BA Miffed Fleet

Back to Forum
Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 116 total)

  • AsiaTraveler
    Participant

    I am lucky enough to travel First and Business, which I do every other week, and I increasingly try my hardest to avoid routes with mixed fleet crews, but they keep following me as every Asia service gets downgraded to mixed fleet (only HK and Singapore remain legacy I think). BA should be ashamed of their training scheme for these crew members. Service is simply not good enough – and miles apart in almost every respect and on almost every flight from legacy crews, who I generally find to be really pretty good these days, and often excellent. The BA brand will be damaged and I don’t understand why management are prepared to let this happen.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    [quote quote=812829]FDOS

    Is anyone else beginning to wonder what is the point of miffed fleet?

    – Quite a lot of those I’ve experienced aren’t very good at their job (seem under trained)
    – Quite a lot of those I’ve experienced don’t seem to care too much about doing a good job
    – 8 strikes over a 6 month period ain’t a great advert for them or the airline

    So what is the point of this lot?

    ……..Mixed fleet crew member talking to another mixed fleet crew member about WT and WTP passengers. “Quite a lot of those I’ve experienced aren’t very good at their job (seem under trained). Quite a lot of those I’ve experienced don’t seem to care too much about doing a good job. Better just look after J and F. What’s the point of that lot in WT and WTP????”

    You would like to be called “that lot” would you?????

    I agree that many of the mixed fleet are not as good at service delivery as legacy staff, but not all, and that is a large brush with which to tar. Many legacy crew are excellent but some are lazy and bone idle. Why blame mixed fleet? – blame BA if you are going to blame anyone, not the staff. AND, if you don’t like the service, fly with another airline.

    [/quote]

    Oh dear, another illogical rant from Intheair. I thought you may have learned your lesson after the ass whipping SImonS1 gave you. Apparently not.

    The ‘mixed fleet member talking to another mixed fleet member’ is so illogical, it doesn’t merit a response.

    Passengers have been labelled far worse things that ‘this lot’ by airline personnel, in my presence. Remember, I’ve seen the world from the airline side, too.

    I didn’t say ‘all; miffed fleet crew are not good at service delivery, just ‘quite a lot’, which strikes me as being proximate to your term ‘many’.

    Finally, I didn’t mention BA legacy crew.

    I’ll choose whatever airline I wish to, thanks.


    Selbyjay
    Participant

    I think it’s quite unfair to blame the effectiveness of the mixed fleet crew on the employees themselves. BA want this crew for the cheapest possible price and I can imagine that these young people very quickly realise that their decision to work for that company was seriously flawed.

    To get the best out of your employees, you need to invest in their development, pay them a fair wage and treat them how you want them to treat your customers. BA is failing their mixed fleet crew on all levels and is by definition failing their customers. Why on earth would these crew go out of their way to deliver world class service when they’re being shafted by their employer?

    I agree with Intheair, if you dont like it, fly with another airline. I dont fly BA because i abhor the way they treat their employees. The image of trainees being issued “snapshots” in the documentary a few years back made my mind up there and then that BA does not deserve my money.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    I don’t see anyone blaming the crew.

    Can you reference the post that concerns you?

    I respect your choice not to fly BA, but please will you leave me to choose who I will fly on?


    handbag
    Participant

    [quote quote=812781]@LP….MF are 18 and the females wear hats, plus the 21yo boss introduces themselves on the PA as Customer Service Manager rather than the legacy CSD. After that it’s all downhill! ?

    [/quote]Although I don’t want to get into the discussion about the capability of Mixed or Legacy, I do wish to clarify / add to the above information.

    Initially when Mixed Fleet was introduced, they were the only ones to wear a hat (excluding Promotional Events Team). After a short period of time the Company decided that Mixed Fleet would carry on wearing the hat on all aircraft and in addition Legacy would wear them if they were operating on certain aircraft. I only work Legacy on 747 /777 and don’t have to wear a hat, but as far as I am aware if a Legacy Crew member is licensed and operating a 787 or A380 aircraft, then they do.

    So if a Mixed Fleet went on a 777, 747, 787 or A380 to LAX, they WOULD wear a hat
    If Legacy flew on a 747 or 777 to LAX they WOULD NOT wear a hat,
    If Legacy flew on a A380 or 787 to LAX they WOULD wear a hat.
    (purely for example, could be LAX or any other destination).

    I think the logic was
    a. Initially the Company wanted to distinguish between the 2 Fleets, possibly the change was because they no longer wished to. ???
    b. As Legacy Crews take on a new licence, they are then issued with a hat (although they don’t wear when they work on the older aircraft).

    In essence, the hat no longer is an indication.

    The titles are correct,
    Customer Service Manager is Mixed
    Cabin Service Director is Legacy

    Legacy Fleet , has not taken on any Crew in approx 15 years, so the youngest Crew on Legacy is likely to be approx 35. I would estimate the average to be about 45, possible older 🙂

    If several look nearer 25, then they are most likely Mixed Fleet.


    Intheair
    Blocked

    FDOS

    Read the initial post up you wrote – it was entirely inappropriate to blame poorly paid staff for the service standards you seem to expect. Blame BA and to be honest I am surprised you fly them – but if you do, belt up as you have a choice.

    Your juvenile comment about your colleague doesn’t warrant a response.

    Don’t be so rude about staff who are just trying to earn a living. I don’t agree about their strike action as they knew about the job when they signed up, but they are giving service appropriate to what they are being paid. It is for us as customers to vote with our money if we don’t appreciate the service. Don’t be so self-important, because important you are not.

