[Anonymous]

[Tirana1]

I have just been “downgraded” with the replacement of the long haul 767 BA aircraft for a 7.5 hour overnight flight to Almaty by a short haul 767. I have heard of this happening with much shorter flights to Moscow and Jeddah but to change the product from a lie-flat bed on a 7.5 hour overnight flight to a short haul CE configuration (not even with empty middle seat on 767) is – in my view – astonishing. I assume this is a function of poor reliability on 767’s and a lack of spare long haul 767’s given a number having been withdrawn from the fleet. Does this suggest that all long haul 767routes are now at heightened risk of being swapped to the short haul version if tech issues arise ?

[BA744fan]

BA are testing customers loyalty to the limit in cases like this.

I read of a similar case recently. I believe it was Jeddah on that occasion.

I don’t know what a business class ticket to Almaty costs, but it has to be north of £1k so to find that the plane has changed to short haul config with what is effectively an economy seat is disgraceful.

Surely BA could have sent a 777 instead?

Sadly the days of common sense and customer service are long gone and the only thing that matters is the bottom line.

Personally I would demand a refund between the cost of the CW ticket and an economy ticket because business class simply does not exist on short haul any more.

They won’t pay of course, and will insult you with an offer of Avios as compensation, in which case I would let the courts decide.

Let us know how you get on.

[MartynSinclair]

Was the original seat sold as Club World or Club Europe?

[openfly]

@BA744fan

“BA are testing customers loyalty to the limit”…….exactly, in all areas. Well said, in a nut shell.

[EU_Flyer]

I have checked the BA website and the Almaty service in Business Class is marketed as Club World in the product description.

I’d make reference to this when communicating to BA about compensation.

[mroo_ywg]

The reliability of the BA 767 is increasingly questionable. Twice in three weeks, the EBB-LHR flight has been cancelled for mechanical reasons. Not sure why they do not do what QF did and accelerate the retirement of these birds.

[MrMichael]

@BA744fan “Sadly the days of common sense and customer service are long gone and the only thing that matters is the bottom line”

I am not and will not defend the actions of BA if they have changed a Club World to a Club Europe cinfiguration without adequate compensation. However lets be realistic about what compensation you should get. I suggest the difference between Club World and Econ is at the upper end of what you should get.

Your statement that BA are “only interested in the bottom line” is quite correct, and rightly so. No business can survive in such a competitive market, increase profits and grow without such a basic business model.

[MartynSinclair]

Forgetting the issue of compensation… I get very annoyed hearing about the different business class products being used on longhaul (not necessarily by BA). I believe passengers have a right to know exactly which derivative of a product they are buying…

However, when a completely different product is being provided, this is something else.. How can a Club Europe product be used on a Club World service, when the product purchased was sold as Club World.

Sounds very “deceitful” to me…

[BA744fan]

@ MrMichael

I don’t disagree with your point but I cannot help feeling that some properly channelled investment in customer service would go a long way at BA.

They shoot themselves in the foot all the time and that only goes to alienate their loyal customers further.

We all want to support our national airline, but loyalty comes at a price and BA doesn’t seem to understand this very basic business concept.

[Ah,Mr.Bond]

Yep – check out “thebasource.com”

Normally: B767-300ER 24J/24W/144Y Refurbished
25JAN : B767-300ER CY259

Check out my previous post on this banger.

Not sure what fare you paid, assuming it is the cheapest I class fare, I would be demanding the difference of at least £1000 + 50,000 avios as a minimum, and I would not be off the phone until I got this.

[BA319131]

I have just been “downgraded” with the replacement of the long haul 767 BA aircraft for a 7.5 hour overnight flight to Almaty by a short haul 767. I have heard of this happening with much shorter flights to Moscow and Jeddah but to change the product from a lie-flat bed on a 7.5 hour overnight flight to a short haul CE configuration (not even with empty middle seat on 767) is – in my view – astonishing.

– I find it odd the that the middle seats were taken, especially as the CW seat count is significantly lower than the CE seat config, even if you allow for WTP.

[Carajillo2Sugar]

Depending on whether your stay includes a Saturday night and/or your company has access to a corporate rate with BA, the difference between a CW return ticket and one at the back-o’-the-bus could be in excess of £3k – couple that with a lack of legroom and the probability of very little sleep, it’s a massive amount to pay for a curtain divider and a glass of warm fizz!!

[AnthonyDunn]

Well, I guess that the alternative would have been to cancel the flight entirely. How would that have gone down?

[canucklad]

So, elsewhere in the forum (Well done BA)it was mentioned that 80.000 avios points are routinely offered as compensation if your full flat chair doesn’t recline to the 180 degree position. So not even having a chair to recline…..well you’d expect?
But I suspect, double standards will apply here, as it’s probably on their high profile routes across the Atlantic and not to Almaty..

[Author]

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