verve

LX Management seems impressed by BA's great BoB strategy and considers implementing BoB in SH Economy. Might be tested somewhere in the LH group.

Given the fact that they discuss these ideas with media makes me believe that we will be able to enjoy enhanced gourmet drinks and food for a fee already in the nearer future.

See article (in German): http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/wirtscha...story/19914043

oliver2002

Considering that product management for the LH group now sits in ZRH and decides the inflight product of the entire LH group ...

Concerto

Oh nooooo... so BA have really started a trend with this dreadful BoB concept. I was hoping it would be written off as a disaster, at least in their case. As for SWISS, been there, done that: they're surely not going to go through all that fiasco again, are they? 2003-2007 were not great years to be flying on SWISS.

airoli

Sadly, as long as consumers put up with this crap by either buying the same tickets now including less, or spending more $ to buy up, the airlines win and will continue to do this. From what I see at BA, this is exactly what is happening. Pax volumes are holding and ancillary revenues are up.

Correct, but since then the competitive landscape has changed further - and if they think they can get away with it, they will do it.

The phenomenal success of "hard LCCs" like Ryanair, Wizz and Norwegian gives them every reason to believe that consumers are willing to accept this (lack of) service standard.

IAN-UK

It failed so miserably last time, and given the propensity of the Swiss to complain in a healthy and effective way....

Air Rarotonga

So they will try it again...

Don't know why LX is stil claiming to be a 'premium airline'...? Think LCC will do it already better now than LX is doing it (call-center, ground staff, etc.)...

Roger

Hmm, BA's model is to offer Marks and Spencer sandwiches, snacks etc, but at higher prices than in M&S shops.

Will LX be sourcing from Migros or the Co-op? At higher prices? Anyway, presumably higher base prices than BA/M&S in the UK.

The way round it for ex-UK departing passengers is to buy meal deals from Boots or WHSmith at the airport, potentially earning Boots points (for Boots) and Heathrow Rewards points for those signed up, on top of credit card points.

And I had so got used to those Swiss chocolate bars ...

Concerto

It's not a done deal yet, though. This is just speculation, isn't it?

airoli

Yes. But if I were Swiss, I would not be mulling this option with journalists and at my annual results presentation if I wasn't laying the groundwork for an upcoming announcement.

IAN-UK

It can be done

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/25783656-post8.html

YuropFlyer

I've not flown BA since they introduced BoB, but from second hand experience (and obviously the FT thread(s) about it) it doesn't really look like a success at all. LCC product at full service prices usually don't bode well.

Oh well, LX already tried once, failed horrible with it.. so, let's try it again!

mbr

Consiering the prices LX is calling for its flights I cannot imagine that the customers will appreciate that.

YuropFlyer

Exactly. Either you're a full LCC or you're a full service carrier.

Of course there are many shades of LCC/Full Service Carriers around - if we look at the LCC's, Easyjet certainly is running a less extreme version than Ryanair, some LCC's even have some kind of frequent flyer program (Air Asia, Germanwings/Eurowings/WhateverWetLeaseWeRentForThisFlightWings)

On the Full service carriers, we again have all kind of shades. From the really, really crappy ones like BA with their defective BOB product, to the US-American carriers (who seemed to have at least somewhat improved recently), to the "ok'ish" levels of what LH/LX etc. are running, and then to those products that the top of the class are offering (like SQ) - all airlines are somewhere in there.

Those that tried to mix up LCC and Full Service usually failed in the past. LX went belly up almost the second time in a few years when they tried it.

BA is the most current try, well, I'd not be surprised if they fail too.

GVA

Honestly if LX go down this road then there will be no reason to fly them, at least from GVA.

Speaking as a GVA flyer, being loyal to LX is already a challenge - the number of flights have dwindled, the schedule sucks. All that with easyJet having a large presence, cheaper fares and a product which is quite solid if you have easyjet plus, flight club and priority pass.

The first time LX came up with charging for meals they were terribly over priced and it coincided with a period where I stopped flying them. If the product isn't better in the air then no reason to fly them (I've now totally boycotted BA altogether due to their stupid changes).

Concerto

I echo most of your thoughts and, like you, I have boycotted BA. But it's a lifetime boycott, which dates back to 1992 and which I broke sometime around 2007 when they improved their FFP. After the devaluations some time around 2013 or 2014 (can't even remember, I have so little interest in BA and just a handful of flights in my log) I stopped using them again, well before the race to the bottom and this dreadful BoB crap.

As for SWISS, like BA they are making money and relatively profitable - apparently. So there seems to be a correlation between being profitable and extra cost cutting. It will be really difficult to be loyal to SWISS in years to come, because they are going to cut most of their route network from GVA. Going head to head with easyJet just didn't work. In GVA they don't make money, it seems. Really, the way the majors are behaving will send all the LCCs laughing all the way to the bank.