[Anonymous]

[asiabound]

Umm, makes you wonder if there is some sort of old boy network , i.e ex flight crew,cronies of the board member’s ? sorry you had bad experiance, all we can do is vote with our feet ! or bums in this case ! he he

[VintageKrug]

I have had about five upgrades in just under ten years, on a minimum of about 20 multi-class BA sectors per annum.

One Y to CE (for which I nominated my partner) AMS-LHR (gate)

Two J to F (quite rare, I understand) LHR-SIN (gate), LHR-DXB (onboard)

One Y to J TPA-LGW (at check in)

One WT+ to J DXB-LHR (check-in)

Interestingly, all but one of the above upgrades were when I was a Silver Card holder.

Upgrades are not common on BA, and usually only done for operational reasons, and sometimes on compassionate grounds (which I fully support). I am assuming no-one took his place in the vacated seat?

They are very rarely status based (as is usually the case with US airlines). Though status can put you ahead of the pack. So you shouldn’t feel put out that someone else was upgraded “ahead” of you. That is what BAEC’s MFU and GUF2 schemes are for.

Also, I would not say that because someone flew transatlantic on United that they could not have status with BA – I am also a Star Alliance Gold card holder and Silver with Virgin; really frequent travellers choose carrier on timetable and price not purely on loyalty.

Gold card holders upgrading from WT+ to Club World on the longest longhaul flights will find the net cost of the MFU mileage upgrade vs. the miles earned is marginal.

Rather than giving in to envy, I am usually rather pleased for someone else if they have an opportunity to be upgraded.

It’s really not something worth getting upset about.

If you want to travel in F, use up some of you BA Miles or pay to upgrade your cabin.

Simples.

[ANDREWYOUNG1]

BA do have famously rude and abrupt cabin crew, it’s like they’re doing you a favour most of the time. Still, most of them will have lost their jobs in a few months so it won’t be quite so funny for then. I think all cabin crew should look towards Singapore Airlines for what passenger service should look like, even in economy nothing is too much trouble, but then that probably explains why BA is struggling so much at the moment – they don’t respect the people that are paying their wages!

[Airpocket]

The general consensus appears to be that BA’s cabin crew are somewhat lacking in finesse, compared to the Five Star, Far Eastern carriers.I’d say the problem boils down to the fact that typically Middle Class English crew, no doubt born with a superiority complex, tend to get rattled when someone questions them or second guessess them. Solution?Don’t fly BA.And,yes,it won’t be so funny (or superior) when these ‘Trolly Dollies’ (male AND female) are standing in the dole queue a few weeks from now.

[Ricjackal]

I think the old addage IF YOUR FACE FITS is as good today as it was Twenty years ago. Doesnt matter what level of card you have, or what class your travelling. Having received two upgrades on my last two flight s with BA 1 at check -in and the other with the door s just closed And only being lowly Blue level, i find being polite Friendly and dressing well have maybe assisted me in being ” Pushed up” from Economy to Club.
A nice Armani suit black shoes and a crisp white shirt and a Big smile appear to work wonders these days, instead of complaining about the crew try praising them regardless….. You never Know ………..

[GoonerLondon]

These comments are so stereotypical of BA crew. Those that dislike BA frequently bemoan staff rudeness, yet those that love BA say completely the opposite – natural service, down to earth, practical, welcoming, humorous. It wont be the same style of service as the far east carriers – because that style is not synonymous with British service. You pays your money and takes your choice.

The way some of these posts read suggest BA flights are staffed by dragons, which is ridiculous. BA wouldn’t have such a loyal following (winning numerous BT readers awards over the years) if this were the case. BA’s In flight surveys meanwhile typically rate the crew as the most popular component of the whole travel experience. So these individual anecdotes, while interesting, simply don’t reflect the facts.

Some crew have bad days, and some crew have ways (perhaps inappropriate) of dealing with passengers who are being ‘difficult’. Just as I’ve seen cases of rude airline staff – i’ve seen plenty more cases of difficult and rude passengers.