    For what it is worth, IN MY VIEW BA staff by and large give a reasonable level of service and I tend to fly quite them frequently, usually in first class. Most of the time they give good service, some of the time it is poor but for the convenience of terminal five, which is close to where I live, I tend to use them for direct flights. If I was as derogatory about the service as you are, I wouldn’t use them – you can fly with who you want but please stop moaning about it when you do.

    I have to say that I totally understand the post by selbyjay – he/she disapproves of the they BA treat their staff, and avoids flying BA, possibly to his or her inconvenience, and that is a good principle in my view.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    [quote quote=813030]FDOS

    Read the initial post up you wrote – it was entirely inappropriate to blame poorly paid staff for the service standards you seem to expect. Blame BA and to be honest I am surprised you fly them – but if you do, belt up as you have a choice.

    Your juvenile comment about your colleague doesn’t warrant a response.

    Don’t be so rude about staff who are just trying to earn a living. I don’t agree about their strike action as they knew about the job when they signed up, but they are giving service appropriate to what they are being paid. It is for us as customers to vote with our money if we don’t appreciate the service. Don’t be so self-important, because important you are not.

    For what it is worth, IN MY VIEW BA staff by and large give a reasonable level of service and I tend to fly quite them frequently, usually in first class. Most of the time they give good service, some of the time it is poor but for the convenience of terminal five, which is close to where I live, I tend to use them for direct flights. If I was as derogatory about the service as you are, I wouldn’t use them – you can fly with who you want but please stop moaning about it when you do.

    I have to say that I totally understand the post by selbyjay – he/she disapproves of the they BA treat their staff, and avoids flying BA, possibly to his or her inconvenience, and that is a good principle in my view.

    [/quote]

    Oh gosh, where to start.

    I haven’t blamed mixed fleet crew for giving bad service – I just commented that many of them aren’t very good at their jobs (and I specifically stated that some seem under trained – (let me make it clear in the service, not safety, areas). Training is their employer’s responsibility, isn’t it?. Therefore not only do you have challenges with thinking logically, but apparently also with reading.

    Your proposition that they are giving service appropriate to what they are being paid is simply ludicrous.

    Self important? for querying what is the point of employing a group of employees of whom many aren’t very good at service, don’t seem particularly committed/motivated and who go on strike a lot? You have a strange perspective.

    You seem to wish to censor comments you do not like – that seems rather a Stalinist approach to me.

    And by the way, do you mind not drifting the thread please? It’s not seeking an opinion as to why people fly BA or choose not to. Thanks for that courtesy.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    [quote quote=812875]personally, i find that both Mixed and legacy are just as poor at consistency. My flight from LHR to ATL on Sunday was typical example. sure, this was a legacy crew, everything seemed to be a chore to the 2 that were working my side of the cabin, made to feel a nuisance. just after takeoff they made an announcement that everyone needed to fill out the customs form but the crew came through so fast holding a form up I am sure they were trying to outpace Usain Bolt. When I asked for the form next time someone came past I was told that I should have asked for it and she then turned on her heel brought one back and not even a word checked it on the tray table.

    [/quote]

    Steve, interesting. I only use BA on miffed fleet routes, but sounds as if those two legacy crew were just as miffed!


    rferguson
    Participant

    Atlanta is operated by Mixed Fleet currently.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    [quote quote=813058]Atlanta is operated by Mixed Fleet currently.

    [/quote]

    That makes sense, the behaviour Steve describes aligns with what I’ve observed from a few miffed fleet crew.

    For the record I’ve flown 24 MF flights this year, to date.


    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    Thanks for the explanation Handbag. When I next fly BA I’ll know which they are.


    stevescoots
    Participant

    [quote quote=813058]Atlanta is operated by Mixed Fleet currently.

    [/quote]without being ageist, the crew involved in J would be legacy.


    Ekond222
    Participant

    FYI

    Hopefully this somewhat accurate…

    Short-Haul Mixed Fleet (43 routes).

    Aberdeen, Barcelona, Basel, Belfast, Biarritz, Bilbao, Billund, Bologna, Budapest, Chania, Copenhagen(From July 2017), Dublin(From May 2017), Dusseldorf, Gibraltar, Gothenburg, Hamburg, Hanover, Helsinki, Kalamata, Keflavik, Kiev, Krakow, Lisbon, Luxembourg, Lyon, Madrid, Manchester, Marseilles, Moscow, Mykonos, Oslo, Paris, Pisa, Prague, Santorini, Sofia, St Petersburg, Stavanger, Stuttgart, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw and Zagreb.

    Long-Haul Mixed Fleet (33 routes).

    Abu Dhabi, Abuja, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Bangkok, Beijing, Cairo, Calgary, Cape Town, Chicago, Doha(From June 2017), Houston, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur(From July 2017), Lagos, Las Vegas, Luanda, Miami, Muscat, Nairobi, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Jose, Santiago, Seattle, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Toronto and Vancouver(From May 2017).

    …It looks like if you’re a short haul regular on BA…you’ll more than likely have been hosted by Mixed Fleet.


    TominScotland
    Participant

    I flew LHR – SIN on BA015 (Mixed Fleet), arriving last night. I was upgraded from Economy to Premium Economy on Boarding – the CSJ checked my boarding card, went to look at his tablet and moved me even though the flight was not full – first time this has happened to me. Great result as I slept really well. Service was absolutely fine and friendly – not special but very professional.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    For those who don’t know the acronyms, CSJ = Customer Service Junior (- 25).

Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 116 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Be up-to-date
Magazine Subscription
To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below
Polls