Enough is enough - Bye bye BA - I'm out

Old Oct 5, 2018, 7:40 am
  #46  
 
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Originally Posted by HIDDY
You come across as someone who has been 'forced' to fly BA throughout their working life. Now that has come to an end and you're dropping down the status ladder you want to go out all guns blazing.....not an uncommon phenomena on here.
Happy days are here again...you can now fly with whichever airline you want to. ^
Flying for leisure only and collecting miles/status isn't mutually exclusive. Particularly if you're flying in J/F anyway, it can still make sense to collect miles. A QR return J yields enough Avios for a short haul award.

Originally Posted by 47Aitken
try spending 8 early morning hours in the Doha business lounge when you could be in your bed at home : QR have a good service but their UK schedule is limited
There are routes that make sense on QR and there are routes that don't make sense. UK-OZ is definitely very nice on QR. UK-JP not so much.
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 7:47 am
  #47  
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This all sounds like a labor dispute with a (former?) employer, having less to do with BA than the fact that OP has the freedom to look at what is important to him and to fly the carrier which offers him the best hard and soft product at the best price and convenience.
.
If one is a "marketing monkey" who falls for one scheme or another, then one has apparently made that scheme a priority.
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 7:52 am
  #48  
 
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I think the OP has some valid points. However, I cannot see the value in the "never again" position taken up.
It is nice to try other airlines, when they fly where you want to go, at a price that is reasonable, and at a time that suits. I really liked CX to and from HKG in J. But that is because I wanted to go to HKG. And they had a deal with an agent........VS is good in Upper, but it doesn't quite have all the routes we want....
We are a bit more "stuck" with BA as we live 20/25 mins from T5. So we would not adopt a "never again" perspective.
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 8:13 am
  #49  
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Let's just accept this for what it is. It's a bit of a rant and amongst the red mist that descended there are some unfortunate generalities that might have been worded differently. There are some truths in elements of the OP but a lot of nonsense along with it.
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 8:23 am
  #50  
 
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Quite like BA no quibbles here, and enjoy the ease of use of the BAEC and the benefits afforded by achieving Gold status- even though very little of my LH is flown with BA as I only ever go East. Very much like the QR J product if affordable and routing is not too scenic (2 extra stops max). Appreciate that BAF has often been compared to QR J but for a change it will be interesting to see how BA F compares with QR Y.. ha ha ....Last trip a few weeks back was Lhr Sin Syd in F and the next in a few weeks is a QR Lhr Doh Mel down the back - albeit at 20% cost of the BA F ticket utilising a GUF. (Note to self book earlier if planning to imbibe LPGS on a GUF!). I think until BA update older acft and reduce the density of 8 across the product will never compare with other carriers offering newer acft and a 1-2-1 set up.

Last edited by OldFruity; Oct 5, 2018 at 8:39 am
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 8:42 am
  #51  
 
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Originally Posted by WeleaseBwian
Not a chance - Would prefer to give UA, DL, VS a try.
I live in the small market US Southeast, so it's easy to default to Delta down here. They have their share of problems like any other airline, but do tend to be the more reliable/predictable option, seem to care more about passenger comfort in cattle class than American does, and when IRROPS happen, they're generally good at offering you rebooking solutions on your phone or empowering front line employees to fix your problems, even if you don't have status, that can't get handled by IT alone. (And the majority of employees do seem to buy into the idea of 'find a way you can say 'yes' to a passenger' even though there are a few duds like you get at any big company)

Because I do seem to have a disproportionate share of IRROPS issues given my flying patterns, the ME3's handling of those seems to discourage me from using them. Even if the soft product is really really good when nothing is going wrong.
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 8:42 am
  #52  
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Originally Posted by Ancient Observer
However, I cannot see the value in the "never again" position taken up.
What, not even the entertainment value? It must be a good couple of months since we last had thread like this.
Originally Posted by WeleaseBwian
To anyone thinking of spending money with BA:- Don't do it. You're an idiot if you do. There's so much better out there.
If you can identify QR (or any other airline's) flights that would allow me routinely to work a full day in London on Friday before flying to Hong Kong or Johannesburg, and then to fly back from Hong Kong/Johannesburg after dinner on Sunday night and be back in London in time to be at my desk for the start of the working day on Monday, in business class at ex-AMS business class prices, then I'll be content to be called an idiot.

