[VintageKrug]

No.

[MartynSinclair]

any knoweldge of the financial benefit BA may see by selling upgrades at the airport / gate ?

[Binman62]

No details but it must be huge for it to be happening at all…..I do know from some contacts in hKG that each station is competing to see who can sell the most and generate the most incremental income. They are even being measured and competing on a regional…ie Asia versus US basis with the measure being revenue per pax upgraded. As a reSult there is room to barter and haggle a bit.

[Flyboy18]

MartynSinclair….so i take it no staff member in any job should have perk? including you!

[MartynSinclair]

Scott, thats not what I am saying.

If BA can increase revenue by selling “stock” at check in or at the gate, rather than giving it away as they currently do, I beleive that they have a duty to their shareholders and employees to do so.

Employee perks will never cease and indeed BA employees in the main have a good range of staff travel benefits based on longevity of employment.

How many staff live overseas and rely on triping into the UK to work. They could only manage this based on travel perks.

Try researching Grace vrs HMRC as there are many examples of this within BA employees.

This is not about withdrawing staff perks, its about increasing revenue!

[theworldtraveller]

MartynSinclair

I have read so many posts and you seem to have a real grump on with BA staff taking premium seats on BA planes – i don’t see the problem with it, as from my understanding, if the plane is full they don’t get one and have to go home/pay for their own hotel.

It seems a good perk of the job for BA employees and you cant give lots of gold card passengers upgrades as they would never buy a business ticket again – now that would be bad for the airline business!

So please concentrate your posts on being positive and not full of envy

[MartynSinclair]

theworldtraveller

Legitamate Staff upgrades and employee perks are two seperate issues. I believe I am right in saying that apart from the Captain’s prerogative of giving away 60B on the 747, there are no off duty premier cabin perks for staff, unless they are “favoured” by colleagues.

I agree that it is a very good perk for staff, but in todays economy, giving away premier seats, sometimes at the expense of a revenue ticket is ludicrous.

It is the same as stock from any business mysteriously going missing. Seepage costs.

I also do not believe in Gold card holders, of which I am one, being given free upgrades.

I believe that BA have got it absolutely right by offering upgrades at check in and the gate to all passengers, including staff………………….for a fee. Its called revenue generation.

“Envy” come on the theworldtraveller, think in a more mature way!

[Cwyfan]

theworldtraveller

Of course it is a good perk of the job for BA employees, but that is not the point of business.

Maybe the other group that should be treated to the perk are shareholders, but in either case I would suggest that the upgrade is charged for, just discounted for shareholders or executive club members

[MartynSinclair]

…which in essence is the idea of:

airmiles – rewarding customer loyalty

shareholder discount – rewarding investors for investing into the company

employee perk, (1 confirmed NCW flight after 10 years service, as an example, but I am sure employee flight perks extend beyond this) – rewarding employees loyalty.

The other issue about upgrades for non commercial purposes, espeically where staff upgrades are concenred, should this not be an item that is tagged for P11D purposes and an additional amount of tax paid??

[Cwyfan]

As I understand it, shareholders flying with their discounted ticket do not get upgraded, and are unable even to use their miles for upgrade

[VintageKrug]

I have been upgraded on a shareholder booking twice, and though I’ve never tried it, I understand it is possible to use BA Miles to upgrade a shareholder booking, though this has to be done on the telephone.

I have also been offered a paid for upgrade at check in when flying on a shareholder booking, though declined it so not certain that would have worked.

I think every rational businessperson understands that employees get perks within their own organisation and industry; that’s just the way of the world. There should be systems in place to ensure it isn’t abused, but beyond that I don’t have a problem with it.

[MartynSinclair]

“I think every rational businessperson understands that employees get perks within their own organisation and industry; that’s just the way of the world. There should be systems in place to ensure it isn’t abused, but beyond that I don’t have a problem with it.”

I agree with this statement, but its the definition of “abused” that we seem to be dancing around.

I have absolutely no problem with an open house for employees turning right on boarding.

Its the turning left where I take issue, especially where the perks appear to be “collegues perks” as opposed to official company perks.

However, where I have bigger issue is seeing family of staff upstairs thanking staff for the “seat change” and then understanding why a collegue and I cant sit together.

[CXDiamond]

I have always wondered why airline crew travelling on vastly reduced cost tickets should be upgraded at all.

I would have thought if free upgrades need to be given they might be best used not necessarily for frequent flyers who come to expect them but for people who don’t fly too often who will really appreciate the experience and will talk about what a good company they flew with.

I always travel in F when available and C if not. I mind finding upgraded employees in the cabin, often they are a disruptive influence and as MartynSinclair rightly says the upgrade has often inconvenienced paying passengers.

I’ve never seen Cathay upgrade an employee of any grade and I can’t imagine SIA do either so I think this is a thing peculiar to the likes of BA and in my view things would be better if it did not happen at all.

[Cwyfan]

At the risk of VK believing that I am not a rational businessperson, in my opinion, the perk of an upgrade for employees is a step too far.

They already get substantial benefits and perks, and giving one more to the disbenefit of a paying customer is just a crazy business practice

[Binman62]

All airlines provide premium cabin access to their staff depending on grade, job role, reason for travel, length of service etc etc. both CX and SQ allow access to premium cabins for their staff and also in some circumstances to the staff of other airlines. It was not uncommon for example to see the “bearded one” on board BA in First and Concorde when his airline was in its infancy. These tickets were, and I understand still are, provided free of  charge under an IATA resolution. Taxes are generally paid.

At BA, and indeed most airlines, access to discounted travel begins after 6 months service and this includes interline travel.
At BA staff can purchase upgrades to premium cabins notably club but some staff can buy First access usually managers and flight crew.
After an extended period of employment confirmed seats can be provided but these are in WT with the possibility of an upgrade upon departure. It is not unusual for confiirmed staff to not actually get on at all!

I have no issues with any of this but I do dislike on board upgrades which are done at the whim of crew and have not been sanctioned through eligibility or from having paid. That is wrong both to commercial and staff passengers.

BA however will not leave staff at an airport if a seat is available on the aircraft and quite rightly in m view. Their policy is to upgrade commercial or staff to ensure as many travel as possible. The same is not true for SQ CX and QF plus many many others who rather protect their product than uplift staff. Never seen the point of that myself, service levels should not be impacted simply because a flight is full.

Finally on BA you can spot the staff especially in First. They tend not to be given wash bags and PJs!

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