The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - our 17 hour day with BA
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 16,966
BA always compares badly in these comparisons - though the relative price of tickets, and availability of award tickets, is usually ignored. Which is a shame, as it goes a long way to levelling things out, or at least explaining the discrepancies.
Lufthansa (and Swiss) have consistently better on-board service; all-round more polished, and more extensive, hard and soft products. There's a price for that. With smaller F cabins they can charge a high premium for an exclusive service. Award tickets can be hens teeth.
BA's strategy is to play to a quite different market, which includes (relatively) easy access to F awards, and the ability to upgrade for Avios.
Over with Lufthansa, my annual upgrade vouchers wither away each year for want of opportunity.
Lufthansa (and Swiss) have consistently better on-board service; all-round more polished, and more extensive, hard and soft products. There's a price for that. With smaller F cabins they can charge a high premium for an exclusive service. Award tickets can be hens teeth.
BA's strategy is to play to a quite different market, which includes (relatively) easy access to F awards, and the ability to upgrade for Avios.
Over with Lufthansa, my annual upgrade vouchers wither away each year for want of opportunity.
#17
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Vale of Glamorgan
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 2,963
#19
Join Date: Feb 2018
Programs: BA EC
Posts: 110
"We landed on time and at least I wasn't threatened with arrest this time"
Love this: in F to Miami the food was dire and I returned the bulk of it, politely, minus the cheese plate. Watched a movie, fell asleep and was threatened with arrest for being disruptive!
How can you be disruptive when you are sleeping?
Would have loved it if they had actually carried out the threat: at the time I ran a 12 airplane operation, you can guess the type, and I knew what a disruptive passenger was like!
Love this: in F to Miami the food was dire and I returned the bulk of it, politely, minus the cheese plate. Watched a movie, fell asleep and was threatened with arrest for being disruptive!
How can you be disruptive when you are sleeping?
Would have loved it if they had actually carried out the threat: at the time I ran a 12 airplane operation, you can guess the type, and I knew what a disruptive passenger was like!
#20
It seems BA is getting risk people flying in F because of the lousy food experience and to complain about it. I would differ. For example I always mourn about European Business but keep booking it as the alternative (Economy) is even worse and I cant or at least dont want to pay for a private jet. On long haul I mostly have a choice. I cant really mourn the BA F seat is bad as I know before what to expect and mostly it reflects in price. There are normally alternatives.
Regarding BA at the moment of course there are alternatives and I normally wouldnt fly it. On the other hand if you would offer me a flight in this BA F for 30% of the LH or whatever F-price I would perhaps do it. If you would for example offer me a great F without proper food for 1000 less per person it would be worth thinking about it. For the price I get 3 meals at 3 star level and I never had a meal in the air which was really impressive or compareable to high end restaurants. Wine and all the other fluff is not of interest for me, most expensive drink I take is a mocktail.
Regarding BA at the moment of course there are alternatives and I normally wouldnt fly it. On the other hand if you would offer me a flight in this BA F for 30% of the LH or whatever F-price I would perhaps do it. If you would for example offer me a great F without proper food for 1000 less per person it would be worth thinking about it. For the price I get 3 meals at 3 star level and I never had a meal in the air which was really impressive or compareable to high end restaurants. Wine and all the other fluff is not of interest for me, most expensive drink I take is a mocktail.
#21
Join Date: Feb 2018
Programs: BA EC
Posts: 110
For the dates my wife is travelling BA to ORD from LHR, economy is 540, premium is 890, Club is 1415 and First is 1820.
A meal from Gordon Ramsay's place is around 30. A Boots meal deal is probably 8. Take your own grub as SFO777 did.
Comparable LH F price is 5500.
A meal from Gordon Ramsay's place is around 30. A Boots meal deal is probably 8. Take your own grub as SFO777 did.
Comparable LH F price is 5500.
#22
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges and Environmentally Friendly Travel
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 22,200
A very entertaining and somewhat informative account - you certainly approached this trip with your eyes wide open and I am glad you were able to follow the good pre-flight advice you received in the BA Covid Catering thread.
What puzzles me is why the need to cast Patricia Routledge to play yourself in this drama. All the great discussion and advice received in the BA forum now just appears to be a dressed rehearsal for today's "showtime" event. I'm really not sure what to make of that. Still, as I said, the report has its entertainment value.
What puzzles me is why the need to cast Patricia Routledge to play yourself in this drama. All the great discussion and advice received in the BA forum now just appears to be a dressed rehearsal for today's "showtime" event. I'm really not sure what to make of that. Still, as I said, the report has its entertainment value.
Last edited by Prospero; Sep 25, 2020 at 5:38 am
#23
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 345
You see no difference in taking random photos of say an airline terminal or street cafe that may include random people in a trip report compared to zooming in on seemingly random womens chest and other areas and plastering that up on a website section called SFO777Girls ? Seriously? While at the same time often traveling with (in his case) your wife?
Last edited by Fly_IAD; Sep 25, 2020 at 8:02 am
#26
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BKK
Programs: Mucci Chevalier de la Brosse a Cheveux Dore, SK *GfL, BA Gold, WY G, HH DIA, IC Plat Amb., Hertz PC
Posts: 3,624
He knew what he was getting into, but I guess points availability rather than cash fares dictated the choice of travel...
#27
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,085
Absolutely agree - while the current BA onboard service is indeed a disgrace, the OP of this thread seems to take pride in criticising everything that possibly can be criticised, with especially the ‘euro fraud business class’ term being in every single post of his. Each to their own, but I’d value (under normal circumstances) proper service over a packet of nuts or a Mars bar, or whatever US carriers ‘serve’ on two-hour flights these days...
He knew what he was getting into, but I guess points availability rather than cash fares dictated the choice of travel...
He knew what he was getting into, but I guess points availability rather than cash fares dictated the choice of travel...
#28
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK.
Programs: SQ LPPS, A3 *G, BA Silver aiming for Bronze
Posts: 1,506
Surely with service as you had on Lufthansa and all that crew contact infection rates must be much higher in Germany!
Oh, wait....
Great report thanks, as expected it puts BA to shame.
Oh, wait....
Great report thanks, as expected it puts BA to shame.
#29
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: OTP
Programs: AF/KL platinum, Turkish gold, QR gold
Posts: 1,565
An enjoyable read again, thanks for posting!
This TR and the entire discussion that follows is like Flyertalk's version of the Fawlty Towers "Waldorf Salad" episode. For those who don't know it - please watch it!
*grabs popcorn*
This TR and the entire discussion that follows is like Flyertalk's version of the Fawlty Towers "Waldorf Salad" episode. For those who don't know it - please watch it!
*grabs popcorn*
#30
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: LHR/ATH
Programs: Amex Platinum, LH SEN (Gold), BA Bronze
Posts: 4,489
Great report SFO777, as you said BA could at least be honest and say the bad service is due to budget cuts instead of blaming COVID, it is really cheap to do that. I would be much more sympathetic if they were honest, as obviously their bottom line is severely disrupted due to the pandemic. Nonetheless, LH/LX Business (and First) class is exactly as it used to be pre COVID, the only different feel on board is the wearing of masks (which the business cabin takes off during the lengthy meal times anyway).