BA - What is happening?

[bbrown1664]

Over the last couple of months I have flown with BA from Heathrow on a number of occasions. Every single flight was delayed!
Now, normally you might expect the flights later in the day to be affected by knock on delays, but these were flights at 6-7am when the aircraft had been in LHR overnight.
Why are there so many delays with BA and why do they insist on putting most European flights through LHR when LGW is relatively less congested?

Also, before Christmas when the Gate Gormet dispute was on-going, outbound you got a voucher to spend on food before you flew and on the return legs you got a goody bag at the gate with sanwiches etc in. Not anymore. Now you get a small packet of crisps to eat once on-board. I kid you not. What the hell are they playing at?

[Globaliser]

Also, before Christmas when the Gate Gormet dispute was on-going, outbound you got a voucher to spend on food before you flew and on the return legs you got a goody bag at the gate with sanwiches etc in. Not anymore. Now you get a small packet of crisps to eat once on-board. I kid you not. What the hell are they playing at?Please complain about the catering using this form (http://www.britishairways.com/travel/custrelform/public/en_gb) - and use it for every flight.

The only way that BA will get to understand that a bag of crisps is unacceptable is if everyone complains every time they are given one.

[slim_slag]

The missus used that form when she didn't get any breakfast on the way back from SFO on a recent club world trip. £6000 for a ticket and they ran out of bacon butties before they got to her. How much is a bacon sandwich? No reply from them as yet... She tells me the food in club world has gone downhill big time since the gate gourmet fiasco and the flat bed is their only competitive advantage, though I am sure others have it now.......

[apaddyinuk]

As for the delays (I wont touch the catering issue with a barge pole, its embarassing)... BA have just initiated their punctuality drive which emphasises on getting the first wave of flights out on time!!!! Checkin no closes with no ifs, ands or butts at -30, no "have a go" passengers will be accepted regardless of who you think you are, if you are not at the gate 10mins before departure your bags WILL be removed and you WILL be offloaded, doors must be closed at -2mins and the plane is to be pushing back at SDT.
Of course this is what should be happening as to whether it is or not thats another question.

[bbrown1664]

doors must be closed at -2mins and the plane is to be pushing back at SDT

Tell that to the passengers on Friday who were all at the gate waiting for an aircraft to arrive. Where was it? It had been parked overnight at T1. We were at T4. How difficult is it for the night shift to tug the :mad: thing over ready for the first flight of the day.

When I was in the airline industry (a few years ago now) I worked for an airline that would happily accept a 10-15 minute departure delay from the main base to ensure the aircraft was 100%. this avoided embarrasing delays down route when something else went wrong. i.e It was (not sure about now) acceptable for an a/c to leave with 2 out of 3 INS systems operational. If a second failed down route, we had problems.

When I worked for BA, the priority was to depart on time regardless so we ended up with these issues down route.



On another issue, my flight back from Cologne last night was delayed due to previous delays during the day caused by high winds at LHR. Not disputing this as I have no idea. What I did not like though was then being taken to a domestic stand on arrival and being bussed back to the correct area adding further delays to a jorney that was already delayed.

[apaddyinuk]

Bbrown, as someone who has worked for the airline industry you should know better then most as to why things like that could happen. As for the aircraft being dumped on a dom stand, perhaps this had more to do with the BAA then BA because the origional stand would have had to be given elsewhere due to the delay??? I dont know how they allocate but that would be my presumption.

[bbrown1664]

I understand why these things happen and for it to happen once every now and then is accepted. What is happening now is a joke. Every flight delayed, inflight service that is a joke, mis-management of aircraft and, if you believe what you read, the crews (I have not got experience of this).

BA do make a profit, something that BCal struggled with but at the end of the day, they could make more money, get better publicity and become the worlds favourite again if they listened to their customer requirements rather than force products and :mad: poor services onto us.

At the end of the day, I only used BA because they got me somewhere when I needed to be there. I could have travelled a day earlier/later and saved a fortune (this is how BA make money).

