gleff

Re the OP's comment about 'tricking' the website, being pushed onto BA flights when BA has something available, and then the website returning errors... you've found flights that are available, why not ring up BA and specifically ask the telephone agents to book them?

baggageinhall

Because this is really a gripe about the YQ, poorly disguised as a rant about availability.

It seems that the BA Gold card holder of many years has just cottoned onto the fact that pass on all taxes and surcharges to the consumer. Not unlike the hoard of BA/Chase card holders over the last 6 months.

boslhrzrhpvg

Why yes Prince Philip I know we savage colonials are such an embarrassment. Shouldn't be allowed to speak the Queen's English I say, nor fly her planes! On behalf of the continent I apologize to all fine upstanding British people who of course we know are always such demure, well behaved, and stoic travelers. Never an uncouth or outspoken one to be found, I'm sure!

I couldn't agree more about not wanting to fly US airlines which as a rule are obviously horrendous.

But suck it up there fellows, we're going to keep complaining. You should try it yourself instead of just suffering quietly and majestically under the "stiff upper lip why that's just the way it is and it's barbaric to bring it up in civilized company".

Schultzois

A question for you... when you say that no CW seats were available, did BA.com allow you to check a range of dates, or did it immediately propose WT on the date you requested instead? I notice in your first post, that you saw a message at times about "additional seats" being made available to you as a Gold...

There is a horrendously misleading functionality in the BA.com interface that will attempt to offer you WT redemption seats for CW mileage levels on the date you request, rather than searching for F/CW/WT+ seats on alternate dates. It also bears noting that it will offer you these WT seats instead of offering for you to search partners (IB, AA, etc.)

As a Gold, if I want to find out which dates have F/CW/WT+ redemption seats available, I have to log in using other family members' accounts (Silver or Blue), so that I can request a search for alternate dates and/or partners rather than have BA.com "helpfully" offer seats in Y for 2 x Y redemption rates.

I strongly suspect that this is what's happening to you, boslhrzrhpvg, from what you wrote in your earlier post.

I will also remark that I find the signal to noise ratio in this thread rather disappointing - why is it that every thread posted by someone who may only have been buying BA flights in the last years, and not have had time to learn the absurdities of BA.com's ridiculously poor redemption interface as they haven't yet attempted to redeem any miles, gets subjected to a brigade of unhelpful posters who essentially say that if they're having trouble redeeming their BAEC miles, it's their own fault for having shown any loyalty to BA in the first place...

gleff

ANd if we're talking about UK to North America, don't EVER rely on BA.com, you always have an option of catching one of the available BA flights and then taking a partner like AA or AS to your final destination.

Want to go LHR-LAX but it's not available? Consider:
LHR-SFO, SFO-LAX on AA
LHR-SEA, SEA-:AX on AS
LHR-IAH, IAH-LAX on AA (IAH is almost always available in J/F)
LHR-DFW, DFW-LAX on AA
LHR-DEN, DEN-LAX on AA
LHR-JFK, JFK-LAX on AA
LHR-EWR, EWR-LAX on AA
LHR-ORD, ORD-LAX on AA

Then there's IAD, MIA, BOS...

Of course BA.com won't give you these.

boslhrzrhpvg

Thanks. Thanks. Except I said as below. You seem intent on finding fault regardless of what I actually say.

Unbelievable the attitude around here.

boslhrzrhpvg

What's poorly disguised? Subject = "And Appalling Fees"

Again I said as below. You seem intent on finding fault regardless of what I actually say.

Unbelievable the attitude around here.

HIDDY

Well according to the OP he hasn't shelled out any money from his own pocket for his tickets...his employer and clients have. Maybe that's the reason he hasn't swatted up on the programme as much as he should have.
Considering he got his miles for nothing the least he can do is shell out for the taxes/charges for a redemption.

BA Loyal

If you don't like the attitude then why are you here?

gleff

In response to my posts in this thread, really?

My original post #5 in the thread was, I thought, a helpful response to folks generally about BA overall availability and fees, what they're good at and what they're not. Hardly a defense or apologia, and intended to be useful. Some members thought it was.

And you say your intent was to jump on the phone before giving up on BA due to the fees, but then I'm confused about the availability complaints when you say you found availability but didn't call. And as I observed earlier, with CX you wouldn't have paid the same fees anyway.

My posts here have meant to be as helpful and constructive as possible, offering first perspective and then solutions (call when the website doesn't work, alternate routings, alternate carriers with lower fees). No argument, no attitude, please don't offer any back.

boslhrzrhpvg

Shultzois - I think you are exactly right, and when I said "trick" I meant stuff like that. One of those tricks being sometimes trying full end-to-end connecting flights but other times going in to look for just a single leg as a one-way.... different things show up

The other thing about the interface (and not sure if a browser thing is going on here - I use Chrome) is the degree of having to back up and re-enter everything from scratch. Maybe theres something I'm missing or it works better w/ IE, I didn't get to comparing that.

Thanks! I was wondering if it was just the nature of the crowd here... I've lurked and used this forum for years without posting, didn't realize it was so caustic and unsympathetic, or at least unforgiving of mentioning known problems. "SHUT UP!!!! WE ALL KNOW ABOUT THAT!!!! STUPID AMERICANS!". Very nice stuff.

gleff

Is it possible that some of the posts weren't saying 'shut up' by pointing out that these are known problems/issues/concerns, but rather remarking that given they're known problems/issues/concerns there are also known approaches and workarounds as well, here's what they are, in other words maybe not sypathizing with you but rather trying to be constructive to help?

boslhrzrhpvg

Gleff - Fully recognize and appreciate the helpful an informative and detailed suggestions. It's more the constant recurring attitude from Emotional-Baggage-In-The-Hall and others that's really unhelpful.

Schultzois

You've just reminded me of another annoying characteristic of BA.com's redemption interface... it has this annoying tendency to change the "First" or "Club World" you may have already selected from the drag-down list, and change it to "World Traveller" the moment you do so much as click on the full airport name that will appear in the field underneath where you've just entered an airport code. If you click on that name (often just to get the stupid text box out of your way) then it resets the class of travel field to WT... which if you're not paying very close attention will make it even harder to search for premium cabins (unless you're used to setting that field twice).

Most important, though, is that it is basically impossible as a Gold to search for premium cabins on alternate dates or partners if there is "V" availability in WT, as BA.com will offer you those seats for double the normal mileage (along with the cheerful message you put in your very first post) instead of doing what it would do for any non-Gold, which is take you to a calendar with alternate dates, or ask if you'd like to search partners who operate that route.

There was another thread a month or two back about this - started by henkybaby, I think.

I strongly suspect that if you can search alternate dates, you'll find something in F or CW that suits you, and the fuel surcharges then, although still a bit steep, are not that much in relation to the overall value of the product you're receiving.

As others have said, partner travel can also be a good option, and may dodge the fuel surcharges if flying certain partners.

boslhrzrhpvg

Best to probably close this thread. Maybe I should stay a lurker.