The ineluctable power of BAEC loyalty

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Mar 8, 2019, 7:20 am

#16

PAL62V

Join Date: Mar 2010

Posts: 1,805

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhbloke

I'm just happy to have learnt a new word.

ineluctable

/ˌɪnɪˈlʌktəb(ə)l/

adjectiveadjective: ineluctable

unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable.

Red wine is ineluctable.

JMurray, rockflyertalk, likethis and 2 others like this.

Mar 8, 2019, 7:31 am

#17

dougzz

Join Date: Nov 2015

Location: London

Programs: BA Gold

Posts: 1,710

Quote:

Originally Posted by Often1

The problem with the FFP schemes is that they are grounded on the premise that for their target customer, e.g. a business traveler who either does not pay for his tickets or has them reimbursed by a third-party such as an employer or a client, that the passenger is not as price sensitive as he ought to be and may not be at all.

I have no idea who paid for OP's ticket or what the reason was for that person to pay for the change, but one wonders how that third-party would have reacted has he been presented with the option of paying an additional £700 so that an employee or service provider (lawyer, accountant, consultant) may fly a preferred carrier when a cheaper and equally sufficient equivalent exists.

I certainly cannot imagine approving the £700 without requiring a review of whether there are more prudent alternatives.

Put another way, what would OP have dome had the £700 been out of his own pocket?

They made it clear the £700 was paid by the person or company responsible for the change. £700 is frankly trifling if you're flying someone to and from the US to begin with, and paying the daily/hourly charge rate of the kind of person that you have fly in from another continent.

Mar 8, 2019, 7:34 am

#18

Artpen100

Join Date: Jul 2011

Programs: AA Plat, UA 1K>Plat>moving to Silver

Posts: 2,117

Quote:

Originally Posted by Often1

All that is true, but there is another factor, which is that in the consulting/legal/accounting world, the senior person who is flying international business class also has responsibility for their budgets and profitability, so loyalty only goes so far. Value for cost is still the major driver. For 700 GBP being paid for by someone else, I might just charge it through. But 700 GBP is not a huge amount in most large budgets. And if I judged it was material on a project, I'd at least say something like "I'll need to charge through the difference in flight cost" and give them an opportunity to object. Clients are not oblivious - they know things are not free - but I want to respect their budgets as well. And for a much larger amount, say a 6000 GBP difference, I would not even ask. Just like if I were paying it myself, I'd fly the cheaper airline, and status would be immaterial. That, in fact, is why I am flying BA TATL in CW in a day on no status instead of Polaris UA, on which I am a 1K. Though not always the case, the difference was about 7000 USD. (Don't know why - government people flying IAD-BRU pre-Brexit?) I am just not comfortable charging that much more to the client.

Mar 8, 2019, 7:46 am

#19

LTN Phobia

Moderator: British Airways Executive Club

Join Date: Jan 2009

Programs: Battleaxe Alliance

Posts: 22,129

Additional £700 fare isn't much for a difference between R and C. I think you've done pretty well (a decent corporate deal?).

I'd have stuck to the devil I know for £700 fare difference to be honest, for no other reason than the familiarity, as long as it's pretty much what I want. I have my funny little routine on board that I'd stick to if I can.

Familiarity sometimes breeds contempt but it's nice to be able to guess how things work so that I can plan how to maximise my sleep, for instance.