This section deals with the BA American Express Cards that are available to people in the UK. Sorry to all those US users of the BA Visa, but you never seem to generate enough questions! BA in Germany offer a MasterCard, in France there's a Diners Card, in the Netherlands there's also a Diners Card and finally there’s a Diners Card in Switzerland too.
There are two types of AmEx card current available:
Basic
Premium Plus
(The ‘middle type’ called Premium is no longer offered, but still valid for existing holders).
The Basic card will earn you 1 BA mile per £1 spent, the Premium Plus 1.5 miles (and historically the Premium 1.25 miles).
If you a Premium or Premium Plus card (but not the Basic) holder and purchase something from BA which appears as ‘British Airways’ on the credit card statement, these amounts will be doubled i.e. 2.5 miles per £1 for the Premium and 3 miles per £1 for Premium Plus – this applies to flights as well as Duty Free purchases onboard. You do not earn double miles when purchasing BA Miles online as these show on your statement as points.com, not British Airways.
It’s also worth noting that on Travelocity and Expedia at least, normal BA tickets appear on your card as 2 transactions; first as BRITISH AIRWAYS for the fare itself and then a second one for the site’s booking fee. These post with triple miles automatically (Note this does not apply to special/negotiated fares such as ones which appear on Expedia as ‘Expedia Special’ from time-to-time).
The 2-4-1 voucher
The primary benefit of these BA AmEx cards is the voucher you get a voucher that offers you a second free ticket when you redeem your BA Miles for a flight. You need to spend £20K on the Basic, £15K on the (no longer offered) Premium, and £10K on the Premium Plus before you can get this and all of the spend must occur in one year (from the date of your AmEx card’s anniversary).
Even if you are spending loads on the card you can still only have one voucher every 12 months. If you’re really spending and it takes you three months to get to the £10K (for the Premium Plus), the next nine months of spend will NOT count to your next voucher (but will continue to earn miles just fine). If you do spend this much, you may want to consider getting a separate (NOT a supplementary) card for your partner so that your household can generate two vouchers per year.
The voucher is issued to you when you hit this spend threshold (i.e. not at the end of your year). It will be posted to you, usually within a week of receiving the statement that put you over the spending threshold – and will also appear online in your BA account’s homepage in a similar timeframe. The physical voucher contains a numerical code which you need to give to BA when you ring up to book your flights (if booking offline).
So, once you get the voucher, what is it? Well when you redeem your BA Miles for a ticket, it will give you a second one for free. Simple as that! You still have to pay all the airport taxes and fuel surcharges for both tickets though.
The voucher is valid for 24 months; by then you must have flown ALLoutbound segments – the old trick of flying MAN-LHR and then doing LHR-BKK six months later will no longer work.. BA/AmEx will also not extend vouchers any more (they used to).
Stopovers are allowed but do remember the voucher only applies to bookings solely with BA Miles. You can NOT use the voucher for:
Flights paid for with money – Miles ONLY
Part Cash / Part Miles – this means no MFU’s
Partner Airlines – BA Flights ONLY oneworld Flights – BA Flights ONLY
Code-shares – BA Flights ONLY
Flights starting from outside the UK – the flight MUST originate in the UK
In the T&Cs it says you may not use it for flights operated by franchise partners. However, people have been successful in using it for this, notably, Comair in South Africa (though this is a mistake on the part of the booking agents not a valid exception).
You can now book your voucher flights online – there will be an additional option on the miles booking engine which lets you ‘pay’ for a flight with the voucher. Simply select this, set the number of travellers to ‘2’ and book away – once you find the seats you need, it will check the validity of the voucher matches that of the journey dates and quote you the total taxes/charges for two people and the miles for one person This is a great enhancement in itself. Unfortunately, however, it only works for simple bookings (i.e. out and back to/from the same airport in the same class both ways) If you want to do something more complex (i.e. open jaw, mixed classes) you still have to call up BA. They levy a £15 per person charge on all mileage bookings made on the phone – this used to be waived just for AmEx bookings but now you can book online (even if you can’t book what you want online ) they will charge you it again
Two other restrictions to keep in mind – the cardholder must be one of those travelling on the booking and your AmEx card must be valid at the time. Additionally, you cannot combine your AmEx voucher with a Gold Upgrade Voucher.
Aside from miles earning and the voucher, another big benefit of the Premium Plus card is the travel cover it offers you – if you are travelling alone, it’s actually better cover than the Platinum/Centurion card. Here is a summary for the most-used issue (sadly) – lost/delayed baggage:
1. IF you booked the tickets (on any airline, not just BA) with your Premium Plus Card
2. AND your baggage is delayed by more than 6 hours (at your first/intermediate destination NOT on the way back home)
3. THEN you can spend up to 750 GBP on purchasing ‘essential’ items (e.g. clothes, suit for a meeting, toiletries).
4. FURTHERMORE if the bag still has not turned up in 48hrs you can spend an ADDITIONAL 1000 GBP too.
5. PROVIDED that ALL purchases are charged to the Premium Plus card
For holders of the Platinum/Centurion, the cover kicks in after 4 hours not 6 BUT it’s only up to 300 GBP and then a further 300 GBP after 48 hours…HOWEVER, that is per person on the booking so with several people it can work out better. Also, for these cards you do NOT have to have paid for the tickets on your Platinum/Centurion, you’re covered regardless.
