Originally Posted by
jplondon
No, because I dont think anyone at BA (except maybe main board at some occassions) should have F as confirmed policy. Whether there is cost or not it clearly does not give an image that they are careful with their resources or put customers first and could make one believe that they would also travel in similar style once off the plane (hotel etc). This has an effect on shareholders and customers perception of BA and thus on the financial results of BA. Whether right or wrong, at least for me it does not give the right image of a company trying to preserve cash and turn things around. Same when I see cabin crew (not just BA) checking in to 5* hotels. And unfortunately perception translates in to real cash.
I'm sure plenty of people would argue that bankers, lawyers, engineers, accountants, salesmen, etc don't need to travel if F or J as it gives the wrong impression....
But frankly that's a completely different argument. Why shouldn't BA's staff involved in appropriate roles sample the product? To be honest, I'd far rather that someone making a decision about the First product had actually tried it - hell, they should have as part of their annual objectives to sample the First product on five of their competitor carriers, let alone BA.
Your perception of staff checking into 5* hotels as being costly is also an interesting one. Lets say BA has two flights a day to a particular destination, each with say 14 crew in total. Said crew stay two nights before returning. That's 56 rooms a night. 365 nights a year. You can pretty much guarantee that BA's negotiated rate for said hotel is way below anything that your or my employer is paying. From the hotel's perspective, there's a brand association value - they get their brand associated with BA, and they get a steady confirmed income stream.