BA again, not if there is an alternative.

[manintheback]

£6000 for a ticket and they ran out of bacon butties before they got to her. How much is a bacon sandwich? No reply from them as yet... She tells me the food in club world has gone downhill big time since the gate gourmet fiasco and the flat bed is their only competitive advantage, though I am sure others have it now.......
As much as I have defended BA in the past, how right your wife is. Repeated trips in the last 6 months and finally Mondays return from Dubai - oh dear. Comparing it to one sector of the competition (that one run by the Bearded Cardigan wearer) - its embarrasing how wide the gap has become.

[apaddyinuk]

Well im not going to go on the defensive for BA despite being crew for them. But the company are investing a huge amount in T5 so hopefully a lot of the allocation problems will be wiped clear with this...although I lack enthusiasm about this.
As for the product. I know most FFP's are sick of those GPM's but if only they were completed acuratly! For example, write in the suggestion boxes what you really think of the catering and what you EXPECT! Dont just say "food was awful, small portions, not edible etc etc". Say things like, "I expect more from BA, I expect a nice sandwich on a 45 min flight, I expect enough bacon rolls for ALL pax in Club World"!!!! The GPMs actually ARE used, why do you think the company are investing in new Club World seats after only 5 years and why have they finally copped on to how rubbish the IFE is?
Some passengers are their own worst enemies. Dont be afraid to ask for comment cards from the crew and construct an adequate arguement for why you feel you should be provided with a quality product for the price of your ticket. The problem is that some waister sitting up in the Product department has been brainwashed that BA are now a cheap company to buy a ticket with so therefore as long as we provide something free no matter how small it is then we are still a cut above the rest when the rest of us know this is not true!!!

[Final 3 Greens]

Apaddy

Stand allocation in T1 and T4 is done by BA, so no excuse there.

However, the constraint with LHR is simply the small size of the real estate and the various other constraints on the stands available. LHR may look large, but compared to say LAX or DFW, it's tiny.

It's a tough job and having an insight into the details of it, I would accept a dom stand and bussing, although it would irritate me if it happened at the end of a delayed flight.

[bbrown1664]

Having written to Customer services I have got this reply


Dear Mr Brown
I am sorry you were disappointed with the service we provided on your recent flight.
We have taken the decision to introduce a new catering service for our Domestic and Euro Traveller customers. The changes are in response to the customer feedback and the continuing need for the airline to focus on reducing cost and ultimately keep down fares.
Research suggests that the majority of customers travelling on shorter European and UK domestic flights are satisfied with a complimentary snack and drinks service. The changes we have made reflect this.
Thank you for your comments about your flight. We will use this information to improve our catering in future.
Best regards

Fay Coutinho

[slim_slag]

Why does it always appear to be the passengers fault on this forum? If the food is rubbish it's not because the passenger doesn't "construct an adequate arguement for why you feel you should be provided with a quality product for the price of your ticket." WTF. There should be NO DOUBT AT ALL that somebody who pays £6k for a ticket should be given breakfast. They should even load extra bacon butties in case somebody who has paid £6k for a ticket is feeling hungry and wants a second bacon buttie.

I've just asked the missis if she knows there are customer comment cards on the flight. I now have to explain why I am surfing on pprune instead of painting a bedroown, but she didn't have the foggiest idea they existed. Is that her fault? She said she would have liked to have spoken to the cabin crew but apparently they disappeared pretty quick once they had run out and didn't reappear until it was time to clean up. She suspects they were totally embarassed themselves (unless they had the butties themselves, which she thinks might be a possibility :))

[Globaliser]

Why does it always appear to be the passengers fault on this forum? If the food is rubbish it's not because the passenger doesn't "construct an adequate arguement for why you feel you should be provided with a quality product for the price of your ticket." WTF. There should be NO DOUBT AT ALL that somebody who pays £6k for a ticket should be given breakfast.I don't think that anyone is suggesting that it's the passengers' fault if the catering's not up to scratch. But we passengers can do something about it, and we should.

