"BA slashes fares"
Apr 19, 2006, 11:38 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Syracuse, Boston, Athens
Posts: 995
"BA slashes fares"
"BA slashes fares to take on low-cost airlines", according to a Guardian article. Some excerpts:
"British Airways will today throw down the gauntlet to low cost airlines easyJet and Ryanair by slashing prices from Heathrow and Gatwick to almost all its European short haul destinations. It will cut fares to places such as Berlin, Paris and Barcelona by up to 50%. The price cuts are part of an overhaul of the airline's fare structure, rather than a one-off promotion.
Airline insiders said yesterday that BA had been experimenting with the new lower fares on a handful of its short haul routes in recent months. They have prompted a significant pick-up in the number of passengers carried. On some routes the load factor has improved by up to 9 percentage points, though BA's target for the new strategy is understood to be substantially lower than that.
The new fare structure will be launched with an advertising campaign devised by BA's new agency, BBH."
"British Airways will today throw down the gauntlet to low cost airlines easyJet and Ryanair by slashing prices from Heathrow and Gatwick to almost all its European short haul destinations. It will cut fares to places such as Berlin, Paris and Barcelona by up to 50%. The price cuts are part of an overhaul of the airline's fare structure, rather than a one-off promotion.
Airline insiders said yesterday that BA had been experimenting with the new lower fares on a handful of its short haul routes in recent months. They have prompted a significant pick-up in the number of passengers carried. On some routes the load factor has improved by up to 9 percentage points, though BA's target for the new strategy is understood to be substantially lower than that.
The new fare structure will be launched with an advertising campaign devised by BA's new agency, BBH."
Apr 20, 2006, 12:56 am
#2
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: SCL, MCT, LGW and a variety of 1W lounges in between.
Programs: BA Mucci (Seigneur et Ingenieur des Appareils Volants (Gold)), QF (WP and LTG), AA EXP, GF Gold
Posts: 3,931
Lgw
Well, as far as I can see, BA Revenue Management do not have a clue how to manage the LGW loads. Sometimes there are half empty aircraft and only 40J seats available. No ET for sale, despite 20 empty seats down the back.
Apr 20, 2006, 12:56 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Egham, Surrey, UK
Programs: Mucci Champion des Champions, BAG4L, *A Gold, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, Hertz Gold, Avis President
Posts: 3,416
They could achieve this by removing some of the ridiculous surcharges ! Nothing on ba.com yet but will be interested to see what they are actually going to do
, bringing it to a less exciting £87).
Apr 20, 2006, 2:00 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London and Zurich
Programs: AA, BA, Mucci: Sir Roger des Directions Routières, PCR
Posts: 13,609
Radical shake-up for European fares
Heard an ad on LBC97.3 for cheap BA fares to 'Arlanda' 
, saw the article in The Guardian.
Checked e-mail, nothing from BA. Checked BAEC website, nothing about this. Checked BA online Press Offfice and here it is:
Radical shake-up for European fares
British Airways today announces a radical shake-up of its short-haul air fares with one-way all-inclusive tickets starting at just £29 - less than the cost of a Premiership football ticket. All non-changeable economy tickets will be scrapped with air travellers able to change their flights, no matter what they have paid for the ticket, up to midnight the day before departure.
British Airways' Commercial Director, Martin George, said: "We operate in a very competitive market and are determined to be the first choice for air travellers, who want low prices, flexibility, and a superb flying experience.
"We have slashed our one-way fares by up to 50 per cent and will have over seven million plane seats a year, to more than 65 destinations, available at these new prices.
"This is not a short-term gimmick, but a long term commitment to our millions of customers to offer irresistible low fares every day of the year. There are no hidden extras and air travellers will receive the same excellent standards of service that are the hallmark of British Airways.
"Customers will now be able to easily compare prices for themselves between British Airways and the airlines offering lower standards of service and I can assure the public that it is our intent to offer the best value for money in the market."
The airline has increased the flexibility of its lowest priced tickets in response to feedback from its customers who increasingly need to change their flight bookings at short notice due to altering schedules. The move increases the number of changeable tickets on sale by 15 million a year.
All customers flying within Europe can take advantage of the following benefits flying with British Airways:
More flights to Europe from London every day than any other airline
Convenient airports
Complimentary food and drink
Facility to check-in online 24 hours before take-off
Facility to print a boarding pass before arriving at the airport*
Free and generous baggage allowances
Facility for families to pool baggage allowances without charge
Free carriage of golf clubs and skis
Free debit card usage when paying for flights
Free seating allocation
British Airways has reduced its one-way prices for flights within the UK and Europe by an average of 70 per cent compared to 10 years ago.
