Bits: BBC on non-vanishing fuel surcharges, Club World pax to Vancouver can sit in First

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• Danksy says:

  18 Jan18 January 10:03

  I think it’s potentially illegal under EU law how BA charges credit card surcharges for some EU countries and not others!

  • harry says:

    18 Jan18 January 11:48

    Probably the other way around, ie it’s maybe illegal to charge CC fees on flights in some EU countries, so BA side-steps this problem.

    Definitely not illegal to have different charges/ fees for residents of one EU country vs another. The CC address indicates residency.

• Enigma368 says:

  18 Jan18 January 13:07

  BA likely won’t remove “fuel surcharges” until enough people realise that they are getting, in most cases, a pretty bad deal by redeeming avios for long haul business class. If you have a choice between 100,000 avios and £550 in taxes, or an avios and tp earning cash fare for £750 ex Dublin and you still choose the avios option, then BA are obviously making a lot more value from you than from the person who chooses to fly out of Dublin. In many cases you are paying up to 70% to 80% more for the ex UK option when you take into account the value of the avios etc.

  Of course many people will know they are getting bad value but choose the avios option for convenience or the need to fly ex UK but I suspect a lot of (mostly non HFP readers) will also do so without realising how much of a better deal they could be getting for a little bit of extra effort.

• Jim says:

  18 Jan18 January 13:15

  Very OT:
  I flew back from Marrakech last night and the flight was significantly delayed. We eventually left 3 1/2 hours late with BA, by the pilot’s his own admission, doing everything they coud to get the delay under 3 hours (the pilot mentione that favours had been asked for from air traffic control to enable a speedy landing).
  The wheel touched down on our flight 2.55 hours behind schedule but if was after the 3 hour cut off by the time the doors of the flight were opened for disembarking, albeit only by a minute or two. What are the chances of a compensation claim under EU rule 261/2004 succeeding?.

  • Clive says:

    18 Jan18 January 13:26

    https://uk.flightaware.com/live/flight/BAW2667

    • Jim says:

      18 Jan18 January 13:31

      Yes that is showing the landed (wheels down) time rather than the disembarking time which I understand is relevant here. Needless to say the wheels down time is under the 3hours but the disembarking time wasn’t!

  • harry says:

    18 Jan18 January 13:31

    That’s a zero chance of success, it was under 3 hours delay.

    • harry says:

      18 Jan18 January 13:35

      self correct – they changed the rules to mean arrival is when the doors open http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/11076157/Flight-delay-compensation-boost-for-passengers.html

    • Enigma368 says:

      18 Jan18 January 16:25

      Looks like they made it by 2mins… What was the delay caused by?

      • Jim says:

        18 Jan18 January 17:45

        Blocked toilet

        • Enigma368 says:

          19 Jan19 January 01:15

          Unusual…Sounds like that reason for delay would qualify for compensation. Pity about the 2mins. Would be very hard to argue this I think.

        • Enigma368 says:

          19 Jan19 January 01:17

          That said, they were on gate 2 mins early. On gate is presumably not the same thing as doors open? Might be hard to prove when doors were opened as I doubt this individual act is recorded officially?

  • Kathryn says:

    18 Jan18 January 18:22

    I was on the same flight and have decided to give it a go, it’s only a web form. By my phone they were 2 mins after the cut off when they opened the doors..

    • Jim says:

      18 Jan18 January 18:41

      Yes Kathryn would agree with that we had it as 11.47pm when the doors opened too and we were checking on 2 different phones!

      • Kathryn says:

        18 Jan18 January 18:44

        Shame we can’t do a group claim with us all backing each other up 🙂

        • harry says:

          18 Jan18 January 18:48

          I’d like to see them reply officially that the times were xyz etc.

          Would look very bad if they lie & get found out.

          They’d probably rather sort you 2 out and maintain the pretence for the rest of the plane.

