For what reason would a Y customer choose BA for Long Haul
Dec 27, 2018, 3:42 am
#16
Join Date: May 2016
Location: UK
Posts: 456
Flying inY to avoid heavy charges
I recently booked two Avios redemptions to ORD (actually a 2-4-1 but two lots of fees). Total charges were over £1300 of which YQ charges were £400. each! Return fare in Y would have been £295 each (and there is good availability) which has really made me begin to think that it isn’t worth over £100 an hour (fees and Avios) to sit in J on BA. (We are retired with no status and slow Avios earning rate). We flew over last year in Y with AA. We paid for one of the pairs of seats right at the back. There are no toilets at the back on the AA787-8 and the secondary galley is fairly quiet. Both flights were daytime flights and it wasn’t bad at all. We were last of the aircraft but have Global Entry so, all in all not bad. Would definitely do it again.
Last edited by Definitas; Dec 27, 2018 at 3:45 am Reason: correction
Dec 27, 2018, 3:43 am
#17
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,809
Talk about damning with faint praise!
Welcome to Flyertalk and welcome to the BA forum Woollyhead, it's good to see you here - and we don't get much by way of World Traveller commentary in this forum - so I would certainly encourage you to keep participating here.
Welcome to Flyertalk and welcome to the BA forum Woollyhead, it's good to see you here - and we don't get much by way of World Traveller commentary in this forum - so I would certainly encourage you to keep participating here.
Dec 27, 2018, 3:48 am
#18
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Bregenz, Austria
Programs: AA, BAEC, Alaska, Flying Blue, United, IHG, Hilton
Posts: 2,950
The only conceivable reasons I would pay a £100 premium for a Y flight with no status would be:
1. A significantly better schedule, helping me avoid an overnight airport stay before or after the flight (which would probably cost £100 anyway).
For example, a midday departure landing at 4pm local, as opposed to a 6am departure or 11pm arrival.
or
2. Avoiding a particularly uncomfortable aircraft configuration, such as a 9-across 787 or 10-across 777.
I believe BA has some of the few remaining 9-across 777s, so depending on the route this might be a factor.
Absent these factors, save yourself the ton.
1. A significantly better schedule, helping me avoid an overnight airport stay before or after the flight (which would probably cost £100 anyway).
For example, a midday departure landing at 4pm local, as opposed to a 6am departure or 11pm arrival.
or
2. Avoiding a particularly uncomfortable aircraft configuration, such as a 9-across 787 or 10-across 777.
I believe BA has some of the few remaining 9-across 777s, so depending on the route this might be a factor.
Absent these factors, save yourself the ton.
Dec 27, 2018, 4:18 am
#19
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 2,379
I'd look at price and schedule but I'd probably stick with OW having had lots of points with various airlines that I couldn't use and lost. Even a small amount of avios will get me a tea or coffee on board.
The other big factor for a shorter stay would be hand luggage allowances so I don't have to check in.
Eta airport too, Luton for example is just too much of a pain to get to via public transport for me.
The other big factor for a shorter stay would be hand luggage allowances so I don't have to check in.
Eta airport too, Luton for example is just too much of a pain to get to via public transport for me.
Dec 27, 2018, 4:21 am
#20
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 2,379
They're more expensive in your specific example, that doesn't mean they always are. Sometimes even Ryanair is more than BA.
Dec 27, 2018, 4:34 am
#21
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: OTP/KRK
Programs: M&M FTL, Miles+Bonus Gold
Posts: 664
I flew many longhaul flights in the past years with different airlines (DL, AF, LH, BA, SQ, TK) and I see BA's soft product in Y (flew LHR-JFK-LHR this summer) better than LH and much much better than AF and DL but still not in the same league with SQ and TK. Their hard product is very poor (and I flew a B744 with ”refreshed” interior).
Dec 27, 2018, 4:36 am
#22
Join Date: Nov 2018
Programs: BA Bronze, Hilton Gold
Posts: 39
I always book flights back into the EU on an EU carrier to protect me in the case of IRROPS so definitely would book BA over UA. Although unlikely, as a low/no-status Y passenger, I would be at the back of the queue if the flight is cancelled or heavily delayed.
At least with a community carrier you can know they have to reimburse a hotel/food even if the delay is due to weather, something an American carrier is unlikely to do.
At least with a community carrier you can know they have to reimburse a hotel/food even if the delay is due to weather, something an American carrier is unlikely to do.
Dec 27, 2018, 4:42 am
#23
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, A3 *Gold
Posts: 887
It’s been 6 or 7 years since I flew UA but based on that they were not as good as BA - however not £100 worse. I’d probably pay £30-£40 more for BA as a blue, £50 more in reality as I’d get lounge access and other benefits of Gold.
Dec 27, 2018, 4:47 am
#24
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL/CR; Hilton Diamond; Mucci des Puccis
Posts: 5,609
I always book flights back into the EU on an EU carrier to protect me in the case of IRROPS so definitely would book BA over UA. Although unlikely, as a low/no-status Y passenger, I would be at the back of the queue if the flight is cancelled or heavily delayed.
