[RichHI1]

Understood, thanks,

[VintageKrug]

I think BA often wins because it offers direct service from the UK to so many destinations.

The benefits of flying direct cannot be underestimated.

These BAEC chnages also rationalise the membership to ensure that those who pay the most (and we all know that European members benefit from discounted exEU tickets) are recognised and that more effort can go into improving the product for those who are actually of highest value to the airline.

The new F, New Club World and the improved WT+ and WT products are in my view highly competitive, and the price point at which they are offered is also often great value for those based in the UK.

The BA UK lounge offering is superb, bettered only by Lufthansa’s Dedicated F facility in Europe (and given a run for its money by the new Swiss offering which I recently sampled and was impressed).

One has to remeber that there is a two year “transitional period”over which European members will find it even easier to qualify for Silver and Gold as TP earning on many longhaul has increased (eg used to earn 120TPs in Club, now it’s up to 140 TPs) so requalification at the higher levels won’t be a problem until mid 2013 at the very earliest.

Oh, and the 747s will be around in force for a while yet, likely until 2020 at least. THere are about 50 of them in the fleet so it will take a while for A380s and 777s to replace them.

I can’t recall how you earned your Gold Card Binman, was it a Eurocard or a comp via klm?

[FormerlyDoS]

“The new F, New Club World and the improved WT+ and WT products are in my view highly competitive, and the price point at which they are offered is also often great value for those based in the UK.”

But you would think BA was the best, if they turned up in a DH9 with wicker seats.

When I book from the UK (which I do about 5-6 times per year) I find much better value than BA.

New F – I rearely travel F, cannot comment

J – Jet is a better seat, EY, some EK (77W for example) are equals

W – OS J, MS J (773ER, 333, even the 332) are often available for a similar (or lower) price to BA W and are full service offerings – also, much more comfortable seats

Y – Only ever fly EK, from MLA-LCA-DXB and not that often, but the seats have a decent pitch and the food is as good as BA J.

[RichHI1]

Poster who cannot be named, do you have nay info if the life extension of the 744’s will increase the number being fitted for NF? Or does the expansion mean that utilization will require the current dates to be extended yet again?

[LeTigre]

Unless the 744 get refitted I will certainly avoid the WT and WTP on those.

Also, I agree with you mostly VK on quality of product.

BA’s hard products could be class leading. But the problem is that there are several things missing from Biz and First (ie. chauffeur, better catering, good AVOD) and the hard products in WT and WTP are inconsistent.

So, I would transfer all my travel if BA did the following things:
-Had NF on all aircraft
-Improved catering in CW and F
-Rolled out good IFE in all classes
-Rolled out the new WT and WTP onto all planes

Really, all I ask is that BA take the good products and roll them out or offer minor improvements. Is that so much to ask?

[Henkel.Trocken]

Interesting that as BA up the qualification criteria for gold in Europe, LH have lowered it in Germany to be consistent with the remainder of the world.

Given their competative fares and excellent F products I don’t doubt they will become the carrier of choice where F is concerned. On the 748 they will have eight seats in the space BA crowd in fourteen. One is clearly F and the other more akin to business class.

As for BA having services to so many destinations, fine if you want to go to the US, how about direct destinations in China in comparison to the other major European carriers? BA has led down British industry and commerce with it’s failure to keep up with the shifting world economy.

Difficult to imagine how some people here gained insights to Swiss, maybe they have a virtual presence too because to get in the F lounge you need to fly F or be an HON and of course why would you fly Swiss when you can fly BA? Well, I suppose you are guaranteed a good meal in LX F without having to choose carefully.

To quote:

VintageKrug – 16/04/2012 15:29 GMT

I think BA often wins because it offers direct service from the UK to so many destinations.

The benefits of flying direct cannot be underestimated.

But then you go and fly Swiss???

It’s nearly as mad as BA IFE being better because it doesn’t have new releases.

[Swissdiver]

The argument of the direct flight is very valid … for Londoners! Now many BA clients are coming not only from other cities in the UK but also in Europe and beyond. For us, we have to stop somewhere anyway for most of the long haul journeys. So the choice is ours.

[LPPSKrisflyer]

I think the direct flight arguement holds good on shorthaul. I think on longhaul where you might be spending 12+ hours on an plane you choose a bit more carefully. If for instance SIA had no availability from LHR-SIN, BA would not be my second choice simply because the F product is not up to the mark.

In those circumstances I would probably choose LH and connect in FRA or EK and connect in DXB rather than risk BA crew for that length of flight.

[VintageKrug]

Of course one’s experience of any crew is very much down to how you yourself interact with them.

While there are always exceptions, the vast majority of BA crew I encounter (both legacy and Mixed Fleet) are good; some are excellent and cannot do enough to help.

[SimonS1]

Well that’s a surprise.

[LPPSKrisflyer]

VK has made an almost valid point for once, experience of the crew is in part down to how you react to them. Of course it’s their role to start out being pleasant rather than making it obvious that everything is a chore and they have better things to do than provide the service they are paid to provide.

I find the crews on almost all airlines I fly with go the extra mile and so do about 50% of BA crews. The others however think I owe them a living obviously hate their jobs.

It’s not for me to go out of my way to be pleasant to them.

Why should we be surprised that VintageKrug flying BA virtual almost always has an excellent time.

[NTarrant]

Swissdiver – why do you say Londoners, why would direct flights not appeal to people living in other parts of the UK

[FormerlyDoS]

NTarrant

As someone who lived in the north for many years (as well as the south), it is often as easy, if not easier to fly from a regional airport using the excellent connections via AMS, FRA, DXB etc.

I travelled from Leicester to Heathrow just before Xmas, to take a flight to Cairo with BA.

The journey took over 2 hours by rail, involved a change and was pretty expensive.

If schedule was not the driver, I would have indirect from BHX or EMA.

[Swissdiver]

Nigel, Londoners because we were talking about BA. The same holds of course for Frankfurter and FRA or Parisiens and CDG…

[RichHI1]

What about the Munchkins in MUC on LH?

[Author]

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