        • Tom says:

          18 Jan18 January 20:09

          They won’t lie. If the CAA audit the flight and found out that the airline lied the fall out would be substantial for BA.
          I expect on a BA aircraft the ‘doors open’ time is captured electronically and transmitted to the airline automatically (via ACARS if anyone is interested). This will capture the first door to be opened (if that door was a cargo hold door).
          It’s black and white in this case since the delay was clearly of a non-extraordinary nature. If doors were opened at 03:01 or greater they’ll pay. If they weren’t – they won’t.

        • Tom says:

          18 Jan18 January 20:11

          Edit to my post above, should read ‘even’ if that door was a cargo hold door – apologies for the typo.

        • TimS says:

          18 Jan18 January 20:33

          Depends which time stamp BA used. Normal “public” record is flight time (wheels off/on ground) and block time (brakes off to brakes on).

          Chances are that the published time of arrival is block time rather than the time the first door physically opens.

        • TimS says:

          19 Jan19 January 16:57

          Flightradar24 shows the flight landed at 23:37 (gear sensor status changed to “ground” & the tracking stopped at 23:43, which will be the time the parking brake was applied.

          The first door (regardless of cargo or passenger door) will not have opened at the instant the aircraft was on blocks. Therefore there is a strong chance the first door opened beyond the 23:45 cutoff. The issue will be proving it, though BA using Block time as “evidence” to suport their position is shaky & not in accordance with the EU ruling.

        • Jim says:

          18 Jan18 January 18:53

          Yes! The people across the asle from us were also checking their phones for time and thought BA missed the deadline also, so sounds like a few us believe they were after 11.45!

        • Kathryn says:

          18 Jan18 January 19:54

          It is a bit of an oddity that 1minute is the difference between hundreds of euros and f all!

        • Enigma368 says:

          19 Jan19 January 01:24

          BTW unless anything has changed in the last year, even in cases of delays that are much more cut and dry than this, you should expect BA to say no. Most people have to do MCOL to get the money which apparently always works – if you have a valid claim.

        • Kathryn says:

          19 Jan19 January 14:37

          So BA have responded to my complaint that they ‘arrived’ at 2343, I’ve asked them to explain how we can have a 4 minute disparity between what we observed and their records..

        • Jim says:

          19 Jan19 January 15:41

          Thanks for keeping us informed Kathryn, I have just submitted my claim – I expect i will get the same answer but will let you know.

  • James S says:

    19 Jan19 January 13:01

    Having tried to claim from Monarch for exactly the same thing they don’t play ball.
    Took it to the CAA and 8 months later still waiting for a response via them!

• Wally says:

  18 Jan18 January 14:17

  OT – does anyone know if upgrading an Amex gold to platinum using the recent offer (20k points for 1k spend in first 3 months) causes a hit on your credit file? Thanks.

  • Dom says:

    18 Jan18 January 15:11

    I asked AMEX similar question a couple of weeks ago (about downgrading from Gold to Green) I don’t want any new applications or credit searches due to an upcoming mortgage application. A conversion of card type between green,gold and platinum does not require a new application or credit search.

    I must have missed this platinum offer. Was it mentioned on HFP?

    • Wally says:

      18 Jan18 January 15:58

      Thanks Dom. It’s been mentioned on here in the comments a few times (sorry don’t have time to search for it now).

    • Rob says:

      18 Jan18 January 16:05

      It appears to be targetted. It is too risky, especially as I hold a consumer credit licence, for me to write about if people upgrade to Plat and then don’t get the bonus – even if you downgrade, you don’t get a free period of Gold.

    • Dom says:

      18 Jan18 January 17:35

      A quick search of my e-mails I don’t read and I have found an invitation. I’ll have a think about it.

  • Dom says:

    20 Jan20 January 17:44

    Is it as simple as:
    Upgrade and pay £450 fee
    Spend £1000 in 3 months, to get points.
    Cancel/Downgrade and get pro-rata refund of fee?

    Or is there something i’m missing?

    • Rob says:

      20 Jan20 January 20:53

      The snag is that you instantly paying for Amex Gold when you downgrade, no free first year. But apart from that ….

