BA - Lesson 1:01: How To Seriously Upset A Group Of Premium Customers
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How do Premium Passengers feel after today's decision by Unite?
Do we get a refund if we end up flying Business with AA instead of BA? Or if we get WT meals instead of the Club stuff we paid for? This story will, sadly, run until we paying pax get clarity.
[Sorry, TightSlot, but it has to be mentioned].
Do we get a refund if we end up flying Business with AA instead of BA? Or if we get WT meals instead of the Club stuff we paid for? This story will, sadly, run until we paying pax get clarity.
[Sorry, TightSlot, but it has to be mentioned].
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At least business passengers are likely to get something to eat. Economy passengers will have to make do with, at best, a cold salad, and potentially nothing at all.
But passengers have been advised that "...you can bring your own food onboard as long as you stay within your permitted hand baggage allowances." Well, that's okay then.
But passengers have been advised that "...you can bring your own food onboard as long as you stay within your permitted hand baggage allowances." Well, that's okay then.
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Well, I have another solution.
Seeing as we will not receive the service we will pay for I am going to fly on someone else, anyone else until both groups of twits finally come to their senses. And I certainly don't expect BA will feel obliged to compensate us for reduced service.
Even if my sponsor insists I fly BA because they are the cheapest (which is quite common these days, at least out of this small European country) I'll pay the difference out of my own pocket to fly Star or even Skyteam.
Having experienced summers of discontent over recent years (including travelling F during the catering strike - when I was even refused a glass for the beer I had nicked from the lounge.) I'm going to avoid BA and LHR for the foreseeable future.
A pox on both of their houses.
Even if my sponsor insists I fly BA because they are the cheapest (which is quite common these days, at least out of this small European country) I'll pay the difference out of my own pocket to fly Star or even Skyteam.
Having experienced summers of discontent over recent years (including travelling F during the catering strike - when I was even refused a glass for the beer I had nicked from the lounge.) I'm going to avoid BA and LHR for the foreseeable future.
A pox on both of their houses.
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@ ExXB ... Lucky you that your 'sponsor' pays.
Some of us pay our own money, and may have a slightly more robust view on proceedings.
So you don't care about paying £xxxx for bu66er-all service? Deffo on expenses, then.
My company [I mean the one I own 50% of] does not fly BA any more. Personally, I regrettably need to. Please spare us your tears over your company's travel budget.
OMG, you're not a former 'vertical twin-jet' driver, are you? No, you must be Eng Wg
Some of us pay our own money, and may have a slightly more robust view on proceedings.
And I certainly don't expect BA will feel obliged to compensate us for reduced service.
My company [I mean the one I own 50% of] does not fly BA any more. Personally, I regrettably need to. Please spare us your tears over your company's travel budget.
OMG, you're not a former 'vertical twin-jet' driver, are you? No, you must be Eng Wg
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This thread is about how bad BA has become (in some peoples view) but people forget they don't have to travel BA. There are lots of other airlines out there some even have problems of their own.
I am flying BA tomorrow back to the UK, only in WT+ as we are paying not the company, and returning on March 24th. BA have offered a refund or rebooking for the return leg even though the cabin crew should be working normally. Will I take them up on this offer, simple answer NO.
I believe that I should carry on as booked to support BA and the majority of the hard working cabin crew. There are more important things in life than worrying about what meal, if any I will get, or if my plane will be late.
Happy flying
Jarvy
I am flying BA tomorrow back to the UK, only in WT+ as we are paying not the company, and returning on March 24th. BA have offered a refund or rebooking for the return leg even though the cabin crew should be working normally. Will I take them up on this offer, simple answer NO.
I believe that I should carry on as booked to support BA and the majority of the hard working cabin crew. There are more important things in life than worrying about what meal, if any I will get, or if my plane will be late.
Happy flying
Jarvy
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@ Jarvy ... there are NOT lots of airlines on some sectors that people want/need to use. However, I'm delighted to see your confidence in the "The World's Former Favourite Airline".
I'll say more on that when I discover whether I get my pre-paid flight in Club just after Easter
I'll say more on that when I discover whether I get my pre-paid flight in Club just after Easter
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As someone who IS working through the strike, I accept that I will have to run the gauntlet of certain members of the general public that can't seem to comprehend that the fact I'm in uniform suggests that I'm not striking. And also of my striking colleagues with their very long memories. But I really never expected that I would also be dealing with passengers that only seem to care about the fact that they won't get their full Club meal, due to the aircraft being crewed by a mix of actual CC and volunteers. A mix without which, the aircraft would be going nowhere at all.
