Our 1st First was not that great.
Apr 11, 2018, 8:20 am
#106
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Manila, Philippines (MNL)
Programs: BAEC Gold [>20k Lifetime TPs] | Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond [as is Mrs PtF] | Various Others
Posts: 6,156
I’ve selected the same words from your post as HIDDY, but for different reasons.
In a non-confrontational way as possible (since I actually like and respect a lot of your posts) I make the following observations:
- As I type this there are 293 Active Users (72 members & 221 guests). Even at a relatively slow mid-afternoon UK time of day for this forum how do you know that finding and sharing information on BA is the sole/primary reason almost 300 Active Users are visiting the BA Forum?
- BA is part of the OW alliance. While I agree that it might be strange to have too much in the way of discussions about, say, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, or Emirates on this forum, it is surely inevitable that there will be some discussions involving OW ‘ANOther airline(s)’. This is evidenced by popular threads such as ‘Tier Point runs’ and ‘Best OW LHR T3 lounge’.
- Whether I am watching a TV programmer such as Top Gear, or reading, say, camera or car magazines, there is invariably an element of how does one product compare against similar rival products. It’s what gives us a greater degree of quality choice compared to our communist cousins. Aren’t Active Users of the BA Forum entitled to read about the opinions of the frequent fliers on this forum who fly the likes of AA, CX, IB, QR, etc when benchmarking against BA?
- If you study the thread titles of, say, the most recent 10 pages of threads on the BA Forum I would estimate that well over 95% relate directly to BA. The fact that less than 5% might not is not a cause for anguish and grief.
Apr 11, 2018, 3:42 pm
#107
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 189
-in
You see Ross, I am a very easy going chap. I'm a glass half-full type, who always tries to look for the best in people. I enjoy people, I appreciate those who serve me, I acknowledge them as a person and treat them with the same respect as I would a colleague or friend. I appreciate them for who they are and for their efforts in providing me with a service. I have had crew comment to me how pleasant and friendly I am and that they wish more passengers were like me.
What I don't understand about the BA part of FlyerTalk is the amount of venom in some replies. Some are downright rude when referring to crew, whilst others see complaining as a sport. I see a lot of anger when reading some posts, especially from those who pile-in when someone posts a complaint (or a compliment in many cases). Much of it, of course, is hyperbole.
There are of course occasions when BA get it wrong. There are occasions when crew or other staff don't do their jobs as well as we expect them to, but after all they are only human and we all have off days, and so service suffers. It shouldn't suffer, but it does and when the service or product falls short a complaint is justified. It may surprise you to know that I have made 5 or 6 complaints to BA over the last year about their failings.
So whilst some come on here and complain, and others pile-in ad nauseum (usually the same group people) and tell us how crap BA are, I fly away merily, relaxed, feeling lucky and sit back enjoying my journey ... and if the hot towel is not hot enough, or too hot, or too thin I don'y let it bother me. If the meal I ordered isn't to my tate, I order an alternative ... life is just to short to be grumpy and unhappy.
BA is not the best airline around, but it is an airline I enjoy flying despite its faults. You have your airines of choice, and I have my airlines of choice - but it is very, very tiring to be constantly told my choice is wrong and I should chose someone else's preferred airline.
EDIT: You have edited and removed a significant portion your post since I started to type this reply, but nonetheless the sentiment stands.
You see Ross, I am a very easy going chap. I'm a glass half-full type, who always tries to look for the best in people. I enjoy people, I appreciate those who serve me, I acknowledge them as a person and treat them with the same respect as I would a colleague or friend. I appreciate them for who they are and for their efforts in providing me with a service. I have had crew comment to me how pleasant and friendly I am and that they wish more passengers were like me.
What I don't understand about the BA part of FlyerTalk is the amount of venom in some replies. Some are downright rude when referring to crew, whilst others see complaining as a sport. I see a lot of anger when reading some posts, especially from those who pile-in when someone posts a complaint (or a compliment in many cases). Much of it, of course, is hyperbole.
There are of course occasions when BA get it wrong. There are occasions when crew or other staff don't do their jobs as well as we expect them to, but after all they are only human and we all have off days, and so service suffers. It shouldn't suffer, but it does and when the service or product falls short a complaint is justified. It may surprise you to know that I have made 5 or 6 complaints to BA over the last year about their failings.
So whilst some come on here and complain, and others pile-in ad nauseum (usually the same group people) and tell us how crap BA are, I fly away merily, relaxed, feeling lucky and sit back enjoying my journey ... and if the hot towel is not hot enough, or too hot, or too thin I don'y let it bother me. If the meal I ordered isn't to my tate, I order an alternative ... life is just to short to be grumpy and unhappy.
BA is not the best airline around, but it is an airline I enjoy flying despite its faults. You have your airines of choice, and I have my airlines of choice - but it is very, very tiring to be constantly told my choice is wrong and I should chose someone else's preferred airline.
EDIT: You have edited and removed a significant portion your post since I started to type this reply, but nonetheless the sentiment stands.
