Is BA turning into AA?
Feb 1, 2018, 12:41 am
#47
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 357
I agree with the general tone of this thread -- that AA has taken the lead from BA in most respects. As others have remarked AA J is light years ahead of CW. I am curious if anyone has flown the new AA PE -- wondering how the seat and whole experience compares with WT+ which I have found to be reasonably comfortable on BA on the A380?
Food was pretty decent but maybe not as good as BA WT+, and the trays were cleared away *fast* afterwards, which is a huge deal for me. I hate having a used tray sitting in front of me for another hour.
Compared with the awful BA WT+ on the LGW 777s it's miles ahead. Compared with a new 787 from LHR, I'd say roughly equal, maybe slightly ahead.
Feb 1, 2018, 5:12 am
#48
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 789
I agree with others. AA is light years ahead of BA in terms of hard and soft product as well as customer focus and treatment and valuing of elite FFB members. BA has been nickel and diming for years. Avoid BA like the plague but really enjoy my AA flights. (Still not as good as JAL though...)
Feb 1, 2018, 6:32 am
#49
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: BA/AA/AS/B6/WN/ UA/HH/MR and more like 'em but most felicitously & importantly MUCCI
Posts: 19,719
You're Gold -- of course not. For the other 99% the policy, not emulated by others, is a tangible disincentive to book BA, especially as WT is so desultory / shabby a product next to competitors. When a family of four on holiday is asked to cough up another $300 or £200 or what have to you to sit together, and AA/DL/UA do not, that is a hell of a way to cultivate future loyalists.
Feb 1, 2018, 6:38 am
#50
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Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: BA/AA/AS/B6/WN/ UA/HH/MR and more like 'em but most felicitously & importantly MUCCI
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Are Delta good? I've only flown them once (CLT-ATL) and the senior crew member moved me to an exit row as I am very tall, that was very nice of her. I've always thought of them as a nasty airline that flies old clapped out DC10s and MD80s although I admit I have no idea where that notion came from.
Feb 1, 2018, 8:15 am
#51
Join Date: May 2016
Location: LHR
Programs: BA GGL/CCR
Posts: 63
I fly BA and AA regularly. I generally have a preference for AA due to the J seat with direct aisle access and on-board wifi. The main food courses can be a bit more hit and miss but that isn't unique to AA. They also offer a better stocked snack-bar and there are more lounge options for OWE at LHR T3 (e.g. Cathay). On the odd occasion I get one, the fancy swivel seats in F on AA's 777-300 are pretty neat, but I'm not convinced the food in F is as good as BA's equivalent. More often than not it depends on my route, but if an F seat is up for grabs I'll take BA especially on their 787-9. If it's a J seat, I'll take AA.
Feb 1, 2018, 9:36 am
#52
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: near to SFO and LHR
Programs: BA Gold, B6 Mosiac, VS, AA, DL (and a legacy UA 2MM)
Posts: 2,274
The last DC10 left the DL fleet in 1988. The successor MD11 was retired in 2004. There are a few MD80s hanging on but not for much longer. DL domestic services in the US are one small notch better than AA and UA, but with the best completion rate; longhaul is increasingly good, with newer A330s coming on strength and displacing 767s, and good soft product. Beyond that, DL has the best "crew culture" among US majors -- you are much less likely to be snubbed, snapped at, lied to, etc. on DL, and the ethos is to treat all customers well, not ration smiles and goodwill for the pointy end only.
Feb 1, 2018, 12:46 pm
#53
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: ORD/MDW
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Very valid view of ATL, but from LHR DL also serves JFK, DTW, MSP, SLC, and SEA, and there are robust onward connections from all. There are very few USA finals you have to fly to ATL in order to reach.
Feb 1, 2018, 6:48 pm
#54
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: USA
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 812
AA also give free alcoholic drinks to OW status holders on shorthaul. I think there's an indicator in their little blue handheld machines.
