[FlightDoctor]

I speculatively rang the Gold BAEC number and was abruptly informed that it was not possible under ANY circumstances. No mention of a potential cash upgrade either. So much for making me feel loyal…..

[SenatorGold]

Last July I flew BA from LHR to Nairobi in CW via a TA booking. When I came to check in online 24 hours in advance there was an option to upgrade to First for £200. In numerous subsequent like bookings (but to other destinations), the option hasn’t been given.

[pomerol]

SenatorGold

It is indeed possible to upgrade to CE, at anytime upto and including online check in, for £80 or €80 depending on whether Uk or Europe based.

[Cwyfan]

Is that only from LGW or does it apply to LHR too, say to Madrid or Barcelona?

[VintageKrug]

The price does vary depending which route is being flown.

It is available through MMB whichever airport you are flying from (including outstations).

There will be a BA sale along any day now, so stand by before purchasing, though bargains not what they once were.

[Goldcardsaplenty]

VintageKrug:

A BA Sale?!? WOW! I can hardly wait as I have just been quoted £12k, (Yes £12k!!!) to fly CW from Singapore to Buenos Aires via London.

Air France is half that via CDG.

BA seriously needs to look at its pricing structure – I know they are far better than AF but I cannot justify this type of difference.

Anyone know how many points required to upgrade to First with AF?????

[VintageKrug]

Strange as I can see plenty of BA Club World flight availability departing in the next two weeks on that route starting from £5,200 rtn.

I have flown Air France’s wedgy bed, sampled its off-hand staff and appalling lounge facilities at CDG.

I’d much prefer http://www.newclubworld.com fully flat bed, decent lounges at T5 and generally helpful cabin crew, though £12k is rather a premium.

Would suggest you ensure a Saturday night stay and/or consider booking and accommodation package, which can reduce the flight portion of the cost considerably.

[Biggless]

Goldcardsaplenty, your price experience comparing BA to AirFrance/KLM is my experience. Let me first say before I’m accused of being a BA basher …. I have been a loyal BA flyer for over 20 yrs (when I joined BA Exec club there was only one level and you paid to join, about £70 I recall). Over that period I have been either Gold or Silver. Sadly it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to justify or even want to fly BA. I am a Platinum with Air France/KLM and the service is generally very good. All my bookings are via company travel agent and it is ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM TO UPGRADE. Their platinum help desk is brilliant. On one recent trip I even upgraded a close friend to join me in business on a short haul trip and they were brilliant. Fixing seats together even though the initial bookings were made separately and we were only on one leg together.
I also have to say that the service in AirFrance business class is very good. Food and wine better than BA club world, the only downside is not fully flat seat. Unless your company has a corporate deal with BA, then long haul with KLM / Air France is the best bet. Air France still have First on some flights and the cost to upgrade is about 50,000 points.

VintageKrug – sorry but I think we must have different tastes or you had bad luck with AirFrance. It really gives me no pleasure to say this BUT, the service, food and wine is much better on AirFrance long haul than BA Club World. I also fly BA First once or twice a year and the food/wine is only marginally better than Air France business. Just my humble opinion

[Cwyfan]

Am I to infer that it is cheaper to book a lower class, and then use MMB to upgrade, subject to availability, than to book at the higher levl in the first place. Otherwise what is the point?

[Binman62]

Delighted to see Goldcardsaplenty and Biggless are on the same song sheet……

What is likely to be my last paid for flight with BA does not allow any upgrade as the options are shaded. No doubt as I originate somewhere other than London on London airways

BA have lost the plot in both prices and service. There are so many quirks with BA.com and all designed to ensure passengers pay more. The last trick I found was trying to book 4 seats and getting prices that were astronomic. Reduced to the request to 1 and the fare dropped by 65% got the same fare when booking 2 and 3 passengers but when asked for 4 the fare for all 4 soared also. In the end booked 3 then a 4 the next day by which time it was again showing fares at the lower level.
They should look at AA.com and see what a first rate website is like providing details on the best availabily and fares.

I have been trying again this evening to find redemption opportunities ….almost anywhere but for an hour now, off and on, all I get is

Error

Unfortunately our systems are not responding, so we are unable to process your request at the moment. We apologise for this inconvenience and suggest you try again later.

