To GGL/CCR Card or not. That's the question
 

Hey everyone.

In June i have switched from flying on LH with whom i had HON status due to their policy changes (D class guarantee gone) and after trying to find my way for a bit, settled on BA starting September. (BA comped me gold status to start flying with them). I am based in TLV, by the way.



Since then {well, as of the flight i'm flying tonight back home to TLV} in the past 3 months i have racked 2000 tier points (yay, guf2) and i'm trying to decide if it is worth to go for the GGL / CCR card due at 5k tp's.

Having gotten used to the LH Hon first class lounge / terminal i was a bit underwhelmed by the CCR (no baths... attention lacking.. same choice of food as F/lounge it seems) and as gold apart from the greetings on board when the purser uses his iPad there really is no service difference on the ground in anyway (did not have adverse weather situation yet).

I guess that brings the following questions -

Should i go for the status?

Will Op ups / Handing in adverse situations / etc change with the GGL Status?

I know i need to get down from the HON mountain where i got used to mostly getting everything done for me when ever things were not as planned.. but, what should i expect from BA in terms of GGL/CCRcard satus?

(nothing is also a valid answer).

Thanks guys,

Danny

Hi,

I am not a GGL myself but know for a fact that:

GGL's are receiving slightly better treatment than Golds. Especially when things go wrong. BA confirmed in a meeting that GGL will get far more recognition starting post Avios introduction. It wont be as good as HON probably, but should be a step up from Gold.

There are some more perks for GGL compared to Gold.

We have some GGL members here who will give you better feedback soon.

The distinction I would make, in the case of irrops, is that if the disruption is to a small number of planes, the system is pretty good at getting you where you need to go, using non OneWorld planes if necessary, meeting you off planes and so on. Also there's better pro-active tracking you down. I was once checking out of the Conrad Hong Kong when BA rang me to say that my LHR plane had gone technical, and offering me a CX flight the next day (or a WT+ seat on the other plane, um no thanks). I mentioned I was checking out of my hotel, and they asked to talk to the Conrad. I handed over the phone, various clicks later they had re-instated me back into my room, gratis.

On the other hand, when there's massive irrops, having GGL or CCR card won't get you much further. I was slung out into the snow at Newcastle Airport once, when BA decided to pan all domestics, and told I was on my own, so much for duty of care. Admittedly a one off.

Then there are the jokers and GUFs, but I struggle to use them. Or even summon the willpower to use them - my leisure time means not being on a plane.

Will it change your life? I hope not, it's a flying bus at the end of the day. But it will make life a bit smoother.

At least BA send out a GGL card now which shows that they are becoming serious about the level. Its a shame that its just a gold card and not a different colour. I would have liked it to have been the same a the CCR card or like the balck ba visa uk card.

Yeah, but it is just another piece of coloured plastic. I've got loads already thanks, so it's difficult to get too emotional about that.

For me probably the only tangible benefit of being GGL is the annual Joker (now 2 a year) which has meant I have been able to use my miles in situations where otherwise I wouldn't have been able to.

I've not been upgraded once since I've been GGL. As a Gold I got upgraded once in 10 years. (and no, the low ratio is sadly not because I was nearly always already in F to begin with. Most of my travel was in J).

They can't even work out how to send me a GGL card as I mentioned in the other thread!

I've never had an irrop as GGL so can't comment on that. But...I'll be prepared to be surprised if it helps at all!

If you get near the TP threshold you might as well go for it and become GGL but I don't think it;s worth going out of one's way to get.

Indeed. The current GGL card looks cheap and badly designed IMO (not that I actually have one yet grr ;))

OpUps have become a lot more frequent. I book CW and get upgraded about half the time (approx), depending on the route. Another GGL I know has never ever been upgraded but she has special meal requests. I once went through a patch of 6 years when I hardly ever got upgraded, partly because BA was avoiding OpUps generally, and also I suspect my CIV was relatively modest since many of my TPs come from CX, LAN and Qantas. These days it's almost the other extreme. I travel solo, which helps.

You're lucky! I travel alone mainly as well and have no special meal. However on a few flights last year my CIV didn't even show correctly as 97, which can't help the upgrade chances.

I personally think GGL is great.

This is my second stint as GGL. Opups are more regular; there is more recognition - on my last flight the member of cabin crew told me I was a 'high' gold and asked how much I travel; the GGL team on the phone are very good; and the jokers are a real benefit.

I value it and I will work - as far as one has control over these things when one travels on business - to ensure that I requalify this year.

Yes there are.

Real question is: why bother ;)

I'd advise the OP not necessarily to 'go for it'. If you need to travel, fair enough - but otherwise you'll make it next year with the lower two-years-at-over-3,000-TPs requirement.

I've actually just made it and am a bit underwhelmed with the response! No email as per GUF2; just GGL now appears under Benefits earned and there's a GGL banner ad at the bottom of the homepage. The exec club contact number now starts with 0161 though, so that's a start, at least...

There was no mention of my new status either at T5 or onboard my first flight (in CW) as a GGL member. My second flight as a GGL member is this Thursday (in WTP :(). Let's see if the CSD / his/her iPad comes to say hello...

Couple of questions, if I may:

- Are the GGL guys also the YouFirst people? Their phone no's are very similar.
- Also, do I need to call them to 'enroll'? Conditions seem to state:

3.3. Members will have access to the Services immediately upon satisfying the criteria in Clauses 3.1 and 3.2, although admission to Membership will be the date the Member first quotes their Executive Club membership number to use the Services.

I think it is a shared team between YouFirst and GGL. I still call the Gold Line number since that ends up in Newcastle rather than Manchester and I can understand the patois better. And yes it is a little underwhelming, no need to enrol, what you experienced is, well, it. I didn't spot it for a few weeks either when I first qualified. A new card in due course, and an annoying separate one for CCR if applicable. If you were expecting a fanfare you're in the wrong club, but to be fair, it is still a Gold Card with a few enhancements.

Given that status is a consequence of flying and not the objective I fail to see how this is something to deliberate. Or are you considering moving the remainder of your travel back to LH now that you have achieved Gold on BA? Given the huge amount of TPs you still have to go how does this 'dilemma' affect your travel?