Feb 1, 2018, 9:23 pm
#55
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: BA Gold, AA Lifetime Gold 1.8mm, IC Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold et al
Posts: 4,350
Unless things have changed recently I think that only applies to OW Emerald status and even they only receive them due to the fact the machines can't differentiate between the various programmes. Even so, all passengers do at least receive something.
Feb 2, 2018, 12:31 am
#56
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SBA & LAX
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold, BA Lifetime Blue, Marriott Gold, and many others
Posts: 1,152
I flew AA PE 3 times last week on 777-200's (LHR-DFW-HNL and LAX-LHR) & I've also flown it MAD-DFW on the 787 a few months ago. Seems very good to me. New seat, excellent IFE, all seats with power + USB (albeit awkwardly located), decent legroom, 2-4-2 seating. I like the AA long/thin pillow, and the last leg had a new amenity kit (Cole Haan?) which seemed quite nice.
Food was pretty decent but maybe not as good as BA WT+, and the trays were cleared away *fast* afterwards, which is a huge deal for me. I hate having a used tray sitting in front of me for another hour.
Compared with the awful BA WT+ on the LGW 777s it's miles ahead. Compared with a new 787 from LHR, I'd say roughly equal, maybe slightly ahead.
Food was pretty decent but maybe not as good as BA WT+, and the trays were cleared away *fast* afterwards, which is a huge deal for me. I hate having a used tray sitting in front of me for another hour.
Compared with the awful BA WT+ on the LGW 777s it's miles ahead. Compared with a new 787 from LHR, I'd say roughly equal, maybe slightly ahead.
Feb 2, 2018, 12:58 am
#57
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 16
They do have some older Mad Dogs still in service, mostly from the old Northwest stock, but are generally good at refreshing the cabin interiors on a regular basis, and I've come to appreciate the 717s, which tend to get used on some thin spoke routes the other US legacies leave to the regional partners. (I'll take the old MD over a shiny new Embraer 145 or Devil's Chariot CRJ 200 any day) And they're in the process of adding a bunch of new planes small and large to their system.
The A319/320/330 and some B757s are ex NW
Feb 2, 2018, 1:02 am
#58
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 16
Don't quite understand why anyone would fly BA by choice personally. I'd much rather take a connection than fly them. Same goes for AA and UA
domestic US Alaska is always first choice followed by DL then WN.
Transatlantic I'll take any airline except BA, AA or UA.
domestic US Alaska is always first choice followed by DL then WN.
Transatlantic I'll take any airline except BA, AA or UA.
Feb 3, 2018, 1:48 am
#59
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Vale of Glamorgan
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 2,991
I've flown with American Airlines quite a bit in the past few months, and have two forthcoming bookings. Almost every trip has involved, at some point, having to call AA about a schedule change or other issue. Every time, without exception, the call has been answered immediately, no matter what time of day or night, and the agent has been unfailingly helpful, knowledgeable and courteous. I have always ended the call with a good feeling about American Airlines, whereas my infrequent calls to BA's Indian call centres have driven me almost to the point of tears.
So, if there is any prospect of BA becoming more like AA... bring it on.
So, if there is any prospect of BA becoming more like AA... bring it on.
Feb 4, 2018, 5:45 pm
#60
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: US Air, UA BA LH AI DELTA MARRIOTT CHOICE SGP
Posts: 9,883
I'll just comment on two of your points
1. Alex Cruz worked for AA for 5 years between 1990 and 1995 so (i) not very long in the scheme of things (ii) so long ago that AA (like BA) is no longer the same company now as it was then.
2. Group Boarding is hardly an AA innovation - lots of airlines do it and not just the low cost ones.
1. Alex Cruz worked for AA for 5 years between 1990 and 1995 so (i) not very long in the scheme of things (ii) so long ago that AA (like BA) is no longer the same company now as it was then.
2. Group Boarding is hardly an AA innovation - lots of airlines do it and not just the low cost ones.