Grand Union

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 until Chase offered 100,000 miles for taking out the card, you never seemed to generate enough questions! [Editors Note: if anyone wants to write a guide, please get in touch!]

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 Ł1 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 Ł1 for the Premium and 3 miles per Ł1 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 Companion (also known as 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 Ł20K on the Basic, Ł15K on the (no longer offered) Premium, and Ł10K 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 Ł10K (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 time frame. 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 if you hold the Premium Plus card, or 12 months if you hold the Basic or Premium card; by then you must have flown ALL outbound 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

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 Ł15 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.

The T&C's for the Amex Companion voucher are here:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...ntc/public/en_

The T&C's for the cards are here:
http://www10.americanexpress.com/sif...1,12707,00.asp



The Other Big Benefit – Travel Cover
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 Ł150 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 Ł20,000 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 Ł150 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 Ł20,000 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 Ł150 for the additional 0.5 BA Miles per Ł1, plus any initial sign-up bonus, makes the Premium Plus card worth it for you.
b) If you and your partner can easily spend Ł20,000 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 Ł20k annual spend between the two cards.
c) If you can easily spend Ł10,000 pa on the card but will struggle to hit Ł20,000, then get the Premium Plus card – at least you can be certain of triggering the 2-4-1 voucher after Ł10,000
d) If you cannot spend Ł10,000 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 Ł30p.a. As of 2008, however, Amex has indicated that it will be removing this privilege and charging all Premium Plus customers Ł150 regardless of other Amex cards held. Those who had the fee waived previously do still get that benefit – in the case of Amex Platinum cardmembers, the BA Premium Plus Amex is free!

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 Ł10k 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 Ł1, 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.
American Express Membership Rewards
If you have an American Express card which earns Membership Reward points, you can now transfer your MR points into BA, at a 1:1 conversion rate. If you’re collecting in multiple frequent flyer programmes, Membership Rewards can be a useful source of miles – and holding them as MR points until you need them in a particular programme can give you some much needed flexibility.

Grand Union

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 Ł1 spent. Points can be spent in-store or with partners, including BA. Every Ł2.50 you receive in Clubcard vouchers can be converted into 500 BA Miles and every additional 50p worth of vouchers gives you 100 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 Ł4 (equal to 0.5 BA Miles per Ł1) 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 Ł1) 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 Ł2 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.On - SeePost 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:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...-tesco-ba.html

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 now more 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 Łx 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 Ł780 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 Ł10 reduction for every Ł2.50 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.

This link lists BA’s hotel partners:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...l/public/en_gb

This link lists BA’s car rental partners:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...e/public/en_gb

This link lists BA’s other partners:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...e/public/en_gb

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 Ł10,000 to earn enough points for 2,000 BA Miles.

Grand Union

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:

• All fares now earn tier points at some level. When booking via ba.com, you have three options – earning reduced tier points (e.g. cheap tickets), earning full tier points (more expensive, but with some flexibility) or earning full tier points with full flexibility (most expensive)
• 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

Another useful link is the LAN site at:

http://plane.lan.com/cgi-bin/recibo_...bo_eticket.cgi

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:

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.

See also the relevant entry in the BA Wiki.

Grand Union

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:

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:
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.
 

Grand Union

You can find a full list of terminals on ba.com:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel...t/public/en_gb

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:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=362477
All of BA’s Heathrow flights operate from either T5 or T3 (the majority are in T5).

See: www.ba.com/terminal5
 

Grand Union

With thanks to krug for kicking this off originally. The advice below relates specifically to LHR T5 departures; some longhaul (SYD, BKK, SIN) depart LHR T3, so no Concorde Room is available there.

First, this is a useful thread packed full of information. However, some key points:

• Ensure you use the First check in area (at the South End of Terminal 5), ensuring you request First bag tags both for your checked bags and a few spare tags for your hand luggage.
  
