The BA boarding process
Jan 29, 2014, 7:39 am
#106
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: MAN and LON
Programs: Mucci, BAEC LT Gold, HH Dia, MR LT Plat, IHG Diamond Amb, Amex Plat
Posts: 13,773
The 2 groups aren't always mutually exclusive.
Jan 29, 2014, 7:39 am
#107
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: France
Programs: MUCCI, BA LTG/GGL/CCR, AF PLAT, ETHIHAD AND LH USELESS PLASTIC
Posts: 2,063
Of course, and if BA allow people to 'buy' GGL or whatever for five grand then that's fine by me.
The fact is that to actually enjoy and benefit from the status they have earned, they will have to fly a lot more than just the TP run with BA anyway... or the whole thing becomes totally pointless!
You do have to be nuts to do some of those itineraries IMHO however
All those awful AA domestic J/F flights would be too much for me unless I actually had to go somewhere for work (says he who is doing JFK-DFW-MEX on AA this weekend
)
The fact is that to actually enjoy and benefit from the status they have earned, they will have to fly a lot more than just the TP run with BA anyway... or the whole thing becomes totally pointless!
You do have to be nuts to do some of those itineraries IMHO however
All those awful AA domestic J/F flights would be too much for me unless I actually had to go somewhere for work (says he who is doing JFK-DFW-MEX on AA this weekend
)
Jan 29, 2014, 7:41 am
#108
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Oxford UK
Programs: BAEC Gold, Club Carlson Gold, IHG Platinum, Hilton Silver, Marriot Silver
Posts: 37
Jan 29, 2014, 7:51 am
#109
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: North West, UK
Programs: BA GfL (GGL/CCR), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,998
As one of those real business travellers that buys late and pays exorbitant amounts it is a case of needs must. A lot of my regular destinations are SAN and DEN served only by BA on a single flight per day. So if it's a case of £2000 to go direct in Y, rather than £1300 to go via Dallas and get home 6 hours earlier to my family the cost is irrelevant. Especially as I am not paying
Jan 29, 2014, 8:14 am
#110
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Tampa, FL and Northumberland, England
Programs: BAEC Bronze; IHG
Posts: 372
I've not read the entire thread, but I recently flew MCO to MIA with AA in economy and the returned the same day in first. On my flight to MIA passengers travelling in first were invited to board first, then Emerald one world members, then ruby and sapphire, then everyone else. After everyone else had been called forward, the priority boarding lane was still kept open for first passengers or passengers with status so they could bypass the big line. When I flew back I boarded first with the rest of the first passengers and I assume they followed the same format as my outboard flight. It was nice to get on the plane first and relax after a busy day. The hostess also served all first class passengers a drink while the rest of the flight boarded.
Jan 29, 2014, 8:46 am
#111
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Southern Med
Programs: BAEC Silver, Flying Blue Gold, Gulf Air Silver, Aegean Gold, M&M FQTV, Air Malta Diamond
Posts: 1,741
Jan 29, 2014, 11:24 am
#113
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: LHR- ish
Programs: MUCCI, BA Blue
Posts: 4,295
Jan 29, 2014, 11:26 am
#114
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,928
Jan 29, 2014, 12:59 pm
#117
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MAN/BHX
Programs: ABBA
Posts: 6,027
What a ridiculous comment. I am gold and nearly GGL who often travels in Y because there is no availability in W,J or F when buying your ticket 3 days before the flight. And those Y tickets with no Saturday layover will sometimes be over £2000, probably more than a lot of people paid for their CW tickets tickets six months earlier. There's no way BA are making a loss on me.
But the CW lot will of course say it's their cabin that makes the money, despite half the people being on sale-T fares using UUA, or sale-I fares
Jan 29, 2014, 1:32 pm
#118
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 41
Two (better than BA experiences) I've had:
F class with LX from ZRH to HKG
Arrived at the gate under my own steam. Two gates - First/Business and economy. Joined the end of the First/Business queue whilst waiting for boarding to commence. Member of staff then went down the line checking everyone's ticket. My assumption was it was to check for rogue Y ticket holders. Anyway, when they got to me, they checked my ticket then invited me to jump to the front of the queue. Felt slightly conspicuous, but I got over it. Nice touch being greeted by the purser by name.
F class with THA from BKK to FRA
Very simple - escorted from the world beating lounge to the gate with the use of a golf buggy. No walking, no queuing, no hassle.
F class with LX from ZRH to HKG
Arrived at the gate under my own steam. Two gates - First/Business and economy. Joined the end of the First/Business queue whilst waiting for boarding to commence. Member of staff then went down the line checking everyone's ticket. My assumption was it was to check for rogue Y ticket holders. Anyway, when they got to me, they checked my ticket then invited me to jump to the front of the queue. Felt slightly conspicuous, but I got over it. Nice touch being greeted by the purser by name.
F class with THA from BKK to FRA
Very simple - escorted from the world beating lounge to the gate with the use of a golf buggy. No walking, no queuing, no hassle.
Jan 29, 2014, 3:03 pm
#119
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,211
There's a bit of showing off as well.....especially if you're young. Sadly it all came a bit too late for me.
Jan 29, 2014, 4:37 pm
#120
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL (for now) and Lifetime Gold, Marriott fan thanks to Bonvoy Moments
Posts: 5,115
Back OnT - DUB today was boarding only FastTrack before calling general boarding, sneaky status card holder (during boarding she went straight through CE to ET) tried to jump most of the queue by asking the chap in front of me - after he coughed at her cheek - whether all of the queue was really for FastTrack, he gave her short shrift but she tried hanging around to cut in anyway...