BA Exec Club muddled thinking

[Pinkman]

I'm a big fan of BA (OK pinch me) but even I had to swallow hard at this. They've just sent me an e-mail about a ''promotion". To benefit from this deal you have to buy a full fare flexible ticket on domestic or short haul routes (any class) and register. If your flight leaves T5 more that 15 minutes late you get 5000 BA miles. Huh? What sort of airline entices its loyalty card pax to spend more money to ensure compensation in the event the flight is late? How does it act as a driver for on time performance? Is it me or do others think this is a really classic piece of muddled thinking? I'm not sure what part of it angers me most - I think its probably the idea of treating punctuality as a 'promotion' or as some kind of 'deal' instead of a given

Pinkman

[GwynM]

I haven't seen this promotion yet, but as a regular on the LHR-ABZ-LHR trip, I'll soom be flying round the world first class

[13Alpha]

As an EC member of a few years it's become apparent to me that the Exec Club's raison d'etre has changed from rewarding frequent flyers to providing a means to compensate us for the many failures of the airline to deliver an acceptable level of service.
So:

• Flights delayed ? Don't worry sir, you can sit in our comfortable lounge for the next three hours and drink a few glasses of wine while thinking about what you might have achieved at your critical business meeting.
• Catering strike affecting flights ? We're very sorry you've been forced to spend an unplanned night in Hamburg. Have 50000 air miles on us.
• In a hurry ? With a silver card you can bagsy a seat at the front of the plane so you can beat everyone else to baggage reclaim only to find that your bag has gone to Madrid by mistake. Or maybe it's still at Gatwick. Here's the phone number of a call centre in Newcastle full of people who don't know where it is either.

etc. etc.

Please forgive my cynicism but unless you fly enough to qualify for a gold card (for which you can expect to get a few upgrades to Club/First) I don't think the Exec Club is worth the trouble.

13Alpha

[manintheback]

Exec Club has indeed had its day. Going back 7 years or so I had a Gold card, a complimentary Silver for the wife, 2 lots of 2 free upgrades a year anywhere in the world, good airmiles earned - all easily used.

Now, no complimentary card, free upgrades that are impossible to cash in without nigh on a years notice or you decide to go to Malaga mid week in the winter, far fewer air-miles earned and more often than not using them for an upgrade costs more than just buying the cheapest ticket in the upgraded cabin class in the first place.

Given all that you can hardly blame the people who work in that area for having so little to play with that the promotions they offer are poor.

[dicanio10]

I agree. I've been a silver member for a few years and they change the rules to suit themselves.
A couple of years back they changed the criteria for earning miles on the UK domestic routes. So I didn't earn miles if I flew economy although I had before.
Then last Christmas they did a wine promotion. 3 bottles for each return ticket. I happened to book 5 returns, all domestic, and waited in vain for my 15 bottles. Christmas came and went and when I queried why I had a dry Christmas I was told that the flights I booked weren't BA, but BA City Flyer.
I argued that they were booked on the BA web site, carried a BA flight number, the planes used had BA.COM and BA's livery on them and were crewed by BA staff. How were they not qualifying BA tickets?
I never got my wine, and I don't bother with their promotions any longer.
I use BA because they are the preferred supplier for my company, not for the perks

[G-BPED]

Sadly, I have to agree with many of the points raised here about the BA Exec Club.

Having been a member for 11 years and a Gold card holder for most of them the benefits do seem to be designed to cater for BA's increasing short comings in service rather than enhancing their service.

It is no use to me being stuck in the lounge in T1 for a flight to Madrid and then arrive at 3am. No amount of food or drinks is going to make up for lost time.

All my recent long haul flights have been plagued with AVOD and NCW seat problems. BA's answer is to give you air miles. Well fine BA but what you need to do is fix the problems.

A detailed email concerning issues over the last 6 months was sent to the Exec Club and W.W. This resulted in a brief missive from a customer services person who stated that BA are investing lots of money in fixing the problems and improvements would come!

The latest email encouraging us to buy full fare tickets so that in the event of a delay we will get 5,000 air miles just shows how out of touch BA really is with its customers.