  
• Head back towards South Security and select the Fast Track security line to expedite your passage through the x-rays.
  
  
• After completing security at T5, turn right and speak to the Lounge Dragon at the pedestal guarding the White Door into the Concorde Room; your First boarding pass (or sameday inbound First boarding pass) will grant you access. This will avoid a very long walk!
  
  
• After entering the Concorde Room, go immediately to the Elemis Spa and book a treatment. If Elemis T5A is fully booked, and only if your flight is departing from T5B, see if they have any space in that second Elemis Spa; once over at T5B you will not have time to return to T5A before you depart. DO NOT remove your underwear for treatments!
  
  
• WiFi is available, and free, but you will need a password, which is usually displayed within the lounge, or ask any of the attendants. The current password is also available on BA's iPhone app.
  
  
• You should note you have access to the Quintessentially Concierge Service 14 days either side of a First booking.
  
  
• If you have time enjoy a pre-flight Shower, and ensure you ask for any nice freebie Elemis products on offer after your shower/treatment. The gurgling is normal!
  
  
• If you have a long wait for a flight, consider calling YouFirst, the BA First dedicated telephone line in advance of your flight and booking one of the three "Cabanas" as somewhere more private to relax before you fly. You can see what this is on youtube - be not afraid, the burping drains are perfectly normal!!
  
  
• If you have time, make full use of the 4 available lounges in T5A: Galleries x2/Galleries First Lounge/Concorde Room in T5 – with an F ticket you have carte blanche on access! It is not advised to sample the third Galleries lounge (situated in T5B) unless it is certain your flight is departing from that Concourse, as getting back to T5A through security can be time-consuming.
  
  
• If it's breakfast time, enjoy a Bacon Butty in the Lounge. If you are there in the afternoon, try the traditional British Afternoon Tea (instead or as well )!
  
  
• The lounge attendants can bring you champagne, or you can sidle up to the bar to be served; there is usually a choice of two or three vintage champagnes, one of which is normally rose. Do not tip. Ever.
  
  
• Enjoy table service pre-flight dining at the restaurant all day long, the Burger is particularly recommended, as is the Eggs Benedict.
  
  
• Check out the chairs in the Boardroom; these are genuine Concorde chairs upholstered in Connolly leather. And I'm not talking Billy Connolly, for the avoidance of doubt!
  
  
• If you are interested in Art, check out the unique BA-commissioned pieces available in T5; it not called "Galleries" for nothing. In the Concorde Room, above the artificial fireplace, is the excellent animated BA Coat of Arms "Pegasus & The Winged Horse" (below left}. It is also worth checking out "All the Time in the World" (below centre) and "The Cloud" (below right) in the Lounge Lobby area; there's even a Damian Hirst in the Galleries First - see if you can locate it! Here is more info on the artwork, including youtube clips in case they are broken (as The Cloud has been for some time now...):
  
  
  Images: British Airways (flickr terminal5insider)
  
  
  
• If you would like to go shopping, you can drop your bags with the person manning the Concorde Room left luggage area; they will be safe there. Remember your Boarding Pass for ease of re-admission!
  
  
• If you have a specific high-end item (e.g. a Rolex) in mind, you can telephone the store direct, in advance and request an item be available. It is against the law to "pre-order" items into a Duty Free area, and shops cannot hold merchandise for a specific customer. But it cannot hurt to let them know what you are planning on purchasing. Staff can sometimes bring a range of options to the Concorde Room from which to choose. Don't forget your BAA Worldpoints loyalty card and BAA discount vouchers if making large purchases!
  
  
• Get to the Gate reasonably early and use Priority Boarding. This is usually indicated by a sign at T5, but if there's no priority apparent, just head to the queue and have your boarding pass prominently displayed; having the First tags on your hand luggage helps here too.
  
  
• You will be escorted to your seat by a crewmember. Rest up in your seat and enjoy the pre-flight drinkies.
  