Did your missus come on the early flight or the late flight? If the early flight, the breakfast in the Arrivals Lounge is much better than anything served on board the aircraft, anyway, and you can get extra sleep by ignoring the food service.

[manintheback]

Its interesting to see how the airlines quality alters over the years. I’ve been flying long and often enough to see major carriers go round the full circle. Air Canada when it first put out its exec first class was on a different level to any other airline. Now its one of the worst. Ten years ago I avoided BA at all costs (how many times did it announce via its friends at the Daily Mail that it was about to roll out personal IFE in all classes to compete with Virgin? – then didn’t). Once it rolled out the then revolutionary flat bed, no-one else could compete on comfort and it had the service to match. Now I have to wonder if the powers that be actually fly on competitors to check them out?. I find it very difficult to believe they do.

[apaddyinuk]

Manintheback, "BAs friends in the Daily Mail"???? THEY HATE BA!!! They always slate us as slightest chance. Bit like Pprune! :}

[manintheback]

I'm going back to the Ayling days when the Mail and he were best buddies, able to get a press release re-printed as front page news.

[slim_slag]

Well globaliser, maybe the arrival's lounge would be perfect for somebody straight off the flight from NY who has to spruce himself up for a City business meeting, but after a week away the missus didn't want to hang around in another airport. All she wanted to do was get home to see my smiling face :)

I like your argument that travellers shouldn't expect to get food on board, they should get it when they arrive at the airport. How about we set up an airline that gives cheap flights and no food and call it, er, Ryanair !! Or the new improved BA Economy class, except the fares aren't quite as cheap :)

Maybe if BA wanted to know what she thought they could pay her for her input at market rates. Why should she be expected to take the time to construct an adequate arguement for why you feel you should be provided with a quality product for the price of your ticket when it should be up to the airline to find out proactively what their premium passenger's want? Don't you think it obvious that they should load sufficient food to feed everybody who has bought a ticket?

[Globaliser]

Don't you think it obvious that they should load sufficient food to feed everybody who has bought a ticket?Yes, which is why she should complain.

The Arrivals Lounge is an option; it has pros and cons. You don't get options with Ryanair, neither will you get anywhere complaining about the lack of options.

[bealine]

Thought it's time to lighten up this topic. Here is an actual letter received by our Customer Relations department:

Dear British Airways customer service

I am writing to complain that your service this morning was so crappy that I had no choice but to abuse my good-natured girlfriend who had volunteered to take me to the aiport. I was so angry I decided to let her have it, after all your check-in ladies are only doing their job, so it wouldn't have been reasonable to give it to any of them with both barrels, whereas she didn't actually have to be there, so fair play. When she walked off upset by my irritated dealings with her I had been standing in a check-in queue that hadn't moved for nearly an hour. You were supposed to open at 4:30 a.m., not 5.15! What is a man supposed to do?

When she came back I did buy her a coffee and she seemed to have got over it. At this point we did manage to have a conversation, but I suspect that she might still be upset (I'll know because she will probably go home and send me an email about it).

So, bottom line here's what I want you to do, send me a couple of thousand airmiles and a new luggage tag (also your fault as you made me rush and I broke my tag, having not been able to check-in online) and we'll say no more about it.

I'm not sure how I'm going to make it up to her. Do you think something like one of those rather nice refresher towelettes your airline gives you on flights would do it? Or something a bit more interesting like a copy of 'High Life' in-flight magazine? It mustn't be anything too soppy mind, I don't do that sort of thing, needing to keep her on her toes and all that.

Yours faithfully

Mr XXXXXX (Elite on KLM, but economy to you and ongoing if you don't buck your ideas up!)


Note from girlfriend: do airlines and men have to be this way?

