FlyerTalker688786

Yes that is true. In terms of wifi onboard, BA is few years behind Norwegian and Emirates, and one to two generations behind American Airlines, Delta and United alike.

I can live without wifi on board at this moment. But the live Sports24 on other airline really attempts me...

HIDDY

News kept aside for using during the quiet summer holiday period by the look of it. There's nothing here we haven't read or discussed before.

Not what I'd expect from The Times.

DYKWIA

Is there? There is talk of new seats, as there is talk of upgraded lounges.

Show me somewhere that has details of the new seat? I thought it still hadn't been decided?

And what of the CCR upgrades? It's been said on here that there is an upgrade coming, but that's been said for months - and nothing has happened as far as I am aware.

The JFK upgrade has also been postponed.

simons1

I can't speak for others but I find EK generally cheaper from UK end so I'd say its a win/win.

Plus of course EK still have frequencies to most African destinations where BA threw in the towel which suits me personally.

FrancisA

If you search this forum pre-2008 and the Ready for 5 campaign, you will find much discussion of Willy Walsh's drive for 10% Gross Profit from the business. Many said that would be the end.

15 years later we have a thriving successful BA.

No, it is not perfect and of course it could do better. What it definitely is doing is keeping itself very much alive at the time when many said it would be dead due the disadvantage that its pensions deficit brought.

Leadership is about taking tough decisions and sticking to them. In this case you have a manager with a clear vision of a two-tiered product range - a high quality premium offer with a competitive quality economy offer.

Waitrose didn't get it right on day one with "Essentials", or the free offers with their "My Waitrose" card. Both have evolved. They have also since launched the Waitrose One range to epitomise their premium quality own-brand items.

You can see BA in the same context. Get the service right and you are on to a winner.

LCY8737

UA had the same config. It wasn't nearly as bad as it sounds: The 2s on either side are great, the 5 in the middle were frequently occupied by families or in two 2s with the very middle seat filling up last - so often staying empty.

Agree that it's awful to be stuck in the very middle as a solo flier, but the middle 5 block does have some upsides, too...

Hoch

Very true, except I understand that the new CW product is to be for newly delivered planes. Happy to be corrected But I suspect the point may be why a once market leader could not see the competition from the rear view mirror and try to stay ahead of the pack. It's not as though changes in the airline market happen overnight.

I read the article this morning and I thought it was a fair assessment. BA has been driven by cost cutting to beef up profits, which I do not take issue with. But if during that process passengers are put off, then it is short term gain for long term pain. But I don't doubt that new innovation, products etc can get these people back--eventually.

H

Calchas

I see what you're getting at. I would be delighted with a BA Essentials-like package.

But they are going more for Aldi own brand.

The thing with Waitrose (as I was gently mocking it there) is that their Essentials range is still seen as a very high quality product which actually fails to be a low-cost style product because it remains too posh. I suspect if this was not originally deliberate, it is certainly stirred up by their marketing team.

Now if BA could nail the "we actually fail to be nasty and low cost because we naturally offer such a high quality product", good for them.

But somehow, I think it is more likely we will see the opposite happen, in that the low-cost-nastiness will corrupt the higher end of the brand. Particularly, as just at Waitrose, the typical shopper will buy a mixture of low end and high end products, and you don't want the high-end brand compromised by a particularly bad low-end product.

Dave_C

It's all rumour and speculation. When I see an official IAG/BA announcement then I'll believe it. Until then, it's meaningless.

It's really interesting that this drip, drip, drip of negative publicity is turning into a fairly consistent stream of criticism, from much more august sources than the odd management consultant on LinkedIn.

The FT did something a few weeks ago in their big read, the Independent has had a number of stories, as has the Guardian and even the Economist, and now it's the turn of the Sunday Times.

These are internationally read and respected journals that people sit up and take notice of. I fear the rather sad post from Gilbert this morning on Twitter bemoaning that fact that no-one other than a fellow travel blogger recognised him on his current upgrade promotion (sell-out?) has rather missed the point. Or actually is that pretty spot on for the state of BA at the moment?

Tobias-UK

• The seat is to be introduced with the arrival of A350 - BA will show us the seat when they are ready to do so and when the final design has been approved
• The CCR upgrades have started and will be completed by the end of October (this is a revamp of the lounge with a major refurb of all LHR lounges due in the near future)
• The JFK refurb hit a minor logistical issue and has been delayed a few months.

subject2load

To my mind it's very difficult indeed to see any meaningful correlation between Waitrose and BA where brand image is concerned. Their respective fundamental approach to quality is quite different.

When Waitrose introduced their 'Essentials' range, they did so from a strong position in their market sector as a highly-respected premium brand, where customer service has always been a key element of their business culture.

In terms of perception, BA do not of course have that same luxury, simply because they are not currently seen as a 'premium brand'. So their starting point is not comparable, and means that they have a lot more work to do if they are to turn things around. Too much work, I personally suspect. Others who may feel that BA already offers a consistency of quality & service will perhaps see things differently.

There are - finally - plans to implement improvements to the BA longhaul product, but it's obviously too early to say just how well these will be received, and just how favourably they will measure up to the competition.

At the other end of the scale, let's not forget just how wonderful Mr Cruz assured us BoB would be - and that he was responding to what he claimed was overwhelming customer feedback. Several months on and we have near-daily reports of under-catered (and, quite often, zero-catered) flights, and customer dissatisfaction involving a wide range of s/h destinations.

Tobias-UK

These changes have been announced by BA, as well you know.

Dave_C

You mean the new blankets and moisturiser? Window dressing if ever it was. If it was that important, it would be fleet-wide on September 1st, not delivered over the best part of six months.

It's all about the seat. No new seat has been announced and there's no commitment to deliver it fleet wide, quickly.

The current iteration will be flying well into the 2020s on some aircraft.

Tobias-UK

You know exactly what I mean. Have your maon if you have to but I will not play your games.

DYKWIA

OK, thanks - I don't recall seeing anything about the CCR upgrades already starting. What's happened so far? What's left to be done?