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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

"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

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 with the following in this thread:

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?

....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.

The carpets alone are enough to put one off LHR (or any BAA airport). But if you are London-based, then the desirability or otherwise of LHR does not have much bearing on whether or not you stick with BA. LCY aside, Heathrow is my favourite London airport, but I still tend to avoid BA, for a number of not very good reasons.

Well for me there’s a few reasons……..

Firstly BA fly to so many destinations around the world, that there’s pretty much nowhere I would want to go that’s not served by BA.

Then I find that BA have a good consistent product, my previous airline of choice up to a few years was Virgin. But to quote a line from Forrest Gump, they’re (VS) “like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get” From what I read on this & other forums, it appears that the inconsistent standards are now the norm on VS. Whereas I’ve always found BA to have a good reliable product.

You can have an exceptional crew on BA which really can turn an already good trip into a truly brilliant one. But the “standard” crew are still very professional, sincere & efficient in the way they look after you & make you feel welcome. I’ve yet to experience on BA the “strumpted up, painted bits of totty” smiling so falsely at you, that can found on “other” airlines.

Having all my trips originate in Ireland it’s very convenient to have BA code share feeder flights to LHR with EI on a single booking / ticket & all that brings with it. Such as issuing BA BP’s at my point of origin (ORK or DUB) & the seamless interlining of baggage etc. I only hope that with the changes in EI & their imminent departure from OW, won’t spell the end of this cosy little arrangement. The alternatives would be a major backward step, let alone fraught with huge hassle, but that’s a discussion for another thread.

Then of course there’s price.

In all my recent bookings, BA have consistently outstripped the competition with their fare, in that magical “I” class. In fact on recent trips I’ve being travelling with BA in Club World, for pretty much the price I used to pay for Premium Economy on Virgin

An example would be a trip to Florida that I’m currently planning for June ’07 departing ex Ireland (ORK) to MIA.

Virgin’s cheapest Upper Class fare is “Z” which quoted at Eur 3,086.00 pp . This is only available ex London so I would need to add on return ORK-LHR flights on a separate ticket to that fare. Also you only have 3 days from date of booking until you need to issue the tickets, after which you have no refunds or changes allowed.

Whereas BA’s “I” class fare came in at Eur 2,171.00 pp & that’s ex ORK, so no need for a separate add on ORK-LHR ticket like is needed with the VS fare.

While the restrictions upon issuing the ticket are the same as VS, with no changes or refunds allowed, you are given 30 days from date of booking, until you need to issue the ticket, which give s you much more time to finalise your plans, before issuing the tickets. Versus the measly 3 days allowed by VS.

So all in all BA fares in CW ex Ireland are vastly better in terms of cost & convenience than Virgin’s

I just hope that with EI’s departure out of OW, that my new found “happy travels with BA” aren’t about to be pulled out from under my feet :(

I prefer to stick with BA for a few reasons. Most of my travel is to the US or Caribbean and their schedules are great for me. The alternatives of a US carrier or the bearded one do not sit well. :(

I find crews on US carriers to generally be quite rude and brusque - tolerable on short hops, not so much on a transatlantic trip. (Though as many of you will know, I love the Americans - don't why it is they change when they become crew! :rolleyes: )

As for the bearded one - does anyone remember the old BBC Airport series - the one where they showed VS crew training? There was one girl on there who every minute was "mind my hair", "is my hair OK", etc, etc. If there was ever an emergency, she'd need her hairdryer before evacuating the pax! :eek:
Last time I flew VS was 6 years ago, after that trip I swore Never Again. Half the crew were barely out of short trousers and, I'm sorry to say, acted like they were on their way to a night in an Ibiza nightclub! BA's crew are far superior in their professional, courteous and friendly approach.

As an ex-BCAL lady (who BA took over in 1986) there's also loyalty towards a company who took on a large number of my ex-colleagues - albeit many of them have now retired.

Slightly OT, but is BAA missing a trick or is there some form of customs-related restriction (a bit like in the US not being allowed to use cellphones while waiting for your luggage), that stops the arrivals experience from being enhanced with shops and restaurants etc?

One excellent feature at some airports (ZRH, FCO etc) is a display which suggests how long you might have to wait before your luggage appears at the carousel. I wouldn't mind so much arriving at LHR baggage reclaim and being informed that I have 25 minutes to wait for my bags, if I could go and get a drink or buy a newspaper or something while I waited. Any plans for similar at T5?

I agree, I've flown with 4 US airlines, Delta (back in 94), America West, Southwest, and Jetblue. Delta back in 94 was good service and I was like 8 years old. But Jetblue and Southwest had the friendliest staff. They really tried to make flying fun.

