new lounge rules for gold? [End of Open Doors for Golds]
May 20, 2011, 9:08 am
#91
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: London, ARN, HEL, ..... or MAN
Programs: BA GGL / GFL, Mucci Diamond!, HH Diamond, Radisson Premium, IHG Gold, Hertz Gold
Posts: 5,904
What makes my blood boil is that I pay £15k + per year to join BA's supposed "Top Tier". This is one hell of a lot of money and therefore should provide advertised benefits to me for one year. To remove a key benefit with less than one month's notice can't be right. If I had just achieved Gold in the last couple of months I would be more than spitting feathers.
May 20, 2011, 9:09 am
#92
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 2,660
Another realistic post about this decision.
Lets face it...the customers who make BA money aren't the ones who fly Easyjet. They are the ones who fly direct or connect on to BA long haul flights at LHR. They will not be impacted on by this decision.
I can understand the stushie this announcement has caused to members on this forum but it'll all be forgotten about in a few weeks.
Lets face it...the customers who make BA money aren't the ones who fly Easyjet. They are the ones who fly direct or connect on to BA long haul flights at LHR. They will not be impacted on by this decision.
I can understand the stushie this announcement has caused to members on this forum but it'll all be forgotten about in a few weeks.
Now there really is no added incentive for me to stick with BA/oneworld enough to keep Gold - on the contrary, there's incentive for me to diversify my flying and keep status on BA's competition alliances - which given all the matching that's gone on lately, would seem exactly the thing to do now.
From a benefits standpoint, I already have Silver benefits assured through September 2013 (unless they abolish soft landings next
), so I really have about two years to see if Platinum on AF or Senator on LH is a viable program for someone who's not based in the UK anyway, and usually flies South America/North America/Europe itineraries with an occasional Asia, South Pacific, or hopefully soon Africa thrown in.
May 20, 2011, 9:15 am
#93
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: London, UK and Southern France
Posts: 18,364
I have occasionally flown with Easyjet on routes also served by BA. When the differential is relatively small, I will fly BA anyway (and I suspect most GCHs also would). However, when Easyjet sells me a ticket for £33 and all BA has to offer me is a ticket for £126, guess what? I will fly Easyjet with or without lounge access.
Loss of open doors is more likely to mean less rather than more BA flying for me. Perhaps I am atypical but I suspect that I am not.
May 20, 2011, 9:16 am
#95
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: NYC, SLC, LAX
Programs: AA EXP, UA Plat
Posts: 3,952
I'm not so sure it's going to work like this for me. Instead of trying to put 100% flying on BA/OW and then buying some LCC or Star sectors where OW doesn't operate, for example, VIE-CDG, VIE-FRA, DEL-SIN (all routes I will be on in the next 3 months - I will be forced to maintain *A Gold, probably Skyteam Elite+ so I can get lounges everywhere.
Coupled with less benefits for Gold vs Silver, I can very much envision a scenario next year where I will be FB Gold, BA Silver, and UA 1K.
Unfortunate.
Coupled with less benefits for Gold vs Silver, I can very much envision a scenario next year where I will be FB Gold, BA Silver, and UA 1K.
Unfortunate.
May 20, 2011, 9:18 am
#96
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: LHR
Programs: BA Gold, TG Gold, HHonors Diamond, SPG Plat
Posts: 8,665
I would not choose to fly Easyjet if there was a choice of airlines on the same route.
May 20, 2011, 9:22 am
#97
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: LON, ACK, BOS..... (Not necessarily in that order)
Programs: **Mucci Diamond Hairbrush** - compared to that nothing else matters (+BA Bronze)
Posts: 15,137
Gold members who asked to have this benefit taken away should have their Gold card taken away from them as they clearly won't be able to use it when they are stuck in the secure unit from where they escaped.
May 20, 2011, 9:26 am
#99
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: LON, ACK, BOS..... (Not necessarily in that order)
Programs: **Mucci Diamond Hairbrush** - compared to that nothing else matters (+BA Bronze)
Posts: 15,137
Hi all, don't post on here very often - in fact haven't been on for so long have forgotten my details and had to re-register.
IMO this is not a good move. I have to juggle my schedule as it is to keep my BA Gold status valid, with their flights often being more expensive and after this will find it harder to do so.
I do not use the perk very often, but it has been very useful to me on a few occasions.
I agree with the sentiment that maybe it is because the facility is being overused by members who fly a lot of budget airlines, but to counter that, they are still at Gold status so BA are making money in some way!