  
• HMRC (Customs) regulations prevent staff offering you anything except drinks on which Duty (tax) has been pre-paid which is why you are normally offered only water, champagne, OJ or a Buck's Fizz/Mimosa. It is against the agreed regulations for cabin crew to open the bar for other alcoholic items (such as G&T) and could get both BA and the cabin crew member into hot water, and lead to a significant (hundreds of pounds) additional tax bill for BA. So if the initial offering isn't to your liking, ask for something else to be delivered immediately after take off to avoid embarrassment.
  
  
• Your amenity kit (known as a BAg) will normally be given out before take off, along with slippers and your Pyjamas. The PJs are usually enormous, but do shrink quite a bit if washed! The items are currently provided by REN.
  
  
• Make sure you get the PJs even on a day flight - keep room in your carry on bag for the BAg, slippers and PJs; they are bulky!
  
  
• 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!
  
  
• Assuming you’re on a 747, and you're a chap, do visit the loo for the window-while-peeing experience, though best to wait until airborne to avoid indecent exposure charges (!)
  
  
• Consider using your buddy seat to dine opposite each other if travelling as a pair.
  
  
• It's "Dine When You Choose" so don't feel you have to eat immediately, especially if you have already had a snack on the ground.
  
  
• Keep room for some Pudding Wine; this is only available in F, and is delish!
  
  
• If you have an "Old First" aircraft, you will need an Empower adapter to power your laptop; new First has UK/US plug sockets.
  
  
• The noise cancelling headphones should be left on board the aircraft!
  
  
• If coming in to LHR make sure you make use of the Arrivals Lounge breakfast, shower and Elemis Spa treatments (note the Arrivals lounge closes at 2pm with breakfast disappearing from about midday). You can request an "infinity bath" which the staff will draw for you (it is huge and takes several minutes (10-15) to fill up fully with T5's environmentally focussed plumbing.
  
  
• And finally, a little perspective - don't expect too much; it's ‘only’ a seat in an aircraft and cannot deliver the Earth (well, hopefully not ), with the right mindset you should leave very satisfied indeed. ^

Grand Union

Tips for Maximising the Club World Experience

With thanks to Halo for originally kicking this off.

BA offers a relatively consistent Club World hard product across its 110+ longhaul fleet. You can see photos of the historic iterations of the longhaul Business Class offering aboard BA in this post. However, there are a few anomalies, of which you should be aware before you book. This post does not cover former bmi longhaul business class flights.


Fleet Types and Club World Product Variants

The hundred or so combined 777 and 747 fleet all have the "latest" version of New Club World. A very few 777s do not offer an F cabin, on which Club is in the very forward cabin.

The 767 fleet has the previous (but still fully flat) version of the Club World bed, these are in the process of being refurbished during 2012 and though the shell remains the same, the refurbished beds feature a grey herringbone cloth covering. These are the same seats featured in Open Skies' Paris-Newark 757s. 767s no longer offer an F cabin.

BA has two all business class A318s for service London City Airport-New York JFK known as the CWLCY configuration. These also feature fully flat beds, but the seats are totally different from mainline BA, being side by side and without integrated IFE (iPads are handed out after departure). The guide below does not relate to the CWLCY experience as it's quite different from mainline ops.

As yet, there is no firm information about what Club World products will feature aboard the 787s and A380s, which start delivery during 2013.


Getting the Best Deal

Selecting non-flexible fares is obviously less expensive, but there are other ways of reducing the price charged:

• Book during a sale! There are reliable sales which start around late December, early March and mid August, as well as promotions on selected routes in between those times.
  
  
• Consider flying exEU. Though the hassle factor (and risk of weather or other delay) and cost of getting out there and back (you must use the final sector) can be considerable, it may be worth your while reviewing the exEU sticky in the ULTIMATE Guide. Handy if you need extra TPs. Ensure you're transiting the same London airport, as transferring LGW/LCY-LHR is less than ideal. Note that APD is now charged on London layovers longer than 24hrs, so you'll need to keep under this.
  