So many trips to top up your golden tan. So it is real then? :p

And there was me, thinking it was the regular trips to your local TansRUs TM in Streatham. :p

Of course my tan's real! That gorgeous cappuchino shade, though with the cold weather it's fading fast. :( And I shall leave you guessing as to whether it's an all over tan! ;)

By the way Smirnoff - do you have anything to do with this - not Kate Moss, the slavery bit? (Tried to get proper article, but could only get headlines!! :eek:
http://standardonline.newspaperdirec...er/viewer.aspx

The cabin staff, my proximity to and the destinations from London are the main reasons why, but the fact that there seems to be an element of mutual respect between myself and the airline (things get sorted with minimal hassle when they go wrong or need to be changed, almost always very good seats on BA metal, oneworld benefits, didn't give me an upgrade to F from C when I tried to blag it on an overnight on my birthday but I didn't really expect it or care anyway, shareholder discount ex-UK, et al). Probably most importantly is that Messrs Eddington and indeed Walsh, the fat-chopper extraordinaire, know that this mutual self-interest exists on various levels and their performance shall be judged by their responsiveness to it.

Contrary to popular belief, it's not because of the Britishness though, as although I hold a close affinity, I also do with Dutch and French cultures as well, and really, the Schengen/non-Schengen thing to deal with ex-AMS not to mention the horror shows of LHR/LGW is a huge minus. But on average, it's worth it because I get longhaul benefit even when on short hops.

This means bugger all if you're wanting to fly from Birmingham or Manchester to other regions or the continent on the "flag carrier", I know.

Maybe BA should merge with Iberia for real, to really compete with AF-KL, which will be kicking for the UK regional market to connect to longhaul in AMS or CDG (or, FRA, *A), so, environmental concerns notwithstanding, why not BA-IB through-checked BHX-MAD-JFK instead of train B'ham New Street-Euston, LDN/HEX hassle, LHR checkin/security, LHR-JFK??

I wish Flybe tons of luck on shorthaul and note with interest that even BA has a 15% stake in its success...

I go out of my way to fly BA (new slogan in the making?) because of the crew.

I love

• the calm "I am in control" welcome from the pilot,

• the friendly, often risque chat from the cabin crew,

• the relaxed efficiency of the service,

• the smile and a wink as I get served yet another drink before landing

and I could go on...

Above all, I feel safe on BA.

Sure there are lots of niggles, but no other airline can make me feel at home as soon as I step on board. As a long-term expat a little bit of home is always welcome.

Thanks to the crew on BA flights :) ^

That is so true ^

Seems as good a thread as many to give more praise to BA!

On a recent flight, the IFE system was not working correctly and had to be replaced before we could board. Initially ground staff kept the pax advised as to what was happening, but after 20 minute delay in boarding the Captain came out and spoke to everybody, giving exact details of the problem, how it would be fixed, how long it takes, etc, before answering questions. He also stood chatting to all the kids at the departure gate - most of whom were staring at him in wide-eyed awe!!

I've never seen this before with any airline, including BA, but I must say I thought it was a very nice gesture. ^ ^

^ What BAgLady said. Also, I like knowing what I'm going to get with BA. I know what to expect on a flight, and it's quite nice - using the word in a good way. Only two flights in the last 15 years have had less than :-: crews - and for that, much thanks.

I flew with US Airways recently, and got what I expected: a seat on an aeroplane (but did get bulkhead both ways, by asking nicely :cool: ), a tin of fizzy drink, and a safe arrival. It was all right for a three hour flight, but for long haul I want more, and am willing to pay for a premium product.

FWIW, I have high hopes for NGCW; MFUs - may they never be enhanced :p out of existence.

i've started doing it in 1977 when I was at boarding school in the uk living in jo'burg.
I defy anybody not to be seduced into a state of relaxation by the greeting from the cockpit, seasoned by the welcome from the purser or csd.
There is something about BA crew that just oozes class and confidence that no other airline has been able to match.
I know many will recognise the sheer joy I feel when I step onto a BA aircraft in the United States, having endured america and americans, and am looked after by a BA crew.
May there be many more crews as good as yours, and may the blessings of god be bestowed upon you.
( I'm standing now, with a glass in my hand)
God save the queen, and tits and pucci and their mates.

- They had a pricing mistake which they honoured. Had a very cheap holiday in Hong Kong courtesy of this and now if find that BA are £10-£30 more expensive on a flight, I am happy to pay that.
- I despise the level of service on American carriers. Think Trailer park trash and go down a couple of levels.
- Always had excellent service onboard. Friendly and efficient who you can share a joke with or just chat to.
- BA staff go out of their way to make sure your flight is enjoyable. I mentioned earlier this year that the Chinese woman next to me was constantly spitting and the stewardess upgraded me and my partner to WT+.
- No sh*tty advertising where they claim flights from £150 to Hong Kong return but failing to mention all the additional taxes which make it only a few quid than BA. Cathay Pacific are notorious at emailing sh*te like this out.

The difference between a British Airways air steward and their American counterpart is that the job in the UK is held in much esteem so better calibre apply and therefore you typically get a better service.

I suppose when you're paying £1000's for a business or first class ticket then you look for certain things that your economy class passenger does not. I doubt I'll ever fly first class (unless a pricing mistake comes up) so I just look for the basics and how well they perform those.

