[AnthonyDunn]

Just noticed this on Flyertalk: BAinvestment4u by invitation-only event for GGL/CCR card holders tomorrow (05April17) between LGW and LHR:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1833928-bainvestment4u-ba-investment-event-april-5-2017-a.html

[Kass]

[quote quote=797648]

conc001 wrote:

Friend of mine works as cabin Crewe at BA. Recently getting fed up with all the cuts and had a very difficult passanger. He snapped snd said “I know it’s not f@@@ing good enough here is the CEOs email address. This is a true story.

Sweet. Deserves to be dismissed instantly for gross misconduct.

[/quote]

Who the crew or the CEO? If mean the crew maybe they are as fed up with the substandard product they need to serve.
Imagine staff at the ritz serving disgusting sandwiches over and over, they would feel embarrassed

[FDOS_UK]

[quote quote=800080]

FDOS_UK wrote:

conc001 wrote:

Friend of mine works as cabin Crewe at BA. Recently getting fed up with all the cuts and had a very difficult passanger. He snapped snd said “I know it’s not f@@@ing good enough here is the CEOs email address. This is a true story.

Sweet. Deserves to be dismissed instantly for gross misconduct.

Who the crew or the CEO? If mean the crew maybe they are as fed up with the substandard product they need to serve.
Imagine staff at the ritz serving disgusting sandwiches over and over, they would feel embarrassed

[/quote]

Are you serious? The CEO is entitled to drive the strategy (FWIW, I think it’s wrong), but for an employee to drop the ‘f-bomb’ is inexcusable – period.

Any service worker will inevitably feel frustrated with a difficult customer, from time to time, but most are professional enough to deal with it.

If the embarrasement is too great to bear, then consulting the job pages (and sites) is the correct remedial action.

[WillieWelsh]

[quote quote=800066]Interesting.

As a subscriber to the Economist, some recent(ish) articles. These are behind a paywall (I think):

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2016/08/fly-scrooge from 19Aug16 which makes the point that it is very easy to lose a reputation for providing a premium service and a lot harder to win it back;

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2017/01/air-strike?zid=303&ah=27090cf03414b8c5065d64ed0dad813d from 09Jan17 which criticises Willy Walsh’s intransigent and truculent stance over BA’s relations with its own workforce; and

http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21719832-although-airline-facing-plenty-criticism-its-strategy-looks-sound-british-airways 30Mar17

This latter one makes the point that fares have fallen by 2% in real terms over the last year and claims that as the UK economy slows down (err, tanks?) in 2017-18, the no-frills approach is a sensible strategy. Why does the Economist think that BA will get away with it? Because (a) the size of BA Executive Club (with its incentives to fly on BA) and (b) Fortress LHR with many of its time-precious business passengers prepared to pay more for direct services rather than go around the houses.

This all rather reminds me of the arguments around Brex**it. It is just that, in each case, by the time the truth becomes evident to all, it might just be too late and the irreversible damage will have been done.

[/quote]

AnthonyDunn, I spotted these articles too and have read them over time.

I do wonder though about relying on the BA Executive Club to tide the company through bad times. I suspect that just like BA, the companies that are buying BA seats will look to reduce their costs too especially as there is a reduction in value be it hand luggage, food on board or whatever else with BA – what do they offer now that easyJet don’t and anyway, why would a company want to pay for it? Cruz proudly announcing that he thinks of a cut everyday only serves to reduce the value of what BA sell and it’s something companies perhaps do not want to buy anymore.

It’s also possible with the calamity which will be Brexit that the volume of business travel will significantly reduce to and from the UK, particularly from the EU which will of course hit the short haul market hardest and benefit low cost carriers who are ready to pick up the business there is. I think there are difficult times ahead for the UK, harder than anyone has anticipated.

I say this as someone who is now resident in Germany and reading the press here the clear message is the 27 will look after themselves first and the UK may get some crumbs if there are any. The President of the Federal Republic made a very strong speech in Brussels today which UK politicians may do well to reflect on, it’s here if anyone is interested:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/apr/04/german-president-attacks-irresponsible-brexit-campaign

[oneworldflier101]

LGW to Nice – Club Europe 4/4/17

– Overall service was excellent.

– Drinks served first which was good. But surprised by the new large bottles of wine meaning only a glass (or thimble) would be served. Chose the spanish white tasted like a £3 wine. If wanted a refill would have to wait until after food service as no-one came round proactively. I cant believe BA have got rid of the small bottles of wine / champagne. And now Euro-traveller gets a better choice. The M&S menus were in the club seat-backs so perhaps you can pay if you want. I might next time as don’t like Castelnau champagne or the new white wines. The days of NZ Marlborough in CE as of a few years ago seem a distant memory.

