Does BAEC Hate TP Runs?
Dec 31, 2018, 5:25 am
#16
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bridport, Dorset
Programs: Mucci, BA Bronze, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,130
I think they're more than happy for the extra business...
Dec 31, 2018, 5:40 am
#17
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: London
Programs: BA bronze, Hertz pres circle, Marriott Platinum, hilton diamond
Posts: 2,537
I’m sure they hate people spending thousands of pounds to get benefits which only cost them a few hundred pounds, and then, ensure that you’re even more loyal to the brand.
After all, to make use of those benefits you have to fly...
After all, to make use of those benefits you have to fly...
Dec 31, 2018, 5:52 am
#18
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
I know it's perfectly accepted however an airline must recognise when someone is on a TP run to achieve a certain status for as little as possible.
Or would this not even be on a radar for an airline, other than a soulless computer?
Like a buffet restaurant. They bank on people having say 2 plates or less because their breakeven point might be 1.5 plates to leave some profit but when a rugby team rock up and eat 5 plates each... they lose out.
See where I'm going?
Or would this not even be on a radar for an airline, other than a soulless computer?
Like a buffet restaurant. They bank on people having say 2 plates or less because their breakeven point might be 1.5 plates to leave some profit but when a rugby team rock up and eat 5 plates each... they lose out.
See where I'm going?
Dec 31, 2018, 6:10 am
#19
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,211
Insignificant even...and only the most fanatical will keep doing it year after year after year.
I was looking back at an old thread yesterday...2007 I think it was. It was interesting to see most of those who posted regularly back then have since vanished from the forum. Right enough, some didn't have any choice as they had been suspended.
I was looking back at an old thread yesterday...2007 I think it was. It was interesting to see most of those who posted regularly back then have since vanished from the forum. Right enough, some didn't have any choice as they had been suspended.
Dec 31, 2018, 7:12 am
#20
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: HKG
Programs: BA GGL & CCR
Posts: 600
If anyone hates them I imagine it’s genuine frequent fliers.
They crowd the lounges, boarding queues, compete for acess to the same the pool of ‘special treatment or consideration’ and the exploitation of loopholes in routing or fares result in tightening and more stringent enforcement of dictatorial policies surrounding things like compensation, stopovers, re-routing/ticketing, interairlining,
They crowd the lounges, boarding queues, compete for acess to the same the pool of ‘special treatment or consideration’ and the exploitation of loopholes in routing or fares result in tightening and more stringent enforcement of dictatorial policies surrounding things like compensation, stopovers, re-routing/ticketing, interairlining,
Dec 31, 2018, 10:14 am
#22
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Programs: TK *G, BA Gold
Posts: 592
I think BA will change the rules if they think people are getting status too easy. The threshold for gold used to be 800 TP in the EU but 1500 in the UK. They changed it a few years ago. They have changed the TP for really cheap tickets to make the status correspond more to the amount of money paid. They don't hate people doing TP runs but will adjust the benefits as they see fit.
Dec 31, 2018, 11:50 am
#23
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: HKG
Programs: BA GGL & CCR
Posts: 600
Dec 31, 2018, 7:09 pm
#24
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: UK - Hampshire & London
Programs: Mucci de Guardian des Celliers des Grands Crus 1e Classé, plus BAEC.
Posts: 2,734
On an average week, 900,000 passengers land or depart from LHR, LGW, LCY and STN. So it's like BA are moving the entire population of Exeter every day of the week. So long as they get their 900k passengers (and they pay for the privilege), I doubt BA know or care what happens next.
We are all, even CCR mega CIVs, very small beer for BA.
Dec 31, 2018, 7:33 pm
#25
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Munich, Algarve, Sussex or S.F Bay Area
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, A3*Gold, AA Plat, HH Gold, IHG Plat Amb, Marriott Plat
Posts: 4,163
If BA didn’t want travellers to TP run, they wouldn’t have membership tiers in the first place. I suspect that BA derives much income from travel that would no longer take place without the “carrot” of status and the comparatively small amount of money providing the benefits actually costs. If there is one thing I trust BA to do, it’s to produce the spreadsheet that shows the costs vs. benefits of all this and to adjust it as necessary.
Jan 1, 2019, 2:06 am
#26
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 833
How much do TPs actually "cost" BA, in terms of lost revenue - very little, if anything. The tickets probably achieve the marginal cost of BA providing the service. Any opportunity cost (where we might have paid more for a non TP-run ticket) is likely to be very small in the grand scheme of things - tens of thousands perhaps.
How much would it cost BA to "stop" TP runs. That means needing to pay wages to people to devise 'better' pricing models / IT systems to deter TP runs - without impacting 'genuine' bookings. A couple of BAs, developers, testers etc. - and you're well into 6 figures already.
In short, it's probably a lot more expensive to stop TP runs, than to let them carry on - at least while TP runs remain at the margins.
How much would it cost BA to "stop" TP runs. That means needing to pay wages to people to devise 'better' pricing models / IT systems to deter TP runs - without impacting 'genuine' bookings. A couple of BAs, developers, testers etc. - and you're well into 6 figures already.
In short, it's probably a lot more expensive to stop TP runs, than to let them carry on - at least while TP runs remain at the margins.
Jan 1, 2019, 3:54 am
#27
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,683
I’d guess, and it’s no more than that, we’ll see attempts to block some of the inventive routings. The inclusion of LHR-HEL-LHR in a single trip for example. I believe AA have already switched those LAX-PTY runs to have a 2 stop limit, removing the multi stops that generated better than $1 per TP bookings.
But like others have said I guess they just don’t care why you travel, they just want you to travel with them rather than someone else.
But like others have said I guess they just don’t care why you travel, they just want you to travel with them rather than someone else.
Jan 3, 2019, 2:28 am
#28
Join Date: May 2018
Programs: Marco Polo, BA Executive club, SPG, Hyatt,
Posts: 65
My guess is that they prefer the business, just not too interested to have their tier used in other ways (OWE for example).
Which is why they have another super tier with Concorde room and all that. While it is possible to do a BA gold run, a GGL run is a pretty hectic undertaking.
But then compare to other OneWorld carriers, I'd say BAEC is probably among the most popular.
Which is why they have another super tier with Concorde room and all that. While it is possible to do a BA gold run, a GGL run is a pretty hectic undertaking.
But then compare to other OneWorld carriers, I'd say BAEC is probably among the most popular.
Jan 3, 2019, 3:22 am
#29
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: LHR/SEA/YVR
Programs: BAEC G/*O E
Posts: 920
Guess the only segment of TP runners who might have a detrimental effect on BA profits are those based out of LAX, JFK, or MIA and flying primarily US domestic (I.e. use AA flagship lounges while not spending much with BA). But as many said, they constitute such a small share of BA passengers, that I would be surprised if BA ever takes any action (though reducing TPs on domestic F from 210 to 140 did hurt).
Jan 3, 2019, 11:40 am
#30
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 411
Guess the only segment of TP runners who might have a detrimental effect on BA profits are those based out of LAX, JFK, or MIA and flying primarily US domestic (I.e. use AA flagship lounges while not spending much with BA). But as many said, they constitute such a small share of BA passengers, that I would be surprised if BA ever takes any action (though reducing TPs on domestic F from 210 to 140 did hurt).