BA is the preferred carrier of my company but, recently our electronic booking system has "opened up" to many other airlines for us to book. In fact on the LHR-NRT route we are advised to use JAL or ANA rather than BA though this may be due to fare promotions.

Regards,

G-BPED

[Globaliser]

Originally Posted by Pinkman

What sort of airline entices its loyalty card pax to spend more money to ensure compensation in the event the flight is late?

You know the saying about if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it?

Well, if you're thinking about whether this promotion might make you (or someone like you) spend more money on your domestic ticket, then you're not the target audience. The target audience would be buying these tickets anyway.

[Final 3 Greens]

The target audience would be buying these tickets anyway.

If that is true, then it is a very negative type of promotion.

"Pay us full whack and if our service levels fail, we'll give you some airmiles."

I'm not in the target audience, but I reflect that I used to take about 50-60 flights a year with BA.

Now it is about 5-6, due to a combination of strikes, threatened strikes, poor customer service, sacking a good franchisee (GB) and rescheduling their own flights at 0525 out of Malta, and 2245 out of Gatwick.

And you know what, you can usually do just as well or better for substantially less than BA ask for.

[Michael SWS]

I have recently begun to question the value of my Executive Club membership and, in particular, of the many points I have accrued on the account.

The taxes, charges and surcharges applied to redemption bookings are now so high (a "free" flight to Los Angeles in economy would actually cost around £370) that it is simply not worth exchanging BA Miles for anything but long-haul flights in premium cabins. And availability in those classes is so low that there is little chance of actually being able to book one, even months in advance.

I have also noticed the standard pattern when there is reason to complain to BA. You first receive a standard, cut-and-paste response and then, when you express your dissatisfaction with that response, you get 5,000 BA Miles credited to your account. It happens every time.

I still think the the BA experience is better than that of most other airlines, but now also take the fare into account when choosing a carrier - with the result that I have not flown BA at all since February. I've "lost" several tens of thousands of BA Miles, but have saved many hundreds of pounds.

[manintheback]

From the comments above, my personal experiences and of those I know, the exec club is now managing to annoy far too many rather than be a desirable benefit.

I guess with the current woes of the industry, some sort of revamp is low on the priority of things but it really does need to be done. Allowing miles and vouchers to be used to upgrade at point of check-in if seat availability is there, would be a very good start (and I assume of insignificant cost).

And ensuring advanced bookings cost less with miles and upgrades than buying the ticket outright for cash would be another.

[Aksai Oiler]

Personally I don't believe the Exec Club is any better or worse than other airlines FFP to be honest they are all ite.

I too have my axe to grind about various annoying incidents, like being told to visit the BA Office in Malaga airport (when there has not been one since the demise of GB Airways) to get a infant ticket for my daughter. I also don't like been told that the current enconomic climate is the root for poor service and high prices. I was quoted today a price from Spain to Istanbul (Club) of 5500 Euro (BA) and 2200 Euro (IB & TK). Guess which one I chose.

The only thing I currently value is the 1st Class lounge when I travel enconomy in LHR to Africa. Yes the Executive Club needs a re-vamp but also the airline needs to start appreciating those regular backsides on seats who frequent them.

[22/04]

'fraid I'm with the Bearded one and I can't imagine them making a general offer like this. Of course they would if a specific flight had a problem but this is kind of admiting there are going to be delays.

Also think redemption is better on VS:just upgraded for miles from economy to Upper on LHR-BOM at booking three weeks ahead.
But then only 86 outbound and 75 inbound. BA's load seemd similar yesterday but Jet Airways were bursting at the seams; are they just accepting lower yield?

[Final 3 Greens]

but Jet Airways were bursting at the seams; are they just accepting lower yield?

Were I flying that route, I'd choose Jet over BA or VS.

Maybe they are accepting lower yields, but they are a very good airline.

[Final 3 Greens]

but Jet Airways were bursting at the seams; are they just accepting lower yield?

