seat 13a

The Sunday Times is not the Daily Mail....time for management to sit up and take action....

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/t...rier-qchj9jg5z


The intro to a long and balanced view of BA - complete with Alex Cruz interview.....


James Anderson used to look forward to jetting off every July or August on British Airways. Like many of us, he felt BA was a cut above the competition. Boarding and enjoying a cheeky G&T before lunch, even in the cheap seats, it felt as though our holiday had already begun. Now, like many of us, he flies ABBA — “anyone but BA”, he frowns.

He made his decision after the flag carrier “completely ruined” an eight-day holiday to Barcelona with his wife, Marguerite. “We flew business class to treat ourselves, but it was just like economy. They lost my luggage for three days and my wife’s for 10 days. We couldn’t get through to BA to find out where our bags were. When we finally did speak to someone and said we wanted to come home, they said we’d have to buy a new full-fare business ticket. They couldn’t have cared less.”

At least the Andersons actually got away. In May, a computer meltdown on one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year grounded BA’s fleet worldwide. Weddings were ruined. Family reunions scrapped. Sports fixtures cancelled. For tens of thousands of the 75,000 affected, “holidays” started and finished in an overcrowded Heathrow Terminal 5 and ended in a joyless drive back home — often without luggage, since most of it was stuck in the bowels of BA’s hub.

The disruption is continuing now, during the busiest travel period of the year. Many of the 5m BA passengers set to travel through Terminal 5 over the next few weeks wonder whether their flights will take off as scheduled. BA cabin crew are in the middle of a series of two-week strikes — over “poverty pay” and cuts to bonuses and travel perks — that are due to run into August.

And so on.....
and so on...

Worth a read...even behind the paywall...

corporate-wage-slave

Because The Sunday Times sits behind a paywall, and also to conform with Flyertalk's rules about external links, can you provide a summary or a representative extract please?

Prospero

seat 13a, as the article sits behind a paywall, can you provide a quick synopsis please.

seat 13a

A little more from Mr Cruz....

"One of BA’s problems has been that its recent leaders have been reluctant to talk about the airline in public. The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, gives more interviews. So I was pleased when Cruz invited me to join him on a private test flight around the coast of the UK on a brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, taking off from Gatwick and landing at Heathrow two hours later. On board the flight to everywhere and nowhere, he was open, charming and honest. He admitted BA was off its game.

“We are falling behind. We have work to do,” he told me. He outlined a radical plan to split the airline into two — a budget airline and a posh one — which he said would make BA a “fantastic, unbelievable, 10 out of 10” carrier again. “The best airline in Britain, and the best airline in Europe.”

seat 13a

And finally - otherwise the ST might sue for copyright...

Cost-cutting is not only unhelpful but unnecessary, because BA is highly profitable. Operating profits at IAG have risen sharply from €503m in 2011 to €2.5bn in 2016. Operating profits at BA are up from £518m to£1.47bn in the same period. BA can and must dip into its cash pile and “invest more heavily and quickly” to rebuild its service, fleet and reputation, says Tarry.

Is there a way back for the red, white and blue tailfin? Yes, Cruz told me on the Dreamliner flight. His big idea is to split BA in two, making it a premium airline at the front of its planes and a budget one at the back. The market has polarised, he explains. The rise of no-frills carriers, notably easyJet and Ryanair in short haul and Norwegian in long haul, has made the economy class market “a commodity product. What people want is a cheap ticket,” he said. Adding more seats and scrapping free food mean lower prices — Cruz is aiming as low as £21 one way to Alicante and £379 return to New York, Florida and Dubai. That’s cheap enough to compete with the low-cost carriers.


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

For those of us who have watched BA's recent development, the piece rings true...

Calchas

Without dwelling too much on the minutiae of the missing bags and change conditions, what is interesting to note is that the newspapers' perspective on BA has changed.

I think it is accurate to say a year ago, BA was seen by the newspapers as a posh, somewhat upmarket, aspirational choice for the middle class. Perhaps overpriced but you would take it if someone else was paying.

Now the newspapers have got their teeth into the brand and they aren't going to let go until the story becomes too boring to run any more (which I think will happen when the brand stills level with Easy Jet).

If Cruz can make Club Europe a premium airline at the front, all is forgiven.

MSPeconomist

(Again) becoming the best airline in Britain doesn't seem to be a very high goal, although it might be unattainable from the current state.

snaxmuppet

Not sure how the public will perceive Mr Cruz's plan... BA will become both budget and quality at the same time and I believe this might just confuse everyone... no one will be able to categorise BA... especially if you fly economy one week and business the next. The experience will be confusing.

I am no businessman but I would prefer the brand to have brand values and stick to them across the board. If they want a budget airline the start a new airline and call it something else.

But then again... what do I know

corporate-wage-slave

Many thanks to seat 13a for the summary, very helpful.

I guess that is the risk, but arguably that is exactly what Emirates and Singapore do now: their reputation among the general public is very high, but going down the back of either airline isn't going to give many clues as to why that would be.

Tobias-UK

Not quite what Sr Cruz said, is it?

This is again is old news, The Times article, from the snippets posted above, appears to be quoting Cruz from his speach on the #BAinvesing4U flight. Having sampled the new Club service, with a new seat on its way, major lounge refurbishments and brand new aircraft I think people will be pleasantly surprised at the Club and First offering.

simons1

I have done Y in BA and Emirates within the last month and it isn't that hard to spot.

IFE and food are miles ahead for example. Tiny screen on BA with few choices, big screen on EK with massive choice. Planes are generally newer too, we had bulkhead seats on BA, my lad's screen wouldn't stay in position without being wedged with a strip of High Life magazine.

The one benefit on BA was 9 abreast on 777, however that is changing too. Plus the crew were good.

On the downside I saw Airbus have offered EK the new variant which is 13% more efficient but has 11 abreast....

FlyerTalker688786

It could work provided:
1, Add proper 2-2 business class seating into Euro Fleet in Heathrow, even thought it means only 2 rows in A319. 3 rows in A320 and 5 rows in A321, available for those connect to F class intercontinental flights and selected business class passengers;
2, Make all economy class seats before the exit row into Euro Plus, standard 31-32 inches seat pitch, comes with pre-packaged food and free soft drinks, for those who purchased plus fares and intercontinental connections in Plus and Business cabins.
3, A back selection of 29 inches seat pitch back cabin totally on BOB, HBO cheap point to point fares.

I feel with BA, a 2-segmentation on board could only work in Gatwick but not Heathrow. A 3-segmentation is better for Heathrow fleet. I think BA should move all A319 and A320 to Gatwick and only retains A321.

Gatwick needs £21 fares to Alicante, but not at Heathrow. The airport charge is already exceeding £21 per passengers.

Tobias-UK

That sounds like hell!

simons1

That says it all really. A peak train single from Brighton to London is £25.80.

snaxmuppet

I realise we are not discussing trains here but as a direct comparison of fares... I priced up an off-peak return from Plymouth to York yesterday... the cheapest I could get it was £160 with restrictions and the cheapest anytime return £372 and that is on a crappy diesel loco. If I wanted to go via London on a decent train it is £434!

I suppose my point is that do the airlines really need to offer fares that cheap. £21 to anywhere by air is just bonkers cheap and unsustainable I would guess. They might as well make it free!