HIDDY

....BA is one step ahead of the rest.

When you read the likes of SQ and CX are going to have to start cost cutting you know the industry world wide is facing difficulties. Who knows what lies ahead.

nallison

As you say, who knows? I don't see any of BAs competitors rushing to follow it's lead in Y and can enjoy a better product on numerous European airlines. Benefit of not being tied to LHR O&D I guess !)

I feel comfortable however predicting that SQ and CX will continue to provide a better product in Y than BA.

Dan72

Very true, but I think it's already happening. Shortish CX sectors, HKG-MNL (2 hours) get a rather modest snack bag with one of those longlife ambient wraps, a bottle of water and some biscuits.

If longhaul lowcost really takes off (some might argue it already has), then I expect longhaul Y to go the same way as shorthaul in Europe. Despite what people say on here about service quality driving customers and profits, most of the evidence suggests otherwise.

LupineChemist

I just came home from an EK trip in Y yesterday and have to say I honestly prefer a new BA seat. That said, some of the old BA 777s and 747s can be pretty grim in Y.

At the end of the day, the BA seat is just far more comfortable for my rear end and EK's leaves me hurting. Yeah, IFE is way better on EK and food is marginally better, but hard product is king in Y, too. I don't really envy anyone who has enough time to get solidly through the IFE catalog in a Y seat so even an inferior selection should be good enough in Y. It's a bigger issue in J where you get more customers that end up through the whole catalog.

V10

Yes, some here will pooh-pooh the possibility of low cost long haul Y, incorporating further cabin densification and a move to full buy-on-board catering.

My opinion is that it is absolutely inevitable and is one area where I expect BA to be a lead innovator.

Dan72

Perhaps in relative terms, but they are already cutting. The speed of cuts is less to do with who is at the helm, but the competitiveness of the market place. HKG has resisted LCC growth of the scale seen in the UK and many EU states, but if that changed, I expect the speed of service reduction to step up.

As for BA, despite all the noise on here, I think it will come down to figures. If BA continue to be more profitable than AF, LH and KL, then I expect those carriers would follow BA's lead.

HIDDY

When I last flew EK Y it was trumpeted as being the best out there by contributors to airline forums yet at the same time the seat was regularly slated for being as hard as a rock.

The flights on the A330 were enjoyable but the flights in a packed 777 were not very good and the waiting times for connections at DBX were horrible. The IFE and a few extra nibbles aside the experience was nowhere near as good as I'd read. Can't complain though...the tickets were cheap as chips and getting to BKK from GLA was still a one stopper.

FlyerTalker688786

It is absolutely inevitable, for SOME airlines, not for ALL.

In a competitive open skies market, carriers will try all the tricks to differentiate themselves from competitors in order to better compete. Inevitably, some airlines will take the route of LHLC (Long Haul Low Coast) model; and some airlines will attempt to adapt some LHLC tricks. But, in such open market condition, some airlines will have to take defend and try a more premium approach, or a more mixed approach. Customers will vote with wallet and feet to affiliate themselves to a certain approach.

But, open Skies only happens in certain markets. There are many important markets in the world is yet to be open skies yet. For a global airlines to take a self destructive approach will make them in a disadvantaged position for those closed markets. That is why Lufthansa is very careful in planning Eurowings.

What BA has done might be good in the short term. However, it is easy to go down market, but it is a steep hill to climb if BA wants to go back upmarket. When intra-Europe and cross-Atlantic market go beyond the segmentation and Norwegian became an established player, and likes of Eurowings and JetBlue starts to cannibalise the market further, BA will have to response. I am not sure at this moment that BA had been smart enough.

subject2load

I think you could well be right - maybe BA management do indeed feel that this is the way forward - although whether or not a move to full BoB in longhaul Y will result in an airline with BA's heritage being perceived as a 'lead innovator' remains to be seen.

That said, if they do decide to adopt such a model, let's hope for Y travellers that they are able to implement it with more efficiency & consistency than the ET version of BoB.

Recent SMS messages to pax such as "Unfortunately, on this occasion, we may not be able to fulfil all requests for food and drink. Please consider purchasing any items you may need prior to boarding." might cause limited inconvenience on a 2 or 3 hour sector. But on much longer flights with major time zone changes, the potential grievance factor would surely be considerably heightened.

Ber2dca

I've never flown with those 'premium' airlines out East because I'm only going within Europe and North America as well as back and forth. So I am not comparing BA to Singapore, Cathay, the Gulf carriers..I'm comparing them to their European rivals and the North American airlines.

BA has steadily lost ground to them as far as the premium product is concerned. Some will go 'but the load factors are good, we're profitable' and that brings me back to the point made earlier about how the finance industry-driven perspective that BA seems to employ (and its fans on here share) makes sure BA will never be a 10 out of 10 airline. The best companies of the world spend money to make money and use times of high profits to innovate, to take chances to make their products even better. That's what you have when people run a company that love a company and want it to prosper in the long run..not just on the balance sheet next quarter.

nallison

Indeed it is very important to get on the A380 with EK! It really is very enjoyable. The 777 not so much, although I don't really like it with any airline, it's so damn loud! And EK give you more legroom for the 10 across so I guess it depends if you're not vertically or horizontally challenged

Greenpen

So, we're agreed that FR = Aldi, BA = Tesco and QR = Waitrose.

BA does sell M&S stuff so that causes a classification problem so perhaps they should switch to Tesco who do a nice ham sandwich for just a pound.

Knickam

Sorry, I had to add to your post

Jagboi

New BA seat in what? The 787 Y seat is awful.

Grog

My response to: ABBA - Anyone but BA

(sung to the tune of...oh, you'll figure it out.)

If you change your mind, BA's the first in line
Honey, they'll be free
Or will you Flybe?
If you need them, let them know, gonna be around
If you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down.

If you're all alone, when the Kranich's flown,
Honey, BA's free,
And you're trapped emotionally.

Gonna do their very best and it ain't no lie (cough!)
If you put them to the test, if you let them try (cough cough!)

'Cause you know they got
So much BA wanna do, when they put the screws to you
It's magic!
You think you can leave it there, cut this love/hate affair?
But I think you know
That you can't let go...