[BugAdvisor]

I wrote some time ago about the intermittent BA Gold Card welcome. That was before BA introduced ‘buy on board’ in short-haul economy. Back then, if I did receive a Gold welcome in economy, I was often offered a drink from the front; Champagne, Glenlivet 15yr old etc. But that was when drinks were free anyway.

Since buy on board, I haven’t received the Gold welcome. I wonder if BA have now stopped the welcome in short haul economy – has anyone received this (and maybe a free drink) since the change?

[FDOS_UK]

This is the new welcome:

‘Welcome on board MrNNNNN, we notice that you are a gold member, so you must be very wealthy as well as having the other attributes of a true gold member to fly on BA services – so show us the ^&%*^&$ money and buy a sarnie’.

[christopheL]

Do you really care with the on board welcome including your surname or is it a joke ?

[BugAdvisor]

I didn’t care so much about the welcome before, although it was nice to have a couple of Glenlivet instead of the Johnnie Walker from the back.
But as this now could potentially mean a free drink rather than a purchase – I’d be delighted to receive the welcome!

[onajetplane]

Haven’t had an on-board welcome from BA in a long time… but did strike me that on a recent itinerary involving flights with Cathay and Qantas I got the welcome based on my BAEC Gold and was welcomed by name on both flights by Head Purser I guess from OneWorld status… just so telling re. complete lack of reciprocation on BA!

Tonight had a conversation with the crew about the buy on board product… with a rather blunt comment from a genuinely very considerate and helpful crew member… “they are all so tight tonight… no one is buying anything… makes for an easy flight for us…”

[JohnHarper]

Surely giving complimentary drinks to any passenger in economy is now strictly forbidden whatever status they may have? Think of Wee Willie’s bonus! I think they should increase the price of everything by at least £1 to help the poor mite.

Although there is a perception that TK are suffering from all the problems in Turkey at the moment I haven’t noticed any fall in loads between IST-LHR where the route is mostly operated by an A330 or a 773 and a crew member commented to me that the route is busier than ever. I’m sure they are very grateful to BA for introducing BoB.

[seasonedtraveller]

[quote quote=788582]Haven’t had an on-board welcome from BA in a long time… but did strike me that on a recent itinerary involving flights with Cathay and Qantas I got the welcome based on my BAEC Gold and was welcomed by name on both flights by Head Purser I guess from OneWorld status… just so telling re. complete lack of reciprocation on BA!
[/quote]

This has also been my experience over the past couple of years – welcomed at my seat by other One-world carriers including Qatar, Cathay & American but zero welcome from BA (with whom I have the ‘status’)

[Stowage222]

To answer your original question BugAdvisor I would have thought it improbable that you would receive anything free on the new BOB service (a/c tank water excepted) unless you were in the ‘approved’ cabin. It’d cause a riot down the back no doubt!

To Fly To Sell

[neilsoaj]

So here is the more important challemnge I believe – As a GC our first point of contact is normally the crew- yet they are the last point of contact for the BA senior mgmt- who normally don’t give them time of day.
Rather than waste breath discussing at length with the crew the poilicy of BA- it would be great if we could find out when there is a BA manager onboard either on duty travel,crew training etc and give him our POV directly- after all why shouldn’t they feel the heat of their decisions.
Also try and and ask for there name and ask for formal feedback

[please_turn_left]

Iberia gives you a named welcome and free drink in economy on domestic Spanish flights as a BAEC Gold card holder where the rest of the service is buy on board.
Like others have commented it also astounds me the majority of BA cabin crew can’t be bothered to consult the passenger list and make even a token effort to make you feel like your loyalty is worth anything.

[FDOS_UK]

Now this is what I call a proper gold member welcome

[Cedric_Statherby]

I am really not the slightest bit fussed whether I get a “gold card welcome” or not. Often they are faintly embarrassing, like when a waiter at a restaurant asks you if your food is OK. One mumbles, and is grateful when they go away and you are left alone.

I am also not the slightest bit fussed by whether I get a free drink or not. In short haul, what I actually want much of the time is to be got there quickly and safely but otherwise left in peace.

I am not really surprised that BOB is not finding many buyers. Nor do the drinks carts on trains. But they are there if you want them.

BOB is – once one gets over the shock-horror and the comments about how mean BA is (“to buy to sell” and all that) – a genuine win win. BA get a little more money and a lot less waste and rubbish to clear up. Cabin crew get a quieter flight. And passengers get more choice if they want food and less bother if they don’t. The BA free food on short haul was in its latter manifestations pathetic – usually tasteless, usually inappropriate for the time of day – and BOB, or even eating nothing at all, is a definite improvement culinary-wise.

I suspect that once we are used to BOB and over the initial shock of the new there will be absolutely zero clamour to return to the “free food service” of latter years.

[BugAdvisor]

@ Cedric – I agree that the recent economy food pre-BOB was terrible, but suspect that was on purpose so BA could say BOB was an enhancement. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t mind if food was BOB.
However, the drinks service, pre-BOB, wasn’t bad. Now I’m expected to buy water at £1.50 a bottle or wine at £4 odd.
The trolley service seems to take just as long – if not longer. Less takers, but more admin when someone wants something.

[Cloud-9]

I suspect that BOB is ceeating much more wasted food as the take-up seems to be minimal.

Maybe BA will pare the selection down to the most popular items after a few months.

If only they had rolled it out slowly on a few select routes…. too easy

[IanFromHKG]

I don’t know if this is still the case, but on my last few domestic coach flights on AA (on routes where there wasn’t a “First” cabin) I was given free snacks and drinks based on my oneworld emerald status, even though it wasn’t with AA.

It does seem to me that extending the same courtesy to BA’s own elite passengers on their own flights would be a meaningful, and very low-cost, bonus. And who knows, it might encourage those in the vicinity to bung them a bit of cash when they realise how delightful it is to have an M&S snack on board (even if they could have bought it before boarding for less).

I am reminded of an article I read a while ago about the ricochet effect of someone on board ordering a Bloody Mary. Apparently, once one person does this, the chances of those around them ordering a Bloody Mary increases quite substantially. Something about umami, as I recall… But there is an undoubted correlation between having one customer in an unreceptive audience and having more – it just takes something to tip the balance. Having someone start by ordering something – others are more likely to follow. If it becomes known that status brings freebies of a very visible and tangible sort… Well, who knows?

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