Hi,
I'll give you my thoughts, and I assume that this will be related to aircraft engineering in some way? If so you could easily break it down into two sub-sections, aircraft engineering/maintenance (the heavy stuff that jepps things turning) and cabin engineering, ie the glossy product.
I'd also suggest that safety is a given today, and in terms of passenger preference, unless an airline has made numerous headlines or is blacklisted, safety doesn't feature very highly as it is assumed. Saying that, in the context of BA, the brand does carry a certain kudos wrt safety, particularly with their 'To fly, to serve' motto.
How do you degine a 5 star airline? Skytrax? In terms of engineering, the Middle East and Far East airlines tend to have newer aircraft and a flashier product. They also tend to serve a wider range of destinations. It's all about cost. Lower overheads in the ME, more favourable socio-political climate, a lack of shareholders to placate = a more efficient operating environment and hence lower costs.
- What is passenger satisfaction?
The most for the least. Whether that be best service, minimal connections, good flight times, best cabin, legroom, entertainment etc. Price is dominant. Generally.
- What is important for you as a passenger when travelling?
Me? Comfort & OTP.
- Would you pay more for quality?
No. I'd pay more for convenience. Minimal connections, flight times particular to my preferred time of departure or arrival. Going back to safety, I'd opt to avoid certain airlines, but I'm not sure that's representative of the hoi polloi.
- Do different passengers have different expectations, i.e, business class passengers are after respect and on-time performance where an economy passsenger may not be fussed with time.
When you start moving up the cabins, price plays less of a part. Product, flyer miles, timings & connections are more important. I would assume everybody wants to be treated with respect! Everybody expects the airlines to fly on or pretty damn close to schedule.
The above is a bit machine gun, but hope it helps. Not sure you can isolate longhaul wrt BA, as it, and the carriers I think you wish to compare it to, are all about network feed, and thus the experience extends beyond the cabin/shiny aircraft. I think you should focus your title a bit more, as it stands I don't think 10000 words would cover your subject. I think a lengthy analysis would probably conclude that for BA to do much more to improve would require a serious shift in the politics of the UK!
Some thoughts to consider:
Why did BA sponsor Qatar Airways into OneWorld?
Why will the decision on the expansion/replacement of LHR continue to drag?
Why is Dubai about to overtake Heathrow as the busiest international airport?
Why did Qantas pull out of their JSA with BA?
Why has IAG pulled the plug on GSS and outsourced to Qatar Airways?