Just like I said in one of my previous posts in this thread: treat people how you want to be treated, set your expectations from the beginning, and go from there.
If BA then fails then lets talk about it, contact customer service etc., but the complaints about things that are easily correctable, or unmentioned, are not helpful to BA or the forum.
Apr 11, 2018, 11:42 pm
#108
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
Whether the comments are "helpful to the forum" is surely a personal thing. I suspect what you really mean here is they may not be helpful to you personally, as I am sure other members can speak for themselves. It may for example be that there are other people out there contemplating their 1st First who would find the OP's account of their experience to be of interest in setting expectations. After all threads about 1st Firsts appear extremely regularly.
Apr 12, 2018, 12:51 am
#109
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Highlands, Scotland
Programs: EK,BA,QR
Posts: 547
I agree, and I'm more of a lurker than a poster, but these incessant negative posts over things that are correctable if the passenger speaks up really annoy me.
Just like I said in one of my previous posts in this thread: treat people how you want to be treated, set your expectations from the beginning, and go from there.
If BA then fails then lets talk about it, contact customer service etc., but the complaints about things that are easily correctable, or unmentioned, are not helpful to BA or the forum.
Just like I said in one of my previous posts in this thread: treat people how you want to be treated, set your expectations from the beginning, and go from there.
If BA then fails then lets talk about it, contact customer service etc., but the complaints about things that are easily correctable, or unmentioned, are not helpful to BA or the forum.
As we all know, hotel reviewers don't always inform hoteliers etc of good or bad points of their stay, well, some FT posters are just the same cross section of people. When I go on to the BA, or any FT forum main page it's usually clear what the myriad of posts are about and of course, i just choose the ones i'm interested in there.
Looking through topics that you know are potentially annoying/boring (to you) is akin to picking a bar of chocolate that you know bores you, then eating it anyway and moaning about it afterwards!
Apr 12, 2018, 12:58 am
#110
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
But it's great that you manage to overcome ennui, and read on, loins girded for yet another skirmish. Yet surely you've noticed these interventions inflame discussion, keeping alive a thread that might well sink in a day under the weight of others debating serious stuff like TP runs.
I have received a number of PMs after the sender had read topics where I had been ganged up on because I have shared a positive First experience where they too wanted to say how much they had enjoyed their flight, but they felt uneasy about sharing their experience for fear of also being set upon. That should never happen, but sadly it does because some take a rather aggressive tone in dismissing those who have enjoyed their experience.
I'm pretty certain that nobody has suggested you should fly on any other carrier than the one you favour.
Apr 12, 2018, 1:21 am
#111
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
That seems like such an apt metaphor for the subset of FTers who think that BA is the worst airline on earth (or something like that), who nevertheless repeatedly choose to spend their money on tickets to fly on BA, and who then post equally repeatedly on FT about how dreadful BA is when compared to the competition.
Apr 12, 2018, 2:05 am
#114
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
That seems like such an apt metaphor for the subset of FTers who think that BA is the worst airline on earth (or something like that), who nevertheless repeatedly choose to spend their money on tickets to fly on BA, and who then post equally repeatedly on FT about how dreadful BA is when compared to the competition.
To expand, personalise and deepen the metaphor: like a Badoit fan trapped in a Yorkshire village offering only inferior bottled waters
Apr 12, 2018, 2:33 am
#116
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: LONDON
Posts: 415
Is this still going? FT's BA Reputation Protection really are their own worst enemies!
I think you'll find the reason negative threads are so popular is that said task force get so emotionally involved thus making them so entertaining, as IAN-UK said, extending their life far beyond expectancy.
Some of us have to fly BA, there is no choice, and whilst I have never taken photos of a stained toilet or got upset at CC who "do not engage" , I like to see how others who do feel about the service.
Some of us have no choice in our choice.
I think you'll find the reason negative threads are so popular is that said task force get so emotionally involved thus making them so entertaining, as IAN-UK said, extending their life far beyond expectancy.
Some of us have to fly BA, there is no choice, and whilst I have never taken photos of a stained toilet or got upset at CC who "do not engage" , I like to see how others who do feel about the service.
Some of us have no choice in our choice.
Apr 12, 2018, 2:41 am
#117
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: East Anglia UK
Programs: BA-S UA LH-Sen KLM/AF-Plat.
Posts: 1,627
There's also an underlying frustration that it seems to be however many comments about failings in service are provided here nothing changes. This simply makes you want to keep digging until a satisfactory result appears. It's made worse for those of us who have known and flown BA for umpteen years to see the downward spiral. It's not a matter of comparison with LH or SQ, it's what BA is now that is important. It's a shadow of its former self, something I regret.
Apr 12, 2018, 5:30 am
#118
Join Date: Nov 2004
Programs: BA GGL, LH FTL
Posts: 3,579
I would think most people consider flying about getting from A to B. Sure, SQ may have better service - but if I want to get from London to New York, what good is that going to be?
