Ber2dca

Unsurprisingly, the "value for money" issue dramatically depends on the *money* aspect involved. I have bought upgrades to CE at check-in if the price worked out. But the asking price is often insane given how short the sectors tend to be and that many of the benefits are at best 'auxiliary' in nature.

Sure, that again also depends on whether it is your own money and what the sum is that shows up on your bank account at the end of the month. If a few hundred quid are mere pocket change for you then maybe yeah it is fantastic value even at 500 quid.

TheLeisureFlyer

I've been thinking about this. You can get really good deals in CE. As someone who rarely manages to scrape silver in a good year, CE makes everything easier. CE is only really a product for non-status pax.

1. Check in and security. Around Christmas time you're looking at 60-90 minutes just to drop off a bag and clear security (I think you all forget how bad the queues actually get for the regular folks).
2. Lounge. If you don't have lounge access due to status a drink and sandwich in the quiet club lounges is valuable.
3. Flight - food offering is rubbish (Eurowings Best model is a million times better). It's nice to have a drink, free middle seat and more overhead space though.
4. Avios and TPs.

Stay a Saturday night and it's only around £50-70 more pp one way. Split that down to what airports and companies charge for fast track and lounges and you're not paying more.

Bmused55

I'm confused.

Why is a sandwich snack on a sub 4 hour flight considered poor value for money? If you can't survive 4 hours or less on a sandwich, you need to go speak to a doctor. What was expected? A CW style 3 or 4 course meal?

Meh, I don't fly J class on any airline inside of Europe as, for me, the extra expense just is not worth it for the short flights.

TheLeisureFlyer

It's the quality. If you're going to bother offering food make it good. CE passengers should be able to dine al la carte for free from the ET menu. It'd be so much easier and I'd take an M&S sandwich as an evening snack over a salad or boring panini any day.

South London Bon Viveur

I often fly in CE but would never do so if 3 times more than Y. On most flights I go on the differential is less than x2. I agree though that the overall impression is very mediocre and the catering for those on former band 3 routes a lot worse.

PxC

Never understood why BA don't just replace the current CE seats with bigger and comfier 2x2 on each side?

I've just taken a £49 one way CE upgrade for a LHR - FRA flight. If it wasn't for needing the TP I wouldn't pay £20 for it.

GlasgowCyclops

I fly CE all the time and WT on LH. So my 2p worth. If you have status, is CE worth it. Hmmm not really (but for me as a different Eason TP it is).

i agree totally with the non status PaX that it is value.

fast track, lounge access extra baggage etc is a real benefit. So as a package for PAX that have no status it is good value.

also, you don't need to go CE both ways for some benefits. If you go skiing a lot like me; instead of paying for sport equipment, if one leg is in CE you get the extra baggage both ways.

squawk

In a word, flexibility to increase/decrease the size of the CE cabin at very short notice. In turn that means more flexibility in the deployment of aircraft (and I guess crew too), and thus more revenue per aircraft by maximising the amount people will pay on average per seat.

If a particular flight runs with 2 rows (8 empty seats) in Club Europe, but BA could've sold that space as 12 economy seats, even at 1/3 or 1/4 of the cost/profit per sold seat, they'd be making more money with a smaller CE cabin.

G-BUSI

Maybe BA should introduce some converter style seating with 34" pitch and a handle to adjust the seating depending on what size of CE cabin is needed. That would improve flexibility!

Now where is the tongue in cheek emoticon?

MrCheapSeats

Where does the ok catering kick in? I generally only fly to BRU and SOF. BRU is a total waste and is essentially economy, SOF is generally quite good.

Is band 3 acceptable?

IAMORGAN

I disagree with this. A sandwich is not a business class meal. I don't want BA to think that they can just make CE catering poorer so that suddenly 'free' BoB becomes a better offering. I also appreciate the metal cutlery, proper plate, glasswear and so on.

IAMORGAN

In short, the flights are banded as Short, Medium and Long. Short and Medium get the same food - it's just the bar that differs slightly. Long is where the service gets significantly better. It's roughly what used to be known as Band 3B and Band 4 - so about the 2 hour 30 min + block time. Places like Madrid miss out but Stockholm gets this better service.

MrCheapSeats

Thanks, I was going by the sticky on the Dashboard which I guess is out of date! SOF for price, service and TP's seems OK value

MrCheapSeats

I mean by European standards!

KARFA

This is the thread covering the new CE catering http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...7-edition.html