[AMcWhirter]

omanair330 – BA’s 0315 timing ex-AMM is designed for passengers making international connections at LHR.

[BAFTGGL]

We are going to join together to understand better the BA approch – please join our Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/206660892796764/

[BeckyBoop]

BA should offer this new mid haul CW on the short haul services too. The current CW offered on 744 and 777 has been around for too long (2006 I think). It is in desperate need of a face lift/enhancement/rehash. Don’t get me wrong it’s a great ergonomic and comfortable product but now looks old and tatty. I am not too bothered that it doesn’t offer a large HD TV but no AVOD? Even sending aircraft to for a 6 yearly maintenance and cabin refit does absolutely nothing to the cabins unless you are replacing it with a totally new product. The only reason they still call NCW new is because they still have old club product in service on the 767 routes. These will go once the 787’s come into service. The only CW they can really call ‘new’ is the one mentioned above and possibly the LCY version and certainly not the current version. With the release of the mid-haul club service BA will have 5 Club offerings in service (NCW, OCW, LCYCW, CE and this MCW). Now that is a lot of choice but this is just too much especially when BA doesn’t have a good record when it comes to cabin upgrade projects. Still people get Old First at NF prices!!!

One of our clients recently flew on the new CX business class and he thinks it’s better than any first class product offered by any carrier including CX’s own First product!!

http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_GB/whatonboard/newbusinessclass

As a result he finds it hard to justify paying for First on any airlines (I should point out that he is not short of money and can spend and play hard with out having to worry when he wants). I recently saw some footage of Qatar’s new business class product on the upcoming 787 and that looks very swish possibly better than CX.

http://www.bloomberg.com/video/inside-qatar-s-new-deluxe-dreamliner-SeeRXArVRC~GYixEbOsj1A.html

Personally I still think the BA First seat is fantastic better than the current CX first which to its credit is much bigger but lacks finesse feel of BA F. However looking online at the CX business seat, it is definitely the same seat without the glossy interior, fancy dials etc. Now with AA using the same seat as CX for their long haul business cabin, which (I think) is to be released later this year.

http://www.ausbt.com.au/american-airlines-picks-cathay-s-business-class-for-new-planes

If this proves successful both BA and VS will be stuffed on transatlantic routes where BA appears to have a monopoly. The only way BA will be able to get full cabins will be to undercutting dramatically. Perhaps BA should just do away with Club and just have First on all long haul flights at CW prices? This way they will have a superior upper class product which has the refinements of First and the prices of business class. That way they you would not have to worry about the cabin being full of upgrades, but never the less all seats will be paid for.

BA’s director of brands and customer experience is a guy called Frank van der Post. Apparently he used to head up Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts so he should know what five star entails. The recent marketing campaigns have been good along with introduction of iPads, Height Cuisine and the “know me” to aid customer service (which all top rate five star hotels have been doing for years). However all of this is just a smoke screen to what the end product is… the SEAT. If BA doesn’t want to be a five star airline that’s fine but to charge five star prices is not on. Looks like Frank will have some serious decisions to make before the end of the year with the future of BA premium offerings…

Vintage Krug, you can fly CX and SQ to Sydney with only one stop in little over 22hrs same as BA and currently the prices for CX & SQ First for July are almost £1k cheaper.

[SimonS1]

Here endeth the sermon for today.

[IanFromHKG]

VintageKrug – 20/07/2012 11:57 GMT : “… While I am a fan of the new CX J seat, I don’t have the need to travel to HKG and prefer more direct routings when heading to SYD”

More direct than LHR-HKG-SYD? How?

Becky has rightly pointed out that alternative carriers can be cheaper. It isn’t possible to get “more direct” than a one-stop routing, unless you are referring to a through flight on the same metal, but since BA no longer offer through flights on the same metal I can only guess that VK is talking about timing – so let’s look at the facts:

BA/QF LHR-SYD shortest flight time 21:45’. CX shortest time 22:40’ – less than an hour’s difference from the shortest possible routing. If VK was in fact talking about flying on the same metal (in which case he can’t have been talking about BA, since they don’t do one), let us look at BA’s JSA partner QF, who do offer a direct (one-stop flight) on the same metal – that takes 22:40’ – exactly the same as the CX alternative! And if you want to use the lounges during the stopover, the lounges in HKG are vastly superior to those in SIN.

THAI can also make the flight in 22:30’. But if you really want to save time, fly Virgin, who can whisk you to SYD in just 21:35’, a grand saving of ten minutes over BA!

So, frankly, the idea that one should not fly CX from LHR to SYD because it isn’t direct enough is complete twaddle.

[SimonS1]

Come on Ian, why let a few facts get in the way of a good opportunity to promote the party line.

[LPPSKrisflyer]

SIA do LHR-SYD in 22.35 but SimonS1 is right, the party line is ALWAYS more important than facts and you must promote it no matter how stupid you sound especially when others know more than you do.

Of course on such a long journey few people mind it taking a little longer, I always like to have time to stop and have a shower and a bit of a walk so I often book a slightly longer stop than I could which of course with the limited QF/BA offering is not possible so it’s another reason to choose an alternative where the choices are far greater and the lounges invariably better.

[rferguson]

Just read on a staff comms that the ex BMI (ex ex BMED) A320’s that have the fixed cabin of 22 Club cradle seats will be reconfigured with converter seating (the regular CE seating) by the end of the year. A bit of a disappointment. Though maybe it’s because BA don’t want to muddy the waters with a never ending variation of seating products I guess…..

[rferguson]

BTW slightly off-topic but it looks like BA also wants to launch twice daily flights from London Gatwick to Moscow Sheremeyevo.

Scroll down to page 2 then click on the BA application:

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/213/2059Final.pdf

[VintageKrug]

What are the variations?

Club Europe (converter/nonconverter)

Club World mid-haul
Club World standard
Club World London City (64 seats, so hardly material)

Old F (largely phased out by end 2012)
New First

Is this honestly “never ending”?

[rferguson]

I agree, it would be nice to keep the aircraft with the cradle seats for the Athens, Larnaca, Istanbul etc.

Eh ho.

[Travellator]

CWLCY – 32

[VintageKrug]

Travellator – 27/07/2012 10:47 GMT wrote:
CWLCY – 32

Yes, but there are two A318s, so 64 seats in total.

[excessbaggage]

Vintage Krug – you’ve noted “Club World Standard”, but you also currently have B767 aircraft with old and refreshed Club World products, neither of which are the same as the “new” Club World I don’t think?

Also aren’t there various differences in IFE offerings depending on the type of aircraft, which make quite a serious difference to the customer experience?

[VintageKrug]

Most airlines have different IFE offerings; the market is moving quite quickly…

[Author]

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