In the air, do a pretty good job but their ground operation does need a kick up the arse. However it's in the air that what counts so I'll stick with BA.

I wonder how profitable that mistake has turned out to be? (One I took advantage of and am immensely grateful for)

Lots of things have been mentioned here that I fully agree with but one that hasn't: I feel immense pride when boarding my flight home. That those foreigners coming to the UK for the first time are getting the BA welcome as their first taste. That there is still a service company that has my attitude. That I can smile at the crew and get a sincere smile back. That they flew Concorde with the Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. That I own a miniscule part of the operation, and that I belong to their club.

I fly BA for the experience. I know a lot of you who fly more often than me see a lot of variation in service. But I have travelled in WT and Club World in the past, and I have to tell you, even in WT you get treated pretty darn well. I have also found the staff to be very friendly. Maybe that's because they just spent 2-3 days in San francisco...but they always seem extremely nice on the flight.

Also,

you can't beat the upgrade with miles to Club World from WT+ from the US. It's just sick how good a deal that is.

Thirdly,

I guess Traveling BA is just part of the experience for me of visiting Britain. It's like I've arrived in Britain from the moment I step aboard.

And Last...

Last year, I was hurt quite badly while serving as a volunteer firefighter. I had to go in for back surgury 2 days before my flight. My flight was a no refund flight. BA waved that rule for me, and gave me credit that I have since booked a new flight with. They didn't have to this for me..and I'll be damned if I am going to walk away from that kind of customer service. I'll always be willing to tell whoever asks me what good experiences I have had.

Cheers,

kings_29

Besides the fact I've been very happy with BA, my alternative to them is AC. :eek:

We had the same last year when we were forced to land at Frankfurt at the start of the strikes last summer. The captain came into the cabin to explain the situation. It really defused the situation.

Great post by the OP ^ ;)

As somebody flying out of a soon to be abandoned regional airport (BHX), all I can say is that I abandoned BA some time ago for anything other that long haul flights over 10 hours for which it might be worth traipsing down to LHR and burning some miles on a MFU.

In many ways I like BA, but I know I am in a minority here in saying that London is not the centre of my universe! I have no compunction against using KL or LH etc if it suits me better.

Ahh... but notice you've chosen other european based airlines. I respectfully suggest you're not desperate enough to fly on long haul, economy class on NWA !!! :D

To expand, I have no compunction against taking CO direct across the Atlantic from BHX to EWR (in Y no less)! But I did put in a 10 hour get out clause ;) :D

I only fly BA if I absolutely need to. That is mostly driven by flight times, i.e., if only BA is offering a connection at exactly the times I need.

What I like:
+ The truely flat bed in C (not the slightly tilted version of most other airlines)
+ Their frequent flyer "bribes" every once in a while (e.g., just earned 50K bonus miles for an India round-trip)
+ The positive passenger crowd on board: BA passengers are somehow a different mix of people from many other airlines. More international? More relaxed? I do not really know.

What I do not like about BA:
- Their London hub: LHR is a mess for connecting passengers. Transferring from T1 to T4 is a nightmare in itself, with incompetently organized security checks along the way.
- Their inability to deliver checked luggage (no other airline is delaying my luggage more often -- I do not check luggage anymore)
- Their old and worn airplanes (e.g., on my flight to Mumbai a few days ago I tried to lower the blinds on one of the windows, and the whole inner part of the window fell off; the plane looked worn all over)
- The "experienced" flight crews (many of them with the Mom-attitude: "... this is your third glass of champagne ...")
- Their inflexibility when it comes to terms and conditions. Example: On my recent flight from MUC via LHR to Mumbai I arrived early at MUC and could have caught the earlier connecting flight to LHR. Plenty of business seats were available, but only in J class (my ticket was C). The BA ground staff would not offer me the earlier connecting flight sticking to the rules that no C-class seats were available, although it would have saved me some stress at LHR. What a lack of service attitude -- it would have cost them nothing to take me on the earlier flight, and I was obviously not trying to play any tricks on them. It would have been no issue with competitors like LH, AF or KL.
- The fact that BA seems to be "targeted" since 9/11. I perceive a much higher risk than on other carriers.

So for me it is LH, AF, KL, or LX, whenever possible. Still made it to BA silver status with the few flights I have on them.

:confused: :confused: :confused:

If you’re talking about the “liquid alert” last August, that was focused on US carriers out of the UK. AA, UA & CO I beleive were the carriers involved, I don't recall BA being mentioned.

Not saying of course that they're not or wouldn’t be a target. But the same goes for any of the European carriers you mentioned, or for that matter any airline in the world. :(

Whilst accepting that competitors have no issue, I guess an answer to this point is that if you want flexibility, pay for it. If you choose to buy a non-flexible ticket, then by all means try to blag a change but if you don't succeed, I'm not sure how fair it is to say that it's the airline's fault! All IMO of course. :)

For my flying pattern, rather easy to get and retain top-tier status; and the status benefits related to lounge access serve me well, even when not flying BA.