How are BA Reward Flights released?
Dec 12, 2018, 6:13 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 111
How are BA Reward Flights released?
The 365 day flights must be released automatically by a system.
But I'm curious as to who exactly releases the flights otherwise?
For example, I've noticed that a lot of LHR->BKK in CW flights were released today for Christmas week.
If the decision maker is a human, I need to befriend them!
But I'm curious as to who exactly releases the flights otherwise?
For example, I've noticed that a lot of LHR->BKK in CW flights were released today for Christmas week.
If the decision maker is a human, I need to befriend them!
Dec 12, 2018, 6:35 am
#4
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,770
I wouldn't suspect it's all manual. If it's like some other systems I know, it'll be mostly done algorithmically, with the pricing team able to manually intervene as needed.
Dec 12, 2018, 6:45 am
#5
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,399
As Ldnn1 suggests, it’s a mix of both.
For sure it will be a human that makes the decision - but on the basis of intelligent interpretation of auto-generated booking pattern data, both historic and current / trending.
Some of the knowledgeable FT souls can perhaps tell you a little about the rationale used (and for the most part it all comes down to fundamental commercial imperatives) ; but even BA ‘insiders’ here will acknowledge that yield and revenue management operations have never been simple. These are dark arts which will forever be something of a mystery, rather than a process that can be spelt out in black & white in a couple of sentences.
The same applies to cash pricing and fare buckets.
For sure it will be a human that makes the decision - but on the basis of intelligent interpretation of auto-generated booking pattern data, both historic and current / trending.
Some of the knowledgeable FT souls can perhaps tell you a little about the rationale used (and for the most part it all comes down to fundamental commercial imperatives) ; but even BA ‘insiders’ here will acknowledge that yield and revenue management operations have never been simple. These are dark arts which will forever be something of a mystery, rather than a process that can be spelt out in black & white in a couple of sentences.
The same applies to cash pricing and fare buckets.
Dec 12, 2018, 6:54 am
#6
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
BA uses sophisticated predictive software not much different than most major carriers. That software relies on hundreds of datapoints and may well shift over time.
There can be human intervention, but it is much less than in the past as the machine predictions tend to be, on balance, much more accurate than humans.
There can be human intervention, but it is much less than in the past as the machine predictions tend to be, on balance, much more accurate than humans.
Dec 12, 2018, 7:12 am
#7
Join Date: Oct 2017
Programs: BAEC Silver, Flying Blue Platinum; Hilton Gold, IHG Diamond, Marriott Titanium, Wyndham Diamond
Posts: 788
BA uses sophisticated predictive software not much different than most major carriers. That software relies on hundreds of datapoints and may well shift over time.
There can be human intervention, but it is much less than in the past as the machine predictions tend to be, on balance, much more accurate than humans.
There can be human intervention, but it is much less than in the past as the machine predictions tend to be, on balance, much more accurate than humans.
Dec 12, 2018, 7:27 am
#8
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: South West UK
Programs: OW Saphire, Club Carlson Gold
Posts: 236