More BA inconsistencies...
Feb 2, 2018, 5:02 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 94
More BA inconsistencies...
My partner and I were both recently elevated (for the first time) to the dizzy heights of BAEC Gold, and today we each separately experienced our first flights as members of BA’s top tier (GGL/Premier aside).
He flew to FRA in ET this morning, I flew to CPH in CE this evening. I thought it might be of interest to recount the differences in our experiences - appreciate that this is just another variation on a common theme, but I found the contrast rather striking.
We both enjoyed being able to use the First Wing to check in, sail through security, and head straight to the Flounge. However, our experiences were markedly different: he was warmly greeted at check-in, and welcomed to Gold; I had an indifferent check-in agent who could barely crack a smile, and who made no mention of this being my first flight as Gold. He was thrilled and really appreciated the personal touch; I (having already heard about his experience) was rather disappointed.
The differences continued in the air. He was in ET, and was personally welcomed on board (and, once again, to Gold) by the Purser during the flight. I was in 1F in CE, and got no acknowledgement or welcome at all. This flight was crewed by some of the more indifferent Euro Fleet CC, who I find significantly less professional and engaging than some of the better Mixed Fleet CC - have had some great experiences with them (super attentive service, all passengers addressed by name, etc,). But these ladies just couldn’t really be bothered - perhaps they’d had a long day....
I appreciate (not least from reading the many posts on FT about this) that it’s luck of the draw with cabin and ground crew as to whether they can be bothered to acknowledge your status (and, to be honest, I’m not all that fussed if they do or not - although I guess this post could suggest otherwise!). But the inconsistency did strike me - my partner came away feeling happy, welcomed and valued, whereas for me it was a complete non-event. And having heard about his experience I did find it a bit of a let down.
It doesn’t take much to get these things right and make your most valued customers feel valued - so why don’t BA train their people to do this consistently? It doesn’t really make any sense to me. Surely this is an easy (and relatively low cost) win that would improve customer loyalty and brand perception among BAs most frequent flyers?
He flew to FRA in ET this morning, I flew to CPH in CE this evening. I thought it might be of interest to recount the differences in our experiences - appreciate that this is just another variation on a common theme, but I found the contrast rather striking.
We both enjoyed being able to use the First Wing to check in, sail through security, and head straight to the Flounge. However, our experiences were markedly different: he was warmly greeted at check-in, and welcomed to Gold; I had an indifferent check-in agent who could barely crack a smile, and who made no mention of this being my first flight as Gold. He was thrilled and really appreciated the personal touch; I (having already heard about his experience) was rather disappointed.
The differences continued in the air. He was in ET, and was personally welcomed on board (and, once again, to Gold) by the Purser during the flight. I was in 1F in CE, and got no acknowledgement or welcome at all. This flight was crewed by some of the more indifferent Euro Fleet CC, who I find significantly less professional and engaging than some of the better Mixed Fleet CC - have had some great experiences with them (super attentive service, all passengers addressed by name, etc,). But these ladies just couldn’t really be bothered - perhaps they’d had a long day....
I appreciate (not least from reading the many posts on FT about this) that it’s luck of the draw with cabin and ground crew as to whether they can be bothered to acknowledge your status (and, to be honest, I’m not all that fussed if they do or not - although I guess this post could suggest otherwise!). But the inconsistency did strike me - my partner came away feeling happy, welcomed and valued, whereas for me it was a complete non-event. And having heard about his experience I did find it a bit of a let down.
It doesn’t take much to get these things right and make your most valued customers feel valued - so why don’t BA train their people to do this consistently? It doesn’t really make any sense to me. Surely this is an easy (and relatively low cost) win that would improve customer loyalty and brand perception among BAs most frequent flyers?
Last edited by gazzam; Feb 2, 2018 at 5:55 pm
Feb 2, 2018, 11:56 pm
#3
Join Date: May 2003
Location: DEL
Programs: Mucci du Miel d'Or
Posts: 2,373
I think a lot of the narrative around frequent flyer programmes is about being important, VIP etc. I suspect once in the day that was true, but I think that's a long way back. All status says is that you travel a lot. I also wonder whether that if you are really a VIP, would you really be looking for gratification from airline staff that you didn't know. I suspect not.
Feb 3, 2018, 12:12 am
#5
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,914
Feb 3, 2018, 1:22 am
#6
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
The difficulty here is that travellers expectations can sometimes be unrealistic. There are, literally, tens of thousands of gold members, so delivering recognition on a repeatable basis is unlikely.
Of course then you get the occasional occasion when it is done well, which just creates more disappointment the next time round.
I'm like the others above, I can live without the recognition. At the end of the day it is in most cases an insincere greeting from a member of crew who is doing it due to SOP and in reality couldn't really care whether you are there or not. If that massages your ego then great, otherwise best just to recalibrate the expectations and move on.
As for the "these ladies just couldn't be bothered", well everyone has a bad day. People who may have been on their feet all day on a succession of short hops perhaps? Earning close to minimum wage? Dealing with Gold types expecting to be fawned over? Not saying it is right but I can understand it.
Of course then you get the occasional occasion when it is done well, which just creates more disappointment the next time round.
I'm like the others above, I can live without the recognition. At the end of the day it is in most cases an insincere greeting from a member of crew who is doing it due to SOP and in reality couldn't really care whether you are there or not. If that massages your ego then great, otherwise best just to recalibrate the expectations and move on.
As for the "these ladies just couldn't be bothered", well everyone has a bad day. People who may have been on their feet all day on a succession of short hops perhaps? Earning close to minimum wage? Dealing with Gold types expecting to be fawned over? Not saying it is right but I can understand it.
