Did BA pull all 2019 F Avios Availability?
Apr 1, 2018, 10:13 am
#61
Join Date: May 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 5,380
I agree but the inventory has been pulled down to zero in BOS market too and i think most others in the US.
Here is the link:
IAG - International Airlines Group - Presentations
Here is the link:
IAG - International Airlines Group - Presentations
Apr 1, 2018, 10:20 am
#62
Join Date: Aug 2016
Programs: BAEC - Lowly blue
Posts: 282
Apr 1, 2018, 10:21 am
#63
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Bainbridge Island, WA
Posts: 8,964
Glad to have found this thread. I have been planning to pull the trigger on 2 F from the west coast to ATH next Spring. I have been following the availability and like clockwork 2 ( or more) F seats were available every Thursday with a return 2 weeks later on a Thursday. Ideal flights. Suddenly last week...when I checked...all the F award seats were gone. I have been planning the trip for several years saving miles.
Apr 1, 2018, 10:36 am
#64
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: BOS
Programs: BA Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 50
Apr 1, 2018, 11:07 am
#65
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: BOS
Programs: BA Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 50
BDA is an odd market. They are flying there from LGW only, but most of their other "leisure" destinations to the Caribbean, MCO, TPA, etc. do not have F cabin, just CW. So BA may have a lot of corporate (banking/financial services) customers using BDA-LON, thus they kept F cabin on that route. Airlines use premium cabins to entice companies into corporate travel programs. It is the main reason BA kept flying Concorde all those years. It was a loss leader to get big corporate contracts. (But then again, NYC and BOS are also strong corporate markets, yet they still zeroed out Z seats). So all I can say is BDA F redemption (Z) availability going into 2019 appears to be an anomaly for now.
Apr 1, 2018, 11:15 am
#67
Join Date: May 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 5,380
Slide 112 says very little. Under the section 'Avios' on this page it simply says:
"• New management team in progress
• Avios launched with EI and VY programmes
• Single group points bank by June 2018
• Customer improvements planned for BA and IB programmes
• Progressive introduction of Dynamic Pricing from 2018
• Group loyalty review in progress"
Apr 1, 2018, 11:19 am
#68
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
In all the years that I've been participating on FT, I cannot remember any occasion on which a rumoured forthcoming change in any airline's frequent flyer scheme has been believed or expected to be anything but bad news for the scheme's members. This "trust problem" long pre-dates Alex Cruz's arrival at BA.
Apr 1, 2018, 11:46 am
#70
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Roswell, GA
Programs: BA Gold-Virgin Gold-Delta MM-Hilton Diamond-Hyatt Globalist-Marriott Gold-IHG Plat Amb-Accor Nobody
Posts: 259
Apr 1, 2018, 12:05 pm
#72
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: North Yorkshire, UK / Pasadena CA
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 1,311
When the company pulls a stunt like this, speculation is understandable but it only stokes frustration - frustration with BA, that is. Ability to redeem in F is a big issue for some us (for me, the last thread that keeps me attached to BA). If there's a new policy that will put an end to it, I feel we should be informed. Likewise if the inventory has only been pulled temporarily. Anyone from BA listening? Please?
Apr 1, 2018, 12:23 pm
#74
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Oxon, UK
Programs: Mucci des canapes, Skywards Gold, BAEC, IC Plat Amb, LH FTV
Posts: 1,952
Well I've managed to get my Avios balance down to 14000 having booked a good number of flights for this year: LHR-JNB return in F, LHR-SEA return in F, LHR-JNB out in F, back in CW, LHR-JFK on a 241 in CW and an assortment of Australian and South African domestic legs in J. So I feel that I've got my money's worth but the attraction of being able to book F is somewhat greater than booking CW and if it is to become a lot more expensive or difficult then I may rethink things next year once the 241 is used.
Apr 1, 2018, 1:25 pm
#75
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Central Scotland, UK
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 286
BDA is an odd market. They are flying there from LGW only, but most of their other "leisure" destinations to the Caribbean, MCO, TPA, etc. do not have F cabin, just CW. So BA may have a lot of corporate (banking/financial services) customers using BDA-LON, thus they kept F cabin on that route. Airlines use premium cabins to entice companies into corporate travel programs. It is the main reason BA kept flying Concorde all those years. It was a loss leader to get big corporate contracts. (But then again, NYC and BOS are also strong corporate markets, yet they still zeroed out Z seats). So all I can say is BDA F redemption (Z) availability going into 2019 appears to be an anomaly for now.
Interestingly a little F availability has appeared in March for a few Caribbean destinations that I didn’t see yesterday.