Two further very important notes:
1. You MUST get the ‘Property Irregularity Report’ (PIR) from the baggage company when it first goes astray
2. You MUST get a date/stamp/confirmation from the courier/delivery person when the bag (hopefully) finally arrives with you (to prove the length of the delay)
Card Fees
There is no annual fee for the Basic card. The Premium Plus card carries a £150 fee.. The serious mileage collector will usually take the Premium Plus card regardless, as the higher level of mileage earning cancels out much of the fee – i.e. spending £20,000 pa would get you 10,000 more miles on the Premium Plus card.
However, since the fee for the Premium Plus card went up to £150 and the basic card became totally free, this decision is not as clear cut as it used to be. Here is a rough guide to help you decide which is best:
a) If you and your partner can easily spend £20,000 pa on the card and only earn enough BA Miles to use one Amex 2-4-1 per year, then you may find the Basic card is good enough for your needs. Decide if paying £150 for the additional 0.5 BA Miles per £1, plus any initial sign-up bonus, makes the Premium Plus card worth it for you.
b) If you and your partner can easily spend £20,000 pa on the card but have so many BA Miles that you could happily use TWO Amex 2-4-1 vouchers per year, consider getting the Premium Plus card for yourself and a separate Premium Plus card for your partner. You then split your £20k annual spend between the two cards.
c) If you can easily spend £10,000 pa on the card but will struggle to hit £20,000, then get the Premium Plus card – at least you can be certain of triggering the 2-4-1 voucher after £10,000
d) If you cannot spend £10,000 pa on the card, then either don’t bother (get a BMI Amex instead since the miles go further!) or get the free Basic card and simply earn BA Miles without worrying about the voucher.
Historically, holders of another AmEx card, such as a Blue credit card, Green charge card, Gold charge card, found that the annual fee for the Premium and Premium Plus was reduced to £30p.a. As of 2008, however, Amex has indicated that it will be removing this privilege and charging all Premium Plus customers £150 regardless of other Amex cards held. This has yet to be formally notified to cardholders at the time of writing (May 2008) so check FT for the latest position.
Note you can get cash back when applying for most AmEx cards, including the BA AmEx, through sites such as quidco.com and greasypalm.com. AmEx is also usually offering a sign-up bonus of a few thousand BA Miles for both the Basic and Premium Plus cards – see americanexpress.co.uk/ba for details of any current promotions.
Domicile
Your BAEC must be registered in the UK for you to hold the BA American Express card. If you move your account to a European address to benefit from the lower tier point thresholds, your card will be cancelled as soon as AmEx attempts to make the next miles transfer. However, if you simply do not use your card during your time in Europe then you can retain it as long as you don’t use it.
With some planning, it IS possible to benefit from the European tier point thresholds and the Amex 2-4-1. You would need to squeeze your £10k on Amex spending into part of the year, and then (once the voucher is issued) move your BA account to Europe so it is EU registered when your membership year comes up for renewal. If this is too complicated, you may prefer to have your partner get the BA Amex on a UK BA account and then get a supplementary BA Amex issued in your name. This allows you to use the card day-to-day whilst having your own personal BA account domiciled in Europe.
The BA Corporate AmEx
There is also a BA AmEx Corporate Card available - full details can be found at http://corp.americanexpress.com/gcs/...oratecard.aspx. If you have your own business you may find this useful, or you may find that your employer gives you one. It earns miles at the rate of 1 mile per £1, and also accrues 50% bonus OnBusiness points for the sponsoring employer for BA flights booked using the card. Only BAEC accounts domiciled in the UK will receive miles - if you move your account to Europe you will no longer receive miles although, unlike the standard BA AmEx, your Corporate Card will not be cancelled.
Here are some quick and punchy details prepared by the redoubtable Raffles on earning BA Miles with Tesco.
Collecting BA Miles with Tesco
Tesco is the UK’s largest supermarket chain. It operates a loyalty card scheme called Tesco Clubcard which awards 1 point for every £1 spent. Points can be spent in-store or with partners, including BA. 1 point coverts to 2.4 BA Miles.
As with the BA AmEx, you can only convert points to Executive Club accounts that are UK domiciled. Bear this in mind if you are considering moving your account to Europe to benefit from the lower Tier Point thresholds. One way to work around this is to keep your Clubcard vouchers (they do not expire for 2 years) and convert them at some point in the future when you move your account back to the UK.
How do I join Clubcard?
Pick up a free card at any Tesco, and then register it online or by posting back the form attached to the card. Alternatively, apply for the Tesco Credit Card. This doubles as a Clubcard and, in addition, earns you 1 point for every £4 (equal to 0.6 BA Miles per £1) you spend on the card anywhere, not just at Tesco. This is nowhere near as good as the BA Premium Plus AmEx (1.5 BA Miles per £1) but it can be used at places that refuse AmEx e.g. council tax and other utility bills. It can also be useful if you normally use your BA AmEx but want to delay the issuance of your next '2 for 1' redemption voucher.
Until April 2005, the Tesco Credit Card was twice as generous, awarding 1 point for every £2 spent. You may see references to this old level on FT, as existing cardholders still receive this rate.
Can I have multiple Clubcards?
