[MrMichael]

Nevereconomy, please do join me as a shareholder. I do warn you though, holding BA shares by some is seen as nothing more than buying shares in a Nigerian banking scam. You see, every penny of profit made by BA and shared amongst stockholders in dividends in some minds should have been returned to customers in increased value to them. As you allude to in your post, in many ways and in many cases BA (and indeed all of the IAG family) offer excellent value to its customers with a support structure behind it that can offer benefits when things go wrong that many airlines cannot. Clearly millions of people fly BA every year, and the vast majority of them got what they paid for, a safe flight from a to b and on time in the seat they paid for. What the wingers fail to appreciate is it is not their airline, it is mine ( and a few other shareholders). I bought it to make a few shillings for my retirement and to add value to my portfolio. I do hope you join me because getting on a full flight is a very satisfying experience when you know premium prices are being charged to willing customers to get from a to b.

I also hope that those that regularly come on here moaning about BA and blaming it for every possible Ill in every possible sector would also buy shares. They complain about BA profiteering & it’s race to the bottom, I say “hop on” enjoy the great satisfaction of making a few bob from the devil itself. Remover though, shares can go down as well as up……just like an aeroplane.

🙂

[WillieWelsh]

Some of us used to own shares in BA, I prefer my investments to be a bit more ethical these days and prefer it when staff are treated with a bit of respect and customers as though they are valued.

The current BA model is short term so enjoy it while it lasts and when it doesn’t please don’t whine here.

[MrMichael]

WillieWelsh, then IAG is an ethical investment. It is making huge strides in getting more and more pax in to its airframes to economise on fuel and emmisions & cutting food waste by not offering any. Surely it is right up your street.

Edited to add: why can’t I whine on here, you do?

[BIllyBleach]

“Even the whingers fly with us”

[WillieWelsh]

MrMichael – 16/06/2016 18:53 BST

A company where the person at the top earns more in a day than a cabin crew member on whom my safety may depend earns in a year is to me rotten to the core at the top. It wouldn’t meet my criteria for investment at all.

I believe mixed fleet crew have rejected a pay offer almost unanimously so there will be trouble ahead. That will do wonders for shareholder value.

[Tony-UK]

MrMichael – 16/06/2016 18:01 BST

Must be a wonderful company to work for…

[CathayLoyalist2]

MrMichael, you appear to be somewhat deficient when it comes to ethics, morals and values. You appear to be of a mindset similar to the errant bankers who contributed to the GFC and for some who made their money at the expense of ‘everyday working people’ that was just business. So long as you get your dividend cheque in the post every quarter you don’t give a fig as to how the company derived its profit. If you really think that BA looks at more passengers as a way of economising on fuel and saving waste you probably believe the world is flat. Many people are indeed self-centered and in the case of BA if people get to wherever they are going safely, on time at the right price then who am I to argue. But this thread goes way beyond that. As I said in an earlier comment about success then if it is just about the profits then BA is successful If it is about a brand that people clamour to buy because it is a loved and revered brand and the staff are proud to work for BA then it is not successful. John McEnroe was a very good tennis player but admitted “Wimbledon will never regard me as a true champion until I behave myself” BA might make money for now but the indifference with which it appears to treat passengers and particularly staff is questionable and that is putting mildly.

[Edski777]

Don’t be too harsh on MrMichael. He might not share the same ethics, morals and values that most on this thread seem to. At least he is honest and open about it: he is in it for the money and has less regards for the customer or the employees.
Let’s hope that BA will recognize the unpleasant feeling that customers have and express on this thread. I’m sure MrMichael will understand that for his dividend to be paid to him customers are the essential part of the equation.
A little pampering goes a long way.

[CathayLoyalist2]

Edski777, what many organisations seem to struggle with, and what numerous research surveys have confirmed over the years, is a clear finding/acknowledgement that happy customers and even happier staff, in fact you start with getting the staff onboard and happy first, produce significantly better results over the medium term. The real pity is from people I know , including family, who used to work at BA many moons ago would say then BA was a leader and a pioneer but those days are gone likely never to return. Like a lot of people who travelled as I did and saw a BA tailfin at the gate/ on the apron you felt a “tug at the heart strings” but that tug has definitely gone. I voted with my feet and fortunately living in Asia have had great experiences with primarily CX.

[FDOS_UK]

CathayLoyalist2 – 17/06/2016 12:06 BST

+1 – A very well written and insightful post.

[Tony-UK]

CathayLoyalist2 – 17/06/2016 10:05 BST and CathayLoyalist2 – 17/06/2016 12:06 BST

You have summarised perfectly, capitalism has a lot to answer for… Having said that, the culture of an organisation stems from it’s leadership, need I say more.

[FDOS_UK]

Another strapline

“To Fly, to Serve from our BA Bistro Menu”

[SimonS1]

@Edski – I don’t really agree with that.

I doubt BA will take any notice of things on this thread. A handful of posters with a record (rightly or wrongly) of moaning about all things BA is hardly representative of the real world. People voting with their feet (or credit cards) are.

As far as regard for customers is concerned, well I thought BA planes were as full now as they have ever. As far as I know no-one has been forced into a BA aircraft against their will and we all have a choice (personally I don’t use BA by choice unless necessary but I know people who do).

For staff I do have some sympathy. Downward pressure on salaries etc and these days the jobs are a hard slog. Then again I could show you plenty of jobs where the same thing is happening. That’s capitalism and privatisation for you, you no longer have civil servants behind a desk trailblazing at tax payers expense, and of course none of us ever complain that air fares are pretty much as low as they have ever been in real terms.

The fact that these days it’s often cheaper to fly from LGW to Dublin than to take the train from London to Brighton shows the extent to which costs have been slashed, and with the likes of Norwegian around there is more to go.

[icenspice]

‘What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is my own’

[TiredOldHack]

@SimonS1 – well I am starting the process of moving my business elsewhere. I’ve applied for a Star Alliance card.

[Author]

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