  
• Use a discount code. Often distributed during Taste of London, sometimes includes taxes and fees as well and combinable with sale fares.
  
  
• Use a shareholder discount. No longer available to new IAG shareholders but former BA shareholders get a 10% discount (for now) on the fare element of flights booked online, for up to nine fellow travellers, STRICTLY BA metal only. This scheme may end at any time.
  
  
• Book via quidco - from time to time discounts of between 1% and 2% are offered; not a huge amount, but can add up to a free lunch!
  
  
• Book accommodation at the same time. In an effort to offer "bundled" travel, BA may not reduce the cost of the flight significantly, but may offer highly discounted hotel rates - sometimes just tens of pounds extra for several nights in decent four or five star property. Note that this makes your booking a BA Holidays Booking, which can restrict your ability to upgrade with avios online via MMB, but mileage upgrades can be achieved (again, subject to availability) by calling up. BA Holidays also sometimes come with a bonus amount of avios (usually 10,000 for F or J class of travel). Bundling can reduce the cost of your holiday considerably, and is increasingly where the best bargains are to be found in sales.
  
  
• Stay over a Saturday night. To attempt to stop corporates booking the leisure fare classes, the least expensive inflexible fares often require a Saturday night stay. So relax and make a weekend of your trip! You'll often save enough to fly your partner out with you in economy, or permit a higher class of travel for you on your return.
  
  
• Upgrade Using Avios UUA (formerly Miles for Upgrade MFU). Depending on your route it takes, for instance, just 10,000 Avios to upgrade one sector from London to New York from WT+ Premium Economy to Club World, subject to availability. This is best done online at the time you book, though check back to MMB regularly in case availability opens up nearer your travel time.
  
  
• Upgrade from WT+ using cash via MMB or at Check-In.
  
  
• Full Redemption. You can of course redeem your avios, but APD taxes and other fees and charges make this less valuable than was the case in the past; for a few hundred pounds extra, you can go the UUA/MFU route and earn and burn at the same time, often resulting in a neutral avios cost for Gold card holders, especially when purchasing using the BA Amex card.
  
  
• If you purchase BA metal premium tickets on a regular basis and have an actively trading small/medium size business registered at Companies House you should consider joining www.ba.com/onbusiness

Before you Fly

• As outlined above, pick your aircraft type carefully (on routes where multiple daily frequencies mean there's a choice), as the ambience will vary. Generally FTers prefer 747s to 777s, because the 747 offers a more exclusive 2-2 layout on the Upper Deck while the 777 2-4-2 cabin has been described as being somewhat dormitory-like. The 767s are marginally slower (which can be good on a night flight) and feature the original CW beds. Some people like its more intimate cabin, especially aboard the refurbished aircraft.
  
  
• You can select your seat for free at the time of booking if you're a Silver or Gold card holder, or at T-7 days if you're a Bronze cardholder. If you don't have any status, it's free at T-24hours (when check in opens) or you can choose to pay to select your seat in advance of that.
  
  
• Club World has a unique Ying/Yang configuration, so some seats (window seats and main deck middle seats) face backwards. Not everyone enjoys sitting backwards, but you get an excellent view of the engine and wing on many flights, and the centre seats are great if travelling as a couple.
  
  
• BA's Gold and Silver elites get free online seat selection via MMB (Manage My Booking) as do oneworld equivalents (though they may need to call up). Others will have to pay to select their seats in advance, though you have free selection of what's leftover on checking in at T-24 so it's worth setting an alarm to get the best selection of seats. On 747s 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 Premium Club World check in area, to the South of T5 or the further (but not furthest) end of the new Gatwick Premium Check In area. If you have a BA Gold Card oneworld Emerald you can of course check in at the First check in.
  
