new lounge rules for gold? [End of Open Doors for Golds]
May 20, 2011, 12:50 pm
#211
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: UK, but sometimes wish it was USA
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 2,388
This thread really should be "The Gold polish ran out"...
Only used the benefit once when I had Gold, out of T1 flying to HAN with BMI. It was a useful touch, but dont blame BA for cutting it.
Once someone has reached Gold, what was to keep customers from not flying EZY. I mean,you get lounge access, and dont EZY give Golds free Speedy Boarding.
All this talk of "well it will make me question my loyalty to BA." Personally, I think that's a load of tosh. It will make people fly BA more, to get the perks of the lounge access on routes where they'd previously been saving a few quid any flying EZY.
And for people who want lounge access - just get a Priority Pass card. Simple as that?
Only used the benefit once when I had Gold, out of T1 flying to HAN with BMI. It was a useful touch, but dont blame BA for cutting it.
Once someone has reached Gold, what was to keep customers from not flying EZY. I mean,you get lounge access, and dont EZY give Golds free Speedy Boarding.
All this talk of "well it will make me question my loyalty to BA." Personally, I think that's a load of tosh. It will make people fly BA more, to get the perks of the lounge access on routes where they'd previously been saving a few quid any flying EZY.
And for people who want lounge access - just get a Priority Pass card. Simple as that?
May 20, 2011, 12:52 pm
#213
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May 20, 2011, 12:52 pm
#214
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: UK, but sometimes wish it was USA
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 2,388
May 20, 2011, 12:57 pm
#217
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: hamburg
Posts: 1,390
Good business decisions even those like this one which have a very small impact on so called "loyal" customers are never going to be met with a positive response. I very much doubt the Open Doors policy is responsible for retaining many BA Golds loyalty to the company. I bet there are many Golds who don't even know about the benefit never mind use it.
As for those London based passengers moaning about BA not serving your route thus forcing you on to EZY....come on, that's a lame excuse. You should go try living in the regions.
At least you have several Onworld carriers from LHR you can use and still get lounge access. If none of them fly your route then it obviously isn't a money earner.
As for those London based passengers moaning about BA not serving your route thus forcing you on to EZY....come on, that's a lame excuse. You should go try living in the regions.
At least you have several Onworld carriers from LHR you can use and still get lounge access. If none of them fly your route then it obviously isn't a money earner.
i am GCH because i fly BA, not flying them to be GCH...
May 20, 2011, 12:58 pm
#218
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To quote Mark Lamarr from Never Mind the Buzzcocks
"And they said you couldn't polish one"
May 20, 2011, 12:59 pm
#219
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Wales (Home base), Germany (Work base) & around the world!
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Posts: 352
And for me, the effect is more than minimal - it is significant enough for me (in fairness combined with a reduction of frequency on my regular route) to cancel my plans for a quick CE return for no other purpose to retain Gold, and as of June 6th (my last existing BA booking) to look to LH/LX to get to SEN
May 20, 2011, 1:02 pm
#220
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If the price differential is small, don't you believe that most GCHs would fly BA anyway?
And if the price differential is large, do you really think that lounge access is going to change anything? Heck, if you are really desperate about lounge access, you can buy it at LGW N for £20. So you would have to have large differential for this to be a clincher. With a price differential of only £20, I guess that most GCHs would fly BA anyway.
I think that it is simplistic to assume that doing away with open doors will bring people back from EZY. It strikes me as unlikely to do so beyond the negligible. So it boils down to what BA saves in lounge catering (which cannot be that substantial) versus what they lose among the worldwide frequent flyers who will shift business when they have reached silver (or every other year if they renew gold every two years) towards other alliances in order to maintain status there. I just cannot see this equation turning to BA's advantage.
That is where the parallel between BA and LH breaks down: there is a much more significant difference in M&M between FTL and SEN than between SCH and GCH in BAEC, with the consequence that there is still a major incentive for SENs to requalify. Not so for GCHs in BAEC.
May 20, 2011, 1:04 pm
#221
Join Date: Apr 2008
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I am a Gold Card Holder because I CHOSE to fly (mostly) with BA
I CHOSE to fly BA, because their service/FFP was more beneficial than the competition;
I will now reconsider my choice, because this is no longer true for me.
May 20, 2011, 1:05 pm
#222
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May 20, 2011, 1:12 pm
#224
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Wales (Home base), Germany (Work base) & around the world!
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I very much doubt it. Certaintly, based on my personal experience, this is unlikely to result in my shifting any of my (relatively few) EZY flights towards BA.
If the price differential is small, don't you believe that most GCHs would fly BA anyway?
And if the price differential is large, do you really think that lounge access is going to change anything? Heck, if you are really desperate about lounge access, you can buy it at LGW N for £20. So you would have to have large differential for this to be a clincher. With a price differential of only £20, I guess that most GCHs would fly BA anyway.
I think that it is simplistic to assume that doing away with open doors will bring people back from EZY. It strikes me as unlikely to do so beyond the negligible. So it boils down to what BA saves in lounge catering (which cannot be that substantial) versus what they lose among the worldwide frequent flyers who will shift business when they have reached silver (or every other year if they renew gold every two years) towards other alliances in order to maintain status there. I just cannot see this equation turning to BA's advantage.
That is where the parallel between BA and LH breaks down: there is a much more significant difference in M&M between FTL and SEN than between SCH and GCH in BAEC, with the consequence that there is still a major incentive for SENs to requalify. Not so for GCHs in BAEC.
If the price differential is small, don't you believe that most GCHs would fly BA anyway?
And if the price differential is large, do you really think that lounge access is going to change anything? Heck, if you are really desperate about lounge access, you can buy it at LGW N for £20. So you would have to have large differential for this to be a clincher. With a price differential of only £20, I guess that most GCHs would fly BA anyway.
I think that it is simplistic to assume that doing away with open doors will bring people back from EZY. It strikes me as unlikely to do so beyond the negligible. So it boils down to what BA saves in lounge catering (which cannot be that substantial) versus what they lose among the worldwide frequent flyers who will shift business when they have reached silver (or every other year if they renew gold every two years) towards other alliances in order to maintain status there. I just cannot see this equation turning to BA's advantage.
That is where the parallel between BA and LH breaks down: there is a much more significant difference in M&M between FTL and SEN than between SCH and GCH in BAEC, with the consequence that there is still a major incentive for SENs to requalify. Not so for GCHs in BAEC.
I agree that the difference between FTL and SEN is much more compelling, and if like me (and no doubt many others) you fly enough for one "full" and one "lower" tier status, the more sensible option now is *A top and OW middle.
BA policy here seems: Load weapon; aim at foot; slowly squeeze trigger....
May 20, 2011, 1:13 pm
#225
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