What'up with BA in SFO?
Jun 16, 2014, 10:28 am
#31
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 226
I took 3 consecutive voluntary bumps on a BA flight from PHL to LHR at the end of Aug 2012. My return flight happily coincided with some American Football college game taking place in Dublin and apparently all routes to northern Europe were chocker. Completely paid for that trip, and a return flight to the US that November. Happy days!
Jun 16, 2014, 10:35 am
#32
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 644
I find it busy year-round, but I'm sure fares dip in the cooler months.
The economy is highly diversified and the city is booming, it's becoming more of a West Coast NY in many ways. Not least housing issues and density.
I don't see that abating too much.
Jun 16, 2014, 10:47 am
#33
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MAN/BHX
Programs: ABBA
Posts: 6,027
I thought most new routes to Europe were from gatwock, in any case there's still the long haul equipment issue - Ba just don't have the planes.
Jun 16, 2014, 10:58 am
#34
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Helvetia
Programs: AS; BA Silver; UA; HH Gold; Sprüngli Connaisseur
Posts: 2,912
SFO has a couple of runways closed. That could also be having some effects on the availability of seats. Perhaps there has been a reduction in total seats from Europe going there?
Jun 16, 2014, 11:01 am
#35
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: AA
Posts: 14,740
SFO has a couple of runways closed. That could also be having some effects on the availability of seats. Perhaps there has been a reduction in total seats from Europe going there?
Jun 16, 2014, 11:08 am
#36
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Helvetia
Programs: AS; BA Silver; UA; HH Gold; Sprüngli Connaisseur
Posts: 2,912
Good point. Or in addition, the prices that LH and LX are charging are pretty high. LH's product is pretty poor for that price as well. For me, T-5 isn't really to bad to transfer through most of the time.
Jun 16, 2014, 11:27 am
#37
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Austin, TX USA
Programs: BA, CX, LH, WN
Posts: 211
Majority of the Y pax from SFO-LHR are onward connecting to BA destinations in India. Note that BA has 2 daily flights from LHR to BOM and DEL and 1 daily to BLR/MAA/HYD. And SFO being a tech-hub with lot of people from this part of Asia, I am not surprised if both the SFO-LHR flights are full for most of the year. Also the dip in September-October makes sense as there are no major school vacations and families would be looking forward for Christmas travel as most of them prefer to go home during this period.
BA should increase the capacity or add another SFO-LHR daily. I would prefer BA any day because of the generous Avios given even for Y-fares. I have always got 100% miles even on the lowest Y-fares.
BA should increase the capacity or add another SFO-LHR daily. I would prefer BA any day because of the generous Avios given even for Y-fares. I have always got 100% miles even on the lowest Y-fares.
Last edited by techblr; Jun 16, 2014 at 11:28 am Reason: Typo
Jun 16, 2014, 3:09 pm
#39
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: MUCCI
Posts: 1,924
Looks as if BA is aware it needs more capacity but looks as if they are going to go for holding fast this year and then the A380 next year. That also probably means that they will couple it with a 777-300 for some days but lets see - they could do what they have done in JNB and offer an A380 and a 747-400. The 777-300 and A380 combo offers more seats overall in every class than 2 747-400's except F (where the number of seats stays constant). What would be interesting is how the double daily A380 to LAX is doing - I always wondered despite the stats if it was quite enough capacity for that route.....
FD.
FD.
Jun 16, 2014, 7:48 pm
#41
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: TK Gold, M&M FTL, QR Gold, HH Diamond, PCR Platinum
Posts: 1,667
Today the magic number was "only" 16. I was offered the same compensation and had to shamefully decline, as my kids were too pumped to travel today.
Note to self - higher upfront fare can turn into a lucrative holiday bonus
Note to self - higher upfront fare can turn into a lucrative holiday bonus
Jun 16, 2014, 8:31 pm
#42
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP,2MM, DL Gold,Starwood PLT
Posts: 3,876
If and that a big IF since folks often over report, it keeps going out day after day oversold, it means the Revenue Management analyst handing flights to SFO is not doing a good job. If there has been some shift in demand for the available capacity it's their job to pick up on it.
Jun 16, 2014, 9:30 pm
#43
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: England
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold, UA Premier Platinum
Posts: 389
Flights out of LAX also seem to be pretty rammed. I'm due to fly LAX-LHR-MAN on Sunday in F and both flights that day are showing F0 and not much J/Y. I'd be happy to fly an alternative route, such as LAX-PHL-MAN in J on AA/US but only if I can arrange it ahead of travel. Is there any precedent for contacting BA to see if the overbooking situation is so dire that they might contemplate a pre-planned re-route? As we're on the 21.45 ex-LAX I wouldn't be at all happy with an alternative at that time of night, but if it could be sorted in advance it could be a different story...
Avios booking, by the way.
Avios booking, by the way.
Jun 17, 2014, 12:04 am
#44
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,821
Unfortunately that's too sensible for the system. The only routes they seem to do this are CWLCY and HKG to LHR in that direction, where they sometimes pro-actively contact passengers and offer alternatives. Otherwise the system prefers to muck people about on the day. In the case of LHR be wary of being too helpful, the chances are you will still fly on your original service, not get compensation but lose the nice seat you allocated to yourself. However in your position the airline may well take the view that it's not a full flight at the moment, which may well prove to be the case.
Jun 17, 2014, 2:39 am
#45
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: York, UK
Programs: BAEC GGL, Hilton Diamond, Marriott GOLD, Accor Club Gold
Posts: 709
Flew it last Friday and it was heaving. Mercifully I was in First (on On Biz points - no chance to have done it with Avios), and no issues were raised about denied boarding, but it was the only time in my flying life I've seen an F cabin without any spare seats at all!