FlyerTalk Forums

FlyerTalk Forums (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/index.php)
-   British Airways | Executive Club (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club-446/)
-   -   Why do you stay with BA? (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/620571-why-do-you-stay-ba.html)

Moomba Nov 3, 2006 6:43 am

Why do you stay with BA?
 
Friday afternoon debate time.

With all the recent threads about BA First not being up to scratch;
LHR a shambles a lot of which is under BA's control to fix;
bad customer service experiences;
now a disappearing domestic network,

I was wondering what keeps you flying BA?

This is a genuine query and not intended as a rant about BA or any of the people who fly on her.

I know there are several reasons I stay true, first of which is One World. Also the I class Euro fares have been a great find for me.

What else keeps you true to your beloved BA? Is is the hope that it will get better? More direct flights to where you want to go? Is it because it is British? Is it the FF programme?

If you move over to *A you would need to vary your carriers quite a bit more. Is it the fact that you know what you are going to get (or not) when flying the one carrier?

So why do you stick around? Why not vote with your feet?

Right I am grabbing my coat and heading off to VIE for the weekend on a cheap I class fare :D

yyzlhr Nov 3, 2006 6:50 am

I asked myself this many times this week as I have two booking DXB-LHR-DXB one with BA and one with EK (J for both) and only committed to BA last night-- probably only beacuse the points will get me enough for a milestone I set before cashing in a 2 for 1.

It was a tough debate especially with EK limo transfers on both ends- but I only have a handfull of points with them and will not get any status this year. Next year will be EK--- unless new BA product is too good.

BAHumbug Nov 3, 2006 6:54 am

I live pretty close to LHR so BA is a natural choice for me. Virgin don't offer the same breadth of destinations as BA and I like their product less (for all the usual reasons).

However, I am seriously thinking about cashing in my miles and then abandoning them for *A. I suspect I'll wait and see what happens with NGCW (or whatever it's called) and then decide.

Certainly BA are not so much the 'obvious' choice they once were.

BAH

Raffles Nov 3, 2006 7:06 am

I'm off to Dusseldorf tonight from City (LH), went to Geneva last month from City (Swiss) and went to Edi 2 months ago from City (BA out, Scot back). The convenience factor of City, especially as I can walk to the DLR at Bank in 5 minutes on a Friday night and be at LCY through security in well under 45 mins, has converted me.

Despite having just come back from Delhi in F, my next two redemptions (Cape Town, Thailand) are on SAA and TG / LH (all F) using BMI miles. My defection from BA for these trips was partly due to cashing in a load of Amex MR points via BMI and partly because I moved my (pretty chunky due to some home improvements!) credit card spend to the '2 miles per £1' BMI Mastercard.

Since my BMI mileage pot is now relatively empty, and my Amex spending year restarts soon, I'll be moving back towards BA for my Summer hols in 2007. However, I really cannot see me retaining my Silver card next year and, with Ms Raffles due to hit (Euro-)Gold before Christmas, I'm a little short of motivation anyway.

krug Nov 3, 2006 7:12 am

I fly BA mainly for a nice cup of tea on departure, flat beds in business class, and the fact they fly direct where I need to go (mainly US destinations, particularly TPA) but also European breaks and Australia with a consistent product, which I know will be getting even better (and although we all thought it broadly unnecessary this time last year, recent product announcements have proven just how important the new J seat will be, and not a moment too soon!).

LHR/LGW and MAN Lounges are excellent, and as these are the ones I use nearly every three weeks, it is worth getting access.

I also like the quirkiness of the BA Exec Club, and the terrific exEUR and ExUS WT+ MFU opportunities, and my shareholder discount.

For me, Star offers an inconsistent product in J to North America, usually via somewhere odd (IAD or FRA), with low quality London and US lounges. bmi are now a sad joke for European trips. This is balanced by SIA who are excellent to Australia though, and Lufty's FRA operation sounds superb if you can be bothered to transit and have you testicles interfered with by the security chaps there. In summary, Star may tempt me in the future....

I will have Gold next year, and am looking fwd to the F lounge on Dom trips to MAN exLGW, AVOD, the new CW beds, T5 and in due course new planes - so pleanty to look fwd to IMHO.

edi-traveller Nov 3, 2006 7:16 am

When I get on a plane at LGW at lunchtime, hungry, get an ATC delay of two hours and then when we take off, even hungrier, all I get is a packet of bird seed for my £400 ticket I really do wonder why I stay with BA - and even more so why I am going to bother with a mileage run in order to keep my Gold card.

It's the AMEX 241 thing that allows us a could of longhaul leisure trips a year in J or F that does it.

r281 Nov 3, 2006 7:30 am

Serves all my destinations + I'm really hoping T5 will be special...

Swanhunter Nov 3, 2006 7:30 am

I don't, really. The bulk of my longhaul flying is now CX or VS (and BD until they canned BOM) through corporate deals, and BA don't fly HKG-PVG or BOM-BLR. I'd probably still choose BA over most of the competion in Europe, though LH do offer some good connections and C fares.

The 241 keeps me engaged with Exec Club as do the decent miles earning opportunities when flying BA metal. Once the Twofer goes, I shall spend the rest of the miles and be off to AAnother FFP for good.

The bed is good, but VS have a better product and so - soon - will CX and SQ.

