PETER01

I can vouch for that with my July flights to SFO/back from LAX etc.

The economy experience really did exceed my expectations. Nice T5 experience, great crews etc. I particularly liked the forward mini cabin on the High J version. Much quieter and peaceful.

China Clipper

Agree that the pilots seem to be top-notch and if they were to fail all the other issues (pro and con) would be suddenly quite trivial. CCR is nonpareil and the 747 UD is a sublime, private club which I am very sorry to see slowly vanishing! Lately I'm tempted to fly to alternate LH points of origin just so I can do that UD thing. F on 777 is okay but for CW I really want the 747.

DWFI

You just hit the nail on the head.

to the other poster re: the Oman Air seat - I'd love to try but unfortunately Muscat is not a very convinient transit point for me.
Oh, and the UD windows have a level of privacy that is clearly not evident in the Oman cabin.

Jagboi

Agreed, the trans Pacific flights I've done on NZ have been fantastic. I'd fly them wherever they go over any other carrier.

Jagboi

I was interested that a few people mentioned the baggage allowance. After looking at my Canada-LHR itinerary it allows me 3 bags at 50 lbs each, yet looking at the BA site this seems to be a restriction between US/Canada/ Bermuda, yet Air Canada allows bags up to 70 lbs.

Why the difference? Bags up to 70 lbs are allowed to other BA destinations, so it can't be a restriction at LHR that is the cause, and since 70 lb bags are handled in Canada that can't be a problem for BA either. Just seems odd there is a difference to different destinations.

I usually don't use my total piece allotment, but I'll often take a single 60-65 lb bag. For my next trip I'll need to take an extra bag to stay under the 50 lb limit.

UAAAPeter

No standby, stuffy stewardesses, generally inflexible, don't answer the phones 24 hours a day, won't let you select seats ahead of time, lousy mileage program with outrageous copays, screwed me once too often. So it was seyonara baby a long time ago and once you lose a customer they are tough to get back - even when you make some amends, which I suspect they have. But I don't plan to test out on my nickel. I know the Brits on this panel will get all huffy about these observations but as a kid we always moaned about British Railways and these days the privatized version is far worse, if such a thing can be possible, aimed at maximizing bonuses for the managers and nothing else - and BA is the same. A shame really - my very first flight was as a kid on BA (well actually BE) from LHR-ORK in a DC3 and I stood next to the pilot the whole way - those were the days I guess. Actually my flight in a CR7 today SFO-AUS reminded me of that first flight but I had to make do with drinks in first class with a nice view of the Grand Canyon... As I continually educate people who moan to me about irreg op experiences on Asian and European Airlines, when things go wrong the airlines don't want to know you. At least with US airlines there is some residual wish to keep the customer happy and they pretty much work to Rule 240 to get you to your destination when schedules get disrupted..... I will never forget BA telling me I had to wait for 6 hours for the next flight at LHR when they cancelled a LHR-FRA flight - and I bet they don't forget the coming to J they got from me which got me on LH an hour later. Typical BA is all I can say.

rapidex

Just flown BA.MFU'd to first.
Concorde room excellent.
Old F but still comfortable for a few hours.
Food to my taste,wines much improved.
Great crew,service very professional the entire flight.
More pj's for my collection.

As Arnie would say "I'll be back".

ColdWalker

If you've got something to say I do wish you wouldn't beat around the bush about it!

I would also throw British Telecom in the same category as you have put BA, but that's my own opinion of course. BT let me down so many times, and then crowned it by selling my personal information to telemarketing companies. They will never sell me anything I can buy elsewhere again. Unfortunately I have no choice about renting my copper line off them From what you say, BA will never sell you anything again either.

I take great satisfaction in telling BT how lowly I think of them when ever they ring me up in the middle of Top Gear. I'm sure you're the same about BA.

China Clipper

Sorry to veer OT a bit but do you live in a remote place? Because I gave up that 'copper line' thing back in 2004 and never looked back. Highly recommended!

stueys

With you, my all time favourite flight was with Mrs Stueys LHR to AKL in 1a and 1k on NZ. Just a great experience.

Laajo

I fly BA because it is
- OW (trying to keep the emerald status which is hard with Finnair with economy seats)
- has WT+ which is affordable and besides BA only SAS has the economy extra (I can not use CW during my business trips)
- has better ticketing rules than e.g. Finnair (price versus the time the ticket must be written after booking)
- BA flies NAM and LAM destinations (where Finnair does not)

bernardd

I think the point ColdWalker was making is almost the entire world still has copper for the last mile because it's impossibly expensive to replace. In the UK that copper is still owned and maintained by BT, just as here in Austin it's owned and maintained by AT&T once more, even if it's leased by other providers. In a few cases people have switched to copper from a cable provider, but it's almost invariably still copper because there's no alternative.

FWIW the DSL we're getting down the old fashioned twisted pair is now up there with coaxial cable, and it's cheaper than Time Warner so why bother with anything else?

bernardd

I have much the same feelings about most Banks I've ever dealt with!

As for BA, I used them in the 80's and switch to (mostly) AA in the 90's and the first half of the naughties, racking up enough miles for lifetime status. I left AA because of falling quality, and went back to BA mostly because of WT+, but they've changed the value proposition too much recently with the price differential for WT+ somethings being WAY to much for what they provide, they've never sorted out the ba.com/MMB/upgrade issues you get if you live in places like AUS, plus the recent 36% devaluation of the miles on routes I wanted to use them on has broken the camels back. I suspect I'm going to get zero TP's this year and be alliance-free for a while.

I can't work out if BA is truly determined to focus on core routes like LHR-JFK to the exclusion of everything else, or if they're so London-centric they simply forgot there are other places in the world with different perspectives, but they've done a darn good job at dropping the hint they don't give a fig.

tmac100

I flew AC almost exclusively until 2009 when I discovered WT+ seats with BA. On 4 LH sectors in WT+ I got upgraded and that was that BA and OW basically has my flying soul. AC is fine for domestic service, but it does not offer an enhanced economy product on LH - so I switched and willingly pay for the advantages offered by BA's WT+ and Silver BAEC.

While not adverse to flying others (I am currently flying Egypt Air across N Africa and Asia to CMN because of flying time and price), I do enjoy the benefits of WT+ and OW lounges. Occasionally the baggage allowance (2 bags @ 32kg) on BA is also handy. Too bad it is not transferrable to other OW partners, because then I'd fly BA/OW almost exclusively, but then I live in an imperfect world

tmac100

THIS is MY feeling as to why I won't pay for AF flights any more.

I recently paid for my 2 sons to fly AF from JFK-CDG-CMN and return.

Never again! Why?

Well, AF has a policy of NO camping stoves.

I have flown BA, AC, CX and QF with these stoves AND empty bottles, cleaned of quickly evaporating "white gas" and have never had a problem. AF has a problem with those stoves - and BA and OW certainly does not. AF also has a problem with connecting flights leaving on time and then dealing with the consequences of my sons missing Royal Air Maroc flights.

Believe me that I AM concerned with air safety. My sons are on board!! I certainly expect the same level of safety on AF as on BA and AC, but why no empty camping stoves? I have heard similar tales of angst from other bicyclists and campers using AF. Bad karma will happen....

Forget AF and their champagne offered on flights. The "hassles" of needed equipment being left behind and missed flights that we have to pay for are reasons for NOT patronizing AF.

This is just another reason to continue flying with BA - even when some connections are not convenient..