Travel on British Airways within the UK and Europe for less than:
· A tank of petrol
· A hair cut
· A computer game
· A pair of jeans
· A dozen red roses
· A massage
· A football strip
· A pair of cinema tickets with popcorn
· A pair of shoes
· A premiership football match ticket
Ends
Notes to Editors:
Changes to short-haul economy tickets will incur a competitive £30 administration fee per transaction (£50 for flights to Tel Aviv), with the exception of flights to Russia where tickets remain non-changeable. Customers can visit www.ba.com, telephone the airline (an additional service fee may be required) or visit their travel agent to make changes.
The changes apply to British Airways mainline services only.
*Online boarding passes are accepted for travel on all routes from the UK to Europe and from more than 30 European airports for travel to the UK.
See how they emulate Stelios's 'fly to Scotland for less than the price of a pair of Levi's'?
Anybody have a list of the 'more than 65 destinations' available? I checked LHR-ARN and found a fare of £63.30 return, which is not bad. In BA-speak, the fare is £12 plus taxes, fees and surcharges of £51.30.
I tried LON-ZRH. No such luck. I'm assuming the new fares are to the destinations served by easyJet, and EZ don't fly to ZRH. They do fly to GVA, and I found BA LGW-GVA for £51.90 return - £10 + £41.90. Not bad.
As the fares are semi-flexible, do they qualify for 100% miles ?
, saw the article in The Guardian.Checked e-mail, nothing from BA. Checked BAEC website, nothing about this. Checked BA online Press Offfice and here it is:
Radical shake-up for European fares
British Airways today announces a radical shake-up of its short-haul air fares with one-way all-inclusive tickets starting at just £29 - less than the cost of a Premiership football ticket. All non-changeable economy tickets will be scrapped with air travellers able to change their flights, no matter what they have paid for the ticket, up to midnight the day before departure.
British Airways' Commercial Director, Martin George, said: "We operate in a very competitive market and are determined to be the first choice for air travellers, who want low prices, flexibility, and a superb flying experience.
"We have slashed our one-way fares by up to 50 per cent and will have over seven million plane seats a year, to more than 65 destinations, available at these new prices.
"This is not a short-term gimmick, but a long term commitment to our millions of customers to offer irresistible low fares every day of the year. There are no hidden extras and air travellers will receive the same excellent standards of service that are the hallmark of British Airways.
"Customers will now be able to easily compare prices for themselves between British Airways and the airlines offering lower standards of service and I can assure the public that it is our intent to offer the best value for money in the market."
The airline has increased the flexibility of its lowest priced tickets in response to feedback from its customers who increasingly need to change their flight bookings at short notice due to altering schedules. The move increases the number of changeable tickets on sale by 15 million a year.
All customers flying within Europe can take advantage of the following benefits flying with British Airways:
More flights to Europe from London every day than any other airline
Convenient airports
Complimentary food and drink
Facility to check-in online 24 hours before take-off
Facility to print a boarding pass before arriving at the airport*
Free and generous baggage allowances
Facility for families to pool baggage allowances without charge
Free carriage of golf clubs and skis
Free debit card usage when paying for flights
Free seating allocation
British Airways has reduced its one-way prices for flights within the UK and Europe by an average of 70 per cent compared to 10 years ago.
Travel on British Airways within the UK and Europe for less than:
· A tank of petrol
· A hair cut
· A computer game
· A pair of jeans
· A dozen red roses
· A massage
· A football strip
· A pair of cinema tickets with popcorn
· A pair of shoes
· A premiership football match ticket
Ends
Notes to Editors:
Changes to short-haul economy tickets will incur a competitive £30 administration fee per transaction (£50 for flights to Tel Aviv), with the exception of flights to Russia where tickets remain non-changeable. Customers can visit www.ba.com, telephone the airline (an additional service fee may be required) or visit their travel agent to make changes.
The changes apply to British Airways mainline services only.
*Online boarding passes are accepted for travel on all routes from the UK to Europe and from more than 30 European airports for travel to the UK.
See how they emulate Stelios's 'fly to Scotland for less than the price of a pair of Levi's'?
Anybody have a list of the 'more than 65 destinations' available? I checked LHR-ARN and found a fare of £63.30 return, which is not bad. In BA-speak, the fare is £12 plus taxes, fees and surcharges of £51.30.
I tried LON-ZRH. No such luck. I'm assuming the new fares are to the destinations served by easyJet, and EZ don't fly to ZRH. They do fly to GVA, and I found BA LGW-GVA for £51.90 return - £10 + £41.90. Not bad.
As the fares are semi-flexible, do they qualify for 100% miles
?