Yes. However, Tesco does appear to be getting cleverer at spotting multiple mailings to the same address, and you may find that you can only qualify for a promotion on one of your accounts. To avoid duplicated mailings, ring the Clubcard Helpline and have the accounts merged. You will then only get one statement with one points total. However, if you receive multiple statements then you will also receive multiple bonus points coupons, of course!
Do other businesses award Clubcard points?
Tesco has a range of partners that award Clubcard points – see tesco.com for the current list. These include Avis and E.OnSeePost 1 of the ‘Tesco and BA’ thread for full details, which is usually in the first couple of pages of current threads on FT! The current thread is:
and although Raffles usually does a yearly restart, the new thread will usually be linked to from the last post of the old thread, if you find the above link is out of date.
How can I earn bonus points?
There are occasional bonus offers in-store, although these are less popular than they were as they have occasionally led to mass bulk-buying by FTers! These deals are flagged on FT and other Tesco sites such as paidtoshop.co.uk, run by FT-er Gizmos (you need to register at this site before you can see the Tesco codes thread). These offers often allow you to rack up BA Miles for less than 1p each, compared to 1.7p when buying them from BA. Historic (in every sense of the word!) offers included Palmier biscuits, Laurent Perrier champagne, pre-paid mobile phones, frozen beef in gravy, confetti and instant coffee!
These offers are usually available whether you shop in-store or on-line at the grocery site. Note that some stores may restrict you to six identical items in any single purchase. Points offers are usually not advertised in Metro or Local stores but, assuming the product is available in the smaller stores, they should register at the check-out – do a trial purchase and see what happens.
We have seen a gradual reduction in in-store promotions in the last few years, and you are nowmore likely to earn extra points from using special bonus codes for your online shopping. These usually give you an extra 200 / 500 / 1000 points when spending £x in specific areas of the Tesco website. These promotions, when available, are listed in Post 1 of the current ‘Tesco and BA’ thread. Post 1 also explains how to join the various Tesco clubs (lots of opportunities to receive bonus points coupons!) and how to recycle old mobile phones and inkjet cartridges for points.
How do I convert points to BA Miles?
You can check your points balance at any time by going to tesco.com and clicking 'My Account'.
Once every quarter, you will receive a statement with vouchers for points earned (minimum 250). Quarters run from Aug-Oct, Nov-Jan, Feb-Apr and May-July and you will receive your statement 2-3 weeks later. Each statement comes with a number of bonus points coupons to use in-store.
Historically Tesco would automatically convert your points to BA Miles. This is no longer available to new cardholders but is still being done for those of us who signed up when it was possible. See Post 1 of ‘Tesco and BA’ for details. Today, you convert your points by going to the Tesco website and inputting the numerical code from your clubcard voucher. Ensure that your BA account address is the same as your Clubcard address. What is Premium Clubcard?
This scheme, now abolished, let customers who spent over £780 per quarter convert at 800 BA Miles per 250 points. FTers who were Premium Clubcard holders can still convert at this rate, so will see the occasional mention of it.
Can I do anything else travel-related with my Tesco points?
There are a number of tour operators who offer discounts on holidays for Tesco points. You can get a £10 reduction for every £2.50 on Tesco vouchers you use. The more upmarket operators in the scheme include Cadogan Holidays and P&O Cruises. You can also redeem for Hilton, Marriott, Novotel and Mercure hotel stays, although there are often restrictions on minimum stay or weekend stays. See tesco.com/clubcard for details.
For the latest information of the Tesco / BA partnership, look at the ‘Tesco and BA’ thread.
Other Partners
BA has a lot of other Hotel, Car Rental and other Partners. Some of the more notable ones are Avis (who offer a pretty good AWD for BA Gold members and nice miles earning opportunities), and Travelex.
It is possible to earn 2,000 BA Miles for free by taking out the credit cards offered by hotel partners Priority Club and Marriott. Each of these cards comes with a 10,000 point sign-up bonus, which can be immediately converted to 2,000 BA Miles. Neither of these cards is attractive as a long-term way of collecting BA Miles, however, as the earning rates are too poor – ie with Priority Club you would need to spend £10,000 to earn enough points for 2,000 BA Miles.
Last edited by Shuttle-Bored; Jun 2, 08 at 3:36 pm.
Reason: June 08 Update
This fare list comes from G-BOAG. Note that ba.com now finally does show you fare codes (this was a very long-standing gripe on FT!). When you are working with bookings bear the following in mind:
• If you are logged in to your EC account, there is a new option called ‘Lowest (Tier Point Earning)’ on the booking engine (in addition to ‘Lowest’ and ‘Flexible Conditions’). This does what it says on the tin!
• Regardless, when you are booking you will see the flight numbers you get to select from are now active links. If you click on the flight number it pops up a new window which tells you the ‘Selling Class’ for that flight. You can also do this on the final booking confirmation screen
• For existing bookings, the same principle applies in MMB – open the booking, click the flight number link and you’ll see the ‘Selling Class’ that leg is booked in to
where you can enter your booking details. This very helpfully shows you lots of useful information about your booking, including the fare basis for each leg (the first letter of which is the relevant fare code) which is one step further than ba.com – it also gives you a full price/tax breakdown.
