[RogEdwards]

BMI had a proper business class cabin with curtain and seats converted to be wider.

BA do not call Coach Class in the UK, Business UK – they call it UK Domestic. If you select a Fully Flexible fare – the words Business UK are used to denote lounge access on the BP. As far as I am aware there is no other reference to Business Class on any UK Domestic page other than in the fare selection drop down you mention.

I agree a different description would be better and UK Domestic Plus is a good suggestion – but with no more fare codes available I imagine the description on Amadeus would be changed to Business Class (Execpt UK Domestic or UK Domestic Plus)…….

……..Rock and hard place.

[RichHI1]

NTarrant,
glad to hear Breakfast is served, it is many years since I last flew domestic in UK. Sorry for lingo, I have spent so many years callign it Coach and Business that it is second nature. I am aware that economy is the preferred UK term though BA have their own traveller brandings.

edi-traveller,
With regard to Business UK, please go to the BA website, select a flight from London to Manchester and read the options…
I quote
” Lowest price
Flexible conditions (Business UK)”

[flier74]

As I tried to say before and others agree: BA never calls it Business on domestics. Yes they sell a “Business UK” ticket which is a fully flexible economy fare on domestic flight. It is other Airlines’ boarding passes or third party websites which sell it as Business, as the travelling class, not the booking class, on boarding passes shows “C” which is equivalent to Club Europe or Business with other carriers on European services. The big difference is between travel class and booking class as “M” travel class is generally Economy but yet again a booking class “M” is a full fare economy. The travel class “C” originates from the old shuttle days and has been retained as the domestic class on all intra UK BA flights but it does not mean you bought a Business Class ticket as others confirmed too, it is an enhanced service. Morning flights, hot breakfast or a hot panini on LHR-MAN/NCL and v.v services but you can not purchase a Business Class ticket on any UK domestic routes excl Jersey as no Business Class cabin is available.
The problem is that other carriers, ie. AA QF CX and others print Business Class on their issued BPs on a UK domestic flight due to the C Class problem but BA never does, it is called UK domestic on BA. So the original poster Isabel may wish to contact her ticket issuer about this.

[flier74]

The lowest price is exactly that, a low fare
Business UK is a flexible, changeable fare for travelling within the UK, like a fully flexible Economy fare with other carriers.

[RichHI1]

The issue of the use of booking class in airline booking systems has come up elsewhere. WIth the advent of alliance, you would think they could make progress on aligning them. I have heard of similar issues with A other codes which different airlines use in different ways.

Interestingly looking on the web. C is not listed for BA.

“http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Booking_Classes_(BA)”

You need to copy paste as the link loses the BA descriptor if hotlinked.

[RogEdwards]

Rich please read what I posted.

I know what the drop down you refer to says – but it is the only reference to Business UK – not Business Class – and every other reference is UK Domestic – which is what I said in my previous posts.

Nowhere is UK Domestic referred to as anything other than Economy – if you choose a FULLY FLEXIBLE fare then then you get lounge access.

Yes it can create a bit of confusion, which I also acknowledged, but nowhere is BA marketing a coach product as a business class product.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

It is patently stupid for this to continue in a global airline.

They need to sort it out, pronto, Rich is correct.

It’s totally confusing.

[Isabel07]

very interesting to hear all your responses and the debate!
I think operations and marketing are getting mixed up which leads to a ridiculous complexity in terminology and T&Cs.
I brought this particular example up because it was supposed to be a STRAIGHTFORWARD flight: one return flight and no connections; booked through company travel agency and then managed booking through my profile at ba.com…if I need to do research before EVERY trip what is included, and what is not, then I’m loosing interest quickly as it’s not worth the time for me.
However, I’d rather hope they sort it out and reduce the complexity 🙂

[flier74]

well if you managed your booking through BA.com and got your Boarding pass there, it would have said Domestic on your booking and Boarding Pass and not Business. If your cpmpany travel agency tells you it is “Business” then I would speak to them as BA does not sell Domestic as Business as many others said on here. As I said before it is third party companies or indeed other Airlines who call it Business, BA never did and they still do not. Not the Airlines fault if others sell it as Business to their Customers in my opionion.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

Yes, it is very easy to understand, just like the rules of cricket.

You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that’s in the side that’s in goes out, and when he’s out he comes in and the next man goes in until he’s out. When they are all out, the side that’s out comes in and the side thats been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out.

When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay all out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game!

[RichHI1]

Not forgetting the break for tea – tally ho!

[PATRICKBARRY]

Why don’t we all stop playing “The Emperor’s Clothes” and call a spade a spade. Business Class no longer exists within Europe and most of the Middle East. Two exceptions to this rule are Turkish Airlines which has a proper Business Class and secondly, all flights to and from Israel (for example, Lufthansa and Swiss) which also, believe it or not, has a proper first class area. These seats are also cheaper then the eco/bus seats by several hundred Pounds – Euros then flying into Beirut, Amman and other cities in the region. Going from LHR to LCA in Eco/Bus is less then 180,00 pounds difference then going from LHR to TLV.
Just not fair.
I do wish that there was a way to start boycotting this “eco/bus class” seats.
Even if it takes more time and costs a bit more, I’ll fly airlines that have a proper Business class section.

I no longer fly with Lufthansa or Austrian.
Going to Ireland, I’ll use City Jet over BMI.

[Author]

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