BA Executive Club Questionnaire

[pulse1]

I have just received my new BA Exec. Club card with a questionnaire designed to update my personal details. In it I am asked to let them know my leisure interests by ticking boxes.

There are three seperate boxes for Ballet, Opera and Classical Music. There are two boxes for Water Sports and Sailing/Yachting. Most sports like tennis, cricket etc.have individual boxes.

There is NO box for Aviation or flying in any shape or form.

Is this a reflection on the status of aviation as a leisure activity or is it a reflection of the attitude of BA towards GA? :( If so, what future for us when BA have some control over NATS?

[loglickychops]

oh, stop it! you don't really expect a reasoned reply to this to you? Div

[Skylark4]

There is never a box for Gliding/flying. In all the surveys I`ve seen the nearest has been `other`. Actually, that`s not quite right, travel insurances usually exclude parachuting and private flying even if they include bungee jumping.

Mike W

[samson.]

I think that the vast majority of the population has absolutely nothing to do with GA, and the people that are likely to be members of the exec club are even less likely to. You can't have a box for every obscure hobby. I know that in these forums it is not obscure, but everywhere else, it is. Do you really think this really reflects BA's general attitude towards GA? Oh dear!

[A and C]

BA have a very good flying club at booker that is open to all ,i think that that reflects the BA attitude to GA.

[Final 3 Greens]

Pulse

The marketing management at BA who do this type of thing probably don't even regard the small (in mass market terms) number of private pilots as being a market segment worthy of analysis, just like most other large businesses. Don't misunderstand data being gathered for customer relationship management purposes.

Don't forget that BA is a business as well as an airline, flying is only the way they deliver their product.

As A&C says the BA flying club at Booker is open to all comers and is an excellent establishment. This is the flying side of the operation reaching out to GA - try joining another airline flying club and see how far you get!

[pulse1]

Actually I was asking a question not stating an opinion. But it is good to hear people standing up for BA when they seem to get such a slagging in pprune.

However, on the few occasions I go to air dispays and see the huge crowds, many of whom seem to have more than a passing interest in aviation, I would have thought that aviation would qualify for a respectable leisure interest as compared, say, to ballet. It does not just refer to those who fly surely. It must also include the huge army of spotters.

On newsagent shelves I see more magazines dedicated to aviation that I do to ballet or opera - not that I have anything against either.

[Final 3 Greens]

pulse1

BA is a smart marketing org. The exec club is about building relationships with premium passengers (i.e. First, CLub and full fare/premium economy who travel regularly) and they will have a view about the likely leisure pursuits of the target audiences. They obviously don't feel that aviation links to premium passengers strongly enough to justify segmenting that audience.

I'm not passing a personal opinion, but I have worked with the "world's favourite" (as an external consultant) and have a higher regard for many of their people than some others on PPrune!