MrSimonR

Your point about the alternative isn't quite right. BA to AMM earns SH+ TPs, while RJ earns longhaul TPs.

So flying BA earns 80 // 40 // 20 or 10 for CE/ full Y // discounted Y
While flying RJ earns 140 // 70 // 20 for J / full Y // discounted Y

Avios earned is less, but TPs are actually greater.

Likewise if you want to stay OW, you can fly LHR-HEL-SVO with AY and have a nicer journey and earn more TPs (but fewer avios).

Dan72

Yes, probably 18 months ago actually. I've moved patches since then. I should add that I never flew AF on that route and that was just one of a number of possible explanations that crossed my mind as to why RJ offered more on the LHR route, cf. CDG.

I'm sure the LHR route is more important than CDG to RJ. They typically fly 787s to Heathrow, but I only ever had narrow bodies on RJ to Paris, although I know they do occasionally offer the 787 on that route.

13901

Of all the routes that BA downgauged to an A320 from Long Haul, Moscow is the one that perhaps will stick. Cairo and Amman are a mistake in my mind and I can only think they've been downgauged due to the Covid-19-related downturn in travel, but Moscow is a a quick 3h30 hop. I've flown on that route both as (volunteered) crew and as a passenger and I don't understand how can you catch anything but a quick nap. As you said downthread, demand has been plummeting in the last few years, be it economy or politics or both. In addition to that, the UK's not in the list of e-Visas for Russia, there's little onward connection with S7 and, frankly, even if there was I don't see a lot of British tourism in the 'Stans or Siberia... which is a shame.

Having said that, is Aeroflot still bad with aircraft changes? We used to support them in BCN - well we supported IB who had the contract - and they were one of those carriers (El Al also springs to mind) that had the bad habit of throwing any sort of plane every day, with no rhyme or reason. Line Maintenance contracts normally have (or had) information on the sort of aircraft and frequencies: Aeroflot's was a mess. It basically said that they could fly more or less frequencies with A320s, A321s, B738s, B767s, A332s, A333s, B777s, all of course registered in some Caribbean flyspeck...

ankomonkey

That makes things a bit better. I guess Easyjet fly similar to ET on routes from UK to HRG. In the past I have ignored BA flights to CAI due to very high fares (even in WT) and pretty poor flight times, choosing cheaper indirect flights at better times. I'd like to see some cheaper BA flights ex-LHR to CAI now too.

MaxFlyer

I will miss CAI on the B789. It was nice way to start and end a HNL tier point run. The opportunity of FLUB was an added bonus.

MrSimonR

I would say the opposite. DME is the least likely to work out as a shorthaul service, as it has almost zero leisure traffic (in UK-Russia direction) which accounts for the success of most Club Europe routes.

Demand has only fallen during the Covid situation due to the drop off of almost all business travel, as this is a business route with some Russia-UK & beyond tourist traffic, especially in the Summer season. Before Covid the A321 CW cabins were generally full on busy days, the 787s quite busy in CW (depending on which day). As I said, my last trips in October even had good loads in CW. Most of that business (mine included) will clearly go to SU. BA wants to chase the budget market, good luck. It didn't work out too well for Easyjet. And now Wizzair is selling the route for £17 o/w.

13901

The load numbers I used to see before leaving were a bit different from your observations, I'm sorry to say. The route had 747 and 767s, then moved to 777s and 787s, then 321, then again some 321 and 787s, then they opened SVO - which was then closed. The numbers have never been very good since the end of the commodities boom.

ExpatExp

That sounds like an excellent TP run

MaxFlyer

It was indeed. It was when AA had cheap fares from CAI.

Ardecos

Currently KL are flying 777s AMS - CAI. Cargo must be going well.

husseinbadr

Does the "The cabin refund will be processed automatically" mean I should just sit tight and expect some refund eventually to come down the line after travel is completed? Not very reassuring given it's now four months and still counting that I've been waiting for a refund on the return portion of an avios booking cancelled last July.......
Or should I explicitly raise a complaint on ba.com? If so, now or wait till travel has been completed (which will be on 20 December)?
Any clarification, helpful advice would be appreciated.

corporate-wage-slave

If you are not traveling at all on the booking, then you should just call up and get a refund. Ideally after you have received a cancellation email, but in this scenario I think you are ok just to call anyway.

NickB

While AF serves many secondary domestic destinations from ORY that it does not serve from CDG, all regular BA French destinations from LHR are also served by AF from CDG. BA do serve a number of minor French destinations that are not served by AF from CDG (eg: UIP, EGC, GNB, etc...) but these are AFAIK all seasonal leisure point-to-point destinations with negligible transfer traffic and often served from LGW or LCY rather than LHR.

husseinbadr

Thank you for your answer, but I am traveling on the booking, on 20 Dec. So what should I do to get a refund for the downgrade from the CW ticket I bought to the CE service I will be getting? This trip on 19/20 Dec is the return leg of a CAI-JFK-CAI CW ticket, bought in 2019.

ISTFlyer

Probably you misunderstood the statement in the document.
You would not get any downgrade compensation, however, you still have the option to get a full refund for the unflown parts of your ticket.
The downgrade refund is for passengers originally booked in First and World Traveler Plus.