Kevlondon Nov 3, 2006 7:34 am

I've only recently started flying BA for my mostly European trips, switching over from AF. However, a combination of not being able to afford VS for an upcoming trip to HKG plus the 50,000 mile promotion for non-UK based EC members made me consider switching, not least because I'll get from nowhere to Silver before the end of the year. It will also give me a chance to compare VS's UCS and BACW for the first time....certainly BA slashes all over AF so far, in terms of lounge quality, inflight and timekeeping, remains to be seen how the long haul experience will compare.

catandmouse Nov 3, 2006 7:38 am

Why switch from BA
 
I will be losing my Emerald status with BA next month and have more or less decided that in future my preferred long-haul carrier will be Lufthansa. I live in Geneva, so that in any case I have to fly through a hub on long-haul. LHR has always been the downside of flying BA and through this year things have just gone from bad to worst (possibly only CDG is still worse).
I also have Gold status with LH, which with the * alliance provides a better network than OW and has UA as a US carrier rather than AA. Wherever possible I use MUC as a long-distance hub. It runs an awesomely efficient operation and is vastly superior to FRA. Its long distance network isn't quite up to FRA, but as an airport it wins out.

BAAZ Nov 3, 2006 7:44 am

"Hard" reasons
- I live in London and so can fly pretty much anywhere I need to with BA
- I get status relatively quickly, with all that entails (chiefly, F checkin and the generally excellent LHR lounges) - I really notice the difference when flying Y with other airlines (use AZ and LH regularly around Europe)
- Being able to redeem miles to fly long haul J which would otherwise be expensive
- I think BA's product at outstations compares favourably with other airlines' products at their outstations
- That terminal and lounge at JFK :)
- Flat horizontal beds in Club World - I flew ORD-CDG overnight in J with AF a couple of years ago in a cradle seat and realised how spoiled I'd become with BA

"Soft" reasons
- Maybe because I'm British but I just prefer BA cabin crew over pretty much all the others
- Generally knowing what to expect at every stage in the process

Red herrings
- LHR, with all its good points and bad points, is my local airport, so all the various problems there don't really impact my decision as to whether to use it

krug Nov 3, 2006 7:53 am


Originally Posted by BAAZRed herrings
- LHR, with all its good points and bad points, is my local airport, so all the various problems there don't really impact my decision as to whether to use it

I really don't get perople's issues with the problems with LHR.

Admittedly I never transfer there, but aside from the few weeks after 9/11 and 7/7 and strikes, I find it a great place to visit calm check in zones for premium pax which compare favourably or blast out of the water other terminals, clear signage, polite staff, a wait at the security is not uncommon in many places with such a large throughput, particularly at peak times. But I have never waited more than 20mins. And that was pre-Christmas.

Shops are superb. Lounges great, with (mostly) good views.

Walk to the gate can be a hassle, but prepare for it and allow time and not an issue. Luggage lost? woo-hoo! Freebies coming my way ;) , and all essential packed in my hand luggage.

Sure the place is a little tatty, constant construction, but T5 is the beginning of the end of that for the whole airport.

jhm Nov 3, 2006 7:55 am


Originally Posted by Moomba
Is it because it is British?

I agree with the following in this thread:


Originally Posted by AJLondon
For me it's the stepping into a plane after being "abroad" for a while and getting some nice Earl Grey tea or a bacon buttie. And the fact that all announcements are made in and everyone speaks English!

It's always nice to see a 747 in the BA livery standing at some far away place waiting to go back 'home'. ^


BAAZ Nov 3, 2006 8:14 am


Originally Posted by krug
I really don't get perople's issues with the problems with LHR.

Admittedly I never transfer there, but aside from the few weeks after 9/11 and 7/7 and strikes, I find it a great place to visit calm check in zones for premium pax which compare favourably or blast out of the water other terminals, clear signage, polite staff, a wait at the security is not uncommon in many places with such a large throughput, particularly at peak times. But I have never waited more than 20mins. And that was pre-Christmas.

Shops are superb. Lounges great, with (mostly) good views.

Walk to the gate can be a hassle, but prepare for it and allow time and not an issue. Luggage lost? woo-hoo! Freebies coming my way ;) , and all essential packed in my hand luggage.

Sure the place is a little tatty, constant construction, but T5 is the beginning of the end of that for the whole airport.

I agree; I only have relatively minor gripes with LHR that are more specific to LHR than to other airports generally
- circling around for 10-20 minutes before landing
- sometimes unreasonable waits for baggage
- unreasonable queues at the FCCs
- an overenthusiastic approach to security generally (e.g. evacuating half the terminal because of a suspect package whereas in France they'd just wave the pax away around the next corner and then blow it up)

but in exchange for all that I agree with Krug; you get excellent lounges and shops, and separate premium checkin areas. If you are going to suffer a delay, it's a great place to be delayed in. CDG2, FRA, MXP anyone?

Swanhunter Nov 3, 2006 8:19 am


Originally Posted by krug
Admittedly I never transfer there, but aside from the few weeks after 9/11 and 7/7 and strikes, I find it a great place to visit calm check in zones for premium pax which compare favourably or blast out of the water other terminals, clear signage, polite staff, a wait at the security is not uncommon in many places with such a large throughput, particularly at peak times. But I have never waited more than 20mins. And that was pre-Christmas..

....or 40 min security queues at T4 fastrack, 30 mins turning circles somewhere over the home counties, coaching gates, Victor Zone, waiting to cross the active runway, the hellhole that is T2, 45 min wait for bags at T4 and T1, EU immigration queues in T4 half the way to Gate 8...etc..etc. etc.. ;)

There are some nice bits, but plenty that are not.

Perhaps I am spoilt by HKG, but I do visit BOM too.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 7:44 am.


This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.