BA6501

Can confirm it's 1000 per person, not per booking. Asked to speak to a supervisor as 14 of my flights were affected, he came back to say that a higher amount will be credited, but not 14000 as some bookings were return, not one way, and it's then per booking rather than per flight. Also given the option to cancel.

Was told multiple times that catering was free and therefore not part of the fare - ridiculous - and that they could make these changes as they wished and that it was "somewhere" in the T&Cs, which he couldn't find.

Flexible preferences

Well, if any mistake has been made, you're the one who got the calculator out, not me in this instance. I was, after all, responding to arguments you made in your post.

There is also the benefit of Avios and TPs earned on BA for all levels of the BAEC.

worldtrav

If that is the case there is only one way BA will listen to you, and it will take many more to take their business elsewhere before they actually take notice.

headingwest

Well concerning my future flying I've already switched all longhaul for next year (4 bookings so far) to Star Alliance. Shorthaul is definitely now going the same way.

I accept that BA management can do what they like as it's their airline, but I won't be taken for a fool.

Cap'n Benj

What are your alternatives short haul?

NickB

I am not so sure. It might have been how people chose their flights 10/15 years ago. They would go onto ba.com (or ryanair.com, or easyjet.com, etc...) and book there without ever looking elsewhere. It seems to me that there is much more shopping around these days, not least thanks to aggregators such as kayak or skyscanner. If it weren't the case, there would not be such efforts by ba and others to attempt to raise their ranking on those sites/apps.

headingwest

For ease Ryanair fly about 4 miles from my flat!

But I like the fun factor so I'll now be switching to Aegean...my new sweetheart.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/aegea...ve-aegean.html

NickB

Where in my original post did I make any arguments on the cost of public transport, etc...?
I did take the calculator out to meet you on your terrain for the sake of argument but pointed out that, in any event, this is missing the point.

Can you remind me how many avios a plain vanilla member of the BAEC (or a avios collector) will get on a cheap LON-MRS flight?

For the sake of clarity, I am only "getting the calculator out" to meet you on your terrain. It seems to me that you think exactly like the average FT member: frequent flyer miles, lounges, etc.. come to the forefront of your mind when considering flying choices. I am not sure that this way of looking at things is representative of how most flyers approach the matter.

FlyerTalker688786

LONDON - DUBLIN, outbound 1st DEC, return 8th DEC

BA (from Heathrow/City/Gatwick), cheapest return £73.21 (Heathrow)
Fare: £20.00
APD: £13.00
Passenger Service Charge: £29.81
Irish Passenger S.C: £10.40
Total: £73.21
Pay by credit card: + £5.00 = £78.21

RYANAIR (from Gatwick or Stansted), cheapest return £29.98
Total: £29.98
Pay by credit card: + £0.60 = £30.58

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LONDON - FRANKFURT, outbound 1st DEC, return 8th DEC

BA (from Heathrow/City), cheapest return £100.01
Fare: £20.00
APD: £13.00
PSC: £29.81
Germany PSC: £22.90
Germany Security Charge: £7.90
Germany Tax: £6.40
Total: £100.01
Pay by credit card: + £5.00 = £105.01

RYANAIR (Stansted to Hahn): £39.98
Pay by credit card + £0.80 = £40.78

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LONDON - MADRID, 1st-8th DEC

BA (from Heathrow and City, Gatwick codeshare), cheapest BA metal from LHR £90.41 but no HBO fares (So BA has one checked luggage for this route).
Fare: £30.00
APD: £13.00
PSC: £29.81
Spanish departure tax: £13.90
Spanish Security Fee: £0.50
Spanish security Tax: £3.20
Total: £90.41
Pay by credit card + £5.00 = £95.41

RYANAIR (from Stansted), cheapest fare for the date chosen £63.73
Pay by credit card: + £1.27 = £65.00
*if you are flexible the cheapest return can be had for £33.98 or £40.18 depends on your flexibility

EASYJET (from Gatwick and Luton, the cheapest departure from Luton and back to either airport), cheapest fare £49.98
Pay by credit card: + £0.49 = £50.47

NORWEGIAN (from Gatwick), cheapest fare £55.60
FARE: £11.20
TAXES and FEES: £44.40 (compulsory tax total £30.60, assume Gatwick charge £13.80)
TOTAL: £55.60
Pay by credit card: + £1.10 = £56.70


So how BA is going to compete (as Alex Cruz the cutter said that BA need to face the competition from LCC) if BA can not match the price at all while actively lower its standard to or below the LCC competitor? And do not let me start with ONE WAY fares!

orbitmic

And the ones praising the change are in significant proportion those who have stopped frequently flying BA a while ago anyway. I fully understand the point of those who doubt that as many will stop flying BA as say they will, and fully share that scepticism when the reactions are extreme. However, I think it is even less likely that those who have long stop being regular BA users will return to the airline as a result of BoB.

