[DisgustedofSwieqi]

“they were good days at BA”

That’s what sickens me about BA, I flew with them in the 1970s, when they were rubbish. Then the new management did a fantastic job, running programmes like people first and by the late 80s BA made me proud to be British. The first flat bed seat and the first flat bed in business were also great moments.

But in recent years it has been very much downhill and BA is a mere shadow of the world class airline that carried the Landor livery.

Now we have an upbeat ad campaign spinning a mediocre airline.

My midweek ET flight was competent; many other airlines are also competent.

BA used to be special.

[craigwatson]

judging by the posts, im not as old as some of you, but I think back in the day the public wasnt as concerned with price, flying was special.

I dont think the masses today would be willing to pay the “special” price tag

[NTarrant]

You are quite right Craig back in the mid to late 70’s people accepted what the fare was. There was no yeild management and if someone came into an agent and was told the fare was £200 today it would we £200 next month (fares usually changed in April nand October), because flying was special. Charter flights were for the masses.

In 1983 I travelled LGW-AMS-LGW on B’Cal in economy, the fare on the ticket was £120.00. In 2008 I travelled same route on BA (what was the BR route) in Club Europe for £160.00.

[RichHI1]

NTarrant I think you are about 5 years out. I remember mid 1970’s the bucket shops started and you could begin to buy consolidation fares which previously had onyl been available to tour operators. Also when discount Premium fares started. I think was around the start of Freddie Laker and Skytrain. One reason why no-one complained was the 2 + 2 cartel rules that all governments had set up to protect their flag carriers on international prestige routes.

In those days you also had a much higher incidence of company management and staff (pilots etc) flying in the first class cabin. I remember one flight from LAX to LHR on BA in 1970’s when I remmber being told by a flight attednant i was the only one in the first cabin who did not work for British Airways. I think they had been to an airshow or something at Lockheed.

[NTarrant]

Bucket shops started slightly before the mid 70’s, I worked in travel in the mid to late 70’s and early 80’s. Bucket shops were usually only found in places such as London, BHX, MAN but there were a few pockets. Most of the flights offered were on KLM and Garouda, although it was possible to get other airlines ticket but usually these two were fairly popular.

The fares you refer to Rich are what were called It and ITX fares and were only available to those agents that had ATOL licences (air travel organisers licence). The rules were that you have to offer two other componants, one was a hotel and the other was usually either a transfer to the hotel or a hire car. The fare was whatever you wanted it to be as you had effectively a “wholesale” fare so you added your own margin.

When Freddie Laker started, BA, PA, TW all offered various special fares, BA called theirs a “Pondhopper” TW and PA had other names.

Of course in the 70’s first class fares were only the standard fare, there was no discount excursion or APEX fares. Unless you got a bucket shop. The problem though with the bucket shop was that a number of people got to the airport and found they weren’t booked.

[LeTigre]

Oh dear. It appears that like most posts on this forum about rather a lot of different subjects (BA, airmiles, round the world trips, new aircraft…) we have descended once more to the glory days of the past.

Perhaps it would be wise to remember my grandfather’s favourite saying:

Those who dwell in the past cannot live in the future.

[RichHI1]

Those who dwell in the past cannot live in the future but those who forget the past may not have a future?

[LPPSKrisflyer]

Those who forget the past are destined to relive it!

That said, if standards were raised in air travel, I wouldn’t mind reliving some of it but of course you aren’t allowed to be selective.

[VintageKrug]

Sadly, we’ve never had it so good, and forget the many negatives of air travel in the past when compared to the everyday comfort and facilities we experience today – even when flying in economy – for a fraction of the cost.

[RichHI1]

In major part true VK. The one thing I await is the introduction of the latest security technology which I believe is 2012-13 which will allow liquids in the cabin again.

The two areas that are worse are the security restrictions and also the delyas caused by accountants trying to increase asset utilization and scheduling flights too close together coupled with airport congestion.

Forgot one backward step no SST or Concorde…

[STORMIN']

Why fly BA? Good question.

