Seat reservation fees increase
Jun 4, 2019, 4:10 pm
#121
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,926
Jun 4, 2019, 5:36 pm
#122
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: US Air, UA BA LH AI DELTA MARRIOTT CHOICE SGP
Posts: 9,883
Pax are filling up planes because overall capacities may have decreased. Seasonal loads vary. In BA's case the network and LHR dominance plays a very important part.
Jun 4, 2019, 6:12 pm
#123
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,210
That holds true for most everything on the Net ! That is why I like to get links or sources when a statement or claim is made......
Pax are filling up planes because overall capacities may have decreased. Seasonal loads vary. In BA's case the network and LHR dominance plays a very important part.
Pax are filling up planes because overall capacities may have decreased. Seasonal loads vary. In BA's case the network and LHR dominance plays a very important part.
Crivens....even you fly 'em!!
Last edited by HIDDY; Jun 4, 2019 at 7:50 pm Reason: Add a smiley.
Jun 4, 2019, 6:31 pm
#124
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Tampa, FL
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Delta Platinum
Posts: 1,732
I'm looking to go TPA to TLV in December and BA came in pretty competitive in J...that is until you have to pay for seats. I refuse to pay to reserve a seat in a J cabin that's 8 across just on a matter of principle. Guess I won't be flying BA anytime soon in J!
Jun 4, 2019, 7:36 pm
#125
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Kelowna Canada
Programs: Aeroplan, HHonors Diamond, BonVoy Gold, AAdvantage, IHG Priority Club, BA EC, AS MVP
Posts: 110
Status with BA depends on your home base. If YVR, for example, flights must be via LHR at extraordinary taxation if flying BA. So one tends to travel via other hubs and even low level status hard to achieve or maintain.
Before they charged for CW we flew at least annually to the UAE and never had a problem scoring 62, 64 or other upper deck. After they started charging we flew SFO-LHR and I paid for 62. Lower deck on 12 hour flights is not a valid option for me. On the return I was able to score UD on OLCI which was a good result.
Flew Qantas last winter in Upper Deck and it was so bad that I would never bother to pay for advance reservations with them. BA was special back in the day
Before they charged for CW we flew at least annually to the UAE and never had a problem scoring 62, 64 or other upper deck. After they started charging we flew SFO-LHR and I paid for 62. Lower deck on 12 hour flights is not a valid option for me. On the return I was able to score UD on OLCI which was a good result.
Flew Qantas last winter in Upper Deck and it was so bad that I would never bother to pay for advance reservations with them. BA was special back in the day
Jun 5, 2019, 2:57 am
#126
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: HKG
Programs: BA GGL & CCR
Posts: 600
Maybe BA should care. The so called once in a lifetime flyer maybe starting the first of many more years of flying BA.
If my memory serves right, I read in another thread on upgrades, the experts here had mentioned that BA many times upgrades people with no status to entice them to buy upper cabin next time
so in one case BA entices and in another doesn’t care? Doesn’t make sense to me and I am not an expert on BA
For someone who needs to fly directly to a choice of destinations from the UK and prefers J class travel. There are no close substitutes, no slots at Heathrow and they’ve bought or signed joint ventures with any ‘apparent’ competitors.
The growing passanger numbers and profits are not signs of business success just an effect of a growing overall market and supernormal profits from heaps of fees and abuse of a monopoly position.
Smarter people know that a monopoly practices and anticompetitive markets mean higher prices and poorer service for all, it’s not just about elites vs. once a year customers. Everyone suffers...
Enticing is all they care about, they have the customers locked in, the only thing they have to work at is getting a bit more than they otherwise would have spent from those that are willing.
Jun 5, 2019, 9:20 am
#127
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: US Air, UA BA LH AI DELTA MARRIOTT CHOICE SGP
Posts: 9,883
Do read post 126 by amt......It sums up the cause effect in a nutshell. Couldn't have said it better.... Add to what is said, corporate contracts and loyalty to flag (nothing wrong with that) . BA has all these advantages and is taking full benefits
Jun 5, 2019, 9:57 am
#128
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
I thought that this one had been debunked, too.
BA is undoubtedly dominant in the London market. But there are relatively few destinations served direct from London to which BA has no competitor at all. Even between airlines in the same immunised joint venture, there is competition - as witness the constant comparisons of the relative pros and cons between AA business class and BA business class. And as a constant stream of posts on the BA board reminds us, much of the market sees other airlines as viable - indeed, preferable - competitors even though they can only offer indirect services to BA's direct destinations.