  
• When you are using Manage My Booking (MMB) after booking, or prior to your day of departure or during online check-in you may be offered an opportunity to upgrade to First for cash. This usually costs around Ł349-Ł399 per sector, and you'll receive full avios and TPs for the new cabin you've upgraded to. If you're not successful online (and this is not yet offered for multi-sector flights), it's still worth asking at check-in, where the agent should also be able to tell you if there's new F or old F on your flight.
  
  
• Be sure to get your Club World bag tags for both checked and hand luggage.
  
  
• At T3, T5 and LGW use dedicated the Fast Track security - your Boarding Pass is sufficient to get you Fast Track access.
  
  
• Make sure you visit the Lounge(s), and where available the Elemis Spa. Spas are located at LHR T3 and T5, and JFK T7 (as well as the Arrivals Lounge in T5). Lounge locations can be checked here and also in http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...-database.html thread.
  
  
• There are two Galleries Club lounges in T5A (at opposite ends of the main terminal) and one Galleries Club in T5B. You can visit them all, but DO NOT proceed to T5B unless your flight departs from there, or you risk not getting back to the main terminal in time for your flight. The best T5A lounge is above the First lounge, in the south part of the terminal, is significantly larger and has more amenities as well as being close by the Elemis Spa. Both T5A Galleries have their own showers.
  
  
• Note that at LGW, there is a No.1 Traveller lounge (underneath the Galleries Club lounge) which can be accessed for those with a Priority Pass or by paying a fee (discounted online in advance) - handy if you're en famille and not everyone is travelling Club.
  
  
• Where there are Spas go immediately and book a free treatment. As many people turn up around 3 hours prior to travel, these are the busiest times; turning up even an extra 30 mins in advance of this can markedly increase your chances of getting a treatment.
  
  Be warned though that treatments are not pre-bookable, it’s first come first served. Best to try for one but not to expect one - then you could be pleasantly surprised. There is a Spa in T5B, and if you can't get a treatment in T5A and your flight is departing T5B then ask the receptionists if T5B has space BUT it's not as good a lounge as T5A so weigh up whether you want to head over there. If a therapist is not available, there is the option to use the automated massage seats, which are a pleasant alternative.
  
  There is no Spa at LGW, but you can pay for treatment in the No.1 Traveller lounge.
  
  You do not need to remove your underwear for any of the Spa Treatments! ;
  
  
• Champagne is available on request by the glass in the Terraces/Galleries at LHR/LGW from the attendants - just ask.
  
  
• While you're in the lounges, check out the artwork on display. Some of it is museum quality, and there's often a selection of vintage BEA/BOAC advertisements as well.
  
  
• Some flights scheduled to depart late in the evening/nighttime are designated as a "Club World Sleeper Service". If you are on a Sleeper Service you will be expected to dine pre-flight in the Lounges, there is no main meal service on board (snacks are available on demand). Due to particularly late departure times (often post midnight) 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/Galleries Lounge.
  
  
• Showers are available in all T5A, T5B, T3 and LGW lounges and also in many (though not all) outstation lounges. Check the lounge directory for info. Shower gel, shampoo and towels are provided, but not normally conditioner. Disposable razors, combs, shaving foam and toothbrushes are available on request.
  
  
• If your flight departs from T5C there is not (currently) a lounge, but if you present your BP at Starbucks, you can get up to Ł15 of eats and drinks (including miniature Laurent Perrier champagne for Ł9.95) per person as an alternative. Still better to wait in T5A as long as possible.

On Board Your Flight

• If it's your first time aboard, you may want to get to the boarding gate in advance of boarding being announced; leave good time to get to T5B or C to avoid a last minute rush.
  
  
• There is priority boarding at London, and *most* outstations; just look for the sign, though single jetbridges in London mean the advantage is lost once you've had your passport checked.
  