I have been a Gold Card holder since the current Tier system started some 20 years ago and have been a loyal customer ever since. However, no more. As standards have continued to fall, the one thing that I have clung to was that BA would always look after its Premium Fare / Gold Card holders when things go wrong. No more. In July, I got caught when BA cancelled a flight after the inbound flight was diverted due to weather (every other carrier arriving at about the same time managed to get in). There was absolute bedlam at the check-in desks; it took over an hour to get to the desks as a Club World passenger. No-one was respecting the dedicated desks and I was treated no differently to a backpacker on a £200 fare. When I got to the desks, I asked which alternative flight they had booked me on. I was told that there were no seats on alternative flights and that I should take my place in the queue for the bus to be taken to a hotel nearly 2 hours away. In the event, there were loads of seat availability on other airlines and I was on my way 2 hours later, courtesy of LH on an aircraft with plenty of empty Business Class seats. When writing to BAEC on the matter after my return, I got a reply that can only be described as arrogant. More recently, in Economy on some European flights, 3 times in a row my pre-selected seat had been changed when I came to check-in. My recent experience of long-haul 747s particularly, but increasingly also with 777s, the interiors have been shabby and filthy. Catering has been reduced in terms of quantity and choice – if you happen to be at the tail-end of the food ordering process, at least one and often two of the main course choices have gone. The value of the Gold Card has now been finally diminished through the withdrawal of access to BA Lounges when not flying One World. What is the real benefit of Gold over Silver in relation to the need to earn 2.5 times points over Silver to reach Gold? I am a life-time Air France / KLM Platinum Elite Plus Card holder and a Lufthansa Senator / Star Alliance Gold Card holder.

Why fly BA? Good question, when there are infinitely better alternatives out there, even if it means having a change en route

[MartynSinclair]

Stormin,

Which airport?

Unfortuantely pax always remember the last bad experience. In your 20 years with BA, any good stories to tell?

[RichHI1]

I would ask the question which airline handles problems well? I am an AA loyalist but when things go wrong their station management run away and the counter staff all disappear and delays always get exacerbated not recovered. Same experience with BA, same experience with LH, same experience with NH same experience with …. Can anyone share a story where station staff and management resolved a disruption and delivered excellent service? Not talking helplines, as the EXP helpline always bails me out, I am talking on the ground airport staff and management.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

Stormin

I with you. BA have treated me badly on the ground, too.

Also agree with Martyn and Rich that most airlines seem useless when things go wrong.

However, good on you. I’ve cut down dramatically and finding much better value out there.

[DanDare1975]

RichHI1 – in response to your point…

I can share a story about how an airline handled a problem well, and by coincidence the airline in question was BA, and this was fairly recent.

Back in July I turned up to drop my bag at check-in for my usual flight from NCL to LHR on a Sunday evening, to find a rather chaotic scene at the check-in desk. There was a party of around 15-20 people queuing at the Executive Club Gold/Silver check-in desk, and long queues at both of the bag drop desks. The large party was causing extreme congestion in the check-in area, this kept happening as a result of the design of the check-in area, which does not really allow there to be more than 2 people queuing for the Gold/Silver desk without them getting in the way of passengers trying to join the bag drop queues or using the electronic check-in kiosks.

Noticing the long queue at the Gold/Silver check-in desk, I decided to join the queue for one of the other baggage drop desks. Shortly after joining this queue, I noticed that there was a member of staff from BA’s ground handling agent who had just moved to the head of the queue I was in. This member of staff then proceeded to usher waiting Gold and Silver Executive Club customers to push into the queue I was in, and the neighbouring queue, at the front of the line. This caused a number of customers in the baggage drop queues to complain in very strong terms, and caused several passengers to get rather annoyed with each other. Some almost came to blows.

The staff from BA’s handling agent did nothing to calm this situation down, quite the opposite in fact. When it came to my turn to be checked in, the same member of staff pushed another Gold Executive Club member in front of me. I complained at the time to no avail but had already made up my mind that I would be writing to BA about my experience.

I wrote to BA via their complaints website giving what I believe was a calm, measured and accurate account of the situation, why I believed BA and the handling agent was at fault, and how I believed the situation could have been avoided. This email took me around 20 mins to write.

I received a response a couple of weeks later from BA which was very apologetic and informed me that steps were being taken to resolve the situation urgently, and that a copy of my complaint had been forwarded to the station manager at NCL. I was also given 5000 BA miles as a gesture of goodwill. On my next visit to NCL I discovered that the check-in had been rearranged, the Exec club Gold/Silver queue was now in a different place with much more queuing space and some of the barriers which control the queuing had been moved to a more logical position. Despite the flight being very busy the staff attitude had obviously been adjusted and check-in went smoothly and efficiently. Problem solved, happy customer.

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