[YellowBelly]

Interesting article from the weekend: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/26/bring-back-my-old-british-airways

[MartynSinclair]

Whilst the article describes the reduction in services, what it does not mention is the reduction in cost. I am just about to book a transatlantic (admittedly a BA code share and ex Europe) & it would have been sub £1,000 in business if I would have taken an earlier flight. As it is, the cost is sub £1,100 (yes I have to get to my starting point, using avios of course) and I will benefit from a couple of free flights thrown in.

I have accepted you can’t get these sorts of prices with a 5 star service. Therefore I hope the old BA doesn’t return – as long as there are the outlets to buy the onboard food needed and a bed for me to sleep in & these crazy rock bottom prices remain.

[FaroFlyer]

Yes, we all miss parts of the old BA.

I don’t miss the old business class bucket seats, or even the old recliners. The beds are not perfect, but even Premium Econ now is better than the old seats.

I also don’t miss the old BA prices. From ’93 to ’03 I went to HK every month, out on Sunday, back on Friday. During that time, if I could get D class tickets (discounted Bus) I was paying £2,500 but if paying full J or C class it was £4,000. Now I complain if I have to pay €2,000 / £1,750.

Things change. Even nostalgia isn’t what it used to be:-)

[FDOS_UK]

Into my heart an air that kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?

That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.

A E Housman

[canucklad]

I’ve just commented on the CE Europe, referring to VVCM’s article, as it confirms Martyn’s disappointment with his sandwich.
I also mentioned price, most of us on BT are pretty savvy and some of us (Martyn) are more savvy than most, certainly more than me.

For me BA is not a cheap option, far from it. If you do what most people do and use a search engine to go from point A to point B , sometimes via point C (LHR in Ba’s case) BA rarely appears at the top, and frequently doesn’t appear on the first page. Granted there are exceptions but I’ve yet to book BA long haul (excepting Avios) and will now more than likely opt for FlyBe on the LHR-EDI commute.

And because it’s a more expensive option, as a layman I’d expect a level of service (value for money) that reflects the choice I’ve made.

[Tom Otley]

That balance of product / service and price is what it’s all about.

I wonder how long the ME3 will be held up as an example of what airlines should be capable of if, in the end, they are not capable of it.

[FaroFlyer]

Tom, you reminded me of the thing that I miss least of all. Getting off a BA / CX / SQ flight in the ME, after 7 hours in a small armchair, then standing in an ineffectively cooled transit lounge, under armed guard, then re-boarding the same aircraft to continue to Europe.

That is probably why I would not consider the ME3 for SE Asia. For Australasia maybe.

[christopheL]

The main concern is not BA deteriorating the quality of service provided on board. It is about BA deteriorating it while all other airlines (including European airlines) improve it. The resulting clash is twice harder…

@Tom Otley : The ME3 are what AF used to be before the mid 1990’s i.e. public companies subsidized with public money. EU rules made it impossible for France to maintain this subsidies.
Would Brexit be the hidden arm for public subsidies to BA ???

[canucklad]

Totally agree FaroFlyer.
On my regular treks to HK, I’d much rather have short hop to AMS or dare I say it even CDG and then a settle in for a nice long flight.
My 2nd favoured option is selecting a flight through the ME that builds in an extended layover.

But here’s the rub , my HK trips are for leisure and since my vast wealth doesn’t stretch to staying in Trump towers. As a result if Qatar or Etihad come up with an irresistible price point then I’m off via the ME3. EK would really have to be cheap to get me along the M* to GLA, in the same way that AF would have to be to lure me through the rat hole that is CDG.

Getting back to BA pricing, in all my years of heading to HK, never has BA appeared on ourvalue for money radar.
And you know what. They’re not likely too.. for me KL-LH-TK-QR-EK-CX and even AF offer a superior “y” experience than BA.. and that’s just disappointing!!!

[SGJNI1961]

Interesting what is seen as “cheap” and/or “value”.