I recently wrote to BA about this and other issues on BA.com and recieved the following reply.

Quote…….

I am sorry you found ba.com was not as easy to operate as you would have liked. It is extremely frustrating when you are trying to book or find information online, and things don’t do what you want them to.

We get many thousands of visitors to the website every day and thankfully the majority of them don’t have any problems with it…But I would like to assure you that we are continually making improvements to ba.com as a result of feedback we get from our customers…So your comments are invaluable to us….end quote

In other word you are an indiot and cannot operate technology.

A friend this morning spoke to the lounge dragons in T5 and not one knew about the changes to open access for golds. He then asked at DUS on the way home this afternoon and again no one had heard about it. It is really sad that BA cannot /will not communicate with their staff and then listen to them. In the past they have been able to influence and change some of the more daft policies dreamt up by the trainees on the graduate programme. Now they are the last to know!!

The head in the sand attitude to customers is trully awful to see from this one time great airline and matched only by the myopic views of some on this site.

[Biggless]

one more comment re VintageKrug points on lounges ….. yes I admit BA lounges are better than AirFrance at CDG. However, AirFrance do have the edge at CDG in having a dedicated First class and Top tier FF security lane. For me this is a big benefit. Within T5, BA offer very little benefits to First class travellers outside of the lounges. You still have an awful experience going through security and what annoys me most is that there is no preferential boarding for First class. Yes, I know they have a lane for Business and First but you still have a general mess at the boarding gate. I think here BA could learn from the approach in the US where they have STRICT boarding by class and FF level

[VintageKrug]

BA also has a dedicated F and Gold Card line for security at T5. However, it is BAA, not BA which operates this facility.

I went through last week; total time was 2m 38secs, turned right and into the Concorde Room; few airports can match that “time to lounge” duration.

In my 100+ times passing through T5 security, I have only had one less-than-satisfactory experience at security, and that was on a very busy Bank Holiday Friday where it took 15 minutes (though I was using the North Security, which is best avoided). And that certainly could never be described as “awful”.

Boarding from the B terminal had a dedicated F/J line for passport checks (no queue) and directly onto the plane without waiting. So it is not accurate to suggest there is no “preferential boarding”.

[Goldcardsaplenty]

VintageKrug:

I must try and follow you through the ‘dedicated F and Gold Card line at T5’ – 2m 38secs would be a miracle for me!!!! More like 10 mins stood there whilst the totally disinterested security staff spend all the time talking to each other about boyfriends/girlfriends/holidays/Xfactor/Eastenders as they send the occasional bag through the scanner.

Fast Track security at T5 is poor – not Ba’s fault but reflection of BAA’s ignorance of Business Travellers needs.

‘Turned right into Concorde Room’ is probably the one comment that really annoys me – you can only do this if actually flying ‘F’. If not I have to walk past all the useless shops, go down the escalator, past more useless shops, up the escalator to get to the First Lounge.

If you dare to ask the Gruppenführer on the desk at the Concorde Lounge if you can walk through to the First Lounge you are lucky to escape without being shot.

I also have well over 100 transits through T5 and it is a great terminal. But stop looking at it through rose tinted glasses – it does have its problems and could be better.

[Biggless]

VintageKrug – when I’ve been through that line coming in on First and needing to transfer to domestic the wait has been terrible and I guess as Gold is quite common it does not feel like a special service for First. Also to agree with Goldcardsaplenty, the door staff on the Concorde room are hopeless. Last year my wife & I were refused entry even though travelling on First class tickets since the badly trained person thought that flying on on domestic didn’t count. She forced us to walk the long route round then the staff inside did know the correct position and let us in the Concorde room. I did then have the pleasure of going outside with a supervisor to speak to the door person and obtain a grudinging apology ! Whilst I’m on First service, how come you get no preference at the pathetically reduced spa service. Even when I’ve had a 2 1/2 hr wait it has been difficult to book a so called treatment. If you count a machine. Long gone the good old days when you actually got a proper massage on a table for 30mins with oils and a real person. Yes I know they do the back massage through your shirt but not the same is it !

[Goldcardsaplenty]

Biggless:

If you want a massage try JAL’s First Lounge in Narita……..

……WOW!!! Now that’s a massage.

[Author]

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