• James67 says:

  18 Jan18 January 16:55

  OT: BA reported to be leasing 6 used a380s. Good to see they have an interest in more of the big jets going forward. Will be interesting to see where they are coming from. MAS have 6 but if they come from them then MAS will need to deploy something else on their twice daily LHR rotation. It is possible they may come from Thai who aldo have 6, have struggled to make the best use of them, and are currently selling assets to reduce their debts. It will also be interesting to see if BA retrofits them, big disappointment if they do since both TG and MAS are better accross all classes than BA.

  • Rob says:

    18 Jan18 January 16:58

    That is IAG voting that LHR never gets a new runway!

    Bit VS A350 order apparently due as well.

    • James67 says:

      18 Jan18 January 17:41

      I doubt BA ever wanted the new runway anyway, they have probably more to lose from increased competition than they have to gain from more slots. I saw the reports on virgin a350s too, will be interesting to see if tha is a get out deal on their a380s.

      • harry says:

        18 Jan18 January 18:09

        Shame – speaking as a no-Wing-Airport protester back in the day 🙂 – that nobody had the wit to suggest a wholesale takeover of the main London slot by Gatwick. No need for Boris Island, just turn Gatwick into a world-leading 4 runway airport a la Hong Kong fresh start with no need to do much more than pay off the locals. Far fewer people to annoy with noise; no more than 10-20 minutes extra travelling (for 60% of people) once you put the fast infrastructure in place; almost unlimited potential to expand over the next 500 years.

      • Andrew H says:

        18 Jan18 January 19:53

        In the last few years there was a Heathrow documentary on TV in which Willie Walsh did say we needed a new LHR runway. Of course when it was suggested recently that BA part pay for it, he was wildly against the runway!

• harry says:

  18 Jan18 January 18:29

  O/T my wife has just checked into her Accor hotel in Germany, she says they won’t accept her Iberia membership card. Given her pathological hatred of loyalty schemes, she has probably tried to use it as a credit card.

  Should her Accor hotel (generally/ any) have accepted an IB number?

  • Clive says:

    18 Jan18 January 19:59

    Get the points onto her Accor Account and transfer them over to Iberia.

  • TimS says:

    18 Jan18 January 20:37

    Accor don’t award Avios so no they wouldn’t have accepted the Iberia card.

    They award accor points that you can convert (or auto convert) to IB avios at your leisure.

    • harry says:

      18 Jan18 January 20:44

      OK thanks – I’ll email her the Accor a/c no (hers) & get her to get them to apply it after the event

      autoconvert should have made me work it out myself but bit rushed! she dashed back in 30 mins after leaving to change a suitcase lol

• harry says:

  18 Jan18 January 19:39

  XXKNNK 500 clubcard points when you spend £100 @ Tesco Wines

  = £12 off/ 1200 Avios

  • Gavin says:

    18 Jan18 January 21:16

    £100 spend a bit much. I got 300 clubcard points + the MR points by getting M&S gift vouchers from Tesco then ordering £100 of booze online the other week

    Had a slight issue when one didn’t get activated, went back the next day, the Tesco manager was very suspicious about me buying £600 of gift cards!

    • harry says:

      18 Jan18 January 21:27

      Most of us would decline the current Tesco offer, but I just put it up for info.

      My advice is to hold fire for the next ones, the usual 500 points for £60 spend – or possibly 1000 points. We’ve seen better but I doubt that’s likely any time soon.

      • Rob says:

        19 Jan19 January 06:33

        I won’t rush to cover it here but will drop it in over at SP.

• Omar says:

  19 Jan19 January 07:26

  I recently flew to Toronto where they switched from a 788 to a 789 with the new first. If you had some status you could choose to sit in the new first. It was still Club service.

  However for some reason the blankets were still first class, the thin option was some pashmena grey thing and the thick one was like a duvet for a bed.

  The new first is definitely the best business class seat out there now.

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