The most recent changes (at the time of writing) confirmed by the ever-helpful Bukhara were:
Code:
A – Discount First
B – Semi-Flexible Economy
C – Discount Club
D – Discount Club
E – Discount World Traveller Plus
F – Full Fare First
G - Groups
H – Semi-Flexible Economy
I – Discount Club
J – Full Fare Club
K – Discount Economy
L – Discount Economy
M – Discount Economy
N – Discount Economy
O – Discount Economy
P – World Traveller Plus Redemptions
Q – Discount Economy
R – Discount Club (used to be Concorde!)
S – Discount Economy
T – Discount World Traveller Plus
U – Club Redemptions
V – Discount Economy
W – Full Fare World Traveller Plus
X – Economy Redemption
Y – Full Fare Economy
Z – First Redemptions
Note: The designations above are a guide only. Fare rules and the restrictions vary considerably from long to short haul, and on country of purchase.
This guide is based on a post originally compiled by MIAFlyer.
I am an American currently living in Geneva, Switzerland. We fly to the US 2 or 3 times per year. I have three boys, 5 yrs, 3 yrs and 18 months now, so I know how much fun travelling with children can be. I will try to give you my point of view.
1 - BA is by far, the best airline for transatlantic travel with children. Period. This will be backed up by the statements below....
2 - Seating - The arm rests in WT+ do not raise. I don't think any of the arm rests on any BA plane raise. However, unless your car seat is some giant monstrosity, it should fit. I believe in order for it to be FAA approved, the base cannot be more than 17 inches wide, which is the smallest seat currently used on US airlines. Our Graco seat fits in BA long/short haul WT and WT+ seats.
3 – Safety:
3a - Infant in a seat - If you are SURE your seat meets BOTH FAA and CAA standards, you will not have a problem using it in flight. HOWEVER, note that ex-UK with the current hand luggage rules, you cannot bring your own seat any more. BA’s advice is:
Quote:
Originally Posted by BA
Customers travelling with infants up to two years old can request a child seat or bassinet when bookings are made and up to 24 hours before departure. These are provided on a first come, first serve basis.
For other points of departure, key points to remember are - Must be a 5 point harness (meaning there is webbing crossing the little one attached to the shell of the seat in 5 locations), most US car seats that are both forward and rear facing are 5 point, there are a few that are 3 point, but not many. The seat must be forward facing. The reason for this is based upon how airplane seats are designed to move forward in a crash. Example: If you have a rear facing infant seat in seat 12A, and the airplane crashes, the person in 13A would be forced forward into the back of the seat 12A. This seat is will move forward and crush the little one in 12A. So there is a reason for them to be forward facing. If your little one is too young to be forward facing in a car, he is too little to be forward facing in an airplane. My experience has been that BA cabin crew will let the little one stay in his car seat for take off and landing provided it is forward facing and properly installed.
3b - Infant on your lap - I am a mechanical engineer. BA is the only airline I have experienced that understands the forces involved in a crash. They have a specially designed figure 8 lap belt that attaches the little one to your seatbelt OUTSIDE of your body/belt loop. This is the safest way for your little one to travel for take off and landing (yes, better than in a car seat), mainly based upon the time to exit the plane.
3c - BA Britax/Sleeping cots - My troupe has flown in both Club (when the Swiss franc was 1.45 to the dollar) and in WT+ (when the Swiss franc was 1.2 to the dollar!) so I have experience with the setup in both cabins (they are the same). The Britax seat looks just like a car seat, and if you are lucky enough to get a bulkhead seat, the cabin crew will come around right after takeoff and setup your seat for you. Usually, it is a fold down tray, about 20 inches deep to about 30 inches wide coming from the bulkhead in front of you. Same thing with the sleeping cots. I have big boys, and my 8 month old fit just fine in the Britax seat, and was slightly too big for the sleeping cot at 17 months.
4 - Purchase a seat/hope for bulkhead/why won't they give me both - I had exactly the same discussion with BA. Do I purchase 4 WT+ tickets, and ask for a bulkhead, or do I buy 5 tickets and put the youngest in his own seat. BA told me exactly the same thing, if you have an infant in your lap, paying the infant fare, we will try to allocate you a bulkhead seat. If you buy the infant a seat, we will NOT try to allocate you a bulkhead. The thought of having a 17 month old squirming on my lap in a crowded cabin made me purchase 5 WT+ tickets. My experience has been there are VERY FEW parents with children travelling in WT+. In fact, each time we have travelled in WT+, my three little ones were the only children on the plane. Thus, I think your odds of getting a bulkhead seat are probably pretty good. Having said that, you can also purchase a seat for your child and ask at the airport check in desk for the bulkhead seats. We have always been able to get at least two bulkhead seats this way.
5 - Food - The kids meals on BA are actually food my kids will eat. Chicken nuggets, baked beans, and far too much chocolate (which we took away...). You will have to ask for a children’s meal at least 24 hours before the flight. Your travel agent can to this, or you can call BA directly. If you do not call ahead, you will not get a child's meal. Baby food is carried on all flights, but we always brought our own anyway.
6 - Entertainment packs - BA also has a game pack that they give kids. They have one for 2-6 year olds and 6-12 year olds. The 2-6 year olds get a colouring book, pad of paper, crayons, and a stuffed animal type airplane. The 6-12 year olds get a puzzle book (crossword, connect the dots, etc.) and a little electronic game that my 5 yr old loves. (Off topic - LX and LH give out Lego and Matchbox cars, US Flag carriers don't give anything).
