[AnthonyDunn]

Interesting: beyond the fact of the utterly astonishing fully flexible fare of some £1,100 LHR-BCN-LHR, the LGW-BCN-LGW is half the price.

But Tim2SMS: if you know the dates you need to be in BCN, why do you need a fully flex ticket? The non-flex ticket from LGW is £346. Bizarrely, there is precisely no difference in the flex/non-flex fares from LHR.

[TiredOldHack]

@ Tim2SMS – just checked that flight. There are CW seats on some flights at £178 each way….

EDIT – ah, as you were, those are from LGW.

[JohnnyFox]

Eastern Peddler …

Ask (twice) at LHR. First try at check-in where they can phone through and see if CW to F upgrades are available. I’ve even bought one for LHR-IAH at £499 in an otherwise completely un-sold F cabin, so low occupancy isn’t a block to them doing this and with 90 minutes before flight they managed to load full F catering too. They just drafted in two F-trained cabin crew from the rest of the gang to look after us who apologised when occasionally they had to go and hurl chicken curry at the Y cabin.

If this works, fine, if not ask again at the BA information counter airside. They have a bit more authority than check-in personnel.

[TiredOldHack]

> if not ask again at the BA information counter airside. They have a bit more authority than check-in personnel.

Can confirm

[joannePatel]

You are lucky. My husband’s 2 gold award vouchers are going to expire in a few days! Availability for their use is like that of Avios. He has decided that once he gets the Tier points required for gold, he will use his Qatar Privilege membership number and see if they are better with their upgrades etc.

[Tim2soza]

@stamford, @AnthonyDunn, @TiredOldHack – Many thanks for your comments. Just checked again, cheapest Y ex LHR down to a bargain £974. Granted cheaper options from LGW but I live North of the M25.

[EasternPedlar]

As an update, 5 out of 8 First seats were empty on the flight but BA still didn’t release any Avios upgrades! They were selling airport upgrades at a very reasonable price (£400 ex-Delhi), and I succumbed particularly because I wanted to try out the new cabin on the 787-9.

BA, along with other airlines, is systematically devaluing its FFP programme. I find miles seats and upgrades increasingly difficult to obtain, and other comments on this thread bear that out. The counter to that is that I’m no longer influenced by FFP status or carrier loyalty, and now shop around for the best fare. All my Gold card seems to give me is an extra bag, and I hardly ever need that now.

Thank you all for your very helpful suggestions and comments.

[MartynSinclair]

“BA, along with other airlines, is systematically devaluing its FFP programme”

….perhaps for longhaul redemptions and upgrades I would agree. However, shorthaul redemptions and upgrades remain plentiful and easy to book.

I choose BA longhaul, despite not liking the dated Club product, purely on the basis of the FFP. So far this year, I have redeemed over 20 return flights into Europe, mainly FRA, but also BCN, BRU, MAD, DUS and DUB. During 2015, I have only needed to purchase 2 return flight and that was to Madrid…and the other Porto…

[BIllyBleach]

You can’t upgrade using Avios within 72hrs or departure.

[Londonfrog]

Really? I have been told by an agent on the phone that seats could be released on the last day before the flight and that I should continue checking. He told me that a load in CW is very light on my HKG-LHR flight, but no upgrades is available at the moment.

[fatbear]

I agree with MartynSinclair. I’ve had no problems redeeming short-haul CE flights.

Also, with some long term planning and a little flexibility on dates, I have always been able to find a suitable CW Caribbean flight.

Sydney is always a challenge

[EruditeSheep]

I guess the problem with upgrade availability may be due to the policy of BA over-selling in lower classes, especially in WT. So BA needs to hold seats back in the event of having to fit everyone on-board holding a paid ticket. However, I know that this is not always the case, since there have been times when I have been unable to upgrade using Avios from WT+ to Club, even when there have been seats in J empty on the flight. Similarly I have been unable to book redemptions using Avios in J even though I can see from ExpertFlyer that there is plenty of availability in all Club fare buckets.

For upgrades, UA operate a more equitable system, which is fully automated. You are wait-listed for upgrade using miles on a space available basis, subject to various criteria including FF status. This clears either a day or so in advance (which you will see reflected in your on-line booking) or at the gate, where computer screens show your progress through the priority list. Why can’t BA operate such a system?

[trippleF]

Agree EruditeSheep. Leveraging the US upgrade wait lists should be used here in Europe, too. Not only can it offer more revenues for the airline (if they charge for the upgrade) but it should increase customer satisfaction just through the chance of being offered a last-minute upgrade. Seeing your name on the screen and being allocated an upgrade is a great feeling 🙂 On the other hand, nothing is more frustrating then seeing an empty seat in the cabin you wanted to be in, but weren’t able to get that upgrade.

[AlexFACT]

@trippleF: Fully agree! I have hundred thousands of Avios and cannot spent them on upgrades – yet there are plenty open seats in Club! Really annoying and irritating! BA madness! And guess what happens when the obligatory customer satisfaction survey arrives a few days after one of many unsuccessful attempts to upgrade OR a few days after the actual flight….

I cannot understand why BA / EC does not allow:
1) waitlisting for an upgrade (this could be limited to senior EC Members)
2) last minute / standby upgrade at check-in or the gate, when the chance of selling a seat is minimal.

[FDOS_UK]

It seems clear to me, from recent changes, that BA is sending most individual BAEC members a message that you are not important to their business.

Consequently, you have two viable choices

1 – do as Martyn Sinclair does and find a way of the programme benefiting you, so you get good value from it

2 – fly another carrier, who gives you better value (e.g. easyJet as used by Tim2sms)

If we are honest (and travel on a range of carriers) BA’s products are outdated/mediocre, with the exception of WT+ on the 787.

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