[JohnHarper]

I still struggle with why anyone in the current times would be loyal to an airline. They all offer little or nothing back and will on a whim devalue their frequent flyer schemes while making earning status harder. In reality they offer little if anything so I would suggest you save your efforts and book the best fare in the class of your choice either directly or with a stop and be loyal to yourself not a corporate.

Where will we be when BA decide that the lifetime tier is too expensive and they decide in a couple of years to abolish that?

ABBA.

[Tom Otley]

I have merged this thread with some previous ones which had some useful information…

[FaroFlyer]

I also do not recall LTG being anything other than what it states. The benefit is probably aimed at those who begin to reduce travel, change travel or retire. Cost is little to BA but the perceived benefit is quite good as you still get First lounge access, where there is a First lounge; priority boarding and free seat assignments.

Also some benefits with OW partners, such as priority boarding.

Not spectacular, but better than nothing. I actually would not want a card that says LTG as that would tell staff that it is a historical achievement, not a current one.

I am not sure that BA would ever cancel the LTG programme, but could easily terminate to new entrants as CX did some years ago to LT Diamond.

I also have Marriott LTG and will be interested to see if that also applies to SPG where I currently have SPG Gold though Amex. As I fly away into the sunset I am switching from Hilton, where I currently have earned Diamond status, towards Marriott, who seem to have upped their game in terms of lounges in Europe.

I can understand why schemes change as we travellers are all FTs “fickle tarts” who will go where we can get a status match, or more:-)

[AlanOrton1]

Likewise, I don’t ever remember anything other than LTG being a Gold card for the rest of ones life.
It is not a dissimilar programme to those run by hotel chains and indeed other airlines.
A lot of US airlines have run schemes like this for many years. (Almost qualified for UA). However, unlike UA, I’d have thought having BA LTG would be a little more advantageous given their F lounge’s are somewhat better than UA’s! (Exception being their LHR T2 one). Plus access to CX’s excellent F lounges.
All in the eye of the beholder.

[FDOS_UK]

I still struggle with why anyone in the current times would be loyal to an airline

Agreed, it’s got as transactional as car hire. In any event, ‘loyalty’ in this context is often more about gouging value – Martyn Sinclair is a master of this, if you read his posts.

Likewise, I don’t ever remember anything other than LTG being a Gold card for the rest of ones life.

Even Vintage Krug/Sergeant Major, late of this parish, a rabid BA flunky, would counsel that the LTG scheme would only be only valid until the BAEC changed into the next iteration and not to count on it for one’s own lifetime.

The industry is rapdibly unbundling benefits and with a little shopping around it is possible to replicate most benefits to a reasonable degree – perhaps not the ‘ego stroking’ (which I suspect we all like) of gaining access through the forbidden door to the toptier lounge – but I happily live without that, after all it’s only a plane ride to work for me.

[AlanOrton1]

A lot of the ‘lifetime’ schemes have emanated from the US – many of them have changed and no doubt will, as I suspect many non US based ones will.

Back in the day CO used to include credit cards spend, bonus promotions etc towards lifetime miles. Result being a rather large number of ‘million mile / two million mile’ lifetime gold / platinum members. Could be argued it devalued the scheme.

Taking FODS’s point above, almost all times I look for a flight, I can find a better priced option with an airline or alliance that I’m not a member of. The lowest priced airline often being different depending on route being flown (Eg TK often very cheap with indirect service to Asia). While I’m not part of a corporate scheme, I suspect major US / UK / Western European airlines know a good deal of their bookings will come via firms who dictate which airline employees should fly, hence a good reason why they aren’t as competitive as ‘fringe’ carriers.

[MarcusGB]

Flying Blue are having some changes i hear from KLM management friends, so there is some greater recognition of those with 1 Million miles. I am almost there but Platinum anyway, but the miles are merged with status and spend miles, so not sure how they would calculate it.
I was Gold since FB came into being, and for years previous in The Flying Dutchman, and no long term status was awarded for Gold. Platinum for life does exist currently.