I have just returned from LHR/HKG/SIN/HKG/LGW, on CX in J for £2010.

Wonderful lounges, attentive crew (personal welcome on all the flights), a bath in the F lounge at HKG, (cant even get a shower in LHR unless in the Arrivals lounge),food I was happy to eat with offers of more and spotlessly clean aircraft, inc an A350!

Booked QR, (not in a sale, just was looking and saw the fare), EDI/DOH/CPT rtn in November, B787 to DOH and sadly a B777 to CPT but QR’s usual high standard of F&B I expect. £1900 in “R” business. I was very happy to pay this as BA wanted £3450 approx at the time for the same dates. Looking forward to it.

As I have written previously, I decided some time ago not to fly on BA even though I have been Gold for a few years now but to stick with O/W where possible, However:

Booked BA, (I think it was in a sale recently), AMS/LHR/CPT rtn for Christmas, £1450 in J. Upper deck B747 seats is about all I have to look forward to. The rest of the trip fills me with dread, will the food be edible, will there be a choice, will there be a strike, will the crew be friendly, will the seat be serviceable and clean? However, at that price, I couldn’t pass it by. Less than I usually pay for DXB at Christmas! BUT, am I happy? No!

What’s value for money? What you are willing to pay?

[FDOS_UK]

What’s value for money? What you are willing to pay?

For me, on business, to the Middle East and back, I’ll pay up to £600 for World Traveller Plus – though I usually get it for ~£450-500.

Preferably via AUH, as that route has the 787 and the old bangers on the DXB route can be rather tired. WTP is fine during the day (the’new’ business class, similar to the cradle seat of 20 years ago) and during the short night flight, due to BA’s cabin crew usually seeming to be on a mission to create as much noise/disturbance as possible (using the elephant walk, locker slamming and loud/vacuous conversations as tools of preference), CW/WTP are not that dissimilar in that one gets about 3-4 hours of sleep.

Above that price point, I’ll take QF premium or start looking for value in a business cabin and wouldn’t even consider Club World, as the prices are high and value low on the routes I fly.

[FDOS_UK]

[quote quote=797824]

What’s value for money? What you are willing to pay?

For me, on business, to the Middle East and back, I’ll pay up to £600 for World Traveller Plus – though I usually get it for ~£450-500.

Preferably via AUH, as that route has the 787 and the old bangers on the DXB route can be rather tired. WTP is fine during the day (the’new’ business class, similar to the cradle seat of 20 years ago) and during the short night flight, due to BA’s cabin crew usually seeming to be on a mission to create as much noise/disturbance as possible (using the elephant walk, locker slamming and loud/vacuous galley conversations as tools of preference), CW/WTP are not that dissimilar in that one gets about 3-4 hours of sleep.

Above that price point, I’ll take QF premium or start looking for value in a business cabin and wouldn’t even consider Club World, as the prices are high and value low on the routes I fly.

[/quote]

[KennyK14]

Interesting was Victoria C-M’s quote of BA being in a “race to the bottom”. This race appears to be entirely between BA and USA airlines (although special mention to the improving Delta – but only on the right legs).
This is my last year of EC Gold, and good riddance to years of deteriorating, rude service (occasionally wonderful, but who wants odds of 5 to 1?), tired aircraft and seats.
Intercontinentally, like many other posters, I either fly on the ever-improving ME3, or out of Europe on LH/AF, and enjoy it.
BA simply fills me with trepidation.

[FDOS_UK]

Victoria Coren-Mitchell’s father was Alan Coren, sometime editor of Punch and team leader in Call my Bluff.

He is alleged to have reviewed the first edition of Highlife, edited by his colleague (Bill Davies) and responsed words to the effect that ‘This is a first, the passengers will prefer to read the sick bag and vomit into the in flight magazine’.

Very funny man and I think his daughter writes elegantly and with touches of the same humour.

[Author]

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