[Swissdiver]

Hi InfiniteFlyer,

If you are based in Italy, you might want to consider changing your habits. AF Premium Voyageur looks good. AZ might well have a lounge at your departure airport. And Skyteam is well represented in the US with Delta. And MFU is available.

[RichHI1]

I agree with Steve and Disgusted… The market theory depends on consumers voting with their feet. Where is the incentive not to destroy value if any airline knows you will bend over anyway.

[InfiniteFlyer]

Hi again all,
thanks very much for some interesting and useful comments and advice from everyone.
I think I probably will vote with my feet, at least a few times. I’ve been apprehensive for some reason – I think it’s been some forced LoCo experiences over the past few years.

I used AZ in the past, and the Skyteam offering is indeed interesting.
My European home airport is NAP, and my London home is LGW, hence my historic choice of BA. No other direct LGW-NAP routings at the moment (except for occasional, seasonal U2).

There’s no lounges *at all* at NAP (since BAA did its best to turn NAP into a seating-free, shopping zone), so there’s no advantage in any particular status there (aside from sometimes dodging check-in chaos, as I’ve mentioned above passim).

At the same time, I will hold a (small, non-monogamous) candle for BA for:
– WT+ service/seating/food/drink improvements
– BA improvements in general
– a new short-haul fleet from LGW before the wings fall off the 20y-old 737s
– MFU!

Thanks again – and I hope to see some of you in the lounges at T5 in the near future!

[InfiniteFlyer]

Just a final update: I already received my reply from BA Customer Relations – nearly 4 months quicker than the previous time.

My complaint about a single Lemon & Orange muffin for breakfast was pretty roundly rebuffed. I quote:
“…we are aiming for on our flights is contemporary catering and range of choice. People’s preferences in food vary widely of course, and it can be difficult to get the balance right for our flights. The choice we’re offering at present, though, has been very positively received.

However, I appreciate your own preference is for something more substantial and we will certainly bear it in mind. We pay close attention to customers’ reactions to the food we serve and will continue to adapt to changing tastes…”

So there you go. A single muffin, with nothing else except tea or coffee, is “very positively received”.

I’m willing to bet a week’s salary that:
a) nobody with any authority to change anything knows my complaint even existed
b) the “very positive” reception for the muffin was based on a survey of fewer than 10 people

(And if any BA insider wants to help with this, I’d be delighted to give a week’s salary to a charity of their choice if I’m wrong on both).

Well, that’s helped me a great deal. BA’s representative in this case didn’t have the class to apologise in any way, and did tell me in a mealy-mouthed way that I’m in the minority.

Great service, great customer communications BA.

I will seek alternatives as soon as possible, and only return if they actively treat me with more contempt than BA. (Which isn’t likely).

[LPPSKrisflyer]

InfiniteFlyer – the response you received is a bit like the muffin – probably better than nothing at all! We all know that the ‘enhancements’ that are made to services are because passengers have asked for them.

The only trouble is that no one ever seems to know a passenger who was consulted on the changes and concurred with the ‘improvements’. It’s also strange that ‘enhancements’ are always about reductions rather than additions. Perhaps before too long food will be enhanced away completely in favour of nothing stronger than water with a slice of lemon in it because it’s what has been asked for then they will get rid of the lemon because most people prefer their water without it!!

[NTarrant]

InfiniteFlyer – I would suggest that you write back to BA and tell them their argument is flawed. Recently I complained that the only salads on LGW-JER were ceaser, chicken or salmon in CE. I made the point about it being a bit like spam and that when one travels the route almost weekly it gets boring and that there was a good choice.

I received a very simular response as you about being well received. I had a phone call from customers services who were very pleasant but could not say when or if any changes would be made. My point was don’t patronise me and make it sound as though I am the only one to complain.

My trip last week was a different salad akind to what we had before, perhaps they listened but I won’t shout hurray until I have done a few more trips.

[RogEdwards]

QUOTE
“…we are aiming for on our flights is contemporary catering and range of choice. People’s preferences in food vary widely of course, and it can be difficult to get the balance right for our flights. The choice we’re offering at present, though, has been very positively received.

However, I appreciate your own preference is for something more substantial and we will certainly bear it in mind. We pay close attention to customers’ reactions to the food we serve and will continue to adapt to changing tastes…”

So there you go. A single muffin, with nothing else except tea or coffee, is “very positively received”. UNQUOTE

Exact same wording I got 8 or so years ago when they downgraded the sandwiches on Domestics and the same I got 18 months ago when they stopped the salads.