At least with a community carrier you can know they have to reimburse a hotel/food even if the delay is due to weather, something an American carrier is unlikely to do.
At least with a community carrier you can know they have to reimburse a hotel/food even if the delay is due to weather, something an American carrier is unlikely to do.
Dec 27, 2018, 5:02 am
#25
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Middle Earth, and often worse
Programs: BAEC Silver, A3 Gold
Posts: 2,219
For instance, right now I am in India and have a "space" on a train on Saturday that will get me to a destination to "maybe" catch a bus to Cochin International Airport - with "maybe" 2 hours to catch my overseas flight. I think I will get up early tomorrow morning (Friday) and buy an earlier train ticket for a "space" on a train that gets to my destination 90 minutes earlier than the train I have a ticket for. That way I can "for-sure" catch an earlier bus (at my train destination) and have over 3 hours at the airport. Spending the extra 340 Rupees is a no-brainer, even if I have to get up 2 hours earlier than normal to get to the ticket vendor... cheap insurance, but a PITA in terms of inconvenience tomorrow.
Last edited by tmac100; Dec 27, 2018 at 5:13 am
Dec 27, 2018, 5:06 am
#26
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: UK. BAEC AAdvantage
Programs: Mucci Des Oeufs Brouilles et des Canards
Posts: 3,671
In some ways it's good to be free of alliance ties when looking at a route. When I travel to Australia I always try a OW airline first to see what the benchmark is price wise. Then I look at the others to see what (if any) saving I can make, if the cabins are any better and how the timings compare.
On the NY route, decide for yourself what else you could spend that £100 on. It's not that long a flight (I'd call it mid haul, but that's me) and for me the big issue would be what time the return flight is. I'd want to maximise my time in NYC, and get as late as possible flight back. That has the benefit of arriving back to the UK around lunch time rather than in the morning peak. May help with jet lag a bit too.
On the NY route, decide for yourself what else you could spend that £100 on. It's not that long a flight (I'd call it mid haul, but that's me) and for me the big issue would be what time the return flight is. I'd want to maximise my time in NYC, and get as late as possible flight back. That has the benefit of arriving back to the UK around lunch time rather than in the morning peak. May help with jet lag a bit too.
Dec 27, 2018, 5:09 am
#27
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL/CR; Hilton Diamond; Mucci des Puccis
Posts: 5,609
Well yes, but taking the example of a £100 fare difference, if you have EC261 IRROPs 10% of the time, the total paid as a premium would be a grand. And I reckon that 10% is orders of magnitude greater than actual probability. So you could either self-insure or use a trip insurance policy. Anyway any airline flying into the EU is subject to EC261 I believe.
This isn't to say any approach is wrong, more that paying extra for peace of mind can be more expensive than alternatives. Often there's a "devil you know" aspect to what premium will be acceptable to passengers which trumps the maths.
This isn't to say any approach is wrong, more that paying extra for peace of mind can be more expensive than alternatives. Often there's a "devil you know" aspect to what premium will be acceptable to passengers which trumps the maths.
Dec 27, 2018, 5:15 am
#28
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 2,379
Well yes, but taking the example of a £100 fare difference, if you have EC261 IRROPs 10% of the time, the total paid as a premium would be a grand. And I reckon that 10% is orders of magnitude greater than actual probability. So you could either self-insure or use a trip insurance policy. Anyway any airline flying into the EU is subject to EC261 I believe.
This isn't to say any approach is wrong, more that paying extra for peace of mind can be more expensive than alternatives. Often there's a "devil you know" aspect to what premium will be acceptable to passengers which trumps the maths.
This isn't to say any approach is wrong, more that paying extra for peace of mind can be more expensive than alternatives. Often there's a "devil you know" aspect to what premium will be acceptable to passengers which trumps the maths.
Dec 27, 2018, 5:23 am
#29
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: BA - Blue > Bronze > Silver > Bronze > Blue
Posts: 6,812
As a Y customer with no status, in 2013, i would be completely loyal to BA and would actually only ever book with BA. Im currently looking to book a trip to NY in May and BA are coming up as just under £100 more than united (if booked directly with them) and im curious to see if anyone here that is the same position as me would choose BA over all other airlines and if so, why?
My sister would’ve one to pay the premium for BA having has what she called an 80s experience on UA a few years back in regards to IFE etc.
im sure they’ve upgraded things since but your average flyer, while probably getting better in regards to research etc. doesn’t know these things when they book.
I suspect in this case BA has simply already filled it’s cheaper buckets and knows it can ultimately extract more revenue at the higher price now. Most people will likely book the cheaper options now (assuming no schedule advantages etc) until they sell out their cheaper fares too, at which point the prices will likely align
Dec 27, 2018, 5:24 am
#30
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Posts: 2,246