Yes, I'm well aware you've paid for it, but please give us a break! I don't expect anyone to be grateful but a little understanding wouldn't go amiss. Or is that too much to expect? Maybe you'd rather go nowhere? Or take up the re-route, re-book or refund option?
I'm well aware that this post will make me highly unpopular but those of us that are working through this ridiculous fiasco are getting it from all sides right now and I've had just about as much as I can take.
Yes, I'm well aware you've paid for it, but please give us a break! I don't expect anyone to be grateful but a little understanding wouldn't go amiss. Or is that too much to expect? Maybe you'd rather go nowhere? Or take up the re-route, re-book or refund option?
I'm well aware that this post will make me highly unpopular but those of us that are working through this ridiculous fiasco are getting it from all sides right now and I've had just about as much as I can take.
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I'm watching, while packing prior to checkout for LAX-LHR. All the good comments about me are accurate and the bad ones are all rubbish.
Play nice, please, while I'm at work: When I get home, your mother will tell me if you've been naughty!
Play nice, please, while I'm at work: When I get home, your mother will tell me if you've been naughty!
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@ JSL ... I can undertand completely how you must be feeling. I really mean that. I'm so sorry for what you are being put through.
Bear with us SLF - we're really pi66ed off, because we're paying £xxxx for the possibility of a business trip, or a holiday. I know that's a different situation to yours, but it matters to us. It's like putting a stamp on a letter and then 'hoping' it arrives - I know that feeling, because I have a very valuable parcel somewhere out there in GPO-Land.
You are brave enough, and sensible enough, to enter the bear-pit of PPRuNe - and you have your eyes open. You are not a dribbling drum-beater, you care about your job and your company. And, actually, so do the SLF.
Please accept a personal hug from this SLF. If you are doing LHR>IAD, I may even offer one in person.
Best of luck
Bear with us SLF - we're really pi66ed off, because we're paying £xxxx for the possibility of a business trip, or a holiday. I know that's a different situation to yours, but it matters to us. It's like putting a stamp on a letter and then 'hoping' it arrives - I know that feeling, because I have a very valuable parcel somewhere out there in GPO-Land.
You are brave enough, and sensible enough, to enter the bear-pit of PPRuNe - and you have your eyes open. You are not a dribbling drum-beater, you care about your job and your company. And, actually, so do the SLF.
Please accept a personal hug from this SLF. If you are doing LHR>IAD, I may even offer one in person.
Best of luck
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I'm watching, while packing prior to checkout for LAX-LHR. All the good comments about me are accurate and the bad ones are all rubbish.
Play nice, please, while I'm at work: When I get home, your mother will tell me if you've been naughty!
Play nice, please, while I'm at work: When I get home, your mother will tell me if you've been naughty!
Have a good one. Do you ever do LHR>IAD? Ooops, your NZ, aren't you!
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TTB,
Thank you. That means a lot. For all my sins, I do love working for BA but sometimes, it feels remarkably similiar to trying to run up the "down" escalator. I do understand why you and other passengers get frustrated. We do too, especially with some of the seemingly bizarre product cutbacks that have been implemented. (Don't even get me started on hot towels in Club Europe!) But with any luck, once this mess is sorted out, we can get back to concentrating on what we used to do best. Maybe I'm too idealistic but I continue to live in hope!
The hug is much appreciated but I'm afraid you'll have to head towards the caribbean rather than IAD to offer me one in person. I'm LGW based.
Jsl
P.S. Didn't we get married the last time we spoke on here?
Thank you. That means a lot. For all my sins, I do love working for BA but sometimes, it feels remarkably similiar to trying to run up the "down" escalator. I do understand why you and other passengers get frustrated. We do too, especially with some of the seemingly bizarre product cutbacks that have been implemented. (Don't even get me started on hot towels in Club Europe!) But with any luck, once this mess is sorted out, we can get back to concentrating on what we used to do best. Maybe I'm too idealistic but I continue to live in hope!
The hug is much appreciated but I'm afraid you'll have to head towards the caribbean rather than IAD to offer me one in person. I'm LGW based.
Jsl
P.S. Didn't we get married the last time we spoke on here?
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I'm not even sure what a vertical twin jet driver actually is???
No, I'm now an independent consultant and I fly with whomever is paying my fees is willing to put me on. That is usually the lowest C fare on long-haul routes and recently this has usually been BA.
I used to BA Gold before I left my previous full-time job, but have slipped to silver. Business is quite tough at the moment (in all senses of the word) but I still manage to get a couple of long-haul trips each year.