[DVR4G.DEP]

On a recent flight Dubai-LHR, the service was disgusting, not even a single smile of the cabin crew.

They served meals by carrying them in their hands rather than trollys. When it got to my row, they had ran out of food of my choice without apologising

We where waken with the big lights 3 hrs before landing, and all we got for breakfast was a bag with Cold Sandwich in.

The crew only came round once waving the "Shopping on Board Magazine" round once. They didn't even come round with the drinks at night, they all dissapeared.

What has happened to BA, this is not the airline I know, 8 yrs ago, it was the best it deserved its title "The world's favourite" now it's "The world's worst"

On top of that the flight left 2 hours late.

BA will never change, mabye a change in sloppy managment might give the airline a good shake up!!!

[bealine]

On a recent flight Dubai-LHR, the service was disgusting, not even a single smile of the cabin crew.
They served meals by carrying them in their hands rather than trollys. When it got to my row, they had ran out of food of my choice without apologising
We where waken with the big lights 3 hrs before landing, and all we got for breakfast was a bag with Cold Sandwich in.
The crew only came round once waving the "Shopping on Board Magazine" round once. They didn't even come round with the drinks at night, they all dissapeared.
What has happened to BA, this is not the airline I know, 8 yrs ago, it was the best it deserved its title "The world's favourite" now it's "The world's worst"
On top of that the flight left 2 hours late.
BA will never change, mabye a change in sloppy managment might give the airline a good shake up!!!

What you see at work here is the "market forces" those people besotted with Thatcherism blethered on about!!! The crew, and the ground staff, no longer apologise because they, like you, are fed up to be back teeth with cost-cutting and the disgustingly low standards BA is trail-blazing through the industry!!!

Even our complimentary newspapers on Domestic and Short-Haul flights will soon be stopping (April 2006 according to rumour control) to save 20p per passenger!!!

Unfortunately, the management shake-up you requested is happening under Willie Walsh - and you are witnessing the results!!!

[wiggy]

Yep
We've had a decade of "must cut costs", or as it is currently known, "fit for 5"....and the bean counters are now slashing into the heart and soul of the operation in a manic attempt to make even more savings than last year, and the year before...what is blindingly obvious is the cuts are now threatening the operation.

Morale is at an all time low - not helped by the fact that whilst the front line staff try to fire fight and suffer the pain and abuse on a daily basis the ones who gain ( through bonuses) are the managers who got BA into this mess in the first place.

[Final 3 Greens]

Bealine

Are you sure that BA pats for newspapers?

SOMe newspapers are only too happy to give free copies, since it counts towards their ABC audit figures and thus supports advertising sales.

[apaddyinuk]

Wiggy, very true...But now all those managers are about to get their commupance are they not???

[manintheback]

Are you sure that BA pats for newspapers?
SOMe newspapers are only too happy to give free copies, since it counts towards their ABC audit figures and thus supports advertising sales.
Only the Daily Express at the mo - lord help us if thats all we get in the future.....

[bealine]

Bealine

Are you sure that BA pats for newspapers?


Yes! Apparently, it's 20p a copy but we get 2p a copy for those unused copies returned at the end of the day. (Although the Daily Mail treats BA abysmally through its vehement gossipy Editorials, we have to accept it if we want to take copies of the "Evening Standard" - sa newspaper that has, hitherto, been highly valued by our UK domestic passengers.)

Under Marshall, Ayling and Eddington, this 2p kickback appeared as "free" money because it went against a different budget!!!

Apparently, Willie Slash is not interested in "budgets" - only bottom line!

[FormerFlyer]

Please complain about the catering using this form (http://www.britishairways.com/travel/custrelform/public/en_gb) - and use it for every flight.
The only way that BA will get to understand that a bag of crisps is unacceptable is if everyone complains every time they are given one.

Well I read through the whole thread and thought "Why not?" - I'd had what was an OK-ish flight with BA out to DOH & back in December. Then I used QR last weekend. What a world of difference - QR far outshines BA. I'd go so far as to say that I was at least as comfy in QR's economy seat as I was in BA's WTP seat.

