Moriarty

It's bizarre that the ability to use hard earned Avios is considered a benefit and especially since you have to accumulate 3,000 TPs a year to use it. The main benefit that I personally get from GGL is the phone line. That's kinda it.

MPH1980

Are there any more details you're able to share?

paulwuk

Thanks for the warning, I'll certainly keep an eye on it - I've had 2 Opups in the last 4 BA flights, but this is more evidence of the need to move off BA, who clearly don't appreciate the idiots who spend Ł2800 return to fly to Singapore in WTP, and have to book days out to actually get a seat (so much for fully flexible), when the following airlines off J for less:

• TK
• EK
• KL
• AY
• QR

I'll just have to fight a little harder to sell the exception to that line on the receipt saying "business class" each time.

Next Friday (so nearly a week away) BA's SIN-LHR is showing

• F0 A0 J0 C0 W0 Y4 B1 H0 K0 M0 G0
• F0 A0 J0 C0 W0 Y9 B9 H8 K6 M4 L3 V1 G0

Which makes a mockery of flexible tickets in any case. If that's because F, J and W are full of full-fare passengers, that's great (for BA) - although they should probably charge more, or put more planes on, but it's not great for those customers who need, and pay, for flexibility.

ScruttonStreet

I've been flying BA for both business and leisure for more than 20 years, am LTG (only just mind) and have been Op-upd precisely twice.

What on earth am I doing wrong?!

Can I help you

I would rather not.

Crampedin13A

Flying as a Gold in WTP seems to be surest way to an upgrade on my routes from conversations I've had and from what I've read over the years here.

Oaxaca

Well, the benefit of the joker is to be able to use your hard-earned Avios when most others cannot, which is a pretty useful benefit IMO.

I guess it's unfortunate if the other GGL benefits such as extra lounge guests and partner cards aren't helpful for you. It still remains that op-ups are not a right under any circumstances, however much we all may feel we "deserve" them, or deserve them more than someone else. Being a GGL may help (I don't know, but I did get more op-ups after reaching GGL), but I agree with Tobias-UK that they are not a benefit.

All that said, if this is true I would also resist any short haul upgrades, if that is possible, not that I get so many of those.

paulieuk

One wonders whether if, even if successful in declining an OpUp ET>CE (at the gate for example would create a little bit of a kerfuffle that the gate agents could well do without?), the computer system is sophisticated enough to de-register you as having received one of your three upgrades?

Of course one should never count on an OpUp, but as a GCH booked to travel WTP to SYD before long, it's theoritically possible to hit my three strikes and be out before even getting home. Oh to be so un/lucky!

MPH1980

Fair enough. I'll have to see how it pans out for me.

I honestly believe my company would remove it's PE travel policy if this does hit hard. Our CEO left it there precisely because it allows cheap ways of getting into CW.

UUA is now a damn sight more expensive and op-ups being limited ... that could see us moving to Y only - as I promise it wouldn't go the other way, heck - they won't even cover the additional taxes on a UUA due to the fact it'd be acknowledging the company 'pays' for business class.

As a side note - I'm already on a count of '2' for both calendar year and collection year - so we'll see what happens in the next couple of months.

snuffi

Is that in a calendar year, or a collection year? I assume the former. More bad news - rightly or wrongly one of the reasons I try to stay loyal in the frequent flyer game is I feel my chances of op-ups increase with status. I've taken 4 solo WTP flights in the last 12 months, and been irrop'd on 2 of them, which was frankly amazing and added significantly to my holidays as you basically gain a day on some if you are able to sleep lying down. 3 in a year.... ooof. This will hit some very frequent fliers hard.

nickerss

What will they do if everyone in WT+ has received his/her three freebies for the year already and they need to move someone to CW? Take someone from straight from WT to CW?

nickerss

+1

I fly the most discounted Y fares I can possibly manage, 99% of the time, with one or two ex-EU's in CW per year. My Avios and TP earning has been reduced to almost nothing, and now my op-ups will be limited. I've been very lucky with op-ups to WT+ and CW over the past two years. Now, not much reason to keep flying BA. I might as well just shop on price (I used to fly BA even if it was Ł50-150 more expensive than the competition on TATLs) and if prices are equal, choose the carrier with the newest planes.

Often1

This makes eminent sense. The purpose of these freebies is not to reward loyalty, but, as the name implies, for the operational convenience of the carrier, e.g., when the class of service is overbooked and at risk of oversale.

But, it can also serve a good purpose for the passenger who would not ordinarily think of flying F/CW/WTP or CE. Bump them up once in a while and they might appreciate the good (or better) life and actually start paying for it.

I take it that there will someday be a situation where WPT+ is at risk of oversale, every pax is checked in and has had their 3 freebies and there are empty seats in CW. Needless to say, there is someone at BA who can deal with that.

As to the issue of choosing on which flights you accept the OpUp, it is entirely unclear that in order to avoid the delays this causes at the gate that BA would not count the OpUp as "used" whether or not accepted.

crazy8534

So this new policy will surely disproportionately disadvantage those who fly most frequently?

Also I feel inclined (rightly or wrongly) that the act of 'offering' an op-up will be recorded as 'strike 1', accepted or not.

Calchas

They never need to move someone to CW, it's the opposite, they need to move someone out of WT+ (because it's often overbooked).

So maybe they will start downgrading folks instead.