[SurreyTraveller01]

SimonS1 – I voted with my feet. I booked 2 tickets (long haul business class): none is with BA! I do encourage others to follow suit

[Eastbourneguy]

Surreytraveller01

I have to agree, like with any service, if you are not happy then don’t use them. However do you honestly think they will notice?

If someone is not happy then a simple email, just write and say you have booked another flight with a different carrier because of XXXXXX. Perhaps the more letters they have then someone will eventually listen?

All complaints and comments are recorded and devised into categories relevant to that product ( fares, airport facilities, entertainment, cabin interior etc etc etc) and go to the relevant department.
That department does have to justify to management on the reports.

[MrMichael]

In my business all complaints are taken seriously, properly investigated by one person that “owns” that complaint from start to finish. However I do not allow them to waste time on whingers. It is unproductive, time consuming, and often gets us nowhere as irrelavant of what we write they have already made their mind up.

Something I did introduce though a few years ago is how to deal with people with expectations above that we wish to deliver. Simple. We write back saying:-

“We are sorry you are not content with our service, but it is what it is and clearly your expectations of our service are higher than we consider it commercially viable to deliver. Whilst we regret losing your business we can fully understand why you will choose to take it elsewhere”.

Perhaps if BA did that on occasions much of the rants on here would disapear. I do not aim this at any individual, just anyone that has unrealistic expectations of BA or any other airline. A complaint is an opportunity to turn something negative to something positive, I do not suggest BA are good at this, but if as a business your hitting your head against the wall trying to deal with some people that have already made their minds up you may as well tell them to get lost..

[Rockhopper]

@ MrMichael 22/3/15 1640 GMT

I agree completely with what you say regarding expectations and getting what you pay for. However IMO BA’s marketing consistently oversells their product. Take this one line from their website describing First Class for instance:

“Experience dedicated service, exceptional comfort and understated British elegance in every stage of your journey, from the moment you book to your final destination. From luxurious lounges to on-board fine dining, we make sure everything meets our meticulous standards.”

I’m not sure about anyone else but my recent F experiences do not match the expectations that the above statement is intended to generate.

I will happily book a Premier Inn for the right occasion (rugby match away with the boys or similar) and in my experience I get absolute consistency for a reasonable price.

BA on the other hand are rarely the cheapest option, advertise a level of product that on the whole they do not deliver (extra comfort and space in new Club Europe anyone?) and what they do deliver they do so inconsistently from the crew right through to the hard product. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that they generate complaints – valid or not.

I am not a natural BA basher (indeed I have flown with them regularly for 30 years) but I have had enough of them and as I said earlier in this thread I have moved/am moving elsewhere. I’m sure that’s no great loss to BA.

But if BA wants to stop antagonising people then they need to understand what it is they are trying to offer, communicate that clearly to their customers, and deliver it consistently just like, in my opinion, Premier Inn does. This will deliver real long term value to shareholders not the current short term gains which only benefit the executives whose compensation is based on those short term gains.

[openfly]

@Rockhopper……totally agree.

[DerekVH]

I love flying with BA, I rarely fly anyone else but I do have to agree with Rockhopper, the BA website description of First Class may reflect what was in the past but it does not reflect the current inconsistent offering. My only wish is that BA would acknowledge this. MrMichael is probably correct in that BA cannot afford to offer this level of service and it is annoying that they continue to insist, for example, that the new CE offering is an enhancement. Be honest and say this change is necessary that we can continue to compete with the LCO’s.

[MrMichael]

I agree with the last 3 posters too. Regular users of this forum are probably not suckered in by BA’s or anyone elses often overstated advertising campaigns. I was certainly not suggesting for a moment that BA have it right with any of their products or their advertising. My only point is that BA being the UK’s flag carrier as such….expectations of BA are high, and maybe, just maybe, some are expecting more from BA than we should reasonably expect given the huge changes in the airline market over the past twenty years. The competition BA now face from the ME3 and LoCo’s is immense….that has changed their business model and rightly so. Oddly one can see on this forum that when BA are compared to the US carriers BA come out pretty well.

[MartynSinclair]

This year I have taken BA codeshare flights with CX, IB and AA.

I always knew CX would be special and indeed it was. However, before my IB flights, I was slightly nervous having read some negative reviews about their business offering.

Yesterday, I flew AA from DUB-Philadelphia.

It is one thing offering a dated business & first class product, but when you buy a BA ticket, with a BA flight number from the BAEC website and then enjoy products on partner airlines, that far exceed BA’s own offerings – it does make you wonder if BA executives will choose to fly their own brand or enjoy a far better service with their codeshare partners, where possible.

For avoidance of doubt, thanks you IB, CX and AA for offering/providing a business class product..

[icenspice]

@MartynSinclair

I didn’t know there are direct AA flights from Dublin to PHL. Good to know.

Edited: did you connect somewhere?

[MartynSinclair]

No connection needed..

You even get to clear immigration in Dublin, although the Q’s were very long and the flight eventually delayed to allow pax caught in the Q to get through.

Luckily for me, Global Entry was my option.. took all of 3 minutes…

[icenspice]

Old or new livery ? LOL

[MartynSinclair]

330 in AA livery, flat beds 1-2-1

[icenspice]

Wow, AA has A330s?

[SurreyTraveller01]

Agree with @Rockhopper Recent changes to BAEC are just antagonising its most loyal customers. I would like to support BA and can even put up with their imperfections but all the recent changes to the BAEC are just adding insult to injury. As MartinSinclair mentioned AA’s business class is superior to BA’s

[AllOverTheGaff]

MartynSinclair – 02/04/2015 22:45 GMT
330 in AA livery, flat beds 1-2-1

Hi Martyn

Is this the same as the 777’s from LHR with the new business class product from AA?

If so, thanks for the heads-up.

Rgds.
AOTG.

[Author]

Posts