[MartynSinclair]

Where BA will be able to justify BOB is the fact that customers probably have confirmed they want more choice of the inflight food offerings. I think that is more or less a certainty.

The solution though is probably not customer driven. Ask a 1000 people, in fact ask 10 people whether they would prefer to pay for their drink and I doubt more than 1% would (if that) would confirm they would prefer to spend the money.

[alainboy56]

To add my two-pennyworth — the food we all agree should have been replaced and all this CRUZ-TALk or should I say bu*****t about two great brands, we can take or leave – if we need a snack/Sandwich we can buy …. but who when this is so say customer-driven by Mr Cruz, complained about the soft drinks/coffe/red wine/G&T??? I am guessing nobody, so why didnt Mr Cruz leave that as it was???? Oh by the way all of you, I do remember that he said a few months ago, that he would not RYANIRIZE BA ….. so what happened there Mr Cruz? Which bit of Ryanair service or lack of it, didnt you understand????

[JohnHarper]

[quote quote=762147]Unless I am completely out of touch, easyJet does not have an FFP and does not operate lounges for top tier clients. [/quote]

Oh dear how silly of me not to take into account the British Airways Executive Club in these costings. That obviously explains the signifcant differences in the BA and easyJet fares I quoted. People looking for lowest fares will be really happy to subsidise the Executive Club and pay more than they need to while earning no status at all as their fares will never earn enough points in fact I can imagine them queuing up to be first.

The fares on offer only go to demonstrate the failure of the current objective of racing to the bottom to compete on cost, they will never do it as even if all other costs were equal they have a bloated and greedy management structure.

It’s a pity the apologists can’t see it for what it really is, a failed company with no sensible business proposition on any front and kept afloat because they have so many slots at LHR. Well, when the new runway is built that will all change so sell your shares now before it’s too late.

[FDOS_UK]

[quote quote=762147]Hermes1964, I completely agree with you. What is all the fuss about?? It is a commercial decision by a quoted company!

JohnHarper says it is a rip off. Of course it isn’t. A “rip off” is only where you have no choice. There is a choice. He is also comparing apples with pears. Unless I am completely out of touch, easyJet does not have an FFP and does not operate lounges for top tier clients. Yes, I know that Gatwick lounge is currently closed for refurbishment, but it will open again.

I do like BA, but I also like other airlines. Monarch extra leg room product, with old seats, is excellent, and I don’t care that I have to pay for this, and drinks, food and bags.

The World has moved on, it is a pity that so may contributors to this forum can not.

[/quote]

easyJet does have a FFP.

[rferguson]

Personally i’m disappointed that BA has gone totally BOB. I completely support selling a wide range of food on board short haul flights (actually i’d prefer it to a ‘free meal’ of crisps). But soft drinks, tea and coffee should have remained free.

I guess the biggest factor is this – will people stop flying BA because they now have to pay for food and drink? A number of factors will play into the answer I guess. I think BA are quietly confident that Gold/Silver Exec card holders will be peeved at the onboard service being ‘enhanced’ again, yet they will remain loyal given the advantage of lounge access, fast track etc etc. For other customers I guess it could be a case of how desperate they are to fly out of LHR and whether fares will decrease.

Nothing is set in stone. If BA does decide six months down the track that this was a BAD idea from a business sense they can just ‘do a Swiss’. Swiss went from having free catering to BOB then back to free catering. It’s a change that can be made fairly rapidly if need be.

[AlanOrton1]

In the BA v EZY example above, as a OW Emerald member, if travelling solo, I’ve no particular gripe paying a bit more and availing of lounge access. I think there is a certain value to being able to sit somewhere relatively comfortable, do some email / grab a coffee etc and something to eat. Plus having priority boarding and being able to store my carry on.

There are also several examples I recall this year when looking at flights to ALC & VLC where BA were cheaper than EZY.
On my last 4 sectors BA were best twice, EZY once and Norwegian once.

I think BA’s marketing spin is BS like many others have stated. However, lets be fair, any other airline would be spinning this in exactly the same way! Indeed any other company making an ‘enhancement’ would probably feel the need to trot out similar nonsense.

[FaroFlyer]

Hi JohnHarper, not sure that BA are planning for a 3rd runway at LHR. We shall probably all be dead by the time even a decision is made. I shan’t sell my 500 shares just yet. Maybe my Executors will:-)

The extra runways that BA / IAG are planning with are at MAD and DUB.

