[LuganoPirate]

Curmudgeonly MrMichael! Moi! Well maybe a little today. . Or perhaps bolshy would be more apt?

[MartynSinclair]

I’m beginning to fear my trip to MAD.. Its BA out IB back… and its possibly a new destination for me for 2015….. FRA please come back..!!

[rferguson]

Regrettably, the only thing the top tier of BA management seems to be concerned with it profit, yield and load factor. All of these are on the up. Until people in great numbers start avoiding BA and these numbers begin reversing will they realise that they can not rely on the goodwill of their passengers alone.

[canucklad]

Maybe BA should confidently and proudly market their CW kitchen as a traditional English experience as in ……
” The Mother Hubbard cupboard, now on a plane near you”

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

Hi Martyn

If you are lucky – 1 rotation to Madrid on IB most days is operated by an A330 or A340 and if you are flying in Business you get the longhaul product (and if very lucky – the new business class). I’d take that over BA. IB3166 coming back is the one to hopefully be on next Tuesday.

[acireale]

I followed Openfly’s advice and sent Keith Williams a link to this thread and a list of several other issues I have experienced with regards to the Club World/First service and the Executive club perks that cannot be utilized. I know it is unlikely but if he does read this post, he should get a good view of the (unanimous) sentiment of his most loyal customers. Please keep commenting !

[acireale]

And Openfly, I do agree. Iberia is also not great, but their flight attendants are way better..at least.they do have a good human touch and a friendly attitude.

[FirstClassWannabe]

acireale- “Iberia is also not great, but their flight attendants are way better” I

I cannot wait to read Mr Michael’ s comment to that!

A friendly attitude? Please. Iberia are now only catching up, and about time too after years of treating the passenger like an inconvenience. In what way do they have a good human touch? I admit they have improved, but there is still a long way to go.

In general I find BA crew very good.

[Stowage222]

Hang on everyone – didn’t I read somewhere a Keith Williams quote saying that he wants to ‘put the customer at the heart of everything we do’? Not doing too much then reading this thread.

To Fly To Save.

[Charles-P]

Perhaps to provide some balance:

My mother recently flew home on BA after sustaining an injury while abroad, their service for her was nothing less than superb. She was treated with respect, discrete help when required and with consideration. She has written to the Chairman highlighting some staff members for their kindness.

[MrMichael]

@firstclasswannabe “I cannot wait to read Mr Michael’ s comment to that!”

Put simply I disagree. I think with BA you get staff that try hard, some try hard and fail miserably but they try. Many a forum subject on the fortunes and misfortune of legacy v mixed fleet.

On IB you get no effort. Some are good, but those that are bad just don’t even try to get it right…..mañana.

I get the impression that BA have a genuine desire to be great….on the ground and in the air…and most staff are actually proud to be a part of BA. On IB it seems to be minimum effort to get the job done….job done being getting the pax to their destination quickly and get rid of them. I don’t think IB staff have any pride in their airline, BA staff in the majority of cases do.

On this forum we see BA lovers (me being just one) BA bashers who would not say a good word come what may, and those indifferent and will base their opinion on their last experience. Most airlines hardly get a mention, Virgin, United, SAS & Flybe, a few large airlines that probably lots on this forum use regularly but for whatever reason do not write much about them. BA attracts more than its fair share of comment, some positive and some negative, some fair, some not.

Ultimately BA and IB are of the same group, IAG, but my experience and honest view is they are culturally worlds apart, and BA is by far, for me, the better experience with a culture I like. They do not always get the product right, but by golly they do try. Some knock BA for daring to make a profit……what the heck is that all about. As a business traveller forum I would have thought most people on this forum would have some business nouse….but too often we here the gripe…..”BA are just out for profit”. YES…most businesses are.

I guess for me BA is like an errant child, infuriating but you love it anyway. IB on the other hand…..like a sick dog….should be put down….as they are a bunch of lazy overpaid robotrons…..and soon!

There you go…..that’s what I think. If your wondering why I use them, I refer you to a previous post and the travel manager I have to use who thinks long haul is LHR T4 to Cockfosters.

[acireale]

@ Mr. Michael. ‘Some knock BA for daring to make a profit……what the heck is that all about. As a business traveller forum I would have thought most people on this forum would have some business nouse….but too often we here the gripe…..”BA are just out for profit”. YES…most businesses are. ‘
I respectfully disagree with this, you cannot sustain profitability in the long term if you don’t serve your customers or invest in future assets. I am in the C-suite of a $2B technology company and I could instantly increase our EBIT by 5% if I cut all our R&D. Yes, some hedge funds may like that but is that really good for long term shareholders?
I think BA can be profitable AND be customer focused at the same time. Just ask Qatar or Singapore Airlines.

[BrotherJim]

Probably not best to ask Singapore airlines about profit. Last year they had a profit reduction of 71% and only made $28m USD.

Same core issue as many European and Qantas etc, competition from the Gulf forcing them to reduce prices.

And living in Asia and a regular flyer on Singapore, last year I did 10 or so return trips around Asia mostly double hops as I don’t live in Singapore, plus two return to Aus and one to the UK in J. I personally think their service is very overrated. It is very mechanical which is fine when it works because it is great, but as soon as you or some other pax throw them off by asking for something out of script they easily loose track of what they are doing and things turn to custard.

As for BA, haven’t flown them since I lived in the UK, 4 years or so now. Most of my trips with them were in Club Europe and even back then it was disapointing to say the least, in terms of service and product. Miss the bacon rolls in the lounge though. Guess that sums it up.

[LuganoPirate]

MrMichael – 06/01/2015 20:21 GMT

Well said. I can’t comment on IB as I’ve never flown them but I fully agree with the rest.

[MrMichael]

@ acireale – The problem for BA and many other businesses these days is the short termism in regards to results. In the public and private sector the CEO of whatever the organisation is judged on the results last posted, a bit like a football manager. Certainly all business should have R&D investment, and BA are no different in that regard. Do they do enough? maybe not, I don’t know.

Maybe the BA bashers have higher expectations of our flag carrier than they deliver, perhaps that leads to disappointment. Skytrax rates BA as four star, do people actually perhaps think they are a poor five star and that is why people criticise? I don’t know…maybe I am easy to please and am a four star sort of guy.

Must dash……got to be on the 09.15 LHR to MAD…………IB again, lucky me..I will ask the cabin crew at the door as I leave the aircraft if they are proud to work for IB.

[Author]

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