[JonathanCohen09]

Happy New Year to one and all!

As we enter a New Year I got to thinking about all the travel I have done over the years and particularly last year and then wondered if I had one travel wish that could be granted this year what would it be.

There are so many possibilities but for me it would be an end to the 100ml liquid limit that you can take on a flight or at least it becoming a bit more sensible, for example did you know that peanut butter is deemed to be a liquid by airport security?

Pretty sure my wish will not be granted but here’s hoping.

How about my fellow posters and BT staff, what wishes might you want granted this year and what do you think your chances are of them happening?

I open my account for this year with a trip to Tel Aviv later this week.

Safe travels to you all and may 2018 be a good year for you.

[nevereconomy]

the same wish as every previous year – to only travel private jet and only chance of that is the big Lottery win.

[GivingupBA]

My one wish would be for every airport in the world to be as good as the best two I know (HKG; SIN). Chance of it happening = zero.

I do of course understand that most airports e.g. LHR are much older and have grown piecemeal over decades, meaning that it couldn’t happen without a rebuild.

If I had a second wish it would be to travel in an A380 cockpit on a departure and on an approach and to be allowed to talk with the pilots as much as I wanted to (without affecting their work of course).

[LuganoPirate]

For security machines to be bought into the 21st century allowing me to walk through without stopping, emptying pockets, taking out Tablets etc.

To never have to queue again – oh what a luxury that would be!

[CathayLoyalist2]

Both Willie Walsh and Alex Cruz resign and apologise for their contribution in reducing a once great airline to a shell of its former self i.e 40th in current rankings

[DavidGordon10]

Clean water in every hotel in the world. I hate using bottled water to clean my teeth.

[Tom Otley]

Remove APD.

Make a decision (one way or another) on airport expansion.

[capetonianm]

I agree with all of the above, and this gave me a good laugh :

Both Willie Walsh and Alex Cruz resign and apologise for their contribution in reducing a once great airline to a shell of its former self i.e 40th in current rankings

I’d add my own, on a more serious note:

2017 was the safest year ever for aviation, with no passenger jet crashes anywhere in the world, and this despite more flights being made than ever before.

Although that will no doubt be seen to be an aberration in statistics, it would be a wonderful thing if it were to continue.

[FaroFlyer]

[quote quote=844240]Both Willie Walsh and Alex Cruz resign and apologise for their contribution in reducing a once great airline to a shell of its former self i.e 40th in current rankings
[/quote]

Absolutely disgraceful performance. Operating profits of IAG from ~ €500 million to ~ €3,000 from 2012 to 2017. Anyone would think they are running a business. Don’t they know what really matters?

[DavidGordon10]

Yes, safest year ever for aviation. Would you Adam and Eve it, Donald Trump has posted a tweet claiming credit for this safest year…..

[capetonianm]

Increasing profits is not an indicator of success when it has been achieved by such drastic cost-cutting that the standard of service drops far enough to alienate as many customers as they appear to have done, but of course those who support Walsh and Cruz will deny that this has happened and they will cry : “Show statistics”. To pre-empt that response, can someone explain how you quantify or define ‘alienate customers’ when most of them simply vote with their feet, as I and so many others have done?

I understand the need to provide investors with a good return – and as an IAG shareholder I am one – but at the same time, it’s not sustainable. Should I sell my shares before they start to drop?

[CathayLoyalist2]

FaroFlyer, a lot of CEO´s would equally cheer for Walsh and Cruz simply because of the profits. One of my clients is a major Asian bank and the CEO in his mission statement talks about not just making a profit but what he called “good profit” where stakeholders see positives as far as possible. Today I would like to think the “what profit” that is made is as important as “how that profit was achieved”. The financial crash was a glaring example of a certain sector not caring less about the how

[FaroFlyer]

[quote quote=844336]Increasing profits is not an indicator of success when it has been achieved by such drastic cost-cutting that the standard of service drops far enough to alienate as many customers as they appear to have done, but of course those who support Walsh and Cruz will deny that this has happened and they will cry : “Show statistics”. To pre-empt that response, can someone explain how you quantify or define ‘alienate customers’ when most of them simply vote with their feet, as I and so many others have done?
I understand the need to provide investors with a good return – and as an IAG shareholder I am one – but at the same time, it’s not sustainable. Should I sell my shares before they start to drop?
[/quote]

Capetonian, you are absolutely correct. Passengers are voting with their feet and passenger numbers doubled over the same period.

As to your shares: yes, if you do not have confidence in the company and its management then you should sell. I am surprised that you need to ask.

[MartynSinclair]

Apart from the bl**ding obvious….

* airport security coming into the 21st century
* no queues
* hand baggage rules enforced unilaterally

My one wish would be, clearer, fairer and more transparent pricing for hotels and airline tickets without the need to wonder, how much am I paying this time??

[capetonianm]

FaroFlyer, it’s heartening to see you supporting and making excuses for the company of which I am a part owner. A very small part, probably something like a nacelle cover on a 320 (oh … that fell off on a flight to OSL), or a business class seat (that would be 56K, the one that was broken last time I flew from CPT on G-BNLK in business class, or 60A on G-CIVL, broken and with no IFE the time before).

It’s easy to make profits by cutting costs – not sustainable.
It’s easy to increase pax loads by reducing fares to get bums on seats and cramming in more seats – not sustainable.

If BA would identify their market (high revenue or LCC) and go for that, they might start to recover, but trying to be all things to all people doesn’t work, and ultimately it’s the high yield pax in the front cabins who make a legacy airline pay its way – or not. They are also the most vocal, or the ones who are most likely to be listened to. When the longhaul premium cabin pax are largely comprised of rebated/redemption or other low yield (e.g. AMS originating) then it’s not going to return good yields.

You seem to be a lone voice in the wilderness in your defence of BA, there are a lot of people who will only fly BA premium when it’s cheap, then their expectations are low, and BA are good at meeting low expectations in the hard product. I will admit though that their ground handling at T5 is generally excellent, at least I have always found it so, I know others would disagree.

My question about selling my shares was rhetorical.

[Author]

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