Woodbinerich

The dust seems to be settling on this in terms of processing, so maybe this is a good time to share ideas/strategies/thoughts.
Genuine question to anyone who has benefitted from this.
Will you use it as an opportunity to try other carriers, continue as before to enjoy the benefits etc etc.

I am still thinking it through. Soon I will be taking some months out of work to do some volunteering abroad, and then travelling before returning to my career. Which ironically will mean I am probably travelling less than currently for work etc.. It has come at a good time, as I feel I can use BA and my avios/vouchers as I wish, but also try some star alliance/skyteam carriers when out of good network for OneWorld (I.e. Africa). I don't see it as a reason to temporarily abandon BA, for me the GGL team are superb and indeed I booked two LH J trips last week with them.

Interested in people's ideas/thoughts.

FlyerTalker39574

...you worry about tier levels rising, which is inevitable, but how high will they go?

Howard Long

I don't think there's any doubt I'll be more likely to use other airlines, particularly long haul. As it is I've barely made Gold the past two years, and it's not unusual to sneak in one or two LGW-JER-LGW trips towards the end of my year to maintain Gold, although whether it's worth it realistically, I doubt, but it maintains my ego I suppose.

Most of my longhaul travel is out to the far east nowadays, I rarely travel Stateside anymore. There is a joyous selection of premium products for me to try now, and frequently better value: I would otherwise have been shackled to OW.

ccurran88

Yeah - I'll certainly be crediting less flights to BA. I'm based in NYC, fly home to U.K. monthly and domestically in US for work. I will probably credit flights to AA to get status to get domestic upgrades (which you cant get with BA gold). In this case, BA probably won't lose out too much. Got BA gold through to 2020.

apollo00

These responses are what baffles me about BA offering that to be honest.

The point of offering anything in this situation was to attempt to buy loyalty after a major disruption but they've decided to do so by offering something which makes it easier for people to try other products and doesn't really reward people for staying loyal to BA?

Surely chucking 25/50k avois at everyone would have been more logical?

BA6501

I think the idea behind it is

- either you keep on going as previously and earn status anyway
- either you ditch BA as you're tired of the enhancements (etc), but you're more likely to come back in two years if you still have status rather than start from scratch
- if you ditch BA, then you having a Gold/Silver card doesn't really cost them much - apart from maybe some partner lounge entries or if you go on an Avios redemption frenzy

LondonAndy

I'll probably keep flying with BA as much, but will either use Avios redemptions, or maybe UUA from WT+ to CW to use some of my 1.25Mn Avios .

ukgooner

Bizzarre - the point of status is to enjoy it surely, not go through the irritation of basic flying elsewhere?

Unless it doesn't really matter after all, then just go fly elsewhere?

Ancient Observer

Try flying with a proper full service airline?

stevie

Edit: Now I see why.

madmax_uk

I don't think it will make much difference for me... although it does take the pressure off a little to get to gold again (my spreadsheet calculating future flights and work trips tier points can have a rest!).

Saying this, I received the 2-year extension email, but my account still has not updated!

ukgooner

If you think that is best for your needs - absolutely. If you really are out of love with BA, (or never had much love) the status guarantee wont matter.

But back to the topic of what one does with guaranteed status for two years, after all its what many of us have pondered with Gold for Life.

The rarefied world of Flyertalk is the only place I've ever heard this idea of 'banking' status on once alliance, to then try and gain it with another. Yes it can help if you've already got dual status and want to maintain it - after all you are then drawing on the perks at the same time. But start from scratch? nah.

The majority of people don't do status runs or fly out of their way for status. They simply enjoy the tier benefit for the flying they do, and then try and maintain it best they can.

But some more TP focussed people people might change the mix of flying:
- redeem avios more, instead of TP earning options
- Take cheap fares knowing you dont need TPs
- Abandon TP rich routings in favour of simple point to point
- Relax about emergency trips to JER (or HNL)

But I really don't think the TP focussed are big business for BA.

UKtravelbear

there will be a lot of BAEC members who will say 'thank you BA' and keep booking as normal and that is what BA wants,

there will be a much smaller group who will decide to fly on other airlines.



BA knows this but is relying on them coming back anyway when they want to maintain their status in a couple of years. The.numbers that don't return will be minuscule aandBA won't care - there won't be any 'please come back' emails



people often say they are tied or chained or shackled to BA but that's nonsense - they have chosen to tie themselves to BA and that's not the same.

personally I've always flown on airlines that offer me a good price. Sometimes that's BA and sometimes it isn't

dsf

I scraped gold with 6 days to spare last year and haven't flown/won't fly enough to really enjoy it this year let alone retain (will earn ~500 TPs, 360 from a single trip). So the extension for me is a huge boost, and perfect excuse to plan a 2 year crawl through lounges across the world I didn't expect to have access to.

sky-rat

I actually sortof changed something due to this, but netted out to same place.

I had a flight YYZ>CLKT>BOS>LHR, with a bunch of AA domestic 1sts as a mini-TP furn for an afternoon, to get across the line for this status year. Then they gave me two years' status, and AA had rejigged the flight times so I rang AA and said "those times don't work, just put me on the YYZ>LHR direct"... improvement there.

The irony, though is that I've just been sent on an unexpected biztrip, to Singapore, and flying with QR in biz means I'll now be well over the line anyway.

So in one sense I'm back in the same place. In another, I've had the annual status anxiety go away entirely. And the wonderful thing is that although I was flying on the disaster weekend, my actual inconvenience on those flights was zero.