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Bits: Avios Group CEO replaced, BA Buy on Board – just fancy that …

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News in brief:

Avios Group CEO replaced

Andrew Crawley was appointed as CEO of Avios Group earlier this week, replacing Gavin Halliday.

Andrew is starting his new role “with immediate effect” (he was previously head of IAG Cargo) whilst Gavin “is leaving IAG” having resigned on Friday.

Gavin Halliday was a friend of this site – we drive huge amounts of third-party partner revenue for Avios Group, after all – and we had various lunches over the last couple of years where we chewed the fat about developments in the industry.

I always felt that Gavin ‘got it’ in terms of how the programme had to work in order to thrive.  His problem was always how to broaden out the appeal of the scheme, both geographically and demographically, with BA being so tightly focused on London.  Revenue had stagnated but this was due to the BA changes in 2015 which reduced the number of Avios purchased by the airline, and the increase in flight redemption rates will clearly not have helped either.

The one thing we never really discussed was IT, which appears to be the biggest Avios Group issue.  The long delayed launch of Aer Lingus AerClub – which still has IT problems – seems to have delayed the plan to move Iberia Plus and British Airways Executive Club onto the same platform, and possibly the delay in launching Avios with Royal Air Maroc as well.

I wish Drew – who I haven’t met – well in his new role, and hope that Gavin has more luck than his predecessor, who left Avios to became of CEO of airline Monarch as it was on its spiral into near bankruptcy.

British Airways

British Airways Buy On Board – just fancy that ….

There will be a full report on the British Airways press event yesterday on Head for Points tomorrow.  It finished late yesterday and it takes time to put together a considered overview.

Meanwhile, with apologies to Private Eye, the following caught my eye whilst reading third-party reports of the event in my hotel here in Hong Kong:

Spot the difference:

“We have reached this point as a consequence of an increasing number of requests from our customers, “ Cruz said. “We have customer saying to us “Do not force me to eat just what you have – there is very little choice” … Today’s product launch is in reaction to customer response around choice and quality.”

BA CEO Alex Cruz speaking to Business Traveller, September 2016

“Latest figures show only 2.5 per cent of flights now run out of fresh food and we are focusing on the few flights where we can now sell more. I think also crew and customers are starting to understand that not everyone can have their first choice, without creating huge amounts of waste. I flew with easyJet every week for seven years and don’t remember ever getting my first-choice food; I was always prepared to have a second option. It’s a mindset shift.”

BA CEO Alex Cruz speaking to James Brown, Customer Service Manager at Gatwick, in the March 2017 BA staff magazine

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Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (147)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Kenny says:
    6 Apr6 April 12:02

    so he did it to give customers more choice but they definitely shouldn’t expect to get their first choice. sounds like its really solved the problem.

    • Anna says:
      6 Apr6 April 12:21

      Flim flam. Customers already had the choice of buying sandwiches, snacks and drinks before boarding if they wanted something specific.

      My 11 year old won’t touch unfamiliar food so I always have a stack of plain ham rolls in my handbag – if it’s a longish flight I freeze them so they’re usually just nice and chilled by the time we eat them. fortunately I had made extra for our flight to Lanzarote last year – we arrived 10 hours late and Ryanair wouldn’t even give out free water!

      • Kenny says:
        6 Apr6 April 12:24

        Exactly. I say keep decent quality complimentary drinks and snacks and if people want something extra they know they can buy before they board.

      • Anna says:
        6 Apr6 April 12:38

        Cheese and smoked salmon also freeze well, and a mini of concentrated cordial, like Squash’d can be added to water to make soft drinks. I suppose you could even put miniature spirits in your clear plastic toiletry bags if you wanted a drink but don’t want to pay BA £7 for the privilege. You might have to be discreet with the booze but it sounds as though the cabin crew won’t have time to spy of passengers as they’ll be too busy trying to find enough food for the rest of the cabin!

        • Nate1309 says:
          6 Apr6 April 22:50

          100ml mouthwash bottles are perfect for inflight drinks. Trust me….

  • Peter says:
    6 Apr6 April 13:24

    On my flight out to AMS on Monday, the flight was already 45 mins late, then the captain makes an announcement that he has made a decision to go without the payment machines for BoB. Fair enough that would have delayed the flight even more and its only a max of an hour flight. So no choice of what to eat 🙂

    • Anna says:
      6 Apr6 April 14:12

      More importantly, no profit for BA!

    • Fenny says:
      6 Apr6 April 14:27

      I thought you were going to say that the BoB was free, with no way to pay for it, and the service was happily taken care of well within the flight time!

      • Kenny says:
        6 Apr6 April 14:45

        If only Fenny, that’s the BA service you would hope for.