So I let BA know using the form - and also highlighted the obvious differences between the 2 products, that QR were a bit dearer but definitely worth it and it prob wasn't worth my while continuing with BA just for the miles & tier points. That was last night, late o'clock. This morning at early o'clock I gets an email acknowledging the points, thanking me for raising them & chucking 10K miles at me too by way of apology!

Will I keep my future BA booking to DOH or will I switch to QR next month? Probably still switch, but last week I was saying definitely switch.

If you have a gripe - let them know. They can't change things if they aren't told.

cheers ;)
FF

[sixmilehighclub]

The crisps/cereal bar/cake were brought in when the amount of wastage and mess was horrendously high from the previous style of sandwiches/pizza/ciabattas.

There would normally be 2 options on offer with the sandwiches, ie a meat and a vegetarian option. However, it is impossible to please everyone who doesn't like mayo, cant eat cheese, doesnt eat meat, cant have gluten/wheat/dairy products, etc, etc.

Consider Wastage, costs, mess, weight, space, and how much someone really needs to eat on a 90 min flight.....

The crisps are going soon.

[bbrown1664]

how much someone really needs to eat on a 90 min flight.....

OK, as I said, for a mid morning or late evening flight this should be OK. A flight around a normal meal time should be properly catered as many travvelers are flying when they should be eating or will not be in a reasonable location to eat on landing. Have you tried finding somewhere to eat between LHR and the sussex coast at 9PM without going too far out of your way or taking up more of your time when all you want to do is get home after getting up at 4am, spending all day in meetings and the pleasure of a packet of crisps for you £300+ Bad Attitude ticket?

[bealine]

Re: The crisps fiasco - can I refer you to this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5311879#post5311879

The OP of that thread is writing to Martin George who heads up Customer Services. If you feel strongly, why not write to him as well!!! The more protests he receives, the more likely it will filter up to Willie Walsh!!! Otherwise, we'll probably see the crisps disappear after another couple of months - and what's next??? Only use half a teaspoon of coffee for each passenger and don't give 'em milk or sugar unless they ring the call bell and ask for it!!!

[VHF FLYER]

Doesn't all of this call into question the way that airlines market themselves?
On one hand you have the 'cheap as chips but don't dare to ask for anything other than a seat - not even a smile' Ryanair (and not always cheap either!!)and those who, like BA, call themselves a 'full service airline'.
What is 'full service airline' when all you seem to get these days is the same level of bad attitude service but with the added bonus of a nasty 'cheese or ham?' sandwich chucked at you.
Long haul is still refreshingly old fashioned.

[bealine]

Doesn't all of this call into question the way that airlines market themselves?

Yes - but not just airlines!

How many British and American businesses trade on their "excellent customer service" pedigree, yet when push comes to shove, you find that you have to phone "National Call Rate" phone numbers, put on hold for half an hour and, effectively, you have paid for their awful customer service!!!

Dell Computers yesterday took over 50 minutes to confirm what I already knew - that my son's CD-ROM drive had failed. (50 mins phone at 22p per minute = £11.00. Postage of old CD-ROM unit a further £6.50. Total £16.50) A new drive at www.valuelist.co.uk would have been only £8.59 + VAT but would invalidate Dell's Warranty!!!

I really think you're right - a crackdown on the way businesses conduct themselves is well overdue!

[DVR4G.DEP]

I needed to travel down to LGW from MAN tomorow morning, I looked on the Ba.com and saw the price of £298.90, steep, but I have no choice. I attempted to book it and got the following message.
"The credit card has been declined, contact card issuer" Fine I did that and no problems there. I then contacted BA telephone sales and told them of the problem, I spoke to a senior staff, he took my details and told me that I will incurr and additional £15 charge on the fare quoted. I expalined that I am unable to do it online and that it was unfair to charge me £15 extra.
He was rude and unsympathetic, his Customer Service was dreadful, the response I got was "Well if your card is not going through, its not my problem and that the additional £15 still stands.
I don't think its fair to be treated like dirt when you are a paying customer. British Airways is truly the worst airline to date. I will be suprised if there is any future improvments.
I have made a written complaint about the way I was spoken to.

