British Airways falls from #1 in consumers favourite brands
Mar 14, 2018, 3:56 am
#136
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,797
Hardly surprising. I've had 7 BA short haul flights in the last month, the most I've done with them in years, and whilst there wasn't anything especially wrong with any of them, each flight left me thinking christ is this what BA has become. If it's the only airline you fly i can understand why you'd keep flying happily with them but to come from a top airline and then step onto BA is eye opening.
What particularly surprised me is the wave of negativity that comes from people when i mention i flew with them. Never had that before.
What particularly surprised me is the wave of negativity that comes from people when i mention i flew with them. Never had that before.
Mar 14, 2018, 4:02 am
#137
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Isle of Man
Programs: IHG Platinum Elite, BA Pleb
Posts: 347
BA's additional problems come from the fact they only want to be an LCC-standard airline in Y. They want to be a premium airline in F and J. The two positions don't really gel. You have disappointed Y passengers who've bought into the premium branding and received an LCC service. And you have F and J customers refusing to pay premium prices for an airline which has pitched itself as Ryanair but with a nicer uniform.
Tesco is a great example of how you really really can't be all things to all people.
Mar 14, 2018, 4:26 am
#139
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: BA Gold, several other less interesting cards...
Posts: 3,712
Your concept may well work on s/h traffic, where other ‘lesser’ airlines exist ... unless the individuals concerned are wedded to BAEC for reasons outside work travel [TPs and Avios, in other words]. And there may be the hook that BA are relying on.
As for l/h, one has to look at destination and frequency coverage, and that’s compounded by the E/W/S route considerations ... as well as BAEC loyalty. Again, I find us hooked on OW simply because of where we want to go.
A mass exodus is, IMO, unlikely in the wider aspect. People will just post on FT and carry on suffering, simply because of where they want to go and an underlying desire for TPs and Avios to further their personal travel experiences.
As for l/h, one has to look at destination and frequency coverage, and that’s compounded by the E/W/S route considerations ... as well as BAEC loyalty. Again, I find us hooked on OW simply because of where we want to go.
A mass exodus is, IMO, unlikely in the wider aspect. People will just post on FT and carry on suffering, simply because of where they want to go and an underlying desire for TPs and Avios to further their personal travel experiences.
Mar 14, 2018, 5:14 am
#141
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,926
Mar 14, 2018, 5:51 am
#142
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,145
The trouble is that if you fly mainly s/h then BAEC is not a particularly good program. I had years of mainly s/h travel and managed to scrape Silver each year. The earning (both TPs and Avios) are pretty poor even in CE. It’s only when you start the long haul travel and get Gold when the benefits really start to show.
Mar 14, 2018, 5:56 am
#143
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,596
Mar 14, 2018, 6:36 am
#144
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Vale of Glamorgan
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 2,991
I can't think of any other scheme where a single, inexpensive long-haul trip on another airline will get you priority check-in, lounge access, priority boarding and (usually) an empty seat next to you on all your short-haul ET flights, no matter how cheap, for up to two years.
Mar 14, 2018, 7:28 am
#146
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
I don't think the European Commission is going to take that view when it comes to deciding what flying rights BA should have post next March. And, frankly, that is the only view that matters at the moment.
Mar 14, 2018, 7:30 am
#147
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: London
Posts: 3,500
Mar 14, 2018, 7:43 am
#148
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: LHR, LGW
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,436
Juncker would be foolish to turn their back BA on come March...I’m sure Walsh is aware of all this and probably has a plan to avoid any EU rights issues.
Last edited by rockflyertalk; Mar 14, 2018 at 7:59 am
Mar 14, 2018, 7:54 am
#149
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 5,656
Not if you listen to the Chief Executive Officer on the FY17 results call. Willie was emphatic and mentioned it a couple of times, that IAG considers itself a Spanish company. Who am I to argue with the CEO?
Mar 14, 2018, 8:16 am
#150
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL / GfL
Posts: 3,261
While not wishing to drag this thread to Brexit issues, the soundbite which continues to be rolled out that the EU needs the UK far more than the UK needs the EU is just wrong and baffles me! I genuinely fear for next April because I feel that is only when people will finally realise the damage Brexit will cause the entire UK economy (far more than it has already!)
Pilot37