absoluy

That seems to be pretty classic BA though... do the easy stuff pretty well (first wing at home terminal, car transfers), but don’t even bother with the slightly more difficult stuff (e.g. proper [/properly staffed] security and immigration at what is basically their second home terminal in T7).

fatmac70

This BA meet and greet has happened over the last 3-4 months - only at LHR no out stations and generally fly into PHL/EWR. AA are normally paging me at Philly when flying AA domestic for pre-boarding with their CK’s.

Rubecula

A contrary view. I like the price I currently pay for First and accept there is little margin in it for expensive personal ground service.

orbitmic

In my view this gets causality wrong. It is quite possible that the new initiative will end up increasing the price of your ticket in the end, but if so it won’t be because it will increase ba’s costs but if the improve service attracts more customers thereby increasing the price at which ba can sell tickets on your flight.

In other words, they will always aim for the model that enables them to typically sell as close to all seats at the highest price they can charge, and if they could sell tickets £500 more whilst keeping the existing service levels they would have done just that.

Rubecula

Causality in the airline industry is pretty much the passenger wanting to pay as little as possible.

The idea that airlines want to maximise revenue is not new.

orbitmic

nobody suggested that it is! just pointed out that is also new is that fares are largely unrelated to costs.

HighLife

It's very hit and miss in my experience, but the lady with the BA Jag who was waiting for me and another passenger (also in F but not travelling with me) on the A380 back from LAX the other day
told me she was now on the Concorde Team and they would be looking out for my bookings in future. She said she had been contacted by LAX on this occasion as they had taken me from lounge to gate
the night before.

MarkedMan

Funnily enough tho', MIA is where I had my first inkling that something was afoot when the Special Services lady at the gate for our flight called out my name just before the time when boarding would have been due to start, came to introduce herself and told me to hang around and she'd walk me to the plane. The flight had a delay, so sat around a bit, then they "boarded" specials, who were kept around in the hall adjacent to the jetty; she took me in right after then walked me down the jetty to the door where we waited and chatted while preps were being completed.

Never had anything remotely like this on BA, tho' it's happened a few times on AA albeit never so early in the process. Not too bothered either way, as others have stated, but the personal touch in this case was nice, in general the MIA staff are very good.

lorcancoyle

Can see logic in not advertising it until they’ve bedded it down, otherwise there could be complaints about not getting something someone was “entitled” to etc.

I’ve only had the car transfer at LHR once, and a couple of AA escorts to lounge on connections, invites to board with CKs etc. Overall I think it’s positive, but if I don’t get a car on my BA28 arrival tomorrow morning I won’t be disappointed (hint hint...)

(HKG is one of the airports I’m not a fan of lounge escorts at for obvious reasons)

rather_be_on_a_griffin

Sunday night BA174 and when I checked in at JFK the agent offered me a ‘Range Rover’ at Heathrow. I thought I’d like to try it give I’m likely to lose GGL this year and never have experienced it. She phoned someone and confirmed that I wanted the car.

Flight was superb: those Club Suites have wow factor. I regretted taking the car though because it’s a bit pointless given we arrive at B gates and I actually like the walk through the tunnel to restart myself after the red eye.

Luckily when I got off the plane there was no one waiting. The agent at the end of the jet bridge was busy with someone else so I just carried on so all good. It’s a shame but this inconsistency is almost BA’s defining characteristic and why I’m relaxed about dropping to Gold.

bil

It seems unclear that the above is the reason why there was no change in the J product of BA. Perhaps, it has more to do with the fact that even with their current seats (for a number of complex reasons) they still make huge profits.

In principle, BA could get a big chunk of money and invest it in better soft and hard products both in the ground and on the air an go up the ladder of "premiumness". However, I would be surprised if this move hadn't been studied. Perhaps, given a lot of factors such as: UK airline market, the money that customers are willing to pay in the routes they fly, competition, how to finance the loan and many others more complex it was deemed that it would make less money for the airline.

May be the seat is uncompetitive, but it is still is able to easily beat the competition— at least— in their market segment, as shown by the profits BA makes. I understand that you might not like this decision, but until their J business goes to other airlines they're not going to change things, or not as quickly anyway.

Lolbert

As I understand it the meet and greet/car to terminal service at T5 is only for Prems and GGLfLs at the moment

golfmad

That’s incorrect. Who told you that?

Lolbert

The Concorde Team at LHR

golfmad

Was that recently? If so, there is clearly some confusion.