While still working I found myself disappointed time and again with poor service recovery. The catering strike is just one example, but I've got a few other examples of how/where BA have let me down. I won't bore you with them.
While employed I stuck with BA because I wanted to retain my status. Now that I'm self employed I've come to realise that such status was mostly illusionary - you have to get all those tier points each and every year to stay current - and the fact that you get 4000 one year and only 400 the next doesn't give you a 2200 average - BA seems less interested in your custom in your off-years.
Twice I found it impossible to use my 'gold upgrade for two' (without paying an unreasonable base fare) and my request to extend the validity was turned down the first time, and extend only for six months the second. As you know it takes a significant amount of tier points to get one of these.
I too travel fairly frequently via LHR to IAD and I agree that on-board service is poor. But as someone commented earlier why should the destination affect the quality of service?
I don't expect I'll be travelling BA for some time to come.
I used to BA Gold before I left my previous full-time job, but have slipped to silver. Business is quite tough at the moment (in all senses of the word) but I still manage to get a couple of long-haul trips each year.
While still working I found myself disappointed time and again with poor service recovery. The catering strike is just one example, but I've got a few other examples of how/where BA have let me down. I won't bore you with them.
While employed I stuck with BA because I wanted to retain my status. Now that I'm self employed I've come to realise that such status was mostly illusionary - you have to get all those tier points each and every year to stay current - and the fact that you get 4000 one year and only 400 the next doesn't give you a 2200 average - BA seems less interested in your custom in your off-years.
Twice I found it impossible to use my 'gold upgrade for two' (without paying an unreasonable base fare) and my request to extend the validity was turned down the first time, and extend only for six months the second. As you know it takes a significant amount of tier points to get one of these.
I too travel fairly frequently via LHR to IAD and I agree that on-board service is poor. But as someone commented earlier why should the destination affect the quality of service?
I don't expect I'll be travelling BA for some time to come.
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Anyone feeling very slightly more confident about forward bookings with BA?
Even if there's no hot food on Long-Haul, according to the BA website?
Or indeed any mention of credited BA Miles for getting substantially less than you paid for in Club?
I know WW has a skip of sh1t falling on him, but you might think there'd be some compensation for the premium pax that keep the bloody thing afloat. Perhaps it will just 'happen'?
Even if there's no hot food on Long-Haul, according to the BA website?
Or indeed any mention of credited BA Miles for getting substantially less than you paid for in Club?
I know WW has a skip of sh1t falling on him, but you might think there'd be some compensation for the premium pax that keep the bloody thing afloat. Perhaps it will just 'happen'?
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Hello, Mum 
Having seen the latest BA re-schduling data, I am now a cooler person. The only difference [apart from very minor timing changes, would seem to be replacing a 744 with a 777. It therefore appears I will not lose c.£5,000 in pre-booked flights/hotel/car rental/pet hotel/transit hotel.
Flapsforty, I apologise again, publicly, for getting over-heated [and posting unwisely] on the CC Thread. Lesson is learned.
Having seen the latest BA re-schduling data, I am now a cooler person. The only difference [apart from very minor timing changes, would seem to be replacing a 744 with a 777. It therefore appears I will not lose c.£5,000 in pre-booked flights/hotel/car rental/pet hotel/transit hotel.
Flapsforty, I apologise again, publicly, for getting over-heated [and posting unwisely] on the CC Thread. Lesson is learned.
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Jet Set Lady
Don't mess with T-T-B. Marry me instead on 2167 on Sunday 21 March, returning from TPA.
My wife will be asleep in row 3 & won't notice!
Seriously though, good luck to all BAs' hard working CC members. I hope the service home is as good as the outbound flight.
My wife will be asleep in row 3 & won't notice!
Seriously though, good luck to all BAs' hard working CC members. I hope the service home is as good as the outbound flight.
Last edited by spock33; 15th Mar 2010 at 21:34. Reason: forgotten apostrophe
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@ spock33 ... I see from the BA website you get a 777 this time, but at least it looks like you get to fly.
Row 3 - surely not in F? Must be a 3-class grockle-bus
Looking forward to the PXR - give a smile to the CC for me.
Row 3 - surely not in F? Must be a 3-class grockle-bus
Looking forward to the PXR - give a smile to the CC for me.
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T-T-B
The 777 is the normal carrier on this route. J has now been upgraded with the new seats & IVOD so although they're slower, I prefer them to the 74s.
Less of the grockles, you're showing your age!
Full report Monday pm.
Less of the grockles, you're showing your age!
Full report Monday pm.