  • John ABZ says:
    6 Apr6 April 15:47

    Working as an air courier I get flown in economy by whichever airline gets me from a-b quickest. I have flown dozens (30 plus) of econ flights recently on both larger and smaller carriers. Sometimes I have to fly BA. From Air Maroc to Singapore Airlines without a doubt BA are the worst regarding free meal offerings and indeed general standards. I don’t mind paid for meal offerings on the likes of Flybe because they have genuinely cheap flights. So yes agree the Boots meal deal is what I do on BA flights as out of principle I won’t give them a penny. So when it comes to choices for leisure travel I do earn and burn some avios for routes only served by BA reward savers e.g ABZ-LHR but for others e.g. annual Florida hols I’m with VA from now on. But anyone can get a free meal on BA flights – just lift your seat pad and you’ll find the free BA buffet.

    • TripRep says:
      6 Apr6 April 18:51

      Interesting thanks John.

      What class do you fly with VS, I’m trying to find out if INV-MAN-MCO would avoid APD in UC when connecting with FlyBE

  • James67 says:
    6 Apr6 April 16:33

    Rob, can you email me a referral link for PRG card please? Thanks,

  • Genghis says:
    6 Apr6 April 17:14

    OT. Question to the HfP Scottish contingent. I’d like to visit Barra and do the beach landing. Any suggestions on what else to do whilst in Scotland combined with Barra? I see the flight is from Glasgow. I’ve been to Edinburgh many times (but Mrs G has not), Glasgow, Fife and Arran. I like walking and whisky and have never been to the Highlands. Any guidance would be much appreciated.

    • James67 says:
      6 Apr6 April 17:52

      Check out Rabbies Tours if you want a stress-free approach. They are well-regarded, depart both Glasgow and Edinburgh for day and multiday tours, use midi coaches with panoramic windows that can more easily get off the beaten track. A lot of time is spent away from the coach hiking and sightseeing and a good chance to meet people from all over. If you prefer to go it alone probably best to hire a car and explore. My preference would be west highlands as combines mountains, forrests, lochs, sea lochs and coast. Drive around Loch Lomond, Trossach, Oban (ferry to Mull), Glencie to Fort William, Mallaig and Skye, on via Loch Ness to Inverness. Side trip to Ullapool, south through the Great Glen to Perth and into Edinburgh. Cairngorms are nice too but little water, best route is probably Perth to Aberdeen via Braemar (watch out for Our Liz 😉 ). Edinburgh through borders via Galashiels, Selkirk and Moffat into Dunfries and through Galloway to Stranraer and then a drive up Ayrshire coast (ferry to Arran departs Ardrossan) to Glasgow. Lot’s of possibilities depending how much time you have. You can do a day return on Barra flight wh9ich would probably be my choice unless you are intent on island hopping. You might want to consider a rail pass and use on west highland line, Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness, Inverness to Edinburgh, Glasgow to Stranraer and Borders Railway. Hope that’s enough to get you started, welcome and enjoy.

      • Genghis says:
        6 Apr6 April 18:02

        Top info @James67. I was thinking perhaps 5 days so will do much more research. A very good starter for 10. 🙂

        • James67 says:
          6 Apr6 April 18:59

          With just 5 days and info you provided my recommendation would be one day each Glasgow and Edinburgh, one day flight experience, one day west highland tour, and one day whisky tour.

      • Liz says:
        6 Apr6 April 18:03

        You’ve covered most of Scotland there James and all the places we plan to visit in the near future. Everywhere is lovely – so much to see! We travelled south today in the van to Delamere Forest – our first long drive!

        • James67 says:
          6 Apr6 April 19:07

          Yes, didn’t know how long Genghis planned on visiting so just provided some key routes and places for him to google. Given your love for touring I’m sure you will have taken to caravaning like a duck to water. My parents deprived me my teens with their stupid van but there were a few memorable exceptions.

    • Liz says:
      6 Apr6 April 17:59

      Hubby has just been to Islay with a friend – they visited 2 of the 8 distilleries on the Island. Skye is also beautiful and Eilean Donan Castle is stunning nearby.

    • the real harry1 says:
      6 Apr6 April 18:13

      1. Go to Islay for a couple of days and do the whisky tours – which are not really touristy, just honest.

      2. Go to Oldshoremore (actually get closer, see your maps) and walk out to one of the loveliest beaches this island can offer – Sandwood Bay

    • TripRep says:
      6 Apr6 April 18:30

      Genghis – you’ve totally derailed a perfectly good discussion on BoB and the CEO of Avios, totally outrageous behaviour how dare you, such arrogance!!!!!!!!