7 - Flight Crew - While my experiences are limited to Club and WT+, the flight crew on each BA flight have truly gone out of their way to make my wife and I, and more importantly, our children, comfortable and happy on our flights. LH, DL, and Alitalia greeted us with a sneer. Never again. This has cost them significant dollars in terms of my business travel, but that is the subject of another thread.
8 - Ground Services - I have a BA Gold card, my wife and 2 of the 3 children have Silver cards, so my experiences may be tainted. We have always been welcomed in the lounges (and promptly directed to the Toybox!), check in has always been easy, we were allowed to take our buggy/pram/stroller right to the plane, (all but once it was stored in the cabin instead of luggage).
Now, not everything is rosy with BA and Heathrow, changing planes/terminals there is a giant pain. But overall, compared to any other transatlantic service, BA is the way to go. Whatever you do, do not fly Alitalia. Even if you purchase a seat for your child, they will not let you use a car seat, even during the flight. They would rather the infant sit in an adult seat, by themselves, or be held by a parent for the whole flight. The sooner they go bankrupt, the better.
Hope this helps!
Useful information for parents of 1 year olds!
Any parents out there will be aware that from the age of 2, children can no longer travel as lap passengers at 10% of the adult fare, but instead require a seat and are charged the child fare which is typically 66% of the adult fare. What you might not be aware of however is BA's policy vis-a-vis children who turn 2 during travel - and how this could potentially save parents a great deal by starting travel plans earlier in say Manchester rather than from London, ie start your flight from Manchester whilst jnr is under 2, and continue on several months later after he has turned 2.
The relevant BA policy is shown on their website:
Quote:
Originally Posted by from BA.com website
Children who become 2 years old during travel
Question
My child turns 2 years old during our holiday, does this make any difference to whether they have a seat on the plane?
Answer
If you are travelling with an infant who reaches the age of two on a date during your journey (i.e. departs under the age of 2 but returns over the age of 2), a separate seat is required for all sectors on and after their birthday.
British Airways will be pleased to ensure that your reservation reflects a booked seat for that portion of your journey.
The fare charged will remain at the infant fare for the entire journey, regardless of the fact that a seat has been booked for some sectors.
If you would like to ensure that your child has a seat after their 2nd birthday, please contact your local British Airways office from the contact details found if you click here.
This policy does not apply for passengers travelling on Qantas flights, on which a child turning 2 years old during travel must either continue to travel sitting on their parent's lap or pay a child fare for their remaining flights after their 2nd birthday.
Please note: Bookings should be made according to the age of the infant/child at the time of travel, not at the time of booking.
Therefore if the infant will be two at the time of travel for the start of the journey then a booking for a child should be made.
Does it work in practice? Yes. We recently experienced it on a tatl which started in February (due to an Amex 241 issue - since closed) and continued to the US and back in August. Jnr was a lap passenger for the initial MAN to LHR, and thereafter had a seat in J.
So...anyone with a 1 year old, planning a flight for when the child is 2 is recommended to look into commencing the flight earlier with a long stopover. If anything it reinforces the case for ex-EUR travel.
Last edited by Shuttle-Bored; Jun 2, 08 at 3:37 pm.
Reason: June 08 Update
This is generally kept current by BA. You can also check out your booking in ‘Manage My Booking’ if possible or on www.checkmytrip.com (in both cases, you will need your PNR/Record Locator and to know your own surname!) which should list this information.
The above link also contains useful advice and Q&As about transferring between terminals, or between Heathrow and Gatwick.
Another useful resource is the London Airports thread from the London Forum:
Do remember that BA is in the process of moving to T5 and T3 in several phases between March 27 2008 and early 2009.
- At the end of March 70% of BA flights moved to T5, including all longhaul flights from T1 and nearly all short haul flights from T1
- Remaining flights in T1 and T4 will move during the remainder of 2008/early 2009 – at the time of writing BA have yet to release their full schedule for this – visit their Terminal Moves website for more information.
- Ensure you use the First check in area (and get your Fast Track security stamp at LHR T4)
- Do make sure you visit both the First and Concorde Lounges in T4 (probably "last chance to see" the original CR as T5 opened in March 2008), and make full use of the Galleries First/Concorde Room in T5 (and if you’re a real geek, check out the other BA lounges too – you have carte blanche on access!)
- Just prior to the Lounge, go immediately to the Elemis Spa and book a treatment and enjoy a Steam Shower (better than a regular shower!), and ensure you get any nice freebie products on offer. DO NOT remove your underwear for treatments!
- Enjoy a Bacon Butty in the Lounge. Make sure you request the decent champagne (e.g. Belle Epoque) in the F/Concorde Lounge if it’s not out. If you are there in the afternoon, try the traditional British afternoon tea (instead or as well )!
- In T5, enjoy pre-flight dining at the restaurant all day long.
- Get to the gate reasonably early so you can rest up in your seat and enjoy the pre-flight drinkies (especially if it’s a ‘quiet’ flight and BA don’t have a priority boarding line ). (Stupid) Customs regulations in theory prevent staff offering you anything except drinks where duty has been pre-paid (i.e. Champagne). However, in First, it doesn’t hurt to ask for something else you’d fancy from the bar (e.g. G&T) and they may be able to accommodate you (otherwise, it will definitely be like in CW where the official offering is Water/OJ/Champagne only)
- Don’t be afraid to (discreetly) tell the crew it’s your first First if it really is – invariably they will spoil you rotten if you get a good crew!