[VHF FLYER]

Try Jet2 instead of BA - there is a choice - just as poor in customer relations but a lot cheaper

[wub]

I booked two Edinburgh to Bristol return flights with BA for 14 July this year. A week after I booked, at a cost of £130, BA announced the launch of BA Connect. This is being punted as an 'exciting new service' which requires those wanting refreshments to buy them.

The fare is now £99 but I have not been offered any refund and will now have to pay even more if I want food or drink. I'm really excited about this, can't you just tell :(

[Globaliser]

Consider Wastage, costs, mess, weight, space, and how much someone really needs to eat on a 90 min flight.....For many people, the flight is the only time that there is to eat something. In those circumstances, it's nice to be offered some hospitality, rather than having to be made to buy something off the profit-making trolley.

[bbrown1664]

rather than having to be made to buy something off the profit-making trolley.

The option would be nice. Even nicer would be to pay the same low rate that those airlines that do offer you the chance charge.

[manintheback]

The option would be nice. Even nicer would be to pay the same low rate that those airlines that do offer you the chance charge.

I assume the 'low rate' was tongue in cheek?. Ezy prices are incredible. Approx 100% mark-ups over supermarket prices. And as for the £7 for the same quarter bottle of champers BA do for £4 - dont get me started.

[goshdarnit]

100% mark up over supermarket prices? That is cheap and if that is all it is the EZY need to try harder!
You can in no way compare supermarket prices to specific outlet prices (like airline trolleys), that is just ridiculous. Try going to a restaurant and telling the waiter that the bottle of wine he is charging £25 for is only £3.99 in Tesco! There is absolutely no comparison in the pricing structure.

More relevant is fare pricing. BA used to fly out of CWL and I used to regularly pay £392 to fly to GLA (yes, £392!!!). Thankfully BA no longer operate out of CWL (couldn't fill their planes - there's a shocker) and I can do a similar trip to PIK for about £50 with a LoCo. And BA sometimes couldn't even offer a cup of cofee!

[AUTOGLIDE]

Thing is, people keep complaining about BA, but they are making rather a lot of money. If they are so bad (No fan myself TBH) then why do people keep flying with them??

[manintheback]

100% mark up over supermarket prices? That is cheap and if that is all it is the EZY need to try harder!
You can in no way compare supermarket prices to specific outlet prices (like airline trolleys), that is just ridiculous. Try going to a restaurant and telling the waiter that the bottle of wine he is charging £25 for is only £3.99 in Tesco! There is absolutely no comparison in the pricing structure.


£5 for a cheese sandwhich cheap?. er no. Re wine, comparison was BA to EZY, not Tescos. 75% mark-up. Comparison valid

[bbrown1664]

why do people keep flying with them??

Could it be because they have pretty much a monopoly on the routes at the times business travellers want?

or

Because many business travellers don't get a choice?

assume the 'low rate' was tongue in cheek?. Ezy prices are incredible. Approx 100% mark-ups over supermarket prices. And as for the £7 for the same quarter bottle of champers BA do for £4 - dont get me started.

I was actually refering to the ticket cost. Even with the 100% markup on the trolley items, when saving £250+ on the ticket, it is still a lot cheaper to fly with a LOCO and eat. The only problem is the LOCO's dont have the regular service that BA & Co do as they can't get the slots needed for this.

[slim_slag]

why do people fly BA

Long haul, BA Economy can be extremely competitive. In fact if you look at how far they will take you for the cost it's very good value for money. If they are the cheapest and you don't care about frequent flier plans you should consider them.

