rumbataz

I've got a return flight on BA coming up after well over a year since I last flew BA. I'll be flying EuroTraveller on the LHR-CPH route. I'm flying SAS at the moment which is really good apart from paying for a checked bag and having to buy food on board, although you get free tea and coffee. The effficency of SAS on this route is incredible based on the last four weeks of flying.

How does BA compare these days? The reason I've not flown on this route with BA is that the same flight is usually two to three times more expensive than SAS!

I'm really hoping that punctuality has improved from my previous experiences with BA. I know that I've had to pay extra for a checked bag and now BA also charges for food on board. I'm trying to see what the significantly extra cost of BA provides.

NYLON Boy

either stick with SAS or fly BA and expect the worst (though you might still end up disappointed).

olouie

Stick with SAS unless BA is a lot cheaper. Everything, including beverages, is buy on board now in ET.

BA doesn't provide much in way of a better travel experience. Nice lounge perhaps if you have status?

Skipcool3

Have you tried Norwegian?

:D!

I'm not sure what there is to expect on a 2 hour flight in economy. When I do this route, I eat in the lounge, get on board, strap in and close my eyes for 2 hours, then I arrive. The main differences are:

If coming from central London, you'll have to go a bit further to T5.
Security is more painful at T5 - especially if you have BA status compared to Gold Track (but you need your actual *G card to use Gold Track).
You have a higher chance of a bus gate at T5.
On SAS you get a tea or coffee without paying, but I wouldn't care for one if it wasn't free.
On SAS all announcements will be made twice and in Danish first.

The seat is basically the same, the plane will usually be nearly full on both airlines, and the arrivals experience will be the same.
The chance of getting an upgrade is close to zero on both airlines but on BA it means nobody sitting next to you.

DY doesn't fly from LHR.

rumbataz

I've just checked my status with BA and it's Bronze, so no lounge for me but I think I may get priority boarding after Gold and Silver. I guess the trip will be on comparable terms to SAS.

It's just a trial of BA for one week of my 6 months of weekly trips, but I am more than happy with SAS.

Sign47

I took the flight from CPH-LHR last night after a few days in Copenhagen this week. I used BA economy both ways.

I've been Silver for the last five years and I have noticed some changes not for the better. I did know in advance about the M&A food having to be purchased but was still surprised that BA can't offer a free drink even water now. Cheap!

However, last night there we three toddlers crawling and walking/running up the aisle towards the end of the flight, we must have been descending by then. I understand their parents probably were keeping an eye on them from their seats but it was beginning to annoy the other passengers around me. What I can't understand is how the cabin crew did nothing, it was easily a safety hazard as well as a public annoyance. I could see the cabin crew at the back of the galley and they were just chatting. In the past when there have been unruly children (and I do sympathise it is hard to travel with you children) the cabin crew have allowed the toddlers to play a little and then told their parents they need to keep hold of them. But this flight the cabin crew did nothing. This flight was worse than the most budget airline I've been on. I'm sure not every flight is like this and that other cabin crew are more assertive and safety conscious.

I've done my four flights on BA this year but still need to fly another 400 Tier Points to regain Silver status. I'm really questioning for the second year in a row whether to re-up with BA or if I should withdraw my long term loyalty to BA.

I'm fully aware BA won't care what I do but my decision must be mirrored for many others.

Swanhunter

Stick was SAS. Better London terminal, much better Fastrack, the LH lounge in T2 is no worse than Galleries Club, SK's seating is more comfortable, Star Gold can reserve exit row for free on SK, you get free coffee, their punctuality and operational performance is better IME.

Oaxaca

Without Silver or above status, I can't see much that would justify a significant price premium to fly BA in ET. I prefer BA's hand luggage allowance, but if I recall the OP correctly, they are no fan of HBO and unlikely to find the hand luggage situation on BA any more to their taste than it was before

I've done a few sectors recently on SK to, from and within Scandinavia (in both SAS Plus and Go), and been quite happy, especially on a value for money basis. No status benefits as I don't have status with them, but in SAS Plus you get most of that anyway on the routes I've flown.

What's changed on BA since you flew with them? For this purpose, no more included food (it was of questionable quality according to Mr Cruz) or beverages (apparently customer feedback told BA that we wanted to pay more for what are in most cases the same drinks), and a distinct unwillingness to pay compensation if anything goes wrong. That aside, BA isn't a lot different to a year ago on a route like CPH in ET. My decision to choose BA or SK in Y on this route would pretty much be a pure price/schedule thing, though if I found SAS Plus for not much more than ET, I'd seriously consider that.

rumbataz

Yeah, I always check one suitcase in so I need a ticket that offers a checked bag. Based on my previous flights on BA, SAS seems to excel in punctuality and efficiency in comparison, but it's early days yet and I can only go by one route in terms of experience.

I've no doubt that BA offers a good service to those who have a high status in the Exec Club. I currently have no status on SAS, but should be Silver in a couple of weeks. That doesn't really provide me with much in comparison to BA's Silver, but it's betters than nothing!

However, even with no status and a demand from my employer to book the cheapest possible flights, I find the attitude of the SAS cabin crew markedly different to my previous experiences on BA. You're made to feel welcomed on board and the crew are genuinely nice to you. That for me is a real bonus. In essence, you're not made to feel cheap and worthless in Economy.

oldone

Price, Airport, Schedule everything else is superfluous when making a decision about a 1.50 hrs flight.

EuropeanPete

This is particularly true for choosing between SAS or BA (or for that matter Norwegian or Easyjet) which have almost identical fleets, seats and on-board offering.

I've recently been choosing the "real" LCCs over legacy carriers for this kind of route as they usually have better value priority seating and better BoB offerings - and compared to BA in particular they're often 75% cheaper, but in reality it just doesn't matter.

Obviously there are exceptions on some routes where there is a difference. Air Serbia Business is a treat, and on the other hand there is.. Ryanair (though I've not been on them since they have tried to become less hostile to passengers).

Prospero

Folks, please listen to yourselves. rumbataz is evaluating his future travel on a specific route, in a specific cabin class and simply requested feedback on those terms. This forum cannot sustain this level of topic creep. Please utilise the appropriate threads to obsess over BA’s future shape and direction.

By way of regaining focus, fifteen off-topic posts have been removed from view.

Prospero
Moderator: BA forum

HMPS

Thank you Mod.

OP Please write back here of which expectations were met or not met. Will be interesting.

rumbataz

Yeah I will, mate. I'll try and keep an open mind and do a like-for-like comparison with the SAS product.