- If you’re male, request the shaving kit to go with your Anya Hindmarch BAg. The standard BAg is now unisex, but this is the remaining additional insert on offer.
- Assuming you’re on a 747, do visit the loo for the window while peeing experience (!)
- Consider using the buddy seat while you dine if travelling as a pair
- Immediately ask for a video from the selection (if your plane doesn’t have AVOD) to get ‘first dibs’ on what you want
- On current menus ex-LHR, the ‘Catch of the Day’ is invariably excellent
- Make sure you get the PJs even on a day flight - keep room in your carry on bag for the BAg, slippers and PJs!
- Do check the back to see if www.newclubworld.com is installed on your flight for AVOD.
- If coming in to LHR make sure you make use of the Arrivals Lounge breakfast, shower and massage (note the Arrivals lounge closes at 2pm with breakfast disappearing from about midday).
- And finally, a little perspective - don't expect too much; it's ‘only’ a seat in a plane and cannot deliver the earth (well, hopefully not ), if that's your mindset you should leave very satisfied indeed
Last edited by Shuttle-Bored; Jun 2, 08 at 3:37 pm.
Reason: June 08 Update
Some Tips on Maximizing the BA Club World Experience
With thanks to Halo for kicking this off originally.
Before you fly
- Pick your plane carefully (if you can), as the ambience will vary from plane to plane. Generally FTers prefer 747s and even 767s to 777s, not least because the 777s have more likelihood of having the older Club World lie flat seats rather than the newer "Next Generation Club World" seats launched in 2007 to which the website below links. 747s and 767s are believed by most FTers to have a better cabin layout than the 777s.
- Pick your seat carefully (if you can), as some of the seats face backwards, which some people love and some people hate. Further, some people find the seats next to the window rather claustrophobic (see above).
- On 747's go for the more select upper deck cabin, unless you are travelling with young children when you might prefer the lower cabin (allegedly).
At the Airport
- Ensure you use the Club World check in area (Zone R at LHR T1), and get your Fast Track security stamp if applicable (ex-LHR T4 your Boarding Pass is sufficient to get you Fast track access, but a sticker doesn’t hurt). If you have a BA Gold Card[/b]one[/b]world Emerald you can check in at the First Desk of course, still.
- Do make sure you visit the Lounge(s), and where available the Spa. Spas are located at LHR T1 and T4, and JFK T7. Lounge locations can be checked here. At LHR T4 in addition to the main Lounges by Gate 10, there is a Lounge at Gate 1 which many FTers seem to prefer to the normal Terraces because inter alia it has an excellent Chef's Theatre food service, where you can get freshly prepared hot food. If you have a BA Gold Card/oneworld Emerald you can access the First Lounge as normal.
- Where there are Spas go immediately and book a free treatment. You do not need to remove your underwear for any of the Spa Treatments!
Be warned though that treatments are not pre-bookable, it’s first come first served, and your chances of getting a treatment are pretty hit and miss if you don’t allow a good few hours. Best to try for one but not to expect one - then you could be pleasantly surprised.
- If you are on a Sleeper Service you will be expected to dine in the Lounges. Pre-flight Supper replaces the main meal service on board. Due to late departure times, there is no Pre-flight Supper available from the Middle East. All special meals on North American services are catered for through the selection on offer in Pre-flight Supper, with the exception of kosher meals. If you have ordered a kosher meal please mention this to your host in the Terraces Lounge.
- Champagne is available on request by the glass in the Terraces/Galleries at LHR/LGW from the attendants
On Board Your Flight
- Sit back, relax and enjoy your glass of pre-flight Champagne/Water/OJ after boarding. You’re in CW. Feel suitably smug
- In CW you get a Elemis amenity bag but no PJs (if you care about them).
- The area around your floor must be TOTALLY clear due to safety regulations – no shoes, pillows, blankets, papers, etc. It will really help the crew if you put everything in the overhead locker in advance (or in NCW, as much as you can fit in the little ‘laptop’ drawer), or on the Upper Deck, in the side bins
- Speaking of the Upper Deck, remember not to leave anything on top of the side bins (e.g. papers) for take-off or landing…or you can watch them slide up/down the bins to someone else…you may as well put a sign that says ‘CW Newbie’ on your forehead
- Although an in-flight menu may give you a choice of dessert OR cheese, a polite request for both (if you want them both) with often be met with "I'll see if we have enough", normally followed by production of both
- After dinner drinks - port, liquers etc - are available on request
- Treat IFE with trepidation - particularly if it is AVOD. If it works, it works really well. If it doesn't, ensure you have something else to amuse you, or more importantly any children you might be travelling with. There are some teething problems with AVOD on the 747 which are currently being ironed out.
- When using your CW for one of its primary selling points – the flat bed – remember the footrest is adjustable. In both CW variants do NOT ‘yank’ at it, use the little button/lever thing in the cutout near the top (New Club World) or on the back (Club World) to switch it in to ‘move’ mode – it can then be raised to sit ‘flush’ with the flat seat, creating a full length flat bed.
- Before landing, look for the button with a plane icon on it on your seat controls and use it – your seat must be in the set position for take-off/landing. It’ll help the crew if you do this yourself in advance.
