Product and Price v Loyalty

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Viewing 8 posts - 31 through 38 (of 38 total)

  • Rockpool
    Participant

    An interesting initiating post and a very satisfied customer – thanks for your thoughts and I do agree with your, mainly positive, comments about BA staff, especially in J and F. I have been making 3 to 4 business trips to Australia, in J, per year since 2010, but I usually have less than one month’s notice of travel. My favourite is to fly QF from LHR to SYD or MEL and, if necessary, take internal flights with QF to BNE or CBR. QF is markedly cheaper, i.e., two to three thousand pounds, than BA and also offers a direct service to MEL. I like the QF A380 upper deck J product and the service is usually excellent. QF also provides the same number of EC tier points as I would receive with BA (I have gold tier status), but doesn’t reward me with so may Avios, but that isn’t such an issue. QF, like the Gulf carriers, also has a complimentary chauffeur drive service to/from the airport at both ends, subject to mileage restrictions. QF’s first lounges are excellent and the food and drink offerings within them are, in my opinion, very good. QF’s on-board food offering is also, I feel, very reasonable. I’m not a fan of EK, having used them for a return trip to BNE in 2010 when they used an A340-500 with old-fashioned cradle-type seats – not nice for 14 odd hours from DXB to BNE and vice versa. I know the hard product probably has a flat bed these days, but first impressions, etc.
    For travel to SE Asia, I would choose CX over BA mainly because the J class product is 4 abreast, not 7 in that awful yin and yang configuration. I have used CX to travel from LHR to BNE via HKG in J in the past, but I have found that the flights with the shortest connection times in HKG are usually very expensive. I’d often have a 6 to 7 hour layover in HKG and then have an intermediate stop at CNS on the way to BNE which extends the journey time by another couple of hours – travel via DXB is usually much quicker.
    If feasible, I travel with one of the One World carriers, but this is only because I undertake insufficient business and leisure travel to enable me to maintain a high status with more than one FF loyalty programme. That said, I’m still price sensitive for both categories of travel.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    I’m not a fan of EK, having used them for a return trip to BNE in 2010 when they used an A340-500 with old-fashioned cradle-type seats – not nice for 14 odd hours from DXB to BNE and vice versa.

    The 340-500s are gone from the fleet, but you are right about those J seats – the only good thing about them was that they were 6 across, not 7 like the 340-300s and the A330’s, seats that are much worse.

    I did 7 hours on the 340-500 cradle seat and that was more than enough, never mind 10 hours+


    TimFitzgeraldTC
    Participant

    Good discussion

    Some points on why people going East (from LHR) may change and use the ME3

    Many Clients have a Premium Economy travel allowance for these routes, especially in the SME market. Fares can easily be £3k for a last minute trip if only W Class left. If the ME3 are offering a Business Class seat with a connection for £2000-2300 then an easy choice to make and the opportunity for some of some decent sleep (especially if one is a traveler who doesn’t sleep well in Premium). Even if fares are comparable / same – this will tempt people to switch carrier, experience a new product – and BA drops down the list of preferences.

    Counterwise

    This summer has seen some crazy fares with BA TATL from LHR. I have had clients who had a Premium budget for trips to DEN. It worked out cheaper to bring everyone back First Class or Business Class than on a full W Class (as that was all that was left). Irony was that they were going to have to clear with there client the fact they were coming back Business/First even though it was cheaper. Luckily Common sense prevailed and approved. When this happens it most likely generates goodwill with the customers in questions.

    Overall it depends on what people get out of it. BA is solid, reliable and serves more routes from LHR direct (which if London based is attractive). If you can then get the Avios points to work – like MartynSinclair or AOTG with the intra Asia flights in J being superb value then brilliant.

    For me however once I start travelling a bit more once bambinos get a bit older – if I’m looking at a J Class experience then I won’t have time to go ex-EU (to be fair not many people have that luxury on Business Travel). For me it will be a combination of price, comfort (I don’t have any points so “upgrades” aren’t relevant) and schedule. I’d happily consider a connection – even if travelling with the kids – downside would be the change – plus side with the massively superior products I’d experience. And this to me is what frustrates me – I want BA to be a world leader again in J Class and not even be drawn to other non UK carriers.

    So I guess I’d look at Virgin first, otherwise assuming I’ll go East then I’d look at EY or EK (as LGW is good for me) or CX (as they are starting LGW) or carrier of country I’m visiting (say VN if we decide to go to Vietnam). Or IB if we do South America on the J Class product they have. BA would be a consideration but only for day flights unless fare was superb (whilst still flexible – which the cheap fares usually aren’t whereas almost every other carrier offers some flexibility on all J Class fares – BA cheap ex-UK fares are all nonrefundable and nonchangeable). But I think like many each decision sees the matrix of preferences move with each routing I’m looking at so you end up with 10/20 things to balance x the number of destinations you are thinking of!

    Good discussion – nice to see it stay sensible!

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    Cloud-9
    Participant

    Being self-employed I have to pay for my own flights but try to stay loyal to OW. I am happy to go ex-Europe to the USA but would not do it on a flight to Australia.

    I value status (in case something goes wrong) and am not so worried about the higher avios earned on BA. However despite the superiority of CX/QR hard product I am very happy travelling BA as I find the voice of a well spoken pilot reassuring. Oddly enough I also find an Australian accent equally endearing!

    Safety, comfort and crew are also factors and I go out of my way to avoid airlines thay do not meet my minimum standards when flying internationally.


    Flightlevel
    Participant

    You are a little unfair to Cx/Qr both have good safety records,perhaps you should choose the aircraft too,since l believe no-one has been killed by an A340 or A380,probably because both have very experienced Captains!


    stevescoots
    Participant

    For me its about the price, most of my travel is UK to Asia, if EK is around £100 more expensive than BA I will use EK as I save on the car parking charges. If QR were the same price despite being a far better product I would use the BA if it was direct flight. However, I cannot recall the last time i flew BA to HKG direct, its all been Ex-EU. I generally choose a brand for loyalty or tier points.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    To go back to Jonathan’s original question would a fair summary be:

    – as individual travellers, we are clear on what works for us
    – on that basis, we will change only when the case for change is compelling
    – the triggers for change will vary from individual to individual

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    Interesting thread Jonathan and welcome back.

    I don’t fly that often with BA though I’ve nothing against them, it’s just that ex Lugano (Milan) Swiss and Lufthansa are more convenient for me – and truth be told I do prefer them. So to answer the question, yes, fare is important, but if the saving were only a few hundred over LX/LH I’d stick with them for convenience. If however the difference were a few thousand then I’d definitely choose the competition even if it meant a midnight shuffle in Dubai.

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