[LuganoPirate]

Reading this forum, let alone this thread, it seems almost everyone dislikes BA and yet most continue to fly the flag. “BA known as Con Air” by frequent flyers and yet they continue to fly, in increasing numbers it seems according to recent passenger loads. So, why? Is this a bit like self flagellation?

From all the comments I’d expect BA to be flying empty planes but they’re not, and if there’s little Avios availability perhaps it because people are paying BA to fly with them and so filling the seats bringing BA lots of revenue.

It’s a bit of a mystery I think!

[PhilipHart]

@seasonedtraveller

Although you will now be travelling ORD to MAN, won’t your hold luggage still be travelling ORD to LBA?

I ask because I imagine that both flights operate through T5, and I honestly don’t know whether one has to collect one’s luggage between international and domestic flights.

[ImissConcorde]

LuganoPirate
+1

Interestingly The Times travel poll of theirs readers shows BA winning Best Airline!!

[TominScotland]

LuganoPirate +1

Based on the number of posters to this Forum who have sworn never to fly BA again, you would think the airline would long be out of business or, at best, shedding services to low-cost subsidiaries (oh, sorry, that is Lufthansa!!)

[MartynSinclair]

Interesting point made LP. I have gone on record many times to confirm my SOLE reason for flying BA is free flights to Europe with Avios.

The trip I am currently on, the reality is BA are paying me to fly with them.

£1350, AMS-LHR-HKG-BKK-HKG-LHR-AMS in business + ca 65,000 avios = 14 European Sectors….. all easily bookable on ba.com

They are giving the seats away…………. makes perfect business sense to me… even though I would gladly switch…

[AnthonyDunn]

@ LuganoPirate – 18/10/2014 08:17 GMT

Well LP, it’s not that much of a mystery: recalling a marketing class whilst at London Business School in which it was pointed out that people who experience poor products or service will tell, on average, another thirteen people, the BT Forum serves that purpose very ably.

Beyond that, I don’t believe that people actively dislike or loath BA, rather more I think it is a sense of disappointment that an organisation, containing able and committed staff, manages to deliver something that is less than the sum of its parts. Having “got out more” and sampled some other offerings over the past twelve months, I recognise that BA is (consistently) way better than many but, at the premium end of the spectrum (in which no few BT Forum posters clearly travel), the airline demonstrably falls short.

But, looking at BA’s market position, the competition it faces and its need to be cash generative rather than burning (owing to its pension-scheme liabilities plus Walsh’s serious cash-burning error in mis-pricing and mis-timing the IB merger/tie-up), I have some appreciation of the bean-counter inspired penny-pinching mindset which has been and is also being pursued by other legacy carriers.

There is always the option, intra-Europe, of the so-called locos but it is instructive just how few postings there are on BT Forum about the experience of flying on Easyjet, Flyanscare, Vueling, Germanwings, Wizz, Jet2 etc.

[BigDog.]

It is not only with cabin crew that BA are going more loco than the locos, their marketing department are equally clueless….

Some months ago the publicity shots for the A380 service to J’burg featured table top mountain which is a 2 hour flight being 1,500 km away in Cape Town (and is not equipped to take an A380)

Now another BA blunder as they are advertising stays for £175 in Leeds – BA’s promotional pic is of Leeds castle ….. which happens to be in Kent.

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/ba-blunder-airline-advertises-city-of-leeds-using-leeds-castle-in-kent-1-6899757

Suggest pax should ask their pilots a few geography questions to ensure they know where they are going.

[BigDog.]

As to why BA is still managing to maintain loads despite stripping business/first class down to the minimum is three fold.

a) Imo most J Class bookings are made by in-house agents who look purely at cost and timing, not VFM.

b) Less frequent travellers, probably viewing air travel merely as a homogeneous utility, will opt for convenience as long as the price is competitive. As LHR has little/no slot availability it is impossible for a true full service carrier to build critical mass to compete at LHR so BA with its captive market is the convenient “acceptable” option.

c) As an increasing number of seats are now given away (Avios etc) – it makes sense for BA to minimise the cost to themselves. ie Little advantage of providing a premium product.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2796966/the-best-airline-meals-revealed.html

[MartynSinclair]

Big Dog, it would be interesting to establish the primary choice for travellers, cost v direct.

I know if I changed from BA I would probably give a M/E airline a go.. which I have so far not done.

BA are not alone in running full flights. I would guess BA flights are full due to no UK passengers flying in the same way that airlines like Finnair are full due to no Finns flying a (via) route.

[LuganoPirate]

Thinking back to the days when fares were IATA controlled and I was living in Rotterdam, I’d mainly use three airlines, Swissair, UTA and KLM. The fares were the same but Swissair and UTA meant a change in Zurich or Paris respectively. Despite KLM being the most convenient I’d fly the other two as much as possible despite the change of planes. Why? I found everything so much better than KLM and on a 12 hour flight an extra hour really didn’t make a difference. I’d still do the same today.

[seasonedtraveller]

PhilipHart

Most of my business trips do not require a checked bag (ie I stick to carry on only).
I always pack half the amount of clothing required, and put them in the laundry half way through the trip.

No more ‘lost luggage’ following me around the country

[seasonedtraveller]

THIS POST FROM – ANTHONYDUNN – SUMS IT UP PERFECTLY FOR ME (bottom of the page) – But I would add that it’s also about expectation – my expectations when flying Ryanair to Dublin or Vueling to Barcelona, are very low and therefore I’m not often disappointed. My expectations of BA are much higher & therein lies an issue….

Beyond that, I don’t believe that people actively dislike or loath BA, rather more I think it is a sense of disappointment that an organisation, containing able and committed staff, manages to deliver something that is less than the sum of its parts. Having “got out more” and sampled some other offerings over the past twelve months, I recognise that BA is (consistently) way better than many but, at the premium end of the spectrum (in which no few BT Forum posters clearly travel), the airline demonstrably falls short.

[DavidHanson]

I would be very interested to know if BA were to bring their products and services both on the ground and in the air in line with the middle east and Asian airlines and bring Mixed fleet salaries and T&C’s in line with legacy crew how the how much more the average cost of a ticket would rise by, does anyone have an idea?

Also if BA were to make these changes how much more would you be willing to pay for your flight, more, less or the same?

[SimonS1]

BA will always have their business underpinned for various reasons.

1. Corporate deals which means travellers use BA regardless of personal preference or service quality.

2. People who slavishly collect Avios and are therefore tied in regardless of service quality.

3. Nonsensical pricing which means ex EU is much cheaper, fills seats with people taking extra flights for positioning purposes to save money.

4. In some cases no real competition (see what happened to Little Red).

If it was based on service the planes would be half empty unless you really believe the outcome of the BT awards.

[openfly]

BA must be minting it at the moment….high fuel surcharge and a massive drop in fuel prices. In a few months time there will be so much cash slopping around they will be able to pay mixed fleet the legacy rate!

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