why fly BA?
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at 11:15 by ekond111.
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Henkel.TrockenParticipant@ Bucksnet, there isn’t any competition on at least two of the routes you say you travel and not much on a third!
Why do I travel BA? Well most often it’s because the competition on the route is less desirable e.g. LHR-AMS though after a recent experience I might give KLM a try next time but maybe it will be better again when it reverts to a Eurofleet route. If I’m going to MUC, I will always choose LH unless they have no availability as I prefer their service and generally find the crews to be more professional and friendly. In the days of OA I almost always used BA to ATH but now I find A3 the better choice on all fronts.
At other times it would be when there is no suitable availability on my prefered choice so I sometimes use them LHR-DXB if I can’t get on EK which in spite of their enormous capacity on the route, premium seats do sell out and BA always seem to have late availability in premium cabins and I would think of them as a preferred choice to VS at least in flight though of course at LHR VS does have better ground services but in flight it’s what I imagine a low cost or package tour experience to be like but I’ve never tried either so it’s imagine rather than real experience. I might often use LH or LX as preference to BA to DXB as the F experience is so much better on all fronts particularly LH new F together with the ground services which are IMO the absolute best.
I have no expectations of BA service other than that I will reach the destination safely but of course I wouldn’t fly with any airline where I did not have that perception. I expect mediocrity and nine times out of ten that’s what I get, not awful but certainly no wow either. On the tenth occasion it’s usually awful and perhaps one in ten of those occasions it’s good or very good, as good as LX or EK on a normal day.
30 Sep 2011
at 13:38
BucksnetParticipantNo other flights to NCL, but there is the train. I’ve flown Czech to PRG before but they have dropped LHR, so competition comes from the likes of Wizz which flies from LTN, a bit closer to me.
I’ve also flown easyJet, Ryanair, United, Lufthansa, Thai, EVA, Malaysian, City Airline, Duo and BMI, but will use BA if possible for the time being.
30 Sep 2011
at 13:48
Binman62Participantwhy fly BA….
Because when they are good they are world beating. First and Club particularly.
Convenient ex the UK
Better fares ex EU
Airmiles / Avios
Status
Customer Relations when things have gone wrong even if you do need to have tenacity.
25 years of use. Despite the horror stories, and I have had more than my fare share, there is an “emotional” attachment. Can’t put it into words and not sure emotional is the right word.30 Sep 2011
at 14:17
BullfrogParticipantThey are the most direct carrier ex London with a comprehensive route network & a fairly good product in Club & First.
One ALWAYS feels safe on a BA jet, as one does on VS, BMi or Easy, & for that matter any G registered aircraft under regulation by the CAA.
30 Sep 2011
at 14:20
MartynSinclairParticipantComments are mainly about negative issues and BA have a lot of negative comments on here becasue so many of use BA.
Why fly BA:
the only comment I could add to BA Benjy is that I manage to sleep far better in a NCW seat, especially 60J, than any other airline seat.
30 Sep 2011
at 15:03
SaveFLRParticipantI live in Italy, and I normally fly in C class. For me there is only one other competitor for my needs, it’s Swiss, but the BA network is a lot bigger. Club World seat is always my favourite, only when I fly to Far East I prefer, sometimes, QR, but because they have an aggressive low fares strategy.
30 Sep 2011
at 16:34
NTarrantParticipantWell done Rob for starting an interesting thread. I am probably termed as one of BA’s loyalists, but perhaps I have been lucky in that I don’t seeme to have had the problems that some people have had.
The products of CE and CW are very good. Although the catering has slipped, even my favourite salad is better than that I have been served in the same class on other airlines.So when its good it is really good and if its medioca which from time to time it can be, it is at least satisfactory
30 Sep 2011
at 17:23
PotakasParticipantHi all,
I agree with edi-traveller and i would like to add:
1) Price, is the cheapest J class return on my route.
2) Terminal 5, many people have problems with that but I doubt if they ever tried CDG or FRA,
4) BA lounges, those in T5 are the best in Europe (except FCT) . Are the best also in the airports that I fly to (JFK,ATH) .