BA has it's niche. It is not a premium brand, but it plays perfectly to it's market (the London non-stop crowd and the aspiring middle classes through cheap upgrades).
They are in a tiny bit of trouble where premium airlines offer non-stop as well (compare number of seats on BA vs EK between LON and DXB) - but overall BA are playing the game nicely in terms of load factors and revenue. Unfortunately offering a premium product is not strictly necessary for that strategy.
BA has it's niche. It is not a premium brand, but it plays perfectly to it's market (the London non-stop crowd and the aspiring middle classes through cheap upgrades).
They are in a tiny bit of trouble where premium airlines offer non-stop as well (compare number of seats on BA vs EK between LON and DXB) - but overall BA are playing the game nicely in terms of load factors and revenue. Unfortunately offering a premium product is not strictly necessary for that strategy.
Apr 12, 2018, 5:56 am
#119
Moderator: GLBT travelers, India-based Airlines and India; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Asia
Programs: Yes!
Posts: 15,512
I almost dread wading in here but hey...: 
I had 5 segments on BA metal in the last 10 days. 1 F, 2 CW, 2 CE. Three flights were MF and 2 were WW.
Given what I read in some of the posts above and recent threads here, I must have been exceptionally lucky as it almost felt like I was flying a different airline. Crews on 4 of the 5 segments were exceptionally good. 1 CE flight was just okay - neither exceptional nor bad in any way though.
Status was recognized on ALL flights, CSD/CSM welcomes were made on all longhauls. Even helpful comments on my connections were provided, and in one case I was even provided with an extra bottle of water and some chocolates "to-go" as they could tell I had a tight connection and may not have lounge time.
Food was surprisingly good on all flights (Especially the new CW catering, where it felt like a world of improvement), and I always got my first choice of main on all flights. And on the day transatlantic flight, where I had a leisurely full meal, I was offered both starters, soup as well as both desserts and cheese. Plus wonderful crew who recognized loyalty.. Recognition tickets were duly handed out.
IFE worked a treat on all longhaul flights, and BA had an exceptionally interesting and diverse selection of new releases, including offerings like "Call Me By Your Name" which I think some of those much-vaunted Middle Eastern carriers might hesitate in showing.
Everything definitely met and often exceeded expectations. Of course, I wasn't expecting caviar and wagyu, or even LH/LX/AF F. Not for the competitive prices I paid for the premium cabins. Felt like great value to get me from A to B in great comfort, on convenient nonstops, and earn some Avios as well.
I had 5 segments on BA metal in the last 10 days. 1 F, 2 CW, 2 CE. Three flights were MF and 2 were WW.
Given what I read in some of the posts above and recent threads here, I must have been exceptionally lucky as it almost felt like I was flying a different airline. Crews on 4 of the 5 segments were exceptionally good. 1 CE flight was just okay - neither exceptional nor bad in any way though.
Status was recognized on ALL flights, CSD/CSM welcomes were made on all longhauls. Even helpful comments on my connections were provided, and in one case I was even provided with an extra bottle of water and some chocolates "to-go" as they could tell I had a tight connection and may not have lounge time.
Food was surprisingly good on all flights (Especially the new CW catering, where it felt like a world of improvement), and I always got my first choice of main on all flights. And on the day transatlantic flight, where I had a leisurely full meal, I was offered both starters, soup as well as both desserts and cheese. Plus wonderful crew who recognized loyalty.. Recognition tickets were duly handed out.
IFE worked a treat on all longhaul flights, and BA had an exceptionally interesting and diverse selection of new releases, including offerings like "Call Me By Your Name" which I think some of those much-vaunted Middle Eastern carriers might hesitate in showing.
Everything definitely met and often exceeded expectations. Of course, I wasn't expecting caviar and wagyu, or even LH/LX/AF F. Not for the competitive prices I paid for the premium cabins. Felt like great value to get me from A to B in great comfort, on convenient nonstops, and earn some Avios as well.
Apr 12, 2018, 6:38 am
#120
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: UK
Programs: Lemonia. Best Greek ever.
Posts: 2,275
Back to the OP's points, please.
They clearly had an experience which was mixed. They enjoyed some bits, but did not enjoy others. There was no "hatred" of BA in their post.
Most of us on here want BA to succeed, and want BA to regain its status as a proper Premium airline. I think the CC want that, too.
Until the Senior management understand what is required from a proper Premium airline, and until they empower Customer service and CC to listen to and respond properly to Customer feedback, there will be complaints about BA which BA are unwilling or unable to address.
They clearly had an experience which was mixed. They enjoyed some bits, but did not enjoy others. There was no "hatred" of BA in their post.
Most of us on here want BA to succeed, and want BA to regain its status as a proper Premium airline. I think the CC want that, too.
Until the Senior management understand what is required from a proper Premium airline, and until they empower Customer service and CC to listen to and respond properly to Customer feedback, there will be complaints about BA which BA are unwilling or unable to address.