BA is only a monopoly player in the London market if you insist only on direct flights and also that all your flights are on the same airline. But why would you insist on the latter condition when you could choose a supposedly better airline for many of your trips? Frequent flyer benefits from flying on only one airline (or, these days, alliance) would seem to be a contender for most obvious answer.
But if you tie yourself to one airline whose service levels you despise simply because that airline bribes you with frequent flyer goodies which (as your choices show) you value more than the better service that you'd get on another airline, and then you complain to high heaven about being forced to fly on an airline whose service levels you despise because of some mythical "monopoly", then you are being naive or blind or disingenuous. Or possibly some combination of all three, if that is not a definitionally-challenged proposition.
BA is undoubtedly dominant in the London market. But there are relatively few destinations served direct from London to which BA has no competitor at all. Even between airlines in the same immunised joint venture, there is competition - as witness the constant comparisons of the relative pros and cons between AA business class and BA business class. And as a constant stream of posts on the BA board reminds us, much of the market sees other airlines as viable - indeed, preferable - competitors even though they can only offer indirect services to BA's direct destinations.
BA is only a monopoly player in the London market if you insist only on direct flights and also that all your flights are on the same airline. But why would you insist on the latter condition when you could choose a supposedly better airline for many of your trips? Frequent flyer benefits from flying on only one airline (or, these days, alliance) would seem to be a contender for most obvious answer.
But if you tie yourself to one airline whose service levels you despise simply because that airline bribes you with frequent flyer goodies which (as your choices show) you value more than the better service that you'd get on another airline, and then you complain to high heaven about being forced to fly on an airline whose service levels you despise because of some mythical "monopoly", then you are being naive or blind or disingenuous. Or possibly some combination of all three, if that is not a definitionally-challenged proposition.
Jun 5, 2019, 10:12 am
#129
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Vale of Glamorgan
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 2,991
Jun 5, 2019, 11:03 am
#130
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,613
And very often the picture is rather different, and you will have to pay a higher fare with BA, quite apart from their additional seat fees.
Take a popular route such as LHR-DXB. Random example dates in J class, out June 19, back June 26 :
lowest fare, with BA = Ł 1978
lowest fare, with EK = Ł 1904
And there are of course various other (included) benefits when flying EK.
Take a popular route such as LHR-DXB. Random example dates in J class, out June 19, back June 26 :
lowest fare, with BA = Ł 1978
lowest fare, with EK = Ł 1904
And there are of course various other (included) benefits when flying EK.
Jun 5, 2019, 11:08 am
#131
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: UK
Programs: Lemonia. Best Greek ever.
Posts: 2,274
IMHO, the amt points are reasonable, but perhaps arguable. They are not "untrue".
1. I live near LHR - the result of a job move many years ago. 2. I do not like to waste time flying via other airports and hanging around just to get marginally cheaper fares. When I want to go somewhere, that is where I want to go. 3. So I am one of those "caught" by the near monopoly conditions at LHR.
So I have sympathy for what amt says.
1. I live near LHR - the result of a job move many years ago. 2. I do not like to waste time flying via other airports and hanging around just to get marginally cheaper fares. When I want to go somewhere, that is where I want to go. 3. So I am one of those "caught" by the near monopoly conditions at LHR.
So I have sympathy for what amt says.
Jun 5, 2019, 11:12 am
#132
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
Jun 5, 2019, 11:41 am
#133
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges and Environmentally Friendly Travel
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 22,212
Concerning the seating policy, as a GGL card holder surely amt has all the advantages/benefits
Jun 5, 2019, 11:44 am
#134
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,926
Jun 5, 2019, 11:58 am
#135
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: LON, ACK, BOS..... (Not necessarily in that order)
Programs: **Mucci Diamond Hairbrush** - compared to that nothing else matters (+BA Bronze)
Posts: 15,129
For me BA are only just getting the outdated seats and doing away with the good ones. The best flight I ever had on an airplane was on BA (admittedly in F) and that includes flying private. Please don't make sweeping generalisations about the hard working BA cabin crew.
Last edited by Jimmie76; Jun 5, 2019 at 12:04 pm