Club Europe - unusual text message : Removal of middle seat block
Jul 26, 2019, 10:13 am
#46
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NCL
Programs: UA 1MM/*G. DL Gold for one more year.
Posts: 5,305
I note that Sunday's LHR-MUC flights have suddenly gone down from J9 to J0 (many oft hem are still showing Y9). Wondering how many people rejected BA's 6-abreast CE and asked to be rebooked for another day?
Quite a few years ago, I was meant to fly out of Athens on New Year's day, but the whole city was snowed in for a number of days. When flights finally reopened, with hundreds of displaced passengers, I was fully expecting AF to suspend seat blocking in business class — but they didn't. I made the first flight out (but had to ask quite forcefully to persuade the cabin crew to bring out the champagne before noon).
Quite a few years ago, I was meant to fly out of Athens on New Year's day, but the whole city was snowed in for a number of days. When flights finally reopened, with hundreds of displaced passengers, I was fully expecting AF to suspend seat blocking in business class — but they didn't. I made the first flight out (but had to ask quite forcefully to persuade the cabin crew to bring out the champagne before noon).
Jul 26, 2019, 10:15 am
#47
Join Date: Feb 2018
Programs: Mucci, BAEC Silver, IHG Platinum Elite
Posts: 1,038
Lets work some numbers; lets say 10 rows of CE, so 20 extra seats used. If they are all "delayed" CE passengers, that's around £3,000 of "revenue" (roughly) plus whatever they are saving on less "duty of care".
So they could use the £3K and share it around the original 40 CE pax, so £75 each to ease their extra confinement.
Revenue neutral, but BA would never even consider that....
So they could use the £3K and share it around the original 40 CE pax, so £75 each to ease their extra confinement.
Revenue neutral, but BA would never even consider that....
Agree what they are doing is the right thing.... just shame they can not be proactive dealing with any resulting losses & good will.
Jul 26, 2019, 10:20 am
#48
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,399
Some content over on the parody account (‘Not Señor Cruz’) can be uncannily close to real-world BA thinking, and I see that there’s already a tweet from @alexcruzmaybe, seemingly in response to an unhappy CE passenger, viz :
“no compensation due as it’s still Club Europe #middleseat #enhanced”
“no compensation due as it’s still Club Europe #middleseat #enhanced”
Jul 26, 2019, 10:22 am
#49
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London
Programs: BA GGLfL, WoH Lifetime Globalist, HH Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 711
I am now waiting for the first complaint about (1) slow CE service; (2) ran out of the salad etc., from a pax (for example seated in CE 12F) in one of these temporarily densified planes.
Doc Copper
Doc Copper
Jul 26, 2019, 10:24 am
#50
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,624
EC261 would not apply as this is due to issues outside their control.
It's about getting people home, and in the circumstances, its a shame those affected cant be a bit more understanding on the basis that it might well be them offloaded completely if this wasn't implemented.
To those saying "Id push to get something meaningful back as I didn't get what I paid for" - let me put it this way: would you suck it up, or wait till a flight can accommodate you in the way you expected? Because those are the choices really, unless you expect some other schmuck to be the one to be left behind.
It's about getting people home, and in the circumstances, its a shame those affected cant be a bit more understanding on the basis that it might well be them offloaded completely if this wasn't implemented.
To those saying "Id push to get something meaningful back as I didn't get what I paid for" - let me put it this way: would you suck it up, or wait till a flight can accommodate you in the way you expected? Because those are the choices really, unless you expect some other schmuck to be the one to be left behind.
If the airline calls it Club Europe but just lets some economy passengers sit in the middle seats , then no reimbursement would seem due under the regulation
Jul 26, 2019, 10:35 am
#51
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,211
I presume there are CE passengers delayed so wouldn't they be the ones seated in the densified CE cabin?