In other words – twaddle! Stock answers which show lack of regard to the customer.

[VintageKrug]

Though of course to respond individually would cost more than was saved by removing sandwiches in the first place.

Personally, I was quite happy when most catering was removed in economy; it was just another meal I didn’t really need, and allowed BA to compete more effectively on price with the LCCs. A Prêt/Eat/Plane food meal is almost always as good or better than the BA sandwiches and it really isn’t that hard to make your own catering arrangements on shorter journeys.

Having said that it should be remembered that BA still offers a full bar on all flights and breakfast. Even on longer shorthauls a sandwich is indeed offered, so it’s not as you’re left to starve.

What does need to change is the approach to customer feedback which insults, condescends or suggests the opposite is true. BA needs to be upfront about the need for cost-cutting which is, after all, customer driven; most punters will pay £90 to fly EasyJet rather than £91 to fly BA, simply because they choose on price rather than value.

Until the customer appreciates the Total Value Proposition (and very few do) it’s difficult for BA to justify spending more on its product offering.

[esselle]

I agree about the nonsense you get back when you let them know you are unhappy about something.
Remeber the tosh they put out when they decided to withdraw short-haul catering? Something about it being in response to the changing habits of our customers (ie our customers no longer consume food at lunchtime).
It really does not take too much courage to be honest with people, and over time will avoid the yawning gap of cynicism which being otherwise inevitably creates.

[InfiniteFlyer]

VintageKrug,
we haven’t corresponded before, so I apologise for disagreeing partially with you on our first exchange.
I reckon:
1. Economy short-haul catering used to be good, then average, then OK, and is now poor/non-existent (this measured over ~17 years regular commuting)
And I like having a meal on the plane. You’re right that you can make your own catering arrangements – but part of the Value Proposition of BA is surely the convenience of “full catering”?
Otherwise the only remaining differentiator between BA and U2 is pre-allocated seat numbers – although that’s a big one for me, nevertheless.

2. You said: “…it should be remembered that BA still offers a full bar on all flights and breakfast…”
Well, no, it didn’t for me EWR-LHR, and this was one of the main reasons I complained!
One drink only, no seconds. A single muffin != breakfast for me. All on a ~£1500 ticket, overnight.

I certainly agree that BA’s customer relations attitude needs an overhaul.

I’m not sure whether it’s the customers’ faults that they don’t understand the TVP of BA though. If we’re not clever or savvy enough to get that, then perhaps BA needs to put a bit more effort into it, or perhaps even change it, to ensure it makes sense?
(I’m guessing that you’re implying it’s BA’s fault, though).

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

“Personally, I was quite happy when most catering was removed in economy; it was just another meal I didn’t really need”

Excellent. I am sure it did not affect VK who was enjoying CE 😉

[RogEdwards]

@infiniteflyer sounds like the same timescale as me…..been doing Domestics since 1993 when the breakfast was on a full tray – with cornflakes, milk, yoghurt, several variations of hot plate, rolls and glass jars of jam and marmalade. Then a 3 course meal at night with two drinks runs, coffee and liqueurs – great whilst it lasted….

Then the sick bags
Then the salads
Then the cruddites and dips
Then the birdseed
Now the thimble full of coffee and the Potato Crisp.

[CallMeIshmael]

The art of spinning, adeptly mastered an frequently demonstrated by A Campbell is now part of corporate culture.
A straight talking coporate no longer exists. Platitudes, whitewash and spin is the range of corporate communication.

Ownership, accountability, responsibility has been replaced by blame, excuses and denial.

[stevescoots]

well i just did a trip to PRG from LHR, no food on the outbound and only one drink service.

coming back was morning so we got a bacon butty..which on the face of it looked awful..but…I thre it in my bag, no idea why, and when driving home got stuck in traffic..I can tell you that 4 hour old butty tasted fantastic 🙂

[LPPSKrisflyer]

I don’t often travel on BA shorthaul in Y but as I live very close to LHR, I would look at them in comparison to others operating from LHR if I needed to rather than a LCC.

BA is so little differentiated from the LCCs these days that they might as well be one in short haul Y, other European airlines vary, some are markedly better – LH, others much worse, SK & IB. None offer anything to be proud of and it is probably fair to say that shorthaul C is now equal to Y of ten years ago so we know where shorthaul C is going!

I mind the withdrawal of the sandwiches, at the end of a busy day one with a glass of wine on a domestic service was always welcome. The breakfasts on the other hand are IMO disgusting and I wouldn’t touch one. (Maybe that comment will be enough to enhance them away if BA beancounters are reading this!)

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