Upon Your Return to the UK
- If coming in to LHR make sure you make use of the Arrivals Lounge breakfast, shower and massage. The Arrivals lounges at LHR close at 2pm, breakfast finishes at midday. You can get a clothes-on massage and have clothes pressed whilst you take a shower.
Overall
Don't expect too much and if that's your mindset you should leave very satisfied indeed
Links
You can find more details on the Club World service from BA's Club World website here.
Last edited by Shuttle-Bored; Jun 2, 08 at 3:38 pm.
Reason: June 08 Update
Some Tips on Maximizing the BA World Traveller Plus Experience
With thanks to krug for compiling this…here are the service differentiators for WT+ (World Traveller Plus, or Premium Economy):
• WT+ fares start as low as $600 (sales in September and January) return including taxes
• Can be obtained for between $650-$950 for most US-LON itineraries using the fare explorer, year round
• Cheapest fares sometimes need up to 42 day advance purchase, more likely 21 (ex-UK at least)
• All fares earn tier points (75 for each ‘normal’ sector, 135 for Australia)
• All WT+ fares are eligible for joining the BAEC if needed
• All WT+ fares earn 125% of miles flown for BA Miles purposes
• All WT+ fares sold on www.ba.com are upgradeable to Club World from 25,000 BA Miles return (MFU)
• A side trip to from London to Europe can be added for a modest premium
• There is no lounge access for WT+ tickets, unless you have MFU'd to Club World or have Silver or Gold BA/oneworld equivalent status
• If you have MFU’d and the European capital is in Zone 1 (France, Germany, Benelux) no additional miles are needed beyond 25k
• MFU’d European flights are in Club Europe, including lounge access, and 20 tier points per sector
On board the offering is distinctive from World Traveller (Economy) but it is not a Business Class cabin (or even, as have been rumoured, the old business seats). You will find:
• Dedicated Check-in at some US airports (LAX, SFO, SEA and BOS confirmed, there are others).
• Dedicated Cabin, separate from World Traveller
• 2-4-2 layout (2-2-2 on the 767)
• Ideal if travelling with your partner a deux for added privacy (no need to share the row with a third person)
• On 747s with 70J seats there are two single seats out on their own with extra legroom – great value
• Best seats (see above) available using OLCI (On Line Check In) at pre-assignment if you qualify
• All seats have seatback TVs (same as WT), Exit rows have in seatrest TVs which swing up as in old fashioned J seats
• All seats have laptop power (unlike WT)
• Complimentary newspaper/s – usually the Daily Mail, but ask for something else and you may receive
• Complimentary bar (same as WT)
• Wine served in proper glasses unlike WT which has plastic tumblers
• Priority meal choice preference (you get served before WT)
• Marginally more personalised service than in economy
• Recaro purpose designed seats, with legrest (generally accepted to be crap), headrest and lumbar support
• 38” seat pitch
• 7" recline
• 17.5" seat width
As mentioned above it is great if you are only used to Economy (World Traveller) less good if you are downgrading from Club World.
One downside is that especially on family holiday routes and seasons, the front row of WT+ are all bassinet positions, and the front row of WT is right behind you, which is similarly a bassinet position, so stereophonic screaming children could be an issue, but certainly no more so than on any other flight.
With ex-US ticket prices in the $650-$950 range most days, and upgrade availability from the East Coast generally good (except Florida routes) you would be crazy not to cash in 25k BA Miles (half of what it costs on AA, and you get a proper flat bed, and Elemis Spas in JFK and LHR…).
If you have no BA Miles and are in the US, you can apply for the BA Visa at the US site of www.ba.com which gets you 20,000 BA Miles and then purchase the remaining 5,000 BA Miles online, if you have no eligible spend on the CC or AA/AS flights to credit in the interim period.
The flight itself will generate about 10,000 BA Miles (depending on whether East Coast or West Coast, how you pay for the flight - BA Visa gets double miles – and whether you take a European side trip).
So after the journey you are already 40% of the way to having enough miles for another upgrade next year.
Other airlines who offer Premium Economy are:
• BMI www.flybmi.com from LAS, ORD, BGI, ANU to MAN using their old business class seats in PE
• Virgin www.virgin-atlantic.com from LAX, SFO, LAS, ORD, NYC, MIA, MCO, BOS. Marginally better as a product than WT+ by many accounts
• Air New Zealand, EVA Air, China Southern and United Economy Plus are other products too
For cheapest fares, always price a simple itinerary US-LON using the fare explorer to fin cheapest days for your transatlantic sector, and then reprice for you European destination, inputting the dates you know to be least expensive across the Atlantic, using the "one-way and multi city" option on the booking home page.
One tip final: be careful to avoid LHR-LGW transfers if you are not having a stopover anyway in London.
Last edited by Shuttle-Bored; Jun 2, 08 at 3:38 pm.
Reason: June 08 Update
(with thanks to phreegreens for the most recent re-write)
The discount
BA offers a 10% discount on flight costs to all eligible shareholders. This discount can be used to buy tickets for flights on BA aircraft only, from or within the UK only. So, no discount on codeshares, JSA flights such as Qantas, etc. and definitely no ex-EU’s. This means that as BA does not have a trans-Pacific service, apart from on a Qantas code share, you will not be able to use the discount to build a “Round the World” fare.