– New catering a choice of croque monsieur or chicken salad. Chose the chicken salad – was “ok” but felt small and was very disappointed with removal of cheese as never want the dessert.

– Non-related comment – on the 4th of April all seats-backs still had tatty March highlife and Business magazines. Clearly BA too busy cutting costs to remember the basics.

Overall disappointing to see CE de-valued again and perhaps if you can sit forward enough to ensure stock of M&S available in economy its now better to downgrade.

[openfly]

Did CE today. Couldn’t believe the heavy clunky china plates and similar to CW. The hot main course is served on two heavy plates, with so little food. This must be costing BA a hidden shed load of fuel to carry this unnecessary extra weight, and thereby increasing their carbon footprint! Well done BA….another shot in the foot.

[FDOS_UK]

[quote quote=800381]Did CE today. Couldn’t believe the heavy clunky china plates and similar to CW. The hot main course is served on two heavy plates, with so little food. This must be costing BA a hidden shed load of fuel to carry this unnecessary extra weight, and thereby increasing their carbon footprint! Well done BA….another shot in the foot.

[/quote]

Maybe the plates are edible?

[openfly]

@oneworldflyer101……totally agree with the removal of the quarter bottles of champagne and wine. Sitting in row 2 it is possible on the Gatwick eBay A320s to watch (and hear) all the activity in the highly visible half galley.
Had a great crew who just loved pulling the big bottle champagne corks. They spent much of the flight pulling corks and topping glasses up. I dread to think how much this was costing. It must have been cheaper to offer quarter bottles.
As a shareholder I’m not impressed, but as a pax…brilliant. Bring it on! The crew were obviously enjoying spending Snr Cruz money….retribution?!

[Defcon5]

Naturally. For an additional cost….

[Defcon5]

[quote quote=800436]

openfly wrote:

Did CE today. Couldn’t believe the heavy clunky china plates and similar to CW. The hot main course is served on two heavy plates, with so little food. This must be costing BA a hidden shed load of fuel to carry this unnecessary extra weight, and thereby increasing their carbon footprint! Well done BA….another shot in the foot.

Maybe the plates are edible?

[/quote]

Naturally. For an additional cost…

[Chiantikid]

As crew IMO I can tell you the new large bottles are a con. All smoke and mirrors. We are constantly topping up as the CE wine glasses are half the size of the CW ones. It’s a right pain for both us and the customer.
The champagne is the same brand so why bother?
All 4 wines are p*** poor IMO. You’d seriously get better at Lidl. It’s a con. Most of our CE customers think they’re getting a better wine in big bottles than the quarters ( I’m not including you guys!) It’s not true. The Chilean Cab Sab is absolutely fine. Sadly the days as have been said of the NZ Nobilo are long gone.

[Chiantikid]

On the weight issue I was told a couple of years ago that we couldn’t load any more minerals as it was extra weight even though they were needed. The fact we carry 100% full tanks of potable water around Europe was deemed irrevalent by the ‘catering executive’ as that was another dept!
Now it’s irrelevant again as we carry loads of heavy China chargers around ( We have a full load of them even if the CE load is low!) No wonder Cruz wants to get rid of half of Waterside!

[FDOS_UK]

[quote quote=801190]On the weight issue I was told a couple of years ago that we couldn’t load any more minerals as it was extra weight even though they were needed. The fact we carry 100% full tanks of potable water around Europe was deemed irrevalent by the ‘catering executive’ as that was another dept!
Now it’s irrelevant again as we carry loads of heavy China chargers around ( We have a full load of them even if the CE load is low!) No wonder Cruz wants to get rid of half of Waterside!

[/quote]

As Prof. Rita McGrath (a very bright lady) has a habit of saying, ‘when someone in business is doing something really stupid, the odds are they are expecting to get rewarded for it’.

I dunno, but maybe that’s the case here?

[DavidSmith2]

I had the dubious pleasure of CE yesterday – TIA to LGW. Crew were very attentive and pleasant but the main meal was ‘braised beef and mushroom casserole’ (with crushed potatoes, which seems all the rage nowadays). Potatoes were fine but one forkful of the casserole was like being whisked back in time to the 1970s and primary school dinners. It was ‘stew’. 6 lumps of meat, two of which turned out to be gristle, in a gravy which was nothing more than bisto with flour. And not a mushroom to be seen. I would estimate that it cost the company who produce this slop well under 50p per portion.

Honestly, what is the point of CE. I may as well sit in an economy exit row and bring my own sandwich.

[MartynSinclair]

As I have commented many times on the T5 lounge thread, why on earth does the airline produce splash food for in flight or lounge ‘dining’. There must be a very high probability of passengers creating gravy stains on shirts/blouses.. Absolutely does not make sense…

[Author]

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