In my case, I think I explained my typical reactions. I don't tend to boycott but find myself booking some airlines more or less. On my key routes I have recently booked more BA flights from LHR. However, at the same time, I have also booked two good value U2 returns from LGW. On this specific route, I had actually not bought any non-BA flight since the end of BD which is quite a few years ago. I have also booked two long haul J returns on AF and KL. You may think that it is unrelated but it is most definitely not - I would have certainly bought them on BA, say, a year ago. I will also buy some OS and LX long haul J returns as I have decided that it is unwise of me at this stage to let my *A G status lapse as I had planned to do next year.

I have not had to book long haul Y flights since the new announcements so am genuinely unable to say what I'll do. I don't "compute" on choices but effectively trust what people would come instinct to effectively do the computing for me in the background, however imperfect that may be.

orbitmic

That's not really what I mean by automatic choices though, sorry If I was unclear. I'm not saying that people do not look at competition and always choose the same/shop the same/vote the same, but that they have a default vote/choice/shop. They may still go to ASDA when there is a special offer that interests them of vote Lib Dem if the Tory candidate is one is one they particularly dislike, but if everything else is more or less equal, they will revert to default until default is changed. Incidentally, default does not have to be a brand - so for instance it could perfectly be a default behaviour to choose "whatever is cheapest" and that too can change one they have landed at an airport 3 hours away from the city it's named after and they might decide that from now on it won't be "simply what's cheapest".

Calchas

Stansted to Hahn is not the same as London to Frankfurt. Your other examples have some merit but repeat travellers to Frankfurt (a core market for BA) are not going to have time to divert to Hahn on their commutes.

simons1

As if LHR/LCY to Frankfurt and Stansted to Hahn are in any way comparable.

NickB

Ah, OK. I think I still disagree, though (). It seems to me that preferences on things such as which supermarket to shop at or which political party to vote for are much more settled. I do not think that people routinely go around supermarkets to compare prices and shop around nor make significant use of online price comparison tools over groceries. In relation to political parties, there is admittedly a substantial floating contingent but this contingent is precisely the contingent which has no firm, settled affinity. Among those who are settled, it takes rather a lot to "unsettle" them.*

As regards flying, it seems to me that the "settled" contingent is smaller and things are for many people more open and less settled. If there is an automatism, it would be more like the kind of automatism there might be would be similar to that of picking up your favourite yogurt on the shelf. You might reach for it automatically but that will only last as long as nothing changes. If the flavour of your favourite yogurt changes and you do not like it, you will in all likelihood look at what else is on offer. Even that very thin automatism does not exist it seems to me among many flyers. Preference and strong or slight bias in favour: no doubt. Clearly, I would have a bias in favour of BA over U2 or FR but that does not stop me considering them and flying with them whereas the choice of yogurt would probably be more automatic and would not involve routinely considering alternatives.

*: I know that you would be far more knowledgeable on this area than me so feel free to correct my misconceptions on political party affinities and electoral behaviour.

Flexible preferences

You said:

...As to LCC competition, my experience simply does not tally with what you describe. On my most regular route, LON-MRS, I can often get a return on FR for £40-60, one on Easyjet for £60-80. I will be very lucky if I find one on BA for less than £100. Yes, these are from different airports. But it seems to me that a large porportion of the London flying public is not tied to a particular airport. Sure, there will be preferences (I would prefer LHR over LGW over STN) but these does not mean that there is no competition between flights from different airports...

I simply remarked that your price differential doesn't take into account the benefit of lounge access and a cheaper to get to airport (and later I said Avios and TP earning potential too). That's it. I'm finding hard to understand what the 'mistake' is that you say I've made

Could it be that you made a mistake in saying that I made a mistake?