[AnthonyDunn]

canucklad @ 30th September 2016 at 16:37

I don’t know that i would agree with your comment about “So it comes back to BA’s duplicity…” I rather suspect that what it comes down to is (a) BA’s status as a pension fund with wings (M O’Leary) owing to too many pension contribution holidays taken during the Lord King and Sir Colin Marshall eras (b) BA’s determination to achieve an investment grade debt rating and (c) a determination to deliver (b) whilst also awarding shareholders their pickings too (Capital Markets Day presentations passim).

All-in-all, the very model of a finance (rather than customer or marketing focussed) driven company. In this respect, BA/IAG is simply treading a long-standing path that has been followed by erstwhile quoted British company after erstwhile (as in many of them are no longer around having either been bought out or merged into overseas competitors) company. But this is what happens when all of the shots are called by accountants whose training is focused on cost measurement, cost minimisation and risk avoidance. The left lobe touchy-feely “arts” of customer empathy and understanding got left off the ACCA and ACA course syllabuses. [BTW, I just looked at the ACCA and ICAEW websites and can confirm that there is NO mention of marketing, production planning or management, human resources or much else beyond financial accounting, taxation and any variation thereupon, that I was able to see].

[AnthonyDunn]

[quote quote=762166] easyJet does have a FFP. [/quote]

It’s just that you have to pay £170 up front and it is, in keeping with the EZY philosophy, one-level only:

https://plus.easyjet.com/become-a-member.php

You pays yer money…

[Stowage222]

AnthonyDunn – agree with your analysis of BA today. Postman Frank tried to reverse this ‘accounting-centric’ world at Waterside and look what happened to him!

[FDOS_UK]

[quote quote=762700]

FDOS_UK wrote:

easyJet does have a FFP.

It’s just that you have to pay £170 up front and it is, in keeping with the EZY philosophy, one-level only:

https://plus.easyjet.com/become-a-member.php

You pays yer money…

[/quote]

Not that one, Anthony, you get invited to join if you meet certain criteria. It’s called Flight Club – not many people are aware of it.

You pays yer money (but less of it) and gets free membership.

http://www.easyjet.com/en/help/booking/flight-club

[norbert2008]

I like M&S sarnies and would pay for one on board instead of free crap. BUT drinks on board should remain free, simple easy to run free bar ahead of the paid trolley too! Think of the crew again?

[FaroFlyer]

FDOS, I am sure that what you say is factually correct. I was addressing the >90% of the contributors to this forum who understood what I meant. For the avoidance of doubt and confusion, my simplistic definition of an FFP was one where anybody can join, without entry fee, and membership can continue if you maintain certain basic criteria. I excluded, perhaps wrongly, “FFPs” that are paid for or are by “invitation only”.

The more relevant point is the cost / value of lounge access, seat assignment and priority boarding.

At the significant majority of BA departure points there is either a BA Lounge or access to a 3rd party lounge, for BAEC Silver or Gold members, and also certain categories of OW members. There is a similar availability of lounges to easyJet passengers, but it is on a paid basis. Cost of a lounge is typically, but not always, > £20 so a return trip, with lounge access, adds ~ £40 to the cost of a RT ticket.

At the significant majority of BA departure points there is Priority boarding for BAEC Silver or Gold members, and also certain categories of OW members. There is a similar availability for easyJet travellers, but this on a paid for basis which is typically, but not always, £9.99 each way. For simplicity I am rounding this up to £20 RT. This fee includes seat assignment.

If you match the “perks” for a BAEC Silver or Gold member, and certain OW members then you need to add ~£60 per booking to the comparisons that John Harper made. If you do the simple sums then, for a BAEC Silver or Gold member, and certain OW members, then BA is a better deal from a cost point.

To be truly relevant to this thread I should probably also include the cost of a sandwich and a G&T, but I haven’t.

Tom Ottley, is it possible to have a survey to see how many members of this forum are BAEC Silver or Gold, or OW, or other, so that we can see the weighting of what is effectively a UK Business Travel forum?

[MartynSinclair]

I have a 4.30pm departure to BCN from T3. Filled myself up with the most delicious salmon / rice / greens in the lounge, polished off with the pinot noir and a really flavoursome Glenlivet.

Sadly, I have to drive when I arrive in BCN, so nothing on board for me to drink..

No need for me to stop off at Pret on the way to the gate.

Well done BA…. oh… I also took a packet of crisps … just in case…

The catering is excellent….

[Travellator]

To get Silver BA Exec requires 600 TP,s.

Whats the minimum cost of flights to achieve that, I realise it varies on routes etc but it would be considerable if gained by say soley domestic BA flights.

This has to be factored in if Lounge Access etc is used as a yardstick FOR endorsing BOB.

[Author]

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