If BA Understood Irony...
May 14, 2015, 11:11 am
#31
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Near Edinburgh
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 9,034
If someone books a flight with BA but flies AA, does BA get >50% of the revenue?
If so, I guess it makes sense for BA to want to push people to AA and my tongue-in-cheek comment about them decimating the passengers experience to encourage people to fly AA may not be that far from the truth. And, that'd also explain why AA then advertise in BA's back garden, to get people book direct. I love a good conspiracy theory.
Is the opposite also true, if someone books a BA flight with AA then AA gets >50% of the revenue?
May 14, 2015, 11:38 am
#32
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Yorkshire
Programs: BA Gold & HH Silver
Posts: 1,465
Reading between the lines, I'm therefore going to assume its not as simple as an even split, no matter who people fly with, as is often suggested.
It'd be madness for one airline to sign up for that, leaving it open for a JV partner to cut their service to the bone, decimating the frequent flyer earnings rate while doubling the cost to book redemptions or upgrades, cramming their passengers into their short-haul cabins, reducing their short-haul business offering to be as close to economy that it does not matter, closing lounges early, charging their top tier passengers to select a seat, and more, all in the hope that their passengers would fly with another JV partner.
Of course, no airline would do that.
It'd be madness for one airline to sign up for that, leaving it open for a JV partner to cut their service to the bone, decimating the frequent flyer earnings rate while doubling the cost to book redemptions or upgrades, cramming their passengers into their short-haul cabins, reducing their short-haul business offering to be as close to economy that it does not matter, closing lounges early, charging their top tier passengers to select a seat, and more, all in the hope that their passengers would fly with another JV partner.
Of course, no airline would do that.
May 14, 2015, 12:16 pm
#34
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: EDI
Programs: AA: Life time PLT; HH Diamond
Posts: 336
May 14, 2015, 12:41 pm
#35
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,145
As I drift gently towards using AA/US for TATL, I find this whole scenario fascinating.
I have no idea what BA is thinking, if indeed it is.
I have no idea what BA is thinking, if indeed it is.
May 14, 2015, 1:04 pm
#36
Join Date: May 2009
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,741
Why put up with the CW dorm if I can get aisle access from AA ?
May 14, 2015, 2:02 pm
#37
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: US Air, UA BA LH AI DELTA MARRIOTT CHOICE SGP
Posts: 9,883
There is an AA campaign on the tube at the moment which tells you to fly them, rather than a competitor, because they have direct aisle access.
Someone at AA needs their head examining. They are spending a huge amount of money tempting passengers from BA, just to hand over half of the ticket spend to BA anyway - and eat all the marginal costs themselves!
Someone at AA needs their head examining. They are spending a huge amount of money tempting passengers from BA, just to hand over half of the ticket spend to BA anyway - and eat all the marginal costs themselves!
at some point after AA has conquered enough of BA' s pax, there will be a divorce. Clever strategy.
May 14, 2015, 2:16 pm
#38
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold / Hilton Diamond / IHG Diamond Ambassador / Marriot Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 2,533
Don't know who gets the money but I won't use BA when I can use AA 777 -300 on TATL. for my money AA777-300 is light years ahead of club world. Indeed I would go further and say they seat is on par with club world plus, which BA laughingly calls First.
AA lounges are not great but they are perfectly acceptable as a waiting room before a flight. AA on board wine is a bit iffy but drinkable. Food in my experience is good wholesome Fayre served well......and you get your first choice via pre booking which BA is only trialling now on a few routes.
The inflight snacks in the galley have been excellent.
AA crew have been superb.....friendly, open, attententive and clearly happy to be doing what they do..something which surprised me greatly
For me the seat is everything, the privacy, personal space and IFE make the decision a no brainer
AA lounges are not great but they are perfectly acceptable as a waiting room before a flight. AA on board wine is a bit iffy but drinkable. Food in my experience is good wholesome Fayre served well......and you get your first choice via pre booking which BA is only trialling now on a few routes.
The inflight snacks in the galley have been excellent.
AA crew have been superb.....friendly, open, attententive and clearly happy to be doing what they do..something which surprised me greatly
For me the seat is everything, the privacy, personal space and IFE make the decision a no brainer
May 14, 2015, 2:26 pm
#39
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Lincoln, UK
Programs: BAEC Gold, IHG Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 1,266
May 14, 2015, 2:40 pm
#40
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Alameda, CA, US
Programs: BAEC Gold (GGL/CCR), HHonors Diamond
Posts: 1,346
I was actually trying to get BA to price me out SFO-JFK-LHR-HAM and back instead of taking the direct route, but even I could get it for one direction, BA would only give me via DFW or ORD on the way back. I do need four BA flights, i.e. I need BA numbers on the flight even if operated by AA.
May 14, 2015, 2:50 pm
#41
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: US Air, UA BA LH AI DELTA MARRIOTT CHOICE SGP
Posts: 9,883
Despite evidence we see every day to the contrary, they aren't quite that stupid (yet). I recall there was a degree of quiet celebrating in years gone by, before the JV was finally given clearance, that the losses/costs weren't being shared with BA whenever there was a serious transatlantic traffic downturn for AA ...
On a more entertaining note, however, how can we adapt AA's #GoingForGreat hashtag to our favourite airline?
#GoingForOurCustomers?
#GoingForAPint?
#GoingForOKishOnReflection?
On a more entertaining note, however, how can we adapt AA's #GoingForGreat hashtag to our favourite airline?
#GoingForOurCustomers?
#GoingForAPint?
#GoingForOKishOnReflection?
#WeGoingForBroke !