Originally Posted by
simons1
So why wasn't he able to attend then?
I honestly doubt it was because he was afraid of a bunch of FT types.
To clarify, this wasn't a do for "FT types"; the invitation list was "high-value customers", some of whom are FTers and many of whom, no doubt, are not.
Let's not beat about the bush: this was a very uncomfortable meet & greet for the BA managers who bothered to show up on Monday -- especially for Troy Warfield, who is in charge of y'all's delightful "customer experience" these days. To say that he got a very public earful from a number of influential GGLers would be an understatement. Rarely have I seen anyone look so uncomfortable in public.
So yes, I wouldn't be surprised if Cruz saw the writing on the wall and hid from us. Quite a contrast to his predecessor, who would use these get-togethers to at least pretend to listen to feedback from some of his most high-value customers.
Last Monday's was the most adversarial of these do's that I've been to. It's definitely diminishing returns, since I've heard various BA bigwigs make the same speech many times over the years, with little subsequent action. It's telling, in my mind, that only around half the name tags on the table outside the venue were in use: many fellow GGLers, having RSVP'ed yes, chose not to bother in the end. Given the downward trajectory and the stuck-record nature of BA's message, that's probably the right attitude these days.