Originally Posted by
Rubecula
I would never judge an airline on one flight. My experience with BA F ranges from very poor (only 1 flight thankfully) to very good (quite a few times). At the time it is very difficult when you have paid for a premium service but get far less.
Thank you for sharing.
But many of us don't get the chance to experience it multiple times. For many, it's the trip of a lifetime. I appreciate many are either better off than I am, or are in a job that allows them to fly First Class. I'm retired. I was only ever allowed to fly Club when I was working. So the one bad apple flight DOES have an impact. And if the treat that we'd planned for ourselves is staffed by someone who isn't trained in First Class, and gives substandard service that isn't corrected by other crew members (sorry, their "team") , then I feel I was cheated out of what we'd paid for.
And if it is the case that they have to use staff who aren't trained, then I would appreciate the honesty and I would appreciate knowing, in advance how I will be compensated. As it is I received a very sympathetic and professional phone call in response to my complaint. It made me feel that there are people in BA who care about the standard of service they offer. However, as they said, BA can't offer the hard product that some airlines can, so they try to compensate with excellent service. Having untrained staff (if that's what happened to me and IS what happened to the OP) is not how BA should compensate us for their poorer hard product. They can provide excellent service in the Concorde Lounge. They should be able to provide it in the air, no matter whether you fly F all the time or if it's a one-off treat.
But I'm happy that your experiences have tended to be better than mine. I'm not sure if that's supposed to make me feel better?