I disagree that KLM has no competition, with Lufthansa down the road, and BRU and CDG have most Airlines also for choice there Worldwide. Many other Airlines coming into AMS not part of Skyteam. EK fly A380’s out, Qatar also fly in now, all the Chinese Airlines, SQ, but KLM’s European network and Delta supply a huge amount of transfer passengers onwards. With no domestic market Europe IS KLM’s local market.
Etihad have a 10 yr codeshare with KLM / AF in place, and Jet airways has joined them, partly owned by Etihad. This is a good consolidation, and there are rumors of Etihad coming closer to Skyteam, but this has been planned to match FFP’s between for some years yet nothing has happened.

I see on here many complaining bitterly of BA, cuts, falling standards, charges galore, so not sure why taking the Forum comments, anyone would wish to remain with them?!

[FDOS_UK]

I see on here many complaining bitterly of BA, cuts, falling standards, charges galore, so not sure why taking the Forum comments, anyone would wish to remain with them?!

Apart from the odd flight, when there is no alternative, I don’t use BA anymore – it’s generally poor value compared to the alternatives.

1 user thanked author for this post.

JohnHarper

[MrMichael]

For FDOS living in the north then BA probably does offer poor value, particularly as he does not like transit and prefers non-stop. For the likes of us soft southerners, BA very often is the best value and often competes very well in price with the LoCo’s. The other thing is, that albeit BA is not a five star airline, let’s call it 3 star (to avoid an argument) wth excellent contingency in the event of problems. I see very few complaints of people being stranded by BA unlike some major 4 & 5 star carriers. Very often one can tell the quality of a business on its contingency plans in the event of issues. TK and Etihad spring to mind as having a good reputation when things go right, but appalling when things go wrong.

4 users thanked author for this post.

RichardBarr, FaroFlyer, seasonedtraveller, DerekVH

[JohnHarper]

Having lived in Windsor for over thirty years until a couple of years ago I would not agree that at any time in the last ten years has BA at least to me demonstrated a decent value i.e. cost for quality proposition and living so close to LHR there was fortunatly always a choice which I took. Equally I’ve I’ve seen some disastrous lacks of service recovery and the most recent fiasco of people waiting for hours to check in because new software is not working tells a very sorry tale.

Now, in recent weeks TK have seen a dreadful attack on their main hub by suicide bombers and a military coup that closed it down temporarily. In both cases plans sprung into action and people were very quickly and efficiently offered hotel rooms as long as any were still available right through the city of Istanbul. Once the supply was exhausted food and blankets were provided in the terminal for all who needed them and they were prioritised to get away first and I understand everyone was away within forty eight hours of their original departure time. After the suicide bombing normal operations resumed the next morning and after the coup within twenty four hours. I’m not sure anyone other than a died in the wool BA apologist could think that was a bad, sorry appalling performance.

ABBA.

[esselle]

I rarely fly BA these days, but if I do it will typically be domestic, and being lifetime gold gets me into the F lounge at LHR and the Lounge in MAN. The bigger advantage for me, however, is that I regularly fly QR, CX, QF, and lifetime gets me e.g. into the CX and QF first class lounges at HKG, MEL, and SYD. I still haven’t worked out which lounge I could/should use at DOH, but again the card gets me through the first class check in and security line there.

[Daytripper]

The advantage of gold (as well as all the obvious benefits such as fast track, lounges, priority check in etc) is what happens when things go wrong.

My wife, daughter and I were travelling home from the Med in economy at the weekend, and our BA flight was cancelled due to a technical problem. I am lifetime Gold and, despite my wife and daughter being on a different booking reference, we were fast tracked onto the next flight a few hours later, whilst most other passengers had a much longer wait, as the next flight was almost full (it being summer).

[Ekond222]

…Good to see some posts relevant to the title of the thread, although benefits of holding a top tier card has decreased (access to the Concorde Room was never a benefit when attaining the first threshold of LTG) in fact benefits have decreased on holding top tier status with most airlines.

However airlines that do offer lifetime status, most offer 2nd highest tier as lifetime status, only a handful offer top tier lifetime status.

I personally find my BA LTG a pleasant gesture from BA.

[TiredOldHack]

@ Daytripper
Yes, yes, a hundred times, yes. It’s when things go tits-up that Gold status proves its worth. I’ve been bailed out of a couple of awkward and potentially very inconvenient messes thanks to this.

[Author]

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