Anyway – plenty of posts about this. The thread I believe is about upgrades. I’m afraid its all luck and good fortune. Generally with BA it is only if one of the lower cabins is full, and they will typically look for EC status pax to choose, which is planned before check-in starts. If however its all a bit of a rush and they are more interested in getting the flight away in time, then it can become a bit random. What wont happen is, once a choice has been made, they will somehow revert their decision because someone pipes up ‘but what about me’. What about the bloke they upgraded? you want them to explain it was all a mistake because they forgot /didn’t have time to check status?

If you go looking, you will be disappointed. As Mr Krug says – use the mileage beforehand…

[FrequentTraveller]

An upgrade is not a right, regardless of FFP status. To guarantee an upgrade is simple. Buy a ticket for the higher cabin.

As a BA EC Silver card holder, I have been fortunate to receive upgrades from BA from time to time. Most often I was told at the boarding gate, sometimes at check-in, occasionally after boarding and once two days before departure.

[CMoir12]

I have received numerous upgardes from BA – both being Gold and Silver. Most recently was from London – Toronto with my partner (also Gold) from WT+ to Club on both outward and return. The outward was upgarded before travel so was able to move seats to upstairs on the 747 and the return at check-in. I have also received inflight upgrades in CE where it looks like the Purser has looked at the manifest and moved people when CE is quiet.
On my flight last Friday, some people were upgraded but the purser did let the cabin crew know the three people who weren’t upgraded. Not sure if it meant we were to get better service but they were attentive.

[RoadKing]

Being a Gold card owner for years with Star Alliance and Silver card for years but the last year (Gold) with BA. Gate and onboard upgrades almost never happened to me, except if I mentioned my interest at the gate.

As one point out, a free upgrade is no right, but a gift. Considering the buzz around check in and boarding, I’d be surprised if the staff had time to look at the status of the passengers. I would also prefer they did not, if it would be at the expense of a timely departure.

When I fly, I know I get what I pay for. If I want a better service, I pay for it.

As to staff behavior and service. I am not British, but I like British Airways and when schedule/price is good, I chose them over Star Alliance, why? Because I think I get better service. I have never experienced rude and ignorant behavior from BA staff.

As earlier stated, a smile and nice behavior is a good investment. If you smile and are polite, you can be pretty sure you get the same in return, and vice versa. Flying in J,F does not give you the right to be a bad ass.

[RoadKing]

Just had a thought, some of us have been FF for years, may be decades, and flew back when flying was a luxury.

Today flying is becoming like a bus service (Ryanair and more), that is what people want, bus-like prices.

The national carriers are struggling to survive, because most of us want to pay as we would with Ryanair, but when they try to be competitive to this, obviously service will degrade.

Just have to face it, flying isn’t like what it used to be in the early days.
Nobody would expect personal service on a 2 hour bus trip, right?

[Binman62]

Most of the upgrading that take place on board BA aircraft after the doors are closed is done to staff and friends of the crew. There is also a process for buying inflight upgrades on BA but it is rarely used as it it not understood by the CSDs. I have, over 25 years found the flight crew and cabin crew families being accommodated in First and any other comfortable part of the aircraft. On one emorable experience when leaving Hong Kong on the 30th Dec I was the only booked passenger but before we left the ground there were 14 of us in the cabin. In my experience this simply does not happen on other carriers particularly the better far Eastern carriers. It is seen as perk to the crews.

[MrDobba]

Why did you complain to the CSD?? Did you consider yourself more deserving than the other passenger whom you know next to nothing about? Maybe if you’d bought an F ticket you could have sat in First.

Maybe the passenger just didnt want to sit next to you for a long flight!

Did you use the line “Dont you know who I am?” too or wave your shiny gold card in their face?

[dutchyankee]

While I agree completely with the statement from Binman62, this practice definitely happens on many, many airlines, particularly US based carriers. I am a loyal premium BA client paying for my own tickets (not company) and travel only F and J. Nothing is as irritating as having paid for a seat and finding someone who hasn’t, being ‘upgraded.’ I am not talking about mileage which is of course earned, or even due to over-booking, but simply because someone on board is a friend of crew, cute, the crew thinks they have a shot at a more enjoyable ‘lay-over,’ whatever, those kind of up-grades infuriate me. Having said that, some of you probably hate the fact that when I pay First fares here in Belgium or Holland, these are often lower than or equal to the Club Fares paid originating in the UK, but at least I pay to sit where I sit!

[dutchyankee]

Great Remark, Mr. Dobba!!! Love it!

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