahead' the Club World seat is literally half the seat of all the others.. its cram them in 8 abreast.
3. Because of the 8 abreast, having to climb over peoples seat is pretty ludicrous to exit.
4. Those middle seats sure are cozy if you are with a stranger!
5. The wine...dear oh dear.. Cline Zinfandel is Gbp 8.99 a bottle. Really worthy of a J class offering on a ticket for 1000+ gbp.
6. Food served off a plastic tray table... again. I know better days ahead. But....
7. No hot towels or cold towels
8. The champagne / wine glass is the smallest glass offering size wise ive ever seen anywhere!
9. TV screen is like a ipad mini in size these days compared to competition.
10. Wife had glass of wine dropped on her. Not the end of the world, but when she asked if there was anywhere it could be made upto her, she asked for a glass of champagne from 1st class .. never came.
11. I asked for our child if he could have a banana since he was hungry. They said no, didnt have any, but could have some bread as an alternative.. at least they both begin with the letter B. 30 minutes later i went to the club pantry which was actually a positive and well stocked, and there in the basket low and behold were two bananas.
12. Had ordered a child meal for my son which was pre-booked. This went fine for the first meal but when the second light meal came two hours prior to landing, there was no kids meal offering. It was adult meal or tough.
13. Amenity kit- one bag works for all.. not a massive point, but again, its below competition standards.
On a good point at least the IFE goes straight to the movie, on QR its Barcelona advert after advert. I also thought the food while nowhere near QR standards wasnt so bad.
1. No CSD personal welcome during the whole flight.. standard affair on QR i feel even though im BA gold.
2. Although better days ahead' the Club World seat is literally half the seat of all the others.. its cram them in 8 abreast.
3. Because of the 8 abreast, having to climb over peoples seat is pretty ludicrous to exit.
4. Those middle seats sure are cozy if you are with a stranger!
5. The wine...dear oh dear.. Cline Zinfandel is Gbp 8.99 a bottle. Really worthy of a J class offering on a ticket for 1000+ gbp.
6. Food served off a plastic tray table... again. I know better days ahead. But....
7. No hot towels or cold towels
8. The champagne / wine glass is the smallest glass offering size wise ive ever seen anywhere!
9. TV screen is like a ipad mini in size these days compared to competition.
10. Wife had glass of wine dropped on her. Not the end of the world, but when she asked if there was anywhere it could be made upto her, she asked for a glass of champagne from 1st class .. never came.
11. I asked for our child if he could have a banana since he was hungry. They said no, didnt have any, but could have some bread as an alternative.. at least they both begin with the letter B. 30 minutes later i went to the club pantry which was actually a positive and well stocked, and there in the basket low and behold were two bananas.
12. Had ordered a child meal for my son which was pre-booked. This went fine for the first meal but when the second light meal came two hours prior to landing, there was no kids meal offering. It was adult meal or tough.
13. Amenity kit- one bag works for all.. not a massive point, but again, its below competition standards.
On a good point at least the IFE goes straight to the movie, on QR its Barcelona advert after advert. I also thought the food while nowhere near QR standards wasnt so bad.
May 26, 2017, 3:17 pm
#54
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: BOS
Programs: BA Silver, Mucci
Posts: 5,289
Regarding the 'climbing over'. I think the CW set-up is actually pretty good taking into account how many seats BA manages to squeeze in. One has to step over somebody's legs not actually climb over anyone as is the case with some carriers' business class. People make it seem as if it required actually climbing over somebody but it does not. It is very easy to get out of window seat without disturbing one's neighbour. Some people may not like it, but I would consider that climbing over is required, for example, on AA's B767 (old configuration). CW is such a different setup that way.
May 26, 2017, 3:30 pm
#55
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: Meh
Posts: 2,596
Context; 4x TATL LHR-SFO and one LHR-DEN this year in J.
Gold isn't special, personalized greetings aren't viable. Just look around when you board, a third of the plane is Gold these days.
#firstworldproblems for 10 hours at a time and be done with it.
Gold isn't special, personalized greetings aren't viable. Just look around when you board, a third of the plane is Gold these days.
#firstworldproblems for 10 hours at a time and be done with it.
And yet every time I fly CX the CSD comes to my seat to welcome me and ask me if I need anything. It seems viable then even though I am not even CX diamond. I would rather not have this special welcome but it is certainly viable.
May 26, 2017, 3:50 pm
#56
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges and Environmentally Friendly Travel
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 22,212
Viable to a point of irritation. I had three separate greetings onboard a CX flight earlier this week. I kept telling myself, just nod and smile, nod and smile, he’ll disappear in a minute….
May 26, 2017, 5:17 pm
#57
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464
Regarding the 'climbing over'. I think the CW set-up is actually pretty good taking into account how many seats BA manages to squeeze in. One has to step over somebody's legs not actually climb over anyone as is the case with some carriers' business class. People make it seem as if it required actually climbing over somebody but it does not. It is very easy to get out of window seat without disturbing one's neighbour. Some people may not like it, but I would consider that climbing over is required, for example, on AA's B767 (old configuration). CW is such a different setup that way.
"How many seats BA manages to squeeze in" - therein lies the problem.
May 27, 2017, 1:34 am
#59
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
Damning with faint praise?
May 27, 2017, 1:57 am
#60
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges and Environmentally Friendly Travel
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 22,212
AA (Envoy suite, Concept D suite, Recaro NGBC), AB, IB, LA, QR (Mini-pod)
Even stevens:
CX, AA (Cirrus)
Lightly below:
QR (Super Diamond)