Anyone reach gold from the back of the plane?
Nov 10, 2018, 3:42 am
#31
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: Executive Club: Gold - Flying Blue: Gold
Posts: 1,382
I am one of those unfortunately. Y only policy by my company. However, as flights are booked something like 1 week before travel, I usually get those Y, B, H fares so for CPT ex EU, that would get me 200 TP and soon BNE ex EU 330 TP. With that 1500 is achievable. However, I had to pay an upgrade to CE on one LHR-BRU leg last October to take me over the finishing line.
Nov 10, 2018, 4:04 am
#32
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Brighton UK
Programs: BAEC-Silver, AMEX-BA Prem' Plus & Standard, Accor Gold, HH-Silver, IHG,IBIS On Business
Posts: 955
Not myself but met a director and regional head from Expedia at the resort im currently in in Marrakech and one of them hit Gold from the back of the plane. We'd both hit the next tier, him Gold and I Silver, flying out here and he made a big point of hitting Gold when i'd only hit Silver. I chortled a little when his director then pointed out i'd done it by being a self funded leisure traveller whereas he'd managed it via his expenses account. Very nice people though and he still got my respect for the amount of flying needed to achieve such a goal even on the company buck.
Nov 10, 2018, 5:14 am
#33
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,210
Ditto....would love to have done it in the early 70's however even flying down the back in those days was too expensive for me to acquire any sort of status.
Nov 10, 2018, 5:45 am
#34
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: LHR
Programs: BAEC Gold, SkyTeam Elite Plus, Sixt Gold
Posts: 418
A few years ago I managed to reach CX Gold (OW Sapphire) by flying from Europe to Taiwan in Y alone. A frankly unhealthy experience, but my seniority at the time and travel policy allowed only that. One trip per month did the trick, but was never enough for Diamond/Emerald.
When I switched to J travel it was much easier obvs. Now I travel much less than I used to, but all long haul is J and with some smart routing I manage to retain BA Gold.
TBH I would never accept a travel intense role in a company with Y only travel. It is really unhealthy to do that.
When I switched to J travel it was much easier obvs. Now I travel much less than I used to, but all long haul is J and with some smart routing I manage to retain BA Gold.
TBH I would never accept a travel intense role in a company with Y only travel. It is really unhealthy to do that.
Nov 10, 2018, 5:51 am
#35
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 138
I'm too old and decrepit for that now, but I did reach OWE (Qantas Platinum) by flying essentially exclusively in discount economy* some years ago (and I ended up with a partner gold card (OWS) off that back of that, so it would have been about double what was required to qualify...), and kept that up for a couple of years before I slowly started creeping forward. It was let's say character-forming 
*When I say that, I don't mean the rest was in J or PE - the rest was simply non-discounted economy...
*When I say that, I don't mean the rest was in J or PE - the rest was simply non-discounted economy...
Made BA Gold a couple of years ago doing the same, stayed BA Silver for a couple of years since before switching to QF this year and pushing for Platinum.
I much prefer the QFFF scheme than BAEC as it gives me slightly more perks. Works for me anyway.
Nov 10, 2018, 5:56 am
#36
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,528
It's all well and good achieving gold in comfort of WT+ but I'm waiting to hear the testimony of a gold who (in the spirit of Monty Python's 4 poor Yorkshiremen sketch) achieved gold on basic economy and HBO fares and had to sit in the middle seats on the last row and/or near the smelly toilets! 
Nov 10, 2018, 6:07 am
#37
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 2,447
Me, me, me!
Although now my personal travel has adapted because I know what's on offer - BA has sucked me in, basically. I therefore spend a lot of my own money on travel, sometimes in higher cabins (when affordable to me), or accepting paid upgrades.
Getting the Gold card when you're used to flying at the back is the biggest benefit of having it IMO. First check-in, fast-track, lounge with free food/drinks, group 1 boarding on short hops and long haul, plus blocked neighbouring seat (where available)? None of that is offered without the status, so it immeasurably improves the travel experience and is why I'll continue to fly BA now.
Although now my personal travel has adapted because I know what's on offer - BA has sucked me in, basically. I therefore spend a lot of my own money on travel, sometimes in higher cabins (when affordable to me), or accepting paid upgrades.
Getting the Gold card when you're used to flying at the back is the biggest benefit of having it IMO. First check-in, fast-track, lounge with free food/drinks, group 1 boarding on short hops and long haul, plus blocked neighbouring seat (where available)? None of that is offered without the status, so it immeasurably improves the travel experience and is why I'll continue to fly BA now.
Nov 10, 2018, 6:14 am
#38
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,210
Nov 10, 2018, 7:47 am
#40
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Programs: BAEC OW Gold/Emerald
Posts: 538
As others have commented, my employer has a Y only travel policy but while I love my job I don't love it enough to ride at the back of the plane on LH flights of which I take a max of 3 per year. Fortunately for me I can book my own tickets for reimbursement... so I send finance a BA quote, when approved, I get reimbursed on that basis and then I get all creative to get into a WTP seat for as little as possible above the BA Y quote. Whatever extra I pay for travel, is included in my HMRC self assessment return. I'm still out of pocket but for this coming tax year I have spent £559 extra over 6 business related trips and hit silver easily. I would prefer to pay £559 out of my own pocket to hit silver than to ride Y in LH to get status.
Nov 10, 2018, 11:03 am
#41
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Europe & Indonesia
Programs: BAEC Gold, LH SEN, EK ex-Gold, IHG Plat
Posts: 11,571