  
• After boarding, sit back, relax and enjoy your glass of pre-flight Champagne/Water/OJ/Buck's Fizz. Note that other drinks cannot be offered at this stage for Customs reasons; if you'd prefer something else ask the crew if they could bring it to you after takeoff, though the first bar run will be along soon enough. UK and local newspapers are usually offered, too. The cabin crew can hang your coat or jacket; they'll ask for your ticket stub to put it on the hangar so have this to hand. You’re in CW. Feel suitably smug
  
  
• Note that you'll need your boarding pass to access any Arrivals Lounges in London, so don't throw it out once you've boarded!
  
  
• For those with facial furniture, a hard-body spectacle case is a good idea as there isn't anywhere convenient to store them once you bed down for the night.
  
  
• The screen between the seats is designed to slide up and down to facilitate the meal service; learn how it works the minute you board - there's a button on top which you press to raise it, and if you're facing someone you don't know, you shouldn't feel embarrassed to put the screen up immediately, or return it to the up position immediately your tray is served. It should be down for the safety demo, and personally I think it's polite to offer your seatmate the option of having it down during the final stages of descent and possibly for taxi pre-take off. Up to you.
  
  
• In CW you get an Elemis amenity bag containing sleepmask, socks, earplugs a facial wipe and three small tubes of lip balm, moisturiser and hand cream. 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 or in the little ‘laptop’ drawer at your feet (on the Upper Deck window seats, use 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
  
  
• Having abstained in the lounge and accepted only water pre-take off, you'll be parched so note that the standard is two bar runs on a day flight before meal service and a single bar run before meal on evening/night flight. It's as well to plan what you want to drink with your meal to avoid having to ask for a refreshed drink when the crew are busy serving up the food, so don't be afraid to ask for a glass of champers, a glass of water and a glass of white wine for with your starter, especially on the single bar run night flights.
  
  
• Although an in-flight menu may give you a choice of dessert OR cheese, a polite request for both (if you want them both) will often be met with "I'll see if we have enough" sometimes followed by production of both ^
  
  
• After dinner drinks - port, liqueurs etc - are available on request, but pudding wine is reserved for F only. If you would like a glass of champagne with your afternoon tea or indeed any other drinks/tea any other time in the flight, then push your call bell or pop into the galley nearest you and the crew will be delighted to help you. You usually get a small bottle of Highland Spring water to keep you hydrated; always ask for a glass of water with every bar run to avoid dehydration.
  
  
• Every seat has an integrated IFE screen, though there may still be some very few older 777s which do not have AVOD (Video on Demand) and so work on a loop system; these are being converted and should be AVOD by 2013. There were some issues with these beds "wobbling" when first installed but later iterations were re-enforced and so this should no longer be an issue. Some 777s do not feature F, and so the Club cabin is furthest forward. On some 747s, Premium Economy is in front of Club World, sandwiched between F and J.
  
  
• Every Club World seat has laptop power, just bring a US/UK plug and you're sorted, though the system is designed to maintain power rather than charge your laptop up.
  
  
• Passengers in WT+, Club and F are provided with BA branded Noise Cancelling headphones, these are free to use but cannot be taken off the aircraft. For some reason the Left and Right channels are transposed onboard. No idea why! If you have your own NC headphones, they're better, use them!
  
  
• If you're peckish in between meals, there's the Club Kitchen at the foot of the stairs on 747s and in the middle galley on 777s which now features Waitrose products (yoghurts, sandwiches, wraps, chocs and fruit) as well as a range of help-yourself alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Soups are also often available, which the crew can heat up for you.
  
  
• It can often get uncomfortably warm on flights at night, especially in the Upper Deck; if this is a problem for you don't just sit there unable to sleep. Use the callbell to ask the crewmember (noting their name) if the temperature can be lowered. If there's no change after five minutes, seek out the CSD in the office under the stairs on the 747. There's no point suffering in silence, and they won't know you're uncomfortable unless you say something!
  
