Porky Speedpig

However, as the thread on here about leisure routes suggests, the demand for shorthaul business class seems to be very healthy and growing with the curtain moving ever backwards which I guess makes BA very happy.

Tafflyer

If flying mainly Lufthansa short haul then there is no good FFP really. Whether I collect 125 miles in M&M or 0 in A3 is almost irrelevant. The business P bucket fare is just plain rude from LH and I avoid it like the plague. The problem is it is sometimes cheaper than a miles earning Y ticket and then I just change the flight to M&M at the gate just before boarding so I have my status benefits. 100,000 miles for SEN status doesn't sound too bad until you realize what it needs to get it. 7-10 TATL J returns in a non-discount bucket. Done correctly you can have BA and A3 Gold together for much less. And, A3 is still a great airline.

rossmacd

I don't want to engage in much more thread drift...but...LH Group shorthaul is not going to make you into a (serious) status holder, of course. SEN is not easy (certainly much harder than BA Gold), and it does take some decent amount of flying to achieve. I manage to hold SEN and BA Gold (soon to be GGL - mainly through OW partners rather than BA flights) but I would argue both are not directly comparable in reality. With my flying patterns, HON Circle would not be possible.

Let's get back on topic

simonrp84

I disagree, have taken around a dozen Lufthansa short-haul flights this year and found the seating perfectly OK. Slightly more knee room than BA but a slightly less padded seat. I prefer the knee room (plus free snacks )

Flexible preferences

Goodness me, I didn't even see BA6948's lips move!

Giving up (F) lounge access in both directions (and Avios earning) just to get a snack/drink onboard does seem puzzling to me, despite the points you have raised.

'normal business lounge' access would only apply if BA6948 was flying business class on LH, and I don't think this was the case here (or why the comparison?)

V10

Just some random musings

It seems equally puzzling to me that you'd make your travel plans around visits to airport lounges, but horses for courses.

BA6948

Don't worry. I didn't forget. I just had a busy day.

So the flight was great. After take off, the service started in Y. I had a salami in rye bread sandwich which was delicious. And I also got a coffee and a glass of "mineral" water. Everyone got something and most of us dozed off. Just before landing, I was a bit thirsty. Went to the back. Got 2 "mineral" water top ups and I didn't have to pay Ł2.30 each ;-). I had a chat with the flight attendant and told her: Is LH palnning to go BoB like BA for Y shorthaul? She told me absolutely not. They are even enhancing the meal tray on longer EU sectors with new presentation and fresh food. She said, we have Eurowings for BoB. And if the price of food does increase, they will add it to the flight ticket. That was a statement. Landed and thought that was the kind of service I enjoyed with BA: relaxed cabin, chatty and relaxed flight attendant? What do we have now on BA? Re-sellers either ignored by the whole cabin on shorter sectors (PAR or BRU) or a tense and overworked crew on longer routes where food is scarce and passengers are upset.

I managed to collect 1000 miles for my A3 account on this occasion afer having again secured Gold with BA thanks to QR and AY and Gold with AF. So I thought I might try something different. And I am glad I did. See, I value the inflight experience. And I am flexible with my booking choices for both my business and my leisure travel. Lounge access is great but flying every week, it tends to be a bit boring. I'd rather be late at the airport, enjoy a last cigarette and board the plane.

So all in all, a good experience and a good option to top up my A3 account. My partne is gold with A3. I was silver at some point and enjoyed the 2 business class coupons. Things might change next year. I will increase my Skyteam flying especially AF. As for BA, not sure. I will try to keep Silver at least with a coupe of lights to JNB but for the rest it is going to be QR, RJ, AA or AY. BA has gone from being my favorite airline to the one the airlines I dislike the most. Such a shame!

Flexible preferences

This is a strength of FT I think, to hear differing perspectives from a broad spectrum of people.

So for me, I hate salami so I would have preferred BoB where if I was hungry I could choose something I liked. Also my guess is the BoB coffee would be superior in quality and quantity to what you had.

As an infrequent leisure flyer I really value lounge access and enjoy it very much I'm not a smoker either, so perhaps it is easier for me to enjoy a longer lounge visit.

I'm curious - why "mineral" water in quotes? Was it not actually mineral water?

Anyway, different strokes for different folks...

BA6948

Salami is what I got. There was another option. I think it was cheese. The sandwich was fresh. I haven't tried BA's coffee and that of EI and I think they are similar. They are ok. LH's is also ok.

"Mineral" just to emphasize it was not water from the tank ;-)

And fly LH to Athens and you'll get a proper meal. Beats BA's sarnies hands down. Plus you have your choice of beers and wine for free. AF gives you champagne or Gin&Tonic...These are what I call quality airlines.

Flexible preferences

Hmmm a cheese sandwich isn't doing it for me I'm afraid! Haha, not from the tank

Wow I didn't realise LH flew from LHR to ATH now! Of course, if one had to change in Germany it would become a far less attractive proposition... (even if you would double up on your "free" sandwiches!)

bafan

Although, with BA BoB, there are usually only about half a dozen sandwiches loaded at most, so it's a bit of pot luck as to whether you'll get anything at all...

BA6948

Once you go Aegean, you never come back! Try them on LHR-ATH/LCA.

orbitmic

As bafan mentions, BA only loads a few sandwiches and frequently of one, two, or at best three varieties (the few cases when they load everything) at most. It seems to me that Flexible Preferences 's arguments would make EasyJet with either individual paid lounge entry or a priority pass card a much better airline for that passenger: more sandwich varieties (on ba i've been on several BOB flights where people were told that the cheese sandwich was indeed the only option so that wouldn't do it, by contrast, U2, frequently has 6-7 options, better coffee, and nonstop from London to all of their favourite destinations. Or is orange an offensive colour that disqualifies the airline?

YorkieFlyer

Perhaps its the brands on sale that aren't classy enough?

BA6948

For the first time, they are being honest. Have a look: