drsabs

Isn't accepting all these perks from a supplier a huge conflict of interest? I very much doubt my company would allow anyone to accept a premier card, as it would massively cloud their judgement when evaluating and procuring suppliers.

Jimmie76

I'd have to declare it in the highly unlikely event I was ever in a position to influence company travel and BA decided to bestow one on me. For my company you're supposed to declare anything you're given personally by anyone connected to the business or who we do business with. Stuff given to the office as a whole is fine though.

Yachtman

Yes, this would also be against our company policy. Nobody, even the highest board member, would be able to accept a perk like that. Even frequent flyer programs have been under scrutiny at times. The CEO has to fly the most economic method possible which occasionally involves using the corporate group jet, but not often!

My last employer was even stricter, it was almost embarrassing at times when negotiating $100m+ projects but we couldn't even accept one meal from any of the companies submitting tenders (we however could take them out for dinner and all of the potential contractors had to be taken to the same restaurant, which was a little tiring after 3 weeks of meetings in the same restaurant with different people).

wind-blownmind

Most of the organisations I've worked for have had a similar policy, and in all of them the type of people senior enough to be receiving perks like a Premier card are also senior enough to decide exactly how those policies are implemented. Which in practical terms means it's fine for them to keep their cards and points and gifted statuses but that one Christmas I was given a Starbucks voucher we had to draw straws to see who in the office got to keep it.

stewaran

How can a corporate jet ever be the most economic way

rossmacd

In certain circumstances it can. It is not an extravagance as some may think.

Especially, point to point is available versus connecting, or by using an airfield closer to the ultimate destination - reducing overall travel time. Sometimes when travelling as a group the price per head is not much more expensive.

dougzz

Based on where I work I have only one question, what's a 'policy'

chris1979

I also thought a Premier Card was more likely to be given to the CEO / Chairman (e.g. of a FTSE100 company) rather than the Procurement Director and I suspect most CEOs of FTSE100 companies do not get involved in procurement / travel contract negotiations.

agreed, it's a much more obvious 'conflict' if the procurement director were to given a Premier card.

managing potential conflicts of interest if part of any business though - there was a question raised at some point of whether I should declare the fact that I am Chair of the Finance Committee and Vice Chair of the Governing Body at a school but I managed to explain that there was no potential conflict.

I do have to log gifts & hospitality though even if declined.

Banana4321

For some people a Premier Card means you can land the plane....

drsabs

Ahh right yes, I took it to mean that they would give the card to procurement directors. If it's CEOs and chairmans who get it, then yes it's easier to avoid conflict (though a chairman may not appreaciate being asked to give up his card by an upstart procurement person negotiating a new airline deal, and staff would be well aware of this.)

But yes, as you say this kind of thing could be (and is) managed by businesses on a daily basis.

ukgooner

The problem with Ignore is that if someone quotes them you still see their nonsense.

Paralytic

London_traveller

It's back-slapping for the old boys club. You can't blame BA really, it needs to use all it has in its armoury to hang onto business. Investment in the product would be infinitely preferable but that's for another thread.

Interesting point re being an 'incentive'. The anti-bribery and corruption policy where I am (global FTSE firm) bans this kind of thing. I suspect the CEO/CFO might have one nonetheless - I'm sure there are ways and means to explain why it's somehow not an incentive...

HIDDY

Is that not all a bit OTT?
I always assumed its main benefit was to give the representative of the company involved an expedited service whenever a problem arose with staff travel.

London_traveller

Hmm. The evidence on here on Prems and their treatment tends to go well beyond special treatment for IRROPS, e.g. upgrades.

I guess what one person calls a bribe (in the very loosest of terms... providing or gifting something to secure an advantage) another will call an incentive.