  
• An adequate pillow is provided, but for longer night flights a top tip is to bring your own small travel pillow for extra bulk. You'll sleep like a baby!
  
  
• Something may go slightly wrong on your trip; if it does, don't store up your angst and let rip on here with a rant after the fact. Most issues are much better sorted there and then, and crew are likely to be accommodating if your request is reasonable. If you don't get satisfaction from a crew member, politely but firmly escalate to the Cabin Services Director, or Cabin Service Manager aboard Mixed Fleet flights.

Getting the Most from Your Club World Seat/Bed

It would be a real shame to spend so much money on the Club World seat only to not use it properly. So get to know how to use the seat properly and you will have a much more enjoyable and fulfilling flight.

• Your seat should come with a guide to its use in the magazine pocket. Study this guide when you get on board, and don't be afraid to ask the crew for help - that's what they're there for!
  
  
• The Footrest. The secret to getting the most comfort possible out of your Club World seat is to know how to use the footrest. It is sturdy, but not indestructible and should not be used for sitting or standing on. Factoid: the footrest contains more than 200 parts!
  
  Sometimes the footrest is a little difficult to move. Giving it a good hard tug will normally get it going. And once you have moved it once it is then easier to move subsequent times.
  
  The footrest has four possible positions. It can be moved to 'high' and 'low' positions and in each can be positioned either parallel to the floor or at an angle, described here as 'diagonal'.
  
  1. Parallel to the floor - low position: Use this position when the seat is in the lounge/take-off position to give your feet some pleasant support
  
  2. Diagonal - low position: Use this position when the seat is much more reclined but not fully flat - the so-called Z position - tilt the screen towards you when in this position and put your pillow behind your head and this is a very comfortable way to watch the in-flight entertainment. The Z position is handy for taller people who wish to relax but feel constrained by the seat length.
  
  3. Parallel to the floor - high position: Use this position when you want to put the seat in the fully flat (bed) mode.
  
  4. Diagonal to the floor - high position: No known use for this position.
  
  
• Before landing, look for the button with an aircraft 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 you're an overseas national, arriving on an early flight, you may be invited to use Fast Track immigration. Ask the CSD if you are not offered an invitation.
  
  
• If coming in to LHR T5 make sure you make use of the Arrivals Lounge full English breakfast, shower and Elemis Spa 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, baths are available but take a while to draw and F pax have priority. There is also a radio integrated into the shower cabins for catching up on the Today programme.
  
  At LHR T3 you have access to the AmericanAirlines AArrivals lounge (you'll need to click through on that link for the video), which does at least have showers. Joy.
  
  At Gatwick you can use the showers in the nearby Sofitel Arrivals Lounge, and have a continental breakfast there, too.

After Your Journey

Avois and Tier Points (TPs) usually post between 1-4 days after you fly. If yours don't post, then use the online form initially and wait 1-4 weeks for the credit to arrive in your account. You'll need your ticket number, which is on the original receipt email BA should have sent you on purchasing your ticket, so don't delete it!

Here is the Claiming Missing Avios link, you'll need to login:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel...club/_gf/en_gb

• Where you've booked WT+ and upgraded with avios, there's a long standing glitch whereby the avios and TPs don't post at all, or post as ineligible zero avios/TP earning "redemption" bookings. If this happens, use the online form in the first instance and if the credit hasn't appeared call a week or so later and explain it was an MFU/UUA (Miles for Upgrade/Upgrade Using Avios). Call once again if not resolved.
  
  
• Only in exceptional circumstances, and once these channels have been exhausted and at least fourteen days has passed should you contact the BA Exec Club representative here on Flyertalk - can you imagine her workload if everyone PM'ed about such matters! If you do resort to PMing, include as much info as possible, booking ref, route, date of travel, BAEC number and importantly your real name!

Overall

• BA Club World can be a fantastic experience if it's your first time in a premium cabin, and even more so if it's not costing you anything because of the tricks you learned here on Flyertalk. So enjoy it ^

Links

You can find more details on the Club World service from BA's Club World website here.