Feb 3, 2018, 1:29 am
#7
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 570
Not saying this refers to the OP, but there is definitely a sub-set of 'elites' who think they should be treated like movie stars from the1960s because they have purchased a few cheap deals on QR. Take a look at the BA gold/ggl page on FB for some nauseating examples of this.
Feb 3, 2018, 1:51 am
#9
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,736
However I very much see the OP's point of view, and Frank van der Post was trying (and not always succeeding) in getting that to happen when he was in the relevant job. On shorthaul it is tricky to some degree to make people feel welcome but I don't think the OP is unreasonable here, and a good cabin crew member will read a passenger correctly - those who want some engagement and those who do not. A lot has to do with crew morale, which a few months ago was fairly dire [I've been around long enough to have seen it much worse] - though I see some small signs of improvement lately. Maybe a false dawn, who knows. But another part of the answer is there, and many crew don't particularly see the status side as that important, every customer paid to be on that flight, so they should all get the same service. That is where management still has what I call a "hearts and minds" task on its hands and SCCM in particular need to lead by example. Easy to say for this armchair CEO of course.
The point made by some cabin crew that when you have 35 gold cardholders on a 90 minute flight, what on earth can you do? However now that BoB is fairly slick and given the limited CE catering on CPH, typically that excuse won't wash on that particular service, where 10 golds would be more likely. I hope the OPs will send a note to Ms. Martinoli with a similar brief description of their experiences. I'm told she reads (paper) letters from customers.
Feb 3, 2018, 2:09 am
#10
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: Some
Posts: 5,233
There are two different points here, I think.
Expecting an airline to bend over backwards for you just because you have status is outdated, as it fails to recognise just how many people status applies to (I would guess there is probably a high six or possibly even seven figure number of OWEs globally now?).
Consistently congratulating passengers when they have reached your loyalty programme’s highest publicly available tier, especially when you have an opportunity to do so already built in (i.e., the check-in desk interaction) costs nothing, takes little time and is surely part of good customer relations 101, to use an Americanism, however.
Expecting an airline to bend over backwards for you just because you have status is outdated, as it fails to recognise just how many people status applies to (I would guess there is probably a high six or possibly even seven figure number of OWEs globally now?).
Consistently congratulating passengers when they have reached your loyalty programme’s highest publicly available tier, especially when you have an opportunity to do so already built in (i.e., the check-in desk interaction) costs nothing, takes little time and is surely part of good customer relations 101, to use an Americanism, however.
Feb 3, 2018, 2:14 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
Feb 3, 2018, 2:27 am
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,502
I think a lot of the narrative around frequent flyer programmes is about being important, VIP etc. I suspect once in the day that was true, but I think that's a long way back. All status says is that you travel a lot. I also wonder whether that if you are really a VIP, would you really be looking for gratification from airline staff that you didn't know. I suspect not.
Different people tend to ascribe different value to the three types of benefits, so for instance, some people may care a lot about priority check in, security and boarding but care very little about how many award miles/avios they earn. Other people will care a lot about banking avios and getting a free flight every 2 years but will be totally indifferent to perceptions of being a 'preferred customer'.
I pride myself in messing up the model a little in that to me, by far the main thing that I value from frequent flying is getting the best possible resolution in case of travel incidents (cancellations, missed connections, etc) and people are apparently still arguing on whether that is a "comfort" benefit or a "status" element, which suits my preference for not being boxed/labelled too easily!
Conversely, mishandling IRROPS is what I am least likely to forgive easily in my relationship with airlines, and my two changes of main FFP to date were both due to a sense that IRROPS handling had deteriorated sufficiently for me not to wish to depend too much on the airline I had used in priority so far. I've been close to that perception with BA a few times of late, but so far not to the point of seeking new horizons.As mentioned earlier, like rossmacd, I do not actually like personal greeting or being called by name and while I enjoy the occasional chat with crew, that is not in a status-dependent way and in truth not something I actively or systematically look for either.
Feb 3, 2018, 2:36 am
#13
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Perth WA/ UK
Programs: BA Gold, Priority Club Gold, Accor Silver, Virgin Australia Gold
Posts: 1,750
I think what is missing here and the Op indicated as such, is the inconsistency. I have not long completed 4 sectors on Qatar, apart from the warm greetiñgs and thank you for flying Qatar I got also the thanks for bring one world emerald including the same greeting as I was popped from BC to First ex Doha for 14 hour flight to Melbourne. Different in all senses! So if it's too hard for the lovies of BA to be consistent and appreciate the custom or regulars so be it...just another step to being a LCC except the boys and girls on LCC know how to actively assist pax on loading baggage in those overheads!! Different topic though!
Feb 3, 2018, 3:04 am
#15
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Effectively grounded
Programs: BA GGL for a little while longer
Posts: 844
...
And having heard about his experience I did find it a bit of a let down.
It doesn’t take much to get these things right and make your most valued customers feel valued - so why don’t BA train their people to do this consistently? It doesn’t really make any sense to me. Surely this is an easy (and relatively low cost) win that would improve customer loyalty and brand perception among BAs most frequent flyers?
And having heard about his experience I did find it a bit of a let down.
It doesn’t take much to get these things right and make your most valued customers feel valued - so why don’t BA train their people to do this consistently? It doesn’t really make any sense to me. Surely this is an easy (and relatively low cost) win that would improve customer loyalty and brand perception among BAs most frequent flyers?
If not, BA really couldn't care less how you feel...