Given the extent of the disruption and the relative short flight duration, I'd be more than happy to help a fellow human being get to where they were going by giving up a bit of shoulder room, without immediately contemplating or anticipating what 'compensation' I'm going to receive. One day it might be me wanting to get somewhere.
Given the extent of the disruption and the relative short flight duration, I'd be more than happy to help a fellow human being get to where they were going by giving up a bit of shoulder room, without immediately contemplating or anticipating what 'compensation' I'm going to receive. One day it might be me wanting to get somewhere.
Jul 26, 2019, 11:00 am
#52
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NCL
Programs: UA 1MM/*G. DL Gold for one more year.
Posts: 5,305
Jul 26, 2019, 11:18 am
#53
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Krakow
Programs: BAEC Silver, Miles and More(FTL), IHG(Platinum), Accor, HHonors(Diamond), SPG, Hertz Five Star
Posts: 5,937
And yes, while i would be sympathetic and understanding, I would also be hoping for some level compensation from BA, as suggested an upgrade to CE voucher for a future flight wouks seem fitting
Jul 26, 2019, 11:32 am
#54
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,180
As long as it only for exceptional operational reasons and not a trial to see if they can now start stuffing 6 abreast. As long as this is not the thin edge of the wedge then I have no problem. One day that could be any of us.
Jul 26, 2019, 11:37 am
#56
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Mexico
Programs: BAEC Gold / Marriott Platinum
Posts: 3,549
I just arrived 20 hours later than scheduled to Heathrow. While there was plenty of room as we came from an outstation, I'd have not hesitated to have gone 6 abreast. If someone refusing to give up the middle seat meant someone getting home even later I'd have been appalled.
Jul 26, 2019, 11:39 am
#57
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Edinburgh
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 547
BA's caring side isn't really showing. The only flight from LCY-EDI is £387 in Y this evening. They want our compassion and understanding supposedly but are more than happy to use the situation to hammer the prices up.
Jul 26, 2019, 1:40 pm
#58
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold4life, ICH RA, Hyatt Gold and others
Posts: 701
I presume there are CE passengers delayed so wouldn't they be the ones seated in the densified CE cabin?
Given the extent of the disruption and the relative short flight duration, I'd be more than happy to help a fellow human being get to where they were going by giving up a bit of shoulder room, without immediately contemplating or anticipating what 'compensation' I'm going to receive. One day it might be me wanting to get somewhere.
Given the extent of the disruption and the relative short flight duration, I'd be more than happy to help a fellow human being get to where they were going by giving up a bit of shoulder room, without immediately contemplating or anticipating what 'compensation' I'm going to receive. One day it might be me wanting to get somewhere.
A sensible response to get people home given disruption may build again tonight if promised storms do return.
And getting advanced notice is polite than just having it foisted on you
And helping someone out of course does no harm
I remember in the weeks after 911 when flights started again but there were thousands of US citizens stranded in london. And BA asked if those who didn't need to take their flights would cancel to create space to repatriate. My family gave up a trip to MCO Disney town. It was the right thing to do.
I k ow this isnt in the same league but a gesture nonetheless
Jul 26, 2019, 1:49 pm
#59
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Englandshire
Programs: SPG LT Plat, BA G, BD*LG, MG Blue+ ...
Posts: 16,034
At this point in the thread, I'd be much more interested in hearing reports from anyone who's travelled on one of these 6-abreast CE services to find out how it actually played out. It does seem a bit odd that we haven't had any reports at all by this time.
Jul 26, 2019, 2:26 pm
#60
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 90
That would be the existing filed price of a Full Y fare. Due to the disruption, planes are filling up and the revenue optimisation robots are closing out the cheapest fare buckets.
It's what naturally happens as planes fill, regardless of the disruption, and in these cases actually helps as it disuades new bookings. The inventory remains available for stranded customers, who get rebooked on their existing tickets and don't pay any more.
Last edited by CitySlacker; Jul 26, 2019 at 2:34 pm