Grand Union

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.

Grand Union

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. 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 travel 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.

The discount will not 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 record date for 2011 is 29 October 2010, 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.

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, they now are issued by email. It is now a requirement in the discount terms that you have an email address registered with BA’s share registrars (Computershare). If you are a direct shareholder you can register your email address at http://www.investorcentre.co.uk/britishairways if you have purchased through a nominee, they must register your address with Computershare.

The emails containing this year’s codes started arriving in inboxes on 1st December 2009. The subject line was “"British Airways Plc half-year results", so keep an eye open for emails from BA around the end of November, from the subject line it is sometimes not clear that the codes are in the email. Also, keep an eye on any spam filters you may have, a number of shareholders reported their codes ended up being caught by spam filters.

The 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 2010, as booking dates open up in 2011 you will be able to buy discounted tickets for travel in 2011.

(Note: The booking system requires a 10 digit s/holder reference number, but handy this, some of the codes BA sent out in 2009 had 11 digits. In my case I had to drop off a leading "C" which has not appeared in the past.)

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 was a change to the rules for 2008 discount entitlement; previously it was up to 6 pax. including the shareholder.

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. Cash + Miles are also specifically excluded.

Shareholder discounted fares do not attract BA On Business points, fairly obvious 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.



A few other points
If your shares are held in a brokers nominee account, your broker will have to contact BA’s share registrar to advise them of the nominee shareholding, this will trigger the issue of the codes. Reports on FT and other sites would indicate that some shareholders have had problems getting their 2010 codes, mainly as their brokers have not been responsive to requests to advise BA’s share registrars of the holding.

Direct shareholders do not have these problems, you may save yourself some hassle if you buy the shares in your own name and hold the certificate, rather than them being held in a brokers nominee account.

Full 2010 T&C’s for the Shareholders Discount can be found on the BA Shareholders website.



The bottom line !
The very simple version of the BA 2010 Shareholder Discount rules:

BA aircraft, shareholder and maximum eight additional pax, all on the same booking and travelling together.

Grand Union

This is a final post to collect some other useful links together which don’t easily fit under other parts of the guide:

A guide to departing from Mumbai/Bombay (by Swanhunter)

Also from Swanhunter comes the 'extra legroom in club' guide for the 747

Ever wondered what type of service you should get on your shorthaul flight? Or what ‘band’ that flight is in? (a thread with lots of useful posts by Smirnoff, direct from the BA Service Standards).

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!

Prospero

This thread will be left in an unlocked state but we ask our members not to post here. Please use the designated feedback thread instead.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...ck-thread.html

This will allow Grand Union to dip in and amend/update/refresh this Guide in the weeks/months ahead.

Thanks for your assistance.

Prospero
Moderator: BAEC forum

jim54

the info on this link is great, will it be updated soon

Internaut

Thank you. The Tips On Maximising First is most excellent. Looking at the current date, could one of our assembled experts update with info on the latest BAag?

BostonPlanesAndTrains

Hi! Sorry to revive an old thread. We are a group of 4 people traveling BA F on BA214 (BOS-LHR) a B747.

What seats are the best if we're traveling together. Currently we have seats 2-5A.

We're connecting to the VCE, will that allow us to go to the Concorde Room?

We're then transferring to LGW to LHR, flying BA239 back. a B777-200ER, we have booked seats 2A-2K.

It's 3 of our first times in BA F and we're looking forward to it!

nux

It really depends on your group and if you all want window seats or want to easily talk. I suggest you find some F cabin photos to get an idea of the layout. I would suggest either 2A/2K 3A/3K or 4A-K on a 744 and possibly 2A-2E and 3A on a 777.
If your VCE flight departs from T5 you will have access to the CCR.

See also the http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...ies-first.html thread which is linked from the http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...dashboard.html which is stickied at the top of the forum.