In the meantime, you might ponder the fact that your travel needs and patterns are not the travel needs and patterns of everyone else in the world, and that we all find and use the things that work for us. They are not necessarily the things that work for you.
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 8:53 am
  #53  
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Originally Posted by WeleaseBwian
Flying QR J has made us realise just how far BA has fallen behind it's competitors and I don't intend to spend a single penny with them again. When QR give you better than BA F class service in a seat that is as good as BA F all at a J class price, you'd be nuts to give your money to BA.
Remember, though, it's not just that BA isn't up to snuff. QR J may well be the best J in the world these days, so you're really comparing BA to the other extreme, making it seems worse than it is, perhaps.
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 8:58 am
  #54  
 
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I've yet to be sold on the idea of connecting via the Gulf to points further east, unless it's Australia where there isn't (yet) a non-stop option.
On my long-hauls I usually choose BA because they go to most places non-stop from London. In that respect they have no adequate competitor.
Earlier this year we went on a leisure trip to the Philippines where BA doesn't go (except for maintenance). Could have used Avios for a QR flight in J and seriously considered it, but walked away from it when we realised that it would cut a very long flight in half, which would mean (at best) two unsatisfactory naps rather than a sweet long sleep.
In the end we managed to get tickets on Philippine Airlines in Mabuhay Class for 1,600 return, which turned out to be a great decision. On the way out we had one of the newest 777-300s with fully flat beds which were far superior to CW on BA, both in terms of comfort and service. On the way back it was one of the slightly older planes with angle-flat seat which were still pretty good for the price, but most importantly we slept through both legs and arrived well rested.
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 9:06 am
  #55  
 
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Originally Posted by nd100
I've yet to be sold on the idea of connecting via the Gulf to points further east, unless it's Australia where there isn't (yet) a non-stop option.
i completely agree with what you were saying, but there is of course now direct flights London to Perth on Quantas. Personally, the flight remains too long for me and Id rather have a couple of hours away from a plane, but agree with 2 legs that are 5-6 hours, one can be rather grumpy when told to move chair back into landing position (particularly when its a technical stop and you have another 2 hours til you can get off the plane).
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 9:09 am
  #56  
 
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Originally Posted by WeleaseBwian
When QR give you better than BA F class service in a seat that is as good as BA F all at a J class price, you'd be nuts to give your money to BA.
Hello, I'm nuts... and "an idiot". Perhaps you can enlighten me as to how I can easily get to the east coast of the US with QR? Clearly I don't understand these basic issues well enough to be able to answer the question.

Also, as a follow up, domestic and short haul flights - how can I book QR for those?

Answers on a postcard please...

Joking aside, perhaps taking a less myopic/tunnel visioned view of the world, and not using such emotive language may help other people agree with your point of view.
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 9:20 am
  #57  
 
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As is the way, these leaving BA rant threads, normally have a valid point, but hidden under an emotional feeling of disappointment or some other hyperbole.
I was guilty of doing a similar one myself when I was quite new to the FT.

I've dabbled in LH, KL, DL and for some years made a real push with TK but I stopped that now. I haven't tried them all but BAEC IMHO is the best FPP going, particularly if you're Ex UK. If you want direct flights into Europe you are hard pushed to get around them, particularly if you fly alot of euro short haul, I would get fed up of connecting in AMS or FRA.

BA hard product is behind many carriers out there, even against what the Americans are doing now (which I never thought would happen) but their safety, training & operations (for lack of a better word) are world class.

Grass is always greener......
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 9:41 am
  #58  
 
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Not ANOTHER QR is better than BA thread on the BAEC forum. I thought the Mods / Ambassadors were aghast at such threads appearing. Youd never catch me posting in support of that point of view!
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 9:54 am
  #59  
 
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Originally Posted by LondonAndy
Perhaps you can enlighten me as to how I can easily get to the east coast of the US with QR?
HWMBO has booked LHR-DOH-LAX for later in the year. It can be done. Whether it is a good idea - better ask me afterwards.
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 9:57 am
  #60  
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Originally Posted by LCY8737


HWMBO has booked LHR-DOH-LAX for later in the year. It can be done. Whether it is a good idea - better ask me afterwards.
Classic FT. Why have an 11 hour flight when you can have a 7 hour one followed by a 16 hour one
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