Long haul, BA club. I've only flown them once in the past 12 months and that was on miles so no real experience. The missus now flies them a lot and after recent experiences the only reason she will take them later this month is because of the flat bed and the triple miles deal. Get rid of the triple miles deal and she would shop around, virgin have a flat bed and fly everywhere she has to go on business. When you think about it, it's wrong that she should make decisions on how to spend her employer's money to bump up her personal mileage account, but that's how it works.

[Globaliser]

There's one other factor in "choices" to fly BA. Much of BA's market consists of people travelling on corporate deals. When the discounts to big customers can be 60% or more off the published fare, the customers' employees are often not the people who are making the choices.

But BA is far from being alone in this. AA's LGW-RDU service, for example, is reputed to be largely a Glaxo shuttle bus.

[manintheback]

There's one other factor in "choices" to fly BA. Much of BA's market consists of people travelling on corporate deals. When the discounts to big customers can be 60% or more off the published fare, the customers' employees are often not the people who are making the choices.
But BA is far from being alone in this. AA's LGW-RDU service, for example, is reputed to be largely a Glaxo shuttle bus.
Its not just the discounts - refunds can be made if tickets purchased hit a certain (substantial) amount in the financial year. Last place I worked it was seen that by the time the company had written off the ticket price against tax, Biz class for the individual on company business was actually cheaper than (flexible) economy for the private individual.

[luoto]

Please ban crisps on flights:>) Far too many people cannot eat them without sounding like the dustbin lorry on full cycle.

[Globaliser]

Please ban crisps on flights:>) Far too many people cannot eat them without sounding like the dustbin lorry on full cycle.The era of crisps is reported to have become history already. I hear it being said that sandwiches are back. Hopefully this is true and will stay.

[Edited to add:] Seen elsewhere on the Internet, ex-LHR wef 16.02.2006:-DOMESTIC

ABZ/EDI/GLA
Breakfast
Up to 09:59 Full English breakfast on tray
Late morning
10:00-11:59 Drinks service
Lunch
12:00-13:59 Sandwich & biscuit
Afternoon
14:00-16:30 Drinks service
Evening
After 16:30 Salad on a tray

MAN/NCL
Breakfast
Up to 09:59 Warm panini
Late morning
10:00-11:59 Drinks service
Lunch
12:00-13:59 Sandwich & biscuit
Afternoon
14:00-16:30 Drinks service
Evening
After 16:30 Sandwich & biscuit

EUROPE BAND 1 & 2
CDG/BRU/AMS/CGN/DUS/LUX/FRA/HAJ/HAM/BOD/LYS/STR/GVA/BSL/TXL/ZRH/MUC/TLS
Breakfast
Up to 09.29 Warm panini & orange juice
Late morning
09.30-11.29 Drinks service
Lunch
11.30-13.59 Sandwich & dessert
Afternoon
14.00-16.29 Drinks service
Evening
After 16.30 Sandwich & dessert

EUROPE BAND 3
CPH/TRN/PRG/MRS/MXP/BIO/LIN/NCE/BCN/OSL/GOA/VCE/VRN/PSA/BLQ/VIE/MAD/WAW/
ARN/BUD/FCO/LIS/KRK/NAP/BEG/DBV/RIX/VNO/SPU
Breakfast
Up to 10:59 Warm Panini fruit pot & muffin
Rest of day
11:00 onwards Sandwich & dessert

[Bangkokeasy]

I think that it is sad to see full-fare airlines make petty cuts in service to customers, in a misguided effort to improve the bottom line. It displays a fundamental misunderstanding of where their market is. If they want to go head to head with locos, then look at the whole structure. If not, then to do anything other than everything possible to differentiate themselves from the locos is commercial suicide. Once the service slips, then customers' natural reaction is to go for price. If an airline, any airline, assumes that their customers don't recognise poor service offerings in comparison to competitors, then they open the door to those competitors.

