Tobias-UK

What a very helpful and constructive post

Of course it is exactly the same in reverse where some just cannot give credit where credit is due. Any opportunity to dis the airline and those who are generally satisfied/happy with its offerings.

chris1979

I think another view of looking at this is that some seasoned travellers a) know what to expect (I am not saying that that makes them right - it might well be 'right' to have high expectations) and b) what other airlines are doing, i.e. where the wind is blowing / how the airline world is changing.

Yes, I am in the camp of "CE works for me" but it's because I know what it is, what BA 'use' it for and what to expect. That doesnt make me right and a newcomer who posts "scandal, I expected luxury and this is all I got" wrong.

it just means we have different views and experiences on it. Again, someone who flies every week might be more forgiving for when things go wrong than someone who might have a "completely unacceptable delay of 2 hours" on one of their handful of flights a year.

There's no solution / way forward on this and we have discussed this (amongst many other things) to death - including whether the forum gets more friendly, less friendly, whether there are more "BA apologists" (still don't quite understand what is meant with that etc).

as said, I am in the camp of "expect less and possibly be pleasantly surprised" and am overall happy with that I get. does that mean that I think BA is amazing and better than most airlines - of course not. But I live in London, am stuck with BA and can either get annoyed on a frequent basis or focus on what's important in life (and yes, of course, chose other airlines when possible to make the experience as pleasant as possible).

my 2 cents.

Happy Tuesday.

vibguy

+1. I agree with you, there is a quality control issue related to ground and cabin service, boarding procedures, aircraft cleaning, etc.... This is not all: there are also systematic issues related to reduced legroom in CE, quality and quantity of the on board food provided, quality of the ground services (especially for CW and F), quality of non BA personnel at outstations, complexity of some procedures. Some issues are also related to mixing a low cost shorthaul operation with a high cost longhaul operation within the same airline.

chris1979

almost to the opposite, I am the first to point out that BA is a public company that serves its shareholders and not "the public" and that thus decisions are made with margins and revenues in mind, not how much we might like it or not!

bafan

Totally agree with the OP's views on CE. When it's good, it's good, but running short of meals and the pathetic excuse for 'afternoon tea' is letting things down badly.

I am naive in hoping that if BA keeps getting complaints, it may eventually make real improvements.

(Crazy, I know)

HIDDY

I believe it's called having a different opinion. If that's not acceptable to you then I would suggest taking part in a public discussion forum is not for you.

jacobitetraveller

I agree with a lot of what you say

indeed it is a case of people with different views and yes different expectations

solution/way forward ? the simple fact is you can never please all of the people all of the time BA is like most airlines in pleasing some of the people some of the time . What those percentages are will never be found here on FT

What I have noticed more and more of late are a certain group of posters who seem to sing from the same hymn sheet . Sarcastic and snarky comments from people who should know better

the post I have quoted is expressing a personal opinion and surely that is what FT should be about

kaizenflying

The European premium cabin market is a tough one to crack but I think some passenger expectations are too high which naturally leads to disappointment. There's also the question of whether Club Europe is a dated 90s concept.

BA Club Europe and Club World have some positive sides, including the lounges, which should be taken advantage of rather than relying on the on board experience, especially on the shorter flights. Why only rely on the breakfast service when the T5 lounges offer plenty of food and drink too? My experience in both Club Europe and Club World is that the catering is far from premium with really inconsistent quality across the world. I am surprised BA gets away with some of its "premium" catering on longhaul flights in particular, but in many businesses the product developers are often out of touch with customer expectations or they react too slowly to what customers really want.

Club World is a very tired meal service, short of an enhanced world traveller plus experience - a bowl of green salad, a mean slice of cheese or the infamous breakfast smoothies is not high quality catering but I still fly BA as food is only a small part of the overall product.

My recommendation is for travellers to lower their expectations of the onboard product (especially for short hops to Europe) and to really enjoy the lounges more before getting on board for some post lounge champagne nap time.

strichener

Using the lounge as justification for the difference in price between CE and economy would be a really hard sell.

V10

It's certainly true that nobody should be expecting the moon on a stick, but expectations are partly set by BA themselves. Something to consider perhaps, especially for those less familiar with BA's product.

I like the sound of availing myself of the lounge champagne sufficiently that I can spend the following flight dozing, only I'm not sure how feasible that is - when in the GC lounges inhabited by us lesser mortals where a glass of champagne has to be requested from the staff.

jacobitetraveller

I find myself agreeing with much of your post with the exception of the highlighted part above

for those travellers who seem to spend more time in lounges than they do in the air its not a problem to eat and drink in the lounge but there are many who use the lounges for shorter periods of time--and rely on something half decent on board

if people lower their expectations too much and BA know this then they may decide to reduce further the on board catering

as a side note----personally I am not keen on full meals on board----so the afternoon tea for me is good

liamvad

I have criticized CE before on here,it is not a product that is worth the money,I have been in CE 8 times,each time was a POUG,but on virtually all my trips it was very poor,on 4 trips priority boarding just did NOT happen,when I emailed BA they said they were sorry,and would inform the staff to ensure it happened,but,correct me if I am wrong,is this not part of what you pay extra for?? I was not after extra Avios,or an apology,neither of which were offered,just the service they advertise.On 3 occasions the food choices ran out,as not enough food loaded,very poor.Only once was I addressed by name,only twice was I asked if I wanted my coat hung up,on one trip I said good morning to the member of cabin crew and was completely ignored!!!.I have one more trip in CE planned soon,I do hope it is an exception and that I will enjoy it,but my hopes are not high on that happening,to be honest I have had a much better trip in Euro Traveler,even chatted to the crew,so after my last trip in CE its pleb class for me from now on.CE is clearly not worth the money,not unless BA ups its game and ensures it's product is consistent across its euro fleet.

Shuttle_Endeavour

While BA continue to market CE in the way they do, I believe many customers have the right to feel somewhat shortchanged by the service. There are often posts on here about expectation management, but BA is setting the expectations with its superlative-laden descriptions and images. No wonder the CE experience is so often a point of discussion on here.

corporate-wage-slave

I'm in CE more or less daily. Priority Boarding happens on all services except for a few LGW gates (where the gate is detached from the jetty) and a few smaller outstations. Otherwise it is very much the norm. Your experiences have clearly been different but I wouldn't want you to think PB routinely gets abandoned, that simply isn't the case. Being addressed by name or having a jacket taken (half the occasions for you) is about the same for me too. Not all aircraft have wardrobes unfortunately. Food choices running out does happen, but not systematically so, mostly it works out.

I don't mind the occasional Afternoon Tea!

ukgooner

That's funny. There is loads of criticism about everything on here. It seems to be a go to place to start a thread about a complaint.

It's important for people that do fly BA a lot to provide balance.

In this case meal choices run out on every airline, and afternoon tea is what it is. Though the bread is not stale, just quick to dry if left in cabin air for any length of time.