Apr 20, 2006, 2:25 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London and Zurich
Programs: AA, BA, Mucci: Sir Roger des Directions Routières, PCR
Posts: 13,609
Originally Posted by Roger
As the fares are semi-flexible, do they qualify for 100% miles ?
?LHR-ARN £63.30 fare:
Why not increase the flexibility of your ticket from £549 return
andWhy not upgrade and enjoy the extra comforts of Club Europe from £73 each way. (Questions don't need question marks at ba.com, it seems.)
also:
This return journey could earn you 892 BA Miles so looks like 25% mileage (+ bonus) and no TPs.
LGW-GVA ££51.90 fare:
Why not increase the flexibility of your ticket from £ 511 return
Why not upgrade and enjoy the extra comforts of Club Europe from £63 each way, and
This return journey could earn you 500 BA Miles so 25% mileage (+ bonus) and no TPs.
Apr 20, 2006, 2:41 am
#10
Join Date: Jan 2000
Programs: Latinpass Million Miler. BA Gold.
Posts: 3,544
Still, if I can book a cheap Y ticket way ahead, and then change it for a fee of £30 pounds I think that is entirely reasonable and a big improvement - even if they haven't quite managed to update their 'upgrade this fare' spiel
I think it will improve their forward bookings, because you can now at least change your ticket if circumstances change in future.
I think it will improve their forward bookings, because you can now at least change your ticket if circumstances change in future.
Apr 20, 2006, 2:44 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
Any chance of seeing mileage levels reduced on European flights to compensate? The 7,000 miles return promotion that was offered recently should, in my opinion, become permanent. 13k for a return trip is now crazy if base fares are this low - especially as the 13k doesn't include the tax and rapidly escalating fuel surcharge.
And my second thought: how does this tie in with the "£100 to upgrade to CE" promo? Can we now expect to see CE fares as low as £29 + £100 = £129?
And my second thought: how does this tie in with the "£100 to upgrade to CE" promo? Can we now expect to see CE fares as low as £29 + £100 = £129?
Last edited by Raffles; Apr 20, 2006 at 3:02 am
Apr 20, 2006, 2:48 am
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: UK
Programs: Mucci, BA LTG + GGL, SPG LTP, HHonors Diamond, IHG Spire Ambassador
Posts: 12,695
Originally Posted by Roger
Changes to short-haul economy tickets will incur a competitive £30 administration fee per transaction (£50 for flights to Tel Aviv), with the exception of flights to Russia where tickets remain non-changeable.
Generally though, this looks like a very good move I think...provided it's not the BACON By Stealth race to the bottom streaking (ho ho twice!) past our eyes. I hope they retain the full service at these prices, I really do...
Phil
Apr 20, 2006, 2:56 am
#13
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA/BD Gold/IC A/*Wood Gold - Certified BodyCombat and BodyPump Instructor
Posts: 6,070
Whilst you can change the ticket, it is only valid the day before. Not much use if your meeting finishes early/runs late. These new rules seem to apply to all Y fares, except for Y fare basis:
Originally Posted by fare rules
CANCELLATIONS
ANY TIME
TICKET IS NON-REFUNDABLE.
CHANGES
BEFORE DEPARTURE
CHARGE GBP 30.00.
NOTE -
UPGRADES PERMITTED TO ANY HIGHER FARE OR CABIN AT
A CHARGE OF GBP30.00 PER TRANSACTION PER PASSENGER
PLUS ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE FARE.
CHARGE APPLIES TO ADULT AND CHILDREN ONLY.
CHANGES ONLY PERMITTED UP TO DAY BEFORE OUTBOUND
DEPARTURE.
NO CHANGES OR UPGRADES PERMITTED ON DAY OF
DEPARTURE. ORIGINAL REFUND CONDITIONS APPLY TO
ANY UPGRADED TICKET.WHEN THE ITINERARY RESULTS IN
A HIGHER FARE THE DIFFERENCE WILL BE COLLECTED AND
THE GBP30 CHANGE FEE WILL APPLY.
WHEN THE NEW ITINERARY RESULTS IN A LOWER FARE THE
GBP30 CHANGE FEE WILL APPLY AND NO REFUND WILL BE
MADE.
WHERE THIS FARES IS COMBINED WITH ANOTHER FARE ON
A HALF ROUND-TRIP BASIS THE MOST RESTRICTIVE
PENALTIES CONDITIONS APPLY TO THE ENTIRE JOURNEY.
VOLUNTARY CHANGE OF RE-ROUTING NOT PERMITTED
AT ANY TIME.
AFTER DEPARTURE
CHARGE GBP 30.00.
NOTE -
UPGRADES PERMITTED TO ANY HIGHER FARE OR CABIN AT
A CHARGE OF GBP30.00 PER TRANSACTION PER PASSENGER
PLUS ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE FARE.
