Bangkok aircraft [and other BA 9/10 LHR-BKK vv-related things]
Feb 27, 2019, 7:17 am
#16
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: London/Oxford
Programs: BAEC Gold / ITA Volare Executive
Posts: 50
Feb 27, 2019, 7:58 am
#17
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
Is this such a lengthy diversion? Surely over such a long distance the distance penalty of flying 500 miles further north or south relative to the total distance is not that much compared to such things as wind direction changes. Or are we looking at very different routings avoiding more than just Pakistani airspace?
Feb 27, 2019, 8:18 am
#18
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: ±38,000 feet
Programs: LH HON, BA GGL, AF Plat, EK Plat
Posts: 6,428
I think the reason people complain about the aircraft on BKK more than any other is that it's easy to benchmark it to what you could have flown had you chosen another carrier on this route - EVA/Thai direct or basically any European or Middle Eastern carrier if you are willing to just slightly lengthen your journey. On many of the other routes where BA operates these 777s there is little-to-no real competition. Having said that, I completely understand BA's strategy here as the problem with BKK is that BA's lunch has basically already been eaten. BKK presents a fairly unique set of issues for BA as a route - leisure-heavy, more budget-led than premium-led and eastbound too.
BA is a premium-heavy airline with largely premium-heavy configured air frames as a result, so they are limited in the frames they could use profitably on a route like BKK, most have just too many J/F seats in ratio to Y for a route like BKK which is largely Y demand. Even worse, a lot of the premium demand that does exist is leisure travel rather than the business travelers that BA usually rely on. This means the average BKK customer is much more willing to fly via the Middle East for what is perceived as a more comfortable product, so BA isn't able to rely on being the quickest and only direct option to drive high premium cabin pricing as they are able to do on many other routes. The fact DXB and DOH don't add much flying time to the route just makes things worse in both Y and J, I have no doubt if EK/QR/EY didn't exist BA would probably be operating multiple BKK rotations a day instead. Finally, on westbound routes BA has an inherent advantage as flying anyone but BA on many of the routes BA offers from LHR involves backtracking and adding significant additional flight time, in addition to also being a viable option for people connecting from other European airports where LHR isn't a significant westbound detour. For BKK the additional time added by changing flights in CDG or FRA is much less than for westbound flight and LHR isn't well placed to attract customers from Continental Europe without offering rock bottom prices (hence the AMS-BKK J fare that has existed forever). In short, I think it's probably more likely BA will drop this route or switch to a smaller aircraft (788 would probably work) than upgrade the product they offer.
BA is a premium-heavy airline with largely premium-heavy configured air frames as a result, so they are limited in the frames they could use profitably on a route like BKK, most have just too many J/F seats in ratio to Y for a route like BKK which is largely Y demand. Even worse, a lot of the premium demand that does exist is leisure travel rather than the business travelers that BA usually rely on. This means the average BKK customer is much more willing to fly via the Middle East for what is perceived as a more comfortable product, so BA isn't able to rely on being the quickest and only direct option to drive high premium cabin pricing as they are able to do on many other routes. The fact DXB and DOH don't add much flying time to the route just makes things worse in both Y and J, I have no doubt if EK/QR/EY didn't exist BA would probably be operating multiple BKK rotations a day instead. Finally, on westbound routes BA has an inherent advantage as flying anyone but BA on many of the routes BA offers from LHR involves backtracking and adding significant additional flight time, in addition to also being a viable option for people connecting from other European airports where LHR isn't a significant westbound detour. For BKK the additional time added by changing flights in CDG or FRA is much less than for westbound flight and LHR isn't well placed to attract customers from Continental Europe without offering rock bottom prices (hence the AMS-BKK J fare that has existed forever). In short, I think it's probably more likely BA will drop this route or switch to a smaller aircraft (788 would probably work) than upgrade the product they offer.
That's why I expect the BKK route to be one of the first to get A350 when it arrives (3-class, not too premium heavy yet with the new BA suite in J)
Feb 27, 2019, 9:54 am
#19
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,923
Feb 27, 2019, 11:14 am
#20
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: LON
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,915
Not sure what happened there, but provided you are connected to the CX lounge WiFi Pressreader should just work for all the titles Cathay have subscribed to (note: my local library gives access to more titles than CX do on their wifi). There is no way Pressreader can detect what metal you are flying on, they just see your app connected to the CX lounge hotspot and you're permitted access.
