Bits: Airportr ski equipment offer, BA refusing to budge on ‘two tickets’ baggage transfer

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• Hank Wakai says:

  6 Feb6 February 13:15

  Despite taking about 50 flights a year out of London, I have managed to avoid BA for the last decade except for one time when a CX route booked me on a BA flight from Oslo back to London, to get on the exact same HKG flight for £1000 less than it would have cost me to get on in London. This intentional inconvenience will certainly not lessen my resolve to avoid BA at all costs.

• Michael says:

  6 Feb6 February 13:33

  I realise all businesses are out to make a profit, but moves like this by BA really show that what matters to them is solely the bottom line, customer satisfaction is very much a secondary consideration.
  Companies will only learn if people vote with their feet. Sadly I think too many UK-based customers will continue to fly BA as the default national carrier, at least in the short term.
  Imagine every reader of HFP and FT stopped flying BA, I don’t even know if that would make a difference to them. There needs to be a groundswell of support across the general population who say they’re not prepared to put up with BA’s penny-pinching, coupled with the comparatively expensive ticket prices for a below-par poor customer experience.
  In the short term BA will probably have a more attractive balance sheet, with Mr Cruz receiving a huge sum of remuneration for his “excellent” work before he moves onto another venture, leaving BA in tatters. It may take a long time, but BA cannot continue down this path in the long-term. IMO of course.

• James Black says:

  6 Feb6 February 14:00

  Next year, I will give up Amex companion voucher, with so many cheap Business class available to Far East, companion voucher is totally useless, then no BA flight any more and also fed up with Heathrow board queue, ackward terminal transfer!

• Craig Strickland says:

  6 Feb6 February 14:25

  If they get this right with regards to connections I think they can take business away from BA.

  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/norwegian-plans-to-join-forces-with-ryanair-easyJet-low-cost-alliance/

• Concerto says:

  6 Feb6 February 14:43

  Is there really ANYTHING left that keeps you sharpshooters flying with BA? Even if they suddenly change for the better and they employ decent qualified people to run the airline rather than total idiots I will retain my boycott.

  • the real harry1 says:

    6 Feb6 February 15:54

    yes – in our case: important: frequency of their service & real cost to me; not entirely negligible: I enjoy the Avios & points hobby, which means you have a stash to redeem; nice-to-have: ability to book ahead T-355 (LCCs generally don’t do this = uncertainty)

    • Ro says:

      6 Feb6 February 17:58

      But you can still enjoy the hobby by collecting with another scheme surely?

      • mark2 says:

        6 Feb6 February 18:05

        I do not believe that there is another scheme with the same route coverage and collection opportunities, but I shall be glad to be proved wrong.

        • the real harry1 says:

          6 Feb6 February 18:15

          there’s nothing equivalent, pure & simple, if you are UK-based

• Robbie says:

  6 Feb6 February 14:51

  The BA position is even more infuriating when using Amex 241. I often book transatlantic the full 355 days ahead, but used to leave the “regional” link to Scotland until nearer the time. Now, you have to lock in the free (tax only) Avios connection on first booking – a separate cash to Avios booking means rechecking at LHR. Doesn’t seem to bother BA that most of us on 241s are Gold/Silver regular customers.
  So ex-Dublin flights, or ex-UK using Qatar, Finnair – and now Norwegian – look much more attractive. And once it becomes tough to use Avios and get used to paying cash on cheaper and better airlines, you quickly lose loyalty…Which is precisely what is happening…

  • jimmy says:

    6 Feb6 February 19:08

    ‘tax only’ – are you sure? I suggest you look closely, the supposed ‘tax’ can equate to a regular cash one way fare (have a look carefully, EDI/GLA add-on has been almost £75 extra per person recently on 241s I’ve read about on Flyertalk) No extra avios required, yes, how kind of them. But certainly no RFS or anything close either.

    • Kinkell says:

      6 Feb6 February 23:17

      Got caught out trying to add domestic connection from EDI on 241 on o/b leg. Told should have done it at the time of booking LH, but too busy panicking about not getting the CW seats . No avois required , but please pay £91 p.p to alter ticket . Stuff that! Cheaper to use 8k avios and pay £35. As Silver the enhanced luggage allowance is a benefit, and as we overnighted in London, quite happy to check bags in again next day, just a tad inconvenient.

  • Leo says:

    6 Feb6 February 19:16

    Using a 2-4-1 is a PITA. I don’t think I’m going to bother again.

• Jonny says:

  6 Feb6 February 14:59

  OT – looking to book a Hilton room for my parents (on points). Was just going to use my account and add my Dad as a second guest (and email the hotel too).
  Assume my parents won’t be eligible for my diamond benefits, but in practice, are they likely to receive any?!

  • Rob says:

    6 Feb6 February 15:04

    May well do, yes, especially as upgrades will be allocated in advance of them realising you’re not there.

    • Jonny says:

      6 Feb6 February 16:16

      Thanks, and I assume in reality no issue booking this way?
      I guess I could phone up central reservations and do the booking in their name instead…

      • John says:

        6 Feb6 February 19:15

        If you book in their name, your dad will appear as diamond to the hotel. Make sure he understands this.

    • Xcalx says:

      6 Feb6 February 16:31

      Sat in club exec room crowne plaza Kensington cash booking upgraded but no lounge no water no robe no slippers why do they even tell you your upgraded

      • jimmy says:

        6 Feb6 February 19:03

        do the taps work?
        you’ll have to keep your clothes on. hardly a chore at 4:30pm surely?

        • Xcalx says:

          6 Feb6 February 19:13

          Wow. Thanks for that useful input. Reception took a different view to you and serviced the room as it had been missed and I am now sat in the club lounge drinking birra morretti. Maybe I should have done what you suggested plus stayed in the room and drank tap water.

• keith says:

  6 Feb6 February 18:06

  Recently did a Qatar Cape Town run ex Amsterdam. Asked at First Check in(we are both Gold) if we could tag our bags to South Africa and the response was ‘we haven’t been trained on being able to do this’. When I asked “Are you sure?” the response was “Are you talking to me”

  At Cape Town airport I asked the same question if my bags could be tagged to London. The check in lady made one phone call and got a negative and then made another. Alas she also got a negative and said it was ‘hit and miss’ with BA as the week before it had been possible (this was 3 weeks ago)

  If this is a punishment for using Qatar then I’m prepared to accept it for a product that is twice as good as BA’s Club…… and with crew that actually smile.

  “The World’s Favourite Airline” could never, ever be used again as an Ad Slogan.

  The flights to /rom Amsterdam in Euro traveller were horrible thank goodness it was only 45 minutes.

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