BA compaired to BD
Apr 3, 2001, 2:39 pm
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 37,486
BA compaired to BD
For what it's worth I just switched from BA to BD (thanks to BD for the gold card matching!!), I take around 50 AMS-LHR flights a year, if it's any use to anyone I've noted my experience with them on my first flight BD here:
Booking: BD's site got the departure times wrong, it would let me book a non-existent flight leaving LHR at 20:45 on saturday, even though this flight only does weekdays...
BA's site is (although a little slow) a very reliable booking engine...
Ground staff: BA has a better desk at AMS, the BD desk is in the main hall and when it get's busy there it REALLY get's busy... The staff on the other hand were very helpfull at BD, something that is also true for BA.
Check-in: Got checkin at the ticket desk, even with a gold card the agent tried to stuff me in 1F, needless to say when she also had 2A I took the latter... The folks at the BA desk know me and always try to get me 3A.
Boarding: BD left from gate 18, BA usualy from gate 10, advantage for BD is that after gate 14 at AMS you use central security search, with BA borarding is sometimes held up waiting on the security crew..
Plane: BA uses a 757, BD an A320, BD's seat is a little wider, BA's leg space is a bit better, both not bad. The ceiling videoscreens on BD are not bad but the english-dutch translated safety video is a bit of a drag, it went on for over 5 min's...
Service: The BD flight crew are great people, there were only 6 pax in C so the service was nice, I found the crew I had on both flights nicer and more spontaneous than BA's crew...
Food: BD certainly wins this one, normal food instead of BA's usual platters of seafood and other exotic dishes and cold bread.
Destination: LHR T1 is really a terrible terminal, I'm used to using T4 so the terrible walk from arrivals T1 to the LHR express was way too long, over 15 minutes.. compaired to the T4 walk of just under 4 min's...
Lounges: BD's diamond lounge at LHR is GREAT! Checkin through a card-reader at the door instead of waiting in line at the BA desk is perfect. The lounge was almost empty, I have never been in an empty BA lounge, even the 1st lounge is usually packed...
Great assortment of snacks and drinks...
Conclusion: BD is not as bad as some tried to point out, they were about fl350,- ($150) cheaper than a BA D flight so BD is certainly worth the trouble of a longer walk... I can't wait to try out BD on their new transatlantic flights... To make things even better, I have another month of double points on BD so keeping gold till past 2002 is almost done....
Booking: BD's site got the departure times wrong, it would let me book a non-existent flight leaving LHR at 20:45 on saturday, even though this flight only does weekdays...
BA's site is (although a little slow) a very reliable booking engine...
Ground staff: BA has a better desk at AMS, the BD desk is in the main hall and when it get's busy there it REALLY get's busy... The staff on the other hand were very helpfull at BD, something that is also true for BA.
Check-in: Got checkin at the ticket desk, even with a gold card the agent tried to stuff me in 1F, needless to say when she also had 2A I took the latter... The folks at the BA desk know me and always try to get me 3A.
Boarding: BD left from gate 18, BA usualy from gate 10, advantage for BD is that after gate 14 at AMS you use central security search, with BA borarding is sometimes held up waiting on the security crew..
Plane: BA uses a 757, BD an A320, BD's seat is a little wider, BA's leg space is a bit better, both not bad. The ceiling videoscreens on BD are not bad but the english-dutch translated safety video is a bit of a drag, it went on for over 5 min's...
Service: The BD flight crew are great people, there were only 6 pax in C so the service was nice, I found the crew I had on both flights nicer and more spontaneous than BA's crew...
Food: BD certainly wins this one, normal food instead of BA's usual platters of seafood and other exotic dishes and cold bread.
Destination: LHR T1 is really a terrible terminal, I'm used to using T4 so the terrible walk from arrivals T1 to the LHR express was way too long, over 15 minutes.. compaired to the T4 walk of just under 4 min's...
Lounges: BD's diamond lounge at LHR is GREAT! Checkin through a card-reader at the door instead of waiting in line at the BA desk is perfect. The lounge was almost empty, I have never been in an empty BA lounge, even the 1st lounge is usually packed...
Great assortment of snacks and drinks...
Conclusion: BD is not as bad as some tried to point out, they were about fl350,- ($150) cheaper than a BA D flight so BD is certainly worth the trouble of a longer walk... I can't wait to try out BD on their new transatlantic flights... To make things even better, I have another month of double points on BD so keeping gold till past 2002 is almost done....
Apr 4, 2001, 2:14 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 1999
Posts: 3,065
ScottC: If you took out the cost equation and the points (as these are promotional, just as the 10,000 extra for every European flights BA give me at the moment are) who would you choose?
A big turn off of BD for me is no on-line or WAP checkin.
Also the withdrawl of their packs of 5 tickets, when BA has recently introduced these - have you tried BA's ValuePass?
I guess the food is a personal thing, but I don't eat seafood, which rules out a lot of BA's menus on this route!
Nick
A big turn off of BD for me is no on-line or WAP checkin.
Also the withdrawl of their packs of 5 tickets, when BA has recently introduced these - have you tried BA's ValuePass?
I guess the food is a personal thing, but I don't eat seafood, which rules out a lot of BA's menus on this route!
Nick
Apr 4, 2001, 4:18 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 37,486
Nick, I'd probably do as you do, still fly BA, I've flown quite a lot with them so I guess BD is just a refreshing change, what *does* bother me at BA is their total lack of attention for me as a frequent flyer, statements 4 months late etc... for the long haul stuff I will still love using BA but for the time being I'm going to shop around...
Is the WAP checkin with BA already available for all passangers?
Scott
Is the WAP checkin with BA already available for all passangers?
Scott
Apr 4, 2001, 4:33 am
#4
Join Date: Jan 1999
Posts: 3,065
WAP check-in is available for Silver and Gold EC members - plus quite alot of other categories.
The nice thing about the BA on-line and WAP checkin compared to say KLM, Lufthansa, Swissair/Sabena, is it allows you to choose the actual seat you want and which seats are already taken.
I understand perfectly your wish for a bit of variety in carrier, I get a bit fed-up with BA and switch to Swissair, Lufthansa etc. but BD really doesn't feature for me - I have had so many problems with them when I have tried to change carriers on a complicated routing, and I don't find the service as sophisticated as I like (just a personal opinion).
Nick
The nice thing about the BA on-line and WAP checkin compared to say KLM, Lufthansa, Swissair/Sabena, is it allows you to choose the actual seat you want and which seats are already taken.
I understand perfectly your wish for a bit of variety in carrier, I get a bit fed-up with BA and switch to Swissair, Lufthansa etc. but BD really doesn't feature for me - I have had so many problems with them when I have tried to change carriers on a complicated routing, and I don't find the service as sophisticated as I like (just a personal opinion).
Nick