      …. Sorry could resist 😀 my thread was hijacked then, now back in the world of reasonable people…

      I’ll defo vote for Barra, (and the rest of the Outer Hebrides), Islay, Skye, Pitlochry, Cairngorms, the Dunblane DT is a good evening stopover in a classic Scottish country house hotel and its heading north to Perthshire from Edinburgh. If you’re an aviation fan scenic flights are available from Perth airport flying school, you may even be able to charter a one way?

      Please send me a pm with your intended dates, as would be good to meet up and buy you a wee dram. Sure some other affable folk on here (Liz, Alan, James67) would be very happy to meet up if its at all possible with your tight timescales.

      Sláinte! 🙂

      • the real harry1 says:
        6 Apr6 April 18:35

        not me then 🙂

        heh heh I’ll be in Cornwall or out at our place in the sun (where I am right now!) but I do know Scotland well

        • TripRep says:
          6 Apr6 April 18:45

          RHA – your barred. Besides, with your triples you’d drink us all under the table. 😉

      • Alan says:
        6 Apr6 April 19:36

        Absolutely – would definitely be up for a Scottish HfP meet-up! I’m mainly to be found travelling between Dundee/Perth/Edinburgh!

        • James67 says:
          6 Apr6 April 19:56

          A wee dram or two(hundred) at the Balmoral would fit the bill nicely. They might even have some Gin lurking around someplace for Anon and his ilk.

          • TripRep says:
            6 Apr6 April 20:32

            I’m rather fond of the Scotch bar at the Balmoral, the SMWS venues on Queens St are at the Vaults are dandy too.

      • Genghis says:
        7 Apr7 April 17:09

        Sounds good Anon. Need to run it all past Mrs G first.

    • Kinkell says:
      6 Apr6 April 20:03

      Hi Genghis, I live in the Highlands….. north of Inverness. You want the NC500. ( North Coast 500) a driving route round the north highlands . Scenery stunning on west, pretty highland villages on East with Glenmorangie distillery in Tain. Speyside is the place to go for whisky..Glenfiddich at Dufftown and Macallan near Aberlour. Whatever you do, Wherever you go , nowhere to beat The Highlands!.

      • Alan says:
        6 Apr6 April 20:05

        Sounds fantastic – I wonder if we could all fit in Liz’s new caravan for a wee HfP roadtrip? 😀

      • James67 says:
        6 Apr6 April 20:13

        NC500 is getting a lot of positive coverage in travel press. On our list for next spring.

        • Genghis says:
          6 Apr6 April 21:22

          Thanks so much guys. Will do a bit of planning and get the boss’s approval. How bad of me derailing a discussion. Oops. J won’t be happy.

          • Liz says:
            6 Apr6 April 22:02

            I understand the NC500 route is too tight for a caravan – on our to do list too! Van is a 3 berth – not bought our awning yet! I’d need to bring my hubby – he’s the van tower and the whisky drinker!

  • Billy says:
    6 Apr6 April 18:49

    That comment from Cruz about a mind-shift is terrible!

    I’m a BA fan but why is he aspiring to easyJet standards?

  • Nick says:
    6 Apr6 April 18:58

    It was being ‘Rob’s mate’ that did for Gavin haha

    Drew is a nice guy but was too BA – the reason he was sent to IAGC was to have the BA beaten out of him. And he’s the guy who brought in the new On Business when he was Head of Commercial.

    Make of that what you will.

    • the real harry1 says:
      6 Apr6 April 19:12

      these FTSE100 cos can get pretty stupid with their politics

      still fed up I got bumped thanks to some idiot thinking I was a threat so put in a cost saving argument

      as it was, I got nearly a year to recruit my successor before I had to go (all very civilised, wealthy sector) and ended up offering him pretty much what I was paid, very good guy from GlaxoSK.

      so I got forcibly retired aged 36, life’s a complete butch

      • Rob says:
        6 Apr6 April 19:41

        Even I managed to get to 40 ….. 🙂

        • Alan says:
          6 Apr6 April 19:45

          LOL after spending two decades in training I’m only properly starting now and 40 is looming!

          • the real harry1 says:
            6 Apr6 April 19:50

            I worked pretty hard I those 10 years 🙂

          • the real harry1 says:
            6 Apr6 April 19:55

            well, OK, not the first 3 years – that was one big p-up, first with the Bank then with the other Co, which had a 2 year grad trainee scheme mostly in hotels on expenses back then

            not sure you would find a 2 year grad trainee scheme these days but it was good fun, they recruited about 75 of us that year so we used to party quite a bit

          • the real harry1 says:
            6 Apr6 April 19:57

            are you a medic, Alan?

          • Alan says:
            6 Apr6 April 20:04

            LOL yep 😉 So sadly not on big City-style bucks