5) Is the only airline that paid to me hotel expenses during a disruption or missed connection.
6) BA staff, both in ground and in the air, they have been very kind to me many times and they never did something rude to me.
7) I am not British but they manage to make me feel like, I am home or in my national carrier.
8) Network, I can go almost everywhere on BA metal.
9) I don’t believe that BA is the worst airline 😀 People who say that, they just don’t have much experience with other airlines.
10) I don’t fly to Asia! If for example my regular flights were to Asia, I believe that I would have sticked with an Asian airline as I believe that they offer better service (not experience though). But the Asian thing is more a culture thing than just an airline service.
Regards
30 Sep 2011
at 17:40
DisgustedofSwieqiParticipantI don’t really fly BA very much, anymore.
Three segments this year (in 2004, it was over 60). The last one yesterday, a competent economy flight from Paris to London, for £60 all in.
It’s an airline that no longer offers best value on many routes I fly and I buy on value.
Air Malta offers a better product in Club, than BA in CE, Etihad is a little better in some ways, a little worse in others to the middle east, but the value is currently unbeatable.
For an economy class trip of an hour, I might use BA, AF, U2 or any legit carrier. It simply doesn’t matter as the product is so similar and the flight so short.
If BA makes the value proposition better, I will start flying with the airline again.
Potakas, the Etihad lounge at LHR T4 is superb, as good as BA’s at T5 (which are excellent.) I use it for both EY and KM flights (it is ‘their’ lounge at LHR.)
30 Sep 2011
at 18:11
lloydahParticipantI think, Binman62, that you have hit the nail on the head. I’m not sure that “”emotional is the exactly the right word but I feel the same way. From the days of travelling alone on business to taking the kids from the age of 2 on long haul and now back to single trips as they are adults themselves it’s been BA to whom I turn first. Some sort of tie there and the ups have more than compensated for any downs.
30 Sep 2011
at 18:33
Henkel.TrockenParticipant@ Potakas: You seem to rather contradict yourself in points 9 & 10 of your post.
I certainly along with others here fly considerable distances each year and I can assure you that I think BA are generally a poor performer, not the worst while AF and IB are around but they fall a long way short of the better airlines which I think of as CX, SQ (even though they are slipping), EK, EY, QR LH, LX and a few more. BA do not compare to them favourably at all.
30 Sep 2011
at 18:45
PotakasParticipantNever said that BA is the best, I explained why I prefer to fly with them and I also said that if my regular flights were to Asia, I would probably fly with an Asian one.
Can’t see where I contradict my self.
I am Gold with BA (next month GGL) and Lufthansa Senator (not from status match). IME BA is better. Asian carriers should be better from from my experience although it is not extensive, one J with Singapore and a First with Thai.
Don’t forget that my criteria weren’t just for the service, I like their network and their overall performance. Its one of us has different criteria and has different experiences.
For example, I got the decision not to fly again with Lufthansa or any Lufthansa Group airline as I had a bad experience from one of their cabin crew, it wasn’t anything serious (like snow disruption or overbooked flight) but it was one of those things that they can offend you.
The only thing that I really don’t like about BA, are the fuel surcharges.
30 Sep 2011
at 19:00
craigwatsonParticipantPotakas-
Just wanted to comment on your dislike of “BA’s” fuel surcharge, I just took a look at a few airlines for a trip to BKK in May.
BA fuel surcharge – £201
LH – £273
TG – £221
LX – £194
TK – £221So you can see BA actually has one of the lowest fuel surcharges.
1 Oct 2011
at 08:51
RichHI1ParticipantWell as an updtae, return trip on BA was not bad at all (slightly late but good service). Problems started at LHR. They had turned on the E-PAss gates which promptly crashed themslevs and IRIS so there was a 20-25 minute queue for UK immigration (longer than visitor line) and the air conditioning was not set right so not only do you have to wait for 20 minutes you and evrrybody else is bathed in sweat. I asked the duty manager UKBA why IRIS was not working and he had no fromal explanation. It was appalling. But that ius not BA’s doing so overall more reason to fly BA, just not LHR.
1 Oct 2011
at 08:55 -
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