TLV flights to change to shorthaul aircraft; TPs change (reduce) from 30 Mar 2025
Feb 8, 2024, 5:15 am
#17
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Devon, UK
Programs: VS Silver; Matmid Silver, BA Bronze; Accor Plat.
Posts: 1,031
TLV is normally full in CW business, the effect of this is a real kick in the teeth. This summer VS are only scheduling the night flight and the very early morning return from TLV. So the only airline with reasonable return flight times to LHR with proper business class is LY.
No point in keeping the BA PP Amex or worrying about status...Ill just use up the 300K avios I have, hope VS do reasonable timings next year or shift to LY.
No point in keeping the BA PP Amex or worrying about status...Ill just use up the 300K avios I have, hope VS do reasonable timings next year or shift to LY.
Feb 8, 2024, 5:17 am
#19
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: somewhere north of stateside...
Posts: 4,161
Feb 8, 2024, 5:21 am
#20
Join Date: Feb 2005
Programs: EL AL Matmid Platinum, BA Executive Club GfL, GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond, Avis President's Club
Posts: 2,092
BA to TLV is usually pretty full in ALL classes. In fact, moving from 777 or 351 to 788/9 reduced the capacity sign ificantly, and made it far harder to get seats at short notice. These changes will mean an further MASSIVE reduction in capacity. Seems like suicide to me. I bet ELAL and Virgin are celebrating.
Feb 8, 2024, 5:25 am
#21
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Devon, UK
Programs: VS Silver; Matmid Silver, BA Bronze; Accor Plat.
Posts: 1,031
Feb 8, 2024, 5:29 am
#22
Join Date: Feb 2005
Programs: EL AL Matmid Platinum, BA Executive Club GfL, GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond, Avis President's Club
Posts: 2,092
In one word: competition. BA are going to lose out big time to ELAL and Virgin. Having flown ELAL a few times recently, I discovered that they have changed beyond recognition from what they were 9 years ago when I moved from them to BA. They must be popping the champagne!
Feb 8, 2024, 5:39 am
#24
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,518
Many people (me included) wont fly LY due to the frequent BS causing delays over who can sit next to whom.
Feb 8, 2024, 5:46 am
#26
Join Date: Aug 2022
Posts: 336
We got lucky, since we have WT+ tkts for April and June and Hubby cant fit in 30" pitch and thats what CW will be unless they use the AC with flat beds, thought wed have to file with US DOT to get a Refund which it seems BA isnt keen on doing. Our Luck, in both months the LHR-TLV flight has been CXed on our booked dates = getting a Refund should be an option w/o getting DOT involved
A pity as we have flown BA the last 3x and enjoyed the flights
A pity as we have flown BA the last 3x and enjoyed the flights
Feb 8, 2024, 5:59 am
#27
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,736
Feb 8, 2024, 6:06 am
#28
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 19,939
That's terrible news for BAEC members (and a huge win for VS and LY if they continue to offer full-service flights on that route). I can't really see the benefit of spending 5 hours in Club Europe if the competing carriers continue to offer lie-flat seating. Will help cull the ranks for GCH holders though.
Feb 8, 2024, 6:07 am
#29
Formerly known as tireman77
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 5,767
No decision in an airline's route allotment is made in a silo. Availability of aircraft is a zero sum game. Perhaps their forecasts indicate that the return to higher load levels on that route will be gradual after service resumes and other routes will generate more revue in the interim. And when the market conditions change wide-body could be resumed.
Feb 8, 2024, 6:10 am
#30
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 19,939
well thats an open question because it depends of what pricing becomes. If ba downgrades the service and keep prices as they are, as you say, not many people will buy this o/d. If by contrast the change in service means alignment with the prices you can get on eg the LH group which often goes down to about 500 return in C to parts of Europe, it may attract a new customer basis. I think ba are also banking on much of the tlv traffic being connecting anyway notably to/from the us so from that point of view they probably dont see a need to differentiate the product with their key European competitors almost all of which treat tlv as short haul and will keep doing so in the face of dominant lcc competition.
its really bad news for tlv based members and for those of us often flying to tlv with ba but not wholly surprising.
still I resent the fact that ba are self carving more and more exemptions to their own distance based rules be it at 2000 or 6000 cut offs.
its really bad news for tlv based members and for those of us often flying to tlv with ba but not wholly surprising.
still I resent the fact that ba are self carving more and more exemptions to their own distance based rules be it at 2000 or 6000 cut offs.
This. No decision in an airline's route allotment is made in a silo. Availability of aircraft is a zero sum game. Perhaps their forecasts indicate that the return to higher load levels on that route will be gradual after service resumes and other routes will generate more revue in the interim. And when the market conditions change wide-body could be resumed.