Let BA Shrink Your Money!
I've often seen it alleged by our home counties brethren visiting this thread that we Mancs "hate" BA or harbour unreasonable bias against that company. I have always responded that I consider it illogical to "hate" BA … I simply find them quite irrelevant to my travel needs as on most journeys from MAN a risky and stressful LHR transit is a requirement.
However, today I was making plans for a trip to London itself and it seemed logical to consider BA for the gig … especially having afew unredeemed 'Avios' in the bank.
Here is the deal. For MAN-LHR-MAN you use 9000 Avios and must pay 'taxes and charges' (that much-abused nebulous concept).
How did that work out for me? Well …
Option 1: 9000 Avios plus 'Taxes and Charges' of GBP109.65.
Yes, that's correct. GBP109.65 in add-ons for a BA MAN-LHR return. Awesome!!!
Well obviously, I had to try the same flights via the standard BA.com booking engine. Result:
Option 2: Return Fare via BA.com GBP113.65
So, in exchange for my lovingly-accumulated 9000 Avios I'm offered a princely saving of exactly FOUR POUNDS! To put that in context, you have to convert GBP15.00 of Tesco vouchers to even reach 9000 Avios in the first place! Some deal that is. Is it unreasonable to expect slightly more than that for our loyalty?
Time to check Option 3. Virgin Little Red, same dates similar flight times.
Price: GBP95.96 … and no loyalty points burned off.
So I'm passing up BA's enticing offer yet again. Not because I "hate" them. But because not only are they irrelevant to my travel plans to points beyond London, they're not even competitive traveling TO London anymore!
As for that loyalty points scheme … what does it take for the 'serious fraud' bods to take a look?!!! It's back to money off Tesco groceries for me!