IMO this is not a good move. I have to juggle my schedule as it is to keep my BA Gold status valid, with their flights often being more expensive and after this will find it harder to do so.
I do not use the perk very often, but it has been very useful to me on a few occasions.
I agree with the sentiment that maybe it is because the facility is being overused by members who fly a lot of budget airlines, but to counter that, they are still at Gold status so BA are making money in some way!
May 20, 2011, 9:27 am
#100
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Mucci, BA-GGL, LH-Sen
Posts: 2,241
Suspect feedback may have been that very few GCHs choose to fly BA because of the open doors policy and taht therefore taking away the benefit would have little/ no impact on business levels for BA.
Big thumbs down on this
I didn't use the benefit much but it was really handy when I did. Used it in DAC - when they still flew there - SIN, BKK, in both cases when flying intra-Asia, LOS, when I actually used the lounge computers to book a BA flight.
Arghhhh!
Big thumbs down on this
I didn't use the benefit much but it was really handy when I did. Used it in DAC - when they still flew there - SIN, BKK, in both cases when flying intra-Asia, LOS, when I actually used the lounge computers to book a BA flight. Arghhhh!
May 20, 2011, 9:30 am
#101
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 11,924
Actually, I agree with Hiddy, I think this was a bizarre benefit, that encouraged GCHs to fly with the competition and stuff thetheir faces in the Lounge, at the expense of BA.
I only ever used it when flying SZ from LGW-NQY, but I don't think there's anything unreasonable about buying a snack, when flying a LCC, rather than scrounging one off BA.
With the non-UK lounges, it was never very clear which ones offered it and which ones didn't.
Perhaps I could suggest a new benefit. When flying with a non-OW airline, GCHs AND one guest can use the Lounge, for up to 2 hours, for £20 per person. Ta-naaaa.
And another one. Let GCHs use the Arrivals Lounge when arriving off a short-haul flight, for another £20. Ta-naaaa.
May 20, 2011, 9:31 am
#102
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Basingrad, UK
Programs: BA GfL, TK *G+
Posts: 803
So are there many differences left between Gold and Silver any more?
First Class Checkin - whoopee, you have to walk miles at T5 to find it
Arrivals Lounge at T5 - useful when flying down the back
Bonus miles - nope
Can someone convince me why I should try to stay Gold if its going to keep getting enhanced ?
I think the last time I used the Lounge access was when flying AirKoryo out of PEK. And that was a 3rd Party Lounge so blagged that one anyway.
First Class Checkin - whoopee, you have to walk miles at T5 to find it
Arrivals Lounge at T5 - useful when flying down the back
Bonus miles - nope
Can someone convince me why I should try to stay Gold if its going to keep getting enhanced ?
I think the last time I used the Lounge access was when flying AirKoryo out of PEK. And that was a 3rd Party Lounge so blagged that one anyway.
May 20, 2011, 9:33 am
#103
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: London, UK
Posts: 1,095
My perception of BA Gold benefits has worsened, my reality probably won't; but my perception is my reality, if you see what I mean.
Similar uproar on the Emirates board as they've removed Gold guest access when travelling in economy.
I agree that it seems likely that high numbers at a few stations has scuppered this benefit. But I have a hunch that, with sufficient uproar, it might come back. BA, are you listening?
Edited to add: "feedback" my a*se.
Similar uproar on the Emirates board as they've removed Gold guest access when travelling in economy.
I agree that it seems likely that high numbers at a few stations has scuppered this benefit. But I have a hunch that, with sufficient uproar, it might come back. BA, are you listening?
Edited to add: "feedback" my a*se.
May 20, 2011, 9:38 am
#105
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Miami Beach FL, Philadelphia PA, and Oxfordshire UK
Programs: BA Gold, AA Executive Platinum, PriorityPass, Global Entry, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 737
It was one of the reasons I was loyal to BA over other choices as I fly so much in the US and the BA lounges were a god send over the AAlternatives.
I can now exercise that choice, give my hard earned dollars to VS, LH etc without worrying about trying to get my 1500 TP's again. I'll always make 600, but beyond that, I'll not have to stress about having to take BA or OW to keep status any more. Yay.
The other gold benefits were inconsequential to me. F lounge - rarely use. Never upgraded. F check in pointless.
I can now exercise that choice, give my hard earned dollars to VS, LH etc without worrying about trying to get my 1500 TP's again. I'll always make 600, but beyond that, I'll not have to stress about having to take BA or OW to keep status any more. Yay.
The other gold benefits were inconsequential to me. F lounge - rarely use. Never upgraded. F check in pointless.