And I am sorry, but as a customer, I have rarely, if ever, used one of those silly feedback cards or forms. Why should I waste my time telling a shoddy airline they are shoddy? If they haven't found a better method of finding that out without relying on their already disgruntled pax to kindly inform them, then they are doomed.

[bealine]

And I am sorry, but as a customer, I have rarely, if ever, used one of those silly feedback cards or forms.


I have to say I agree with you 100% in that sentiment based on my experiences at BA!!!

Our wonderful marketing department, ("Office of Spin, Deceit and Lies"), always seems to obtain highly questionable positive feedback from our "surveys" - (ie) what the BA Board want to hear!!! "Spinning" the results of the survey like this, means that money spent on Mori (or whichever Blue Chip market research company we're currently using) is being needlessly squandered!!!

......It reminds me of a Sales Director I used to work for years ago!!! He used to halt any questions at sales meetings with his classic interjection "I only want to hear positives!!!" By failing to listen to what his sales team were all trying to say - he failed to report back that the product quality was cr4p - the Production Department failed to improve standards - the customers left us one by one - the company went into receivership!!!

Don't worry though, you're not alone!!! BA is even managing to "spin" our own employee opinion polls about our pensions! Apparently 86% of us are happy for changes to our pension fund!!! (even though only 6% were questioned!!!) As I said, Marketing = Lies, Spin and Deceit!!!

[TwinAisle]

Odd catering.....

Just come back from MIA in WTP. Service was excellent, couldn't fault them -great crew, full flight but still really attentive service. Dinner was very tasty - but breakfast was a cold deli bag.

Connected to the A320 down to KBP with BA, in economy - breakfast was a very nice cooked affair.

Why is long haul so meagre when European is way better? Seems very odd...

[TwinAisle]

... what is up with BA and tickets for BA miles?

Been trying to get two seats return LHR-SYD in WTP, Club or First for next January. Nothing available. So started trying dates.

They have NOTHING available on this route in any class except Traveller between March 2006 and - wait for this - March 2007. NOTHING.

And if you want to use your BA/Amex voucher, you can't use the QF codeshare.

Not exactly endearing any sense of loyalty to BA, that... I understand that redemption tickets are limited - but not to have two seats on a major route for a year ahead makes collecting BA miles a pretty fruitless exercise....

(/gripe off)

[Globaliser]

Been trying to get two seats return LHR-SYD in WTP, Club or First for next January. Nothing available.SYD is one of the most difficult routes in the entire BA network for trying to get award seats. (Other difficult routes are CPT and JNB.) One of the tricks is to searching using a stopover at SIN or BKK in each direction, to see if you can get award seats for each sector separately - this often works even when you can't get a through seat in one go, although you might have to have an actual stopover for a night or two.

[TwinAisle]

Thanks for the tip, Globaliser. Just tried it and....


.... no good! I can get flights to SIN or BKK on a few dates, but then the connection to SYD is either the day before or weeks later.... If I were a cynic, I would say that BA don't want me to use my miles.

This is going to make me forget flying BA and go back to Star Alliance....

[manintheback]

... what is up with BA and tickets for BA miles?
Been trying to get two seats return LHR-SYD in WTP, Club or First for next January. Nothing available. So started trying dates.
They have NOTHING available on this route in any class except Traveller between March 2005 and - wait for this - March 2006. NOTHING.
And if you want to use your BA/Amex voucher, you can't use the QF codeshare.

You've only just found out?. Sadly its become a standing joke where I work about the upgrade certificates and airmiles for upgrades and the inability to use on longhaul. However the Sydney route has been gained by 2 colleagues (both gold card holders tho - that may have helped) - ring up and complain and request a senior manager to come back and respond. They may just 'find' a seat for you.

[Bangkokeasy]

Wow. Another example of pettiness that, in this case, annoys the customers you most want to target - your frequent flyers. Just mind blowing. BA - why don't you just redirect your bookings direct to the competition? It would save time and all that hassle.