A rare First flight & far from impressed......
Feb 17, 2018, 1:01 pm
#151
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: London, UK
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Stuff goes wrong sometimes. On ALL carriers. It's an airplane, not a tailors. The OP has every right to expect decent service but should also be realistic that the world isn't perfect, regardless of which bit of the bus you happen to have your arse parked on.
Feb 17, 2018, 1:15 pm
#153
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So on that basis, none of us should ever comment on the failings evidenced in the first post, but just suck it up as ‘part of life’s rich pattern’, regardless of how much actual expenditure was involved?
Happy travels, Tabby
Feb 17, 2018, 1:25 pm
#154
Join Date: Jul 2008
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Things don't always work perfectly, regardless of how much you've paid for your seat and whether you can see the wing or not. Mostly this is down to human error. It sometimes happens on all carriers I mentioned, most of whom I fly at least a couple of times a year in F. Check out the other boards in FT if you want more colour on these inconsistencies. Those who don't fly F regularly, who get caught up in the marketing puff, who excite themselves pouring over trip reports and researching the prices of wines on board are bound to suffer severe disappointment if something doesn't meet their expectations. Those who are perhaps more pragmatic are sanguine and most likely end up being happier with the experience overall.
And sadly, I think this agrees with the OP's general sentiment more than you realize.
Feb 17, 2018, 1:35 pm
#155
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: LONDON
Posts: 415
You are, of course, absolutely correct. However this is the BA forum. An independent forum where posters should be keeping the company on its toes.
I'm suggesting the OP has a valid point. He would have had a valid point on any airline.
Feb 17, 2018, 1:39 pm
#156
Join Date: May 2014
Location: DMV
Posts: 2,092
You seem to advocate the 'shrug' mentality which is the true enemy of excellence. If customers don't penalize acceptance of mediocrity and don't reward pursuit of excellence, you're going to see a never-ending slide in quality. It's thus generally the hallmark of public sector service providers who have a monopoly. Some people act like BA has a monopoly and perhaps it does for their particular set of circumstances, others in a weird case of Stockholm Syndrome seem to wish it did and don't care if BA acts like a monopolist.
Feb 17, 2018, 1:53 pm
#158
Join Date: May 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 5,380
It says that QR put more flowers in their F class lavatories than BA do.
Feb 17, 2018, 4:16 pm
#160
Join Date: May 2006
Location: 5 miles from EMA
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Well, see, on other airlines F means that basically it's a luxury offer and you're treated almost like royalty. On BA it seems like the main distinction is that the F seat is much better than the CW seat even though arguably some of the brand new J offers of the Gulf Carriers are no worse or even better than BA F. On the flip side, LH F is typically about 900 quid more and even more on some other airlines. BA is probably about as budget as F gets.
TG managed a golf buggy, but hey, it’s better than walking. Or the train.
I think my my point is that yes BA is about as budget as it gets in terms of the competition. LH knows how to do luxury. ME3 knows how to do it. Sure, you pay for it with LH, but BA knew how to do it once, and how to get people to pay for it.
Feb 17, 2018, 4:44 pm
#161
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Feb 17, 2018, 4:49 pm
#162
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What is this bus you speak of? It’s not a £2.90 return to Chelmsford - but often several thousands of pounds First Class travel purchased. The “it’s just public transport” argument is not relevant to the OP’s situation
Feb 17, 2018, 6:01 pm
#163
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Location: Bridport, Dorset
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Feb 17, 2018, 6:51 pm
#164
Suspended
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This being the BA board though, it seems a reasonable place for such a post. And you rather seem to be unfairly twisting their words by saying they need to 'be realistic that the world isn't perfect'. The OP was not some entitled brat expecting to have his feet kissed, he was reasonable and factual and doesn't deserve to be told they were expecting too much and it be implied they make unreasonable demands.
However, it does explain a lot if BA frequent flyers really think it is unreasonable for someone to complain about this sort of service.
Feb 17, 2018, 8:00 pm
#165
Join Date: Jan 2018
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Wait, so if I'm reading some of the comments on here it's OK to accept a poor product on a paid for First class experience? £3000+ and you should just take the ups with the downs? For some flying First is a once in a lifetime experience, not everyone is rich financially or has work benefits that vest them with opportunities for upgrades or free flights. The elitism in this thread is almost embarrassing...
I do not hate BA, I love BA, they are my national carrier and nothing quite beats getting on an aircraft heading back to the UK where the IFE, food, staff, safety instructions and livery and everything else is British. I was nearly in tears when the FA gave me a cup of tea after a month in the far east drinking awful black tea...
Would I pay for First, probably not as I prefer to divert my funds to nice hotels, but if I had, and had experienced such service I would have most definitely not been as calm as the OP, I would have been raging on here and to CS. Yes, mistakes do happen, staff have bad days, meals get given out erroneously, but for all these events to line up and give such a poor experience is not just poor luck, it shows a failing in customer care on a flagship product. Even though people despise the Cruz for what he is doing to the product, the staff that work underneath him are trying to do the best they can with the resources they are given. They would probably be just as disgusted as the OP, and this is why complaints are essential. If the OP wants compensation, then so be it, if he just wants an apology, then that's good too. We don't all want something tangible back, I usually don't demand it, some of us just want to know why the failure happened and to be reassured the best will be done to prevent it happening again.
I do not hate BA, I love BA, they are my national carrier and nothing quite beats getting on an aircraft heading back to the UK where the IFE, food, staff, safety instructions and livery and everything else is British. I was nearly in tears when the FA gave me a cup of tea after a month in the far east drinking awful black tea...
Would I pay for First, probably not as I prefer to divert my funds to nice hotels, but if I had, and had experienced such service I would have most definitely not been as calm as the OP, I would have been raging on here and to CS. Yes, mistakes do happen, staff have bad days, meals get given out erroneously, but for all these events to line up and give such a poor experience is not just poor luck, it shows a failing in customer care on a flagship product. Even though people despise the Cruz for what he is doing to the product, the staff that work underneath him are trying to do the best they can with the resources they are given. They would probably be just as disgusted as the OP, and this is why complaints are essential. If the OP wants compensation, then so be it, if he just wants an apology, then that's good too. We don't all want something tangible back, I usually don't demand it, some of us just want to know why the failure happened and to be reassured the best will be done to prevent it happening again.