CHARGE APPLIES TO ADULT AND CHILDREN ONLY.
CHANGES ONLY PERMITTED UP TO DAY BEFORE DEPARTURE.
NO CHANGES OR UPGRADES PERMITTED ON DAY OF
DEPARTURE. ORIGINAL REFUND CONDITIONS APPLY
TO ANY UPGRADED TICKET. WHEN THE ITINERARY RESULTS
IN A HIGHER FARE THE DIFFERENCE WILL BE COLLECTED
AND THE GBP30 CHANGE FEE WILL APPLY.
WHEN THE NEW ITINERARY RESULTS IN A LOWER FARE THE
GBP30 CHANGE FEE WILL APPLY AND NO REFUND WILL BE
MADE.WHERE THIS FARES IS COMBINED WITH ANOTHER
FARE ON A HALF ROUND-TRIP BASIS THE MOST RESTRICTI
PENALTIES CONDITIONS APPLY TO THE ENTIRE JOURNEY.
VOLUNTARY CHANGE OF ROUTING NOT PERMITTED AT ANY
TIME.
ANY TIME
TICKET IS NON-REFUNDABLE.
CHANGES
BEFORE DEPARTURE
CHARGE GBP 30.00.
NOTE -
UPGRADES PERMITTED TO ANY HIGHER FARE OR CABIN AT
A CHARGE OF GBP30.00 PER TRANSACTION PER PASSENGER
PLUS ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE FARE.
CHARGE APPLIES TO ADULT AND CHILDREN ONLY.
CHANGES ONLY PERMITTED UP TO DAY BEFORE OUTBOUND
DEPARTURE.
NO CHANGES OR UPGRADES PERMITTED ON DAY OF
DEPARTURE. ORIGINAL REFUND CONDITIONS APPLY TO
ANY UPGRADED TICKET.WHEN THE ITINERARY RESULTS IN
A HIGHER FARE THE DIFFERENCE WILL BE COLLECTED AND
THE GBP30 CHANGE FEE WILL APPLY.
WHEN THE NEW ITINERARY RESULTS IN A LOWER FARE THE
GBP30 CHANGE FEE WILL APPLY AND NO REFUND WILL BE
MADE.
WHERE THIS FARES IS COMBINED WITH ANOTHER FARE ON
A HALF ROUND-TRIP BASIS THE MOST RESTRICTIVE
PENALTIES CONDITIONS APPLY TO THE ENTIRE JOURNEY.
VOLUNTARY CHANGE OF RE-ROUTING NOT PERMITTED
AT ANY TIME.
AFTER DEPARTURE
CHARGE GBP 30.00.
NOTE -
UPGRADES PERMITTED TO ANY HIGHER FARE OR CABIN AT
A CHARGE OF GBP30.00 PER TRANSACTION PER PASSENGER
PLUS ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE FARE.
CHARGE APPLIES TO ADULT AND CHILDREN ONLY.
CHANGES ONLY PERMITTED UP TO DAY BEFORE DEPARTURE.
NO CHANGES OR UPGRADES PERMITTED ON DAY OF
DEPARTURE. ORIGINAL REFUND CONDITIONS APPLY
TO ANY UPGRADED TICKET. WHEN THE ITINERARY RESULTS
IN A HIGHER FARE THE DIFFERENCE WILL BE COLLECTED
AND THE GBP30 CHANGE FEE WILL APPLY.
WHEN THE NEW ITINERARY RESULTS IN A LOWER FARE THE
GBP30 CHANGE FEE WILL APPLY AND NO REFUND WILL BE
MADE.WHERE THIS FARES IS COMBINED WITH ANOTHER
FARE ON A HALF ROUND-TRIP BASIS THE MOST RESTRICTI
PENALTIES CONDITIONS APPLY TO THE ENTIRE JOURNEY.
VOLUNTARY CHANGE OF ROUTING NOT PERMITTED AT ANY
TIME.
Apr 20, 2006, 3:02 am
#14
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Originally Posted by Smirnoff
LHR-ARN is now a very reasonable £ 22 + £28 tax = £50.
It's roundtrip.
Apr 20, 2006, 3:09 am
#15
Join Date: May 2005
Location: The Netherlands
Programs: If Easyjet gave status....
Posts: 99
Daft thing with this is that the lowest Club fares are now more restricted than the lowest ET fare - if you select the lowest Club option (or upgrade the ET quote) it's back to (I class presumably) Non-changeable and Non-refundable.
Should make that a bit more clear in the "why not upgrade to CE" bit methinks.
Should make that a bit more clear in the "why not upgrade to CE" bit methinks.