Dep 27/8, ret 3/9

J class

BA - £1565

VS - £1592

Jet - £2247

in Y

VS - £429

Jet - £441

BA - £493

[Cpt_Pugwash]

G-BPED & F3G,

Don't confuse BA Miles with AirMiles. Although BA set up Airmiles, they are no longer associated.
I was caught by this following a Sainsburys promotion back in 2003, when you could convert their loyalty points into Airmiles. I did this at the end of their promotion, converting a fair ££worth of points into Airmiles. Only thing was their terminal didn't recognise my Airmiles account number, but the assistant spotted my Silver BA Executive Club card which at that time still had an Airmiles logo on it. Using the number from that card. the transaction went through and I thought no more of it .. until, fast forward 3 years, letter from BA to the effect that " your points are about to expire, purchase a full fare flight to retain them". Pointing out that these points had been "purchased" with a cash equivalent cut no ice and the points were lost.

Trivial, I know, but I have avoided BA ever since.

[Mr Quite Happy]

For your interest, here's something I penned off to BA earlier today... Its not a very good letter, it simply points out the effort I had to go to because their website didn't work as advertised. Feel free to discuss...

Dear Sirs,

I am a Blue member with enough tier points but not enough qualifying flights to get Silver. I live in Europe so my tier points threshold is a little lower.

In order to get Silver I decided to book a one-way flight with two connections (DELETED FROM PPRUNE VERSION) AMS-LCY-ZRH for 28AUG08.

I called your (excellent) NL BA EXEC CLUB help desk and asked whether this journey would count as two qualifying flights, thus delivering me Silver before my 'executive club year' runs out on 08SEP08. In addition this will allow me some lounge access for when I am taking my family on our Miami (WorldTraveller) holiday in October. Useful I anticipate.

Your NL help desk was able to point me to the ba.com's opening screen where I could choose "Economy" or "Lowest (earning Tier Points)" or "Flexible". I had originally chosen Economy (default) and the journey cost was EUR 196. So with this guidance I chose Lowest (eTP) and to my surprise got the same cost of 196 EUR!

Being a Six Sigma kinda chap, I smelled a fish. But I booked it anyway.

I then immediately rang your (very good) BA office in NL who confirmed it was a Q class booking and not valid for tier points or as qualifying flights (the only reason I was doing a multi-stop BA flight at all). He confirmed the Exec Club ladies statement that only Y, B or H class qualified for tier points or as qualifying flights. He was kind enough to void my booking at the H class was 4xx EUR, over twice as much.

So. All in all, quite a long story, but the sum is

(a) your website 'button' didn't (and probably still doesn't) work, and

(b) can I have either
(i) an extension on my membership year by two months or
(ii) can you give me a couple of qualifying flights or
(iii) can you force tier me to silver or
(iv) reimburse me for the hour its taken of my day to book, cancel and send this.

As you will probably know, he who attains silver will attempt to get Gold. Having been KLM Platinum Elite and Luftwaffe Senator YOU KNOW I'm gonna be good for it!

Thanks and I hope all is well,

[Michael SWS]

It is not a good idea to attempt humour in a letter of complaint. Simply state the facts and what you would like by way of compensation... and do it in as few words as possible.

[Mr Quite Happy]

It is not a good idea to attempt humour in a letter of complaint. Simply state the facts and what you would like by way of compensation... and do it in as few words as possible.

I kinda agree, but I was more into waxing lyrical this morning than angry or upset. I'm feeling the summer love... don't you feel it too?

Anyway, like I said, the important thing is their website button is

[Final 3 Greens]

Interestingly enough, I flew LHR/MAD/GRU/MAD/LHR with Iberia in C/J 3 weeks ago.

Despite the BAEC website telling me I would get quite number of tier points for the flight and my BA # being on all lthe boarding passes, nothing has been credited.

I imagine that my flight was on some arcane fare code that isn't eligible, but the point is that the calculator had only one "club/business class" category.

At the end of the day, I find BA such a shower these days that I can't even be bothered to pick up the 'phone and ask the question - I am proudly on "nil points" and intend to stay that way for the rest of the year :-)

[Globaliser]

Originally Posted by Final 3 Greens

I imagine that my flight was on some arcane fare code that isn't eligible, but the point is that the calculator had only one "club/business class" category.

Which is exactly the way it is.

Getting points to post automatically from alliance partner flights is not exactly a problem confined to BAEC.