Feb 27, 2019, 6:33 pm
#21
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: usually somewhere between 30000 and 40000 feet...but actually the English countryside
Programs: BA GGL/Lifetime Gold, EK Gold, Lowly M&M, Marriott tit, Hhonors Diamond, numerous others
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Feb 28, 2019, 12:40 am
#22
formerly fdemoulin
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: UK
Programs: SPG Lifetime Platinum, BA Silver, Virgin Flying Club Red
Posts: 916
Not sure what happened there, but provided you are connected to the CX lounge WiFi Pressreader should just work for all the titles Cathay have subscribed to (note: my local library gives access to more titles than CX do on their wifi). There is no way Pressreader can detect what metal you are flying on, they just see your app connected to the CX lounge hotspot and you're permitted access.
i did try that but the lounge agent nttold meyouhaveto log in wiiththe cx flight number which I have to admit does seem odd. My husband also tried but no luck and when you try to download a title it reverts asks you to pay. Nota big deal but it just seems strange
Feb 28, 2019, 11:31 am
#23
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: London. Or a plane.
Programs: "Only" 50,000 TPs until BA GGLfL
Posts: 2,774
I'm always amazed this flight keeps popping up. BA fly an aircraft with a terrible offering in J, but there's plenty of choice on the route: just fly EVA in J - they have reverse herringbone seats and fabulous champagne in J (currently La Grande Dame, IIRC - the same price point as what BA serve in F)
Mar 1, 2019, 2:14 am
#26
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: ±38,000 feet
Programs: LH HON, BA GGL, AF Plat, EK Plat
Posts: 6,428
Mar 1, 2019, 2:26 am
#27
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,596
Can you not book a Bankok Airways flight BKK-HAN as a BA code share?
Mar 1, 2019, 5:56 am
#29
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: BA SL, CX GR, IHG Plat Amb
Posts: 578
I think the reason people complain about the aircraft on BKK more than any other is that it's easy to benchmark it to what you could have flown had you chosen another carrier on this route - EVA/Thai direct or basically any European or Middle Eastern carrier if you are willing to just slightly lengthen your journey. On many of the other routes where BA operates these 777s there is little-to-no real competition. Having said that, I completely understand BA's strategy here as the problem with BKK is that BA's lunch has basically already been eaten. BKK presents a fairly unique set of issues for BA as a route - leisure-heavy, more budget-led than premium-led and eastbound too.
BA is a premium-heavy airline with largely premium-heavy configured air frames as a result, so they are limited in the frames they could use profitably on a route like BKK, most have just too many J/F seats in ratio to Y for a route like BKK which is largely Y demand. Even worse, a lot of the premium demand that does exist is leisure travel rather than the business travelers that BA usually rely on. This means the average BKK customer is much more willing to fly via the Middle East for what is perceived as a more comfortable product, so BA isn't able to rely on being the quickest and only direct option to drive high premium cabin pricing as they are able to do on many other routes. The fact DXB and DOH don't add much flying time to the route just makes things worse in both Y and J, I have no doubt if EK/QR/EY didn't exist BA would probably be operating multiple BKK rotations a day instead. Finally, on westbound routes BA has an inherent advantage as flying anyone but BA on many of the routes BA offers from LHR involves backtracking and adding significant additional flight time, in addition to also being a viable option for people connecting from other European airports where LHR isn't a significant westbound detour. For BKK the additional time added by changing flights in CDG or FRA is much less than for westbound flight and LHR isn't well placed to attract customers from Continental Europe without offering rock bottom prices (hence the AMS-BKK J fare that has existed forever). In short, I think it's probably more likely BA will drop this route or switch to a smaller aircraft (788 would probably work) than upgrade the product they offer.
BA is a premium-heavy airline with largely premium-heavy configured air frames as a result, so they are limited in the frames they could use profitably on a route like BKK, most have just too many J/F seats in ratio to Y for a route like BKK which is largely Y demand. Even worse, a lot of the premium demand that does exist is leisure travel rather than the business travelers that BA usually rely on. This means the average BKK customer is much more willing to fly via the Middle East for what is perceived as a more comfortable product, so BA isn't able to rely on being the quickest and only direct option to drive high premium cabin pricing as they are able to do on many other routes. The fact DXB and DOH don't add much flying time to the route just makes things worse in both Y and J, I have no doubt if EK/QR/EY didn't exist BA would probably be operating multiple BKK rotations a day instead. Finally, on westbound routes BA has an inherent advantage as flying anyone but BA on many of the routes BA offers from LHR involves backtracking and adding significant additional flight time, in addition to also being a viable option for people connecting from other European airports where LHR isn't a significant westbound detour. For BKK the additional time added by changing flights in CDG or FRA is much less than for westbound flight and LHR isn't well placed to attract customers from Continental Europe without offering rock bottom prices (hence the AMS-BKK J fare that has existed forever). In short, I think it's probably more likely BA will drop this route or switch to a smaller aircraft (788 would probably work) than upgrade the product they offer.