Any trip booked using the discount must be entirely on BA aircraft, so whilst you could book LHR-JFK-BOS-LHR, using a BA codeshare on AA between JFK-BOS, the booking engine will not allow the discount on the outbound and return trans-Atlantic legs, even if they are on BA aircraft. The workaround is to book an “open jaw” LHR-JFK and BOS-LHR, on the same booking. JFK-BOS can then be booked separately. Open jaws are allowed, providing all the flights are on BA aircraft.
It is unlikely that the discount will be usable on the OpenSkies Europe-US services, as these are not BA “mainline” and also they are not from the UK.
How do I qualify ?
To qualify for the discount shareholders must hold a minimum of 200 ordinary shares (the one’s traded on the London Stock Exchange), on an annual qualifying date. The qualifying date for 2008 is November 7th, by which date you must have purchased your shares and they must have been entered on the share register, do not leave it too late, the registration process takes a few days.
In all the recent turmoil on the markets BA shares have taken a right pounding. On October 14th the price was around £1.30/share, so it would cost you around £275 for the 200 qualifying shares and the dealing charges, so it’s a case of deciding if in the longer term this will be a good deal, based on your travel spend.
You have to be UK resident to benefit from this discount. BA have stated that they would like to extend the discount to shareholders resident in other countries, but currently local taxation reporting requirements make this impractical.
How do I book discounted tickets ?
After your first qualifying date as a shareholder you will be issued a shareholder reference number and a discount reference number. These used to come in the post, the past couple of years if you have an email address registered with BA’s share registrars (Computershare), you will receive the reference numbers by email. Look out for the email, it’s not obvious, the 2007 one came on November 27th with the title “British Airways Plc - Interim Results and Investor Magazine for Shareholders”
These reference numbers are used to access BA’s normal booking engine, through a link on the BA Shareholders website. Here you will be able to buy the normal range of tickets, for all travel classes, with all the usual restrictions and clauses, but at 10% discount from the flight cost only. Taxes, fuel supplements, etc. are not discounted. Online is the only way you can use your shareholders discount, it cannot be used at travel agents, on the phone to BA, at BA offices or ticket desks.
When you are first issued with the reference numbers they will not be valid until January 1st of the coming year, you will not be able to get through the shareholders log on page until that date. Once you have access you will be able to book into the following year. So, if your codes are valid from January 1st 2009, as booking dates open up in 2010 you will be able to buy discounted tickets for travel in 2010.
Shareholders are entitled, with up to eight additional travelling companions on the same booking, to receive the discount; the shareholder must also travel on all sectors. This is a change to the rules for 2008 discount entitlement; previously it was up to 6 pax. including the shareholder. This is specific in the revised 2008 T&C’s (para 6.) A dummy booking would suggest that the BA booking systems will allow up to nine pax on a shareholder discount booking.
The shareholder and accompanying pax who are members of the BAEC will earn the usual BA Miles and Tier Points, based on the ticket class and cabin travelled.
The T&C’s state that these discounted fares should only be used for leisure travel, difficult to know how they would check this though.
Exclusions
There are a number of exclusions, covering the use of the discount. Probably the most important is no Miles for Upgrade (MFU’s), so these discounted tickets are non-upgradable with BA Miles.
Shareholder discounted fares do not attract BA On Business points, fairly sensible really as these fares should only be used for leisure travel.
Further exclusions are in the T&C’s, pretty much the use with any other promotion or vouchers, etc. is excluded. Although sale fares do usually attract the discount.
Dividends
BA paid a dividend in 2008. It wasn’t a lot.
If you held the minimum 200 shares it worked out at about a tenner, for which you were sent a cheque. After your shares have been registered, if you contact Computershare, they will send you a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (“DRIP”) form, so for any future dividends you will get shares instead of the payment. The number of shares is based on the value of the dividend and the market price on the day the dividend is paid.
You can contact Computershare through the “Shareholder Services” page of their website.
Any other goodies ?
Some years ago shareholders used to get the odd little giveaway from BA, these seem to have dried up over the past few years. You do get an invite to the AGM, normally held in London, where you get a free cup of tea and to the chance to listen to the strategy for the coming year. At the AGM you may also get to sample the latest product innovations. Maybe a mock up of the new F cabin at the 2009 meeting ?
A few other points
Past few years, but obviously no guarantee that it will continue, the discount has been increased to 15% for bookings made in December.
If your shares are held in a brokers nominee account, your broker will have to contact BA on your behalf to get the discount codes. A bit of extra hassle, but reports on FT is that it is normally sorted quickly.
Full 2008 T&C’s for the Shareholders Discount can be found on the BA Shareholders website.
Thinking about Eurocheating and moving your BAEC address to the holiday home in France to take advantage of the lower thresholds for Gold and Silver on the Continent? Raffles'diary of a Eurocheat might make for interesting reading!
Last edited by Shuttle-Bored; Jun 6, 08 at 9:25 am.
Reason: June 08 Update
(Note this does not apply to special/negotiated fares such as ones which appear on Expedia as ‘Expedia Special’ from time-to-time). 
If you want to do something more complex (i.e. open jaw, mixed classes) you still have to call up BA. They levy a £15 per person charge on all mileage bookings made on the phone – this used to be waived just for AmEx bookings but now you can book online (even if you can’t book what you want online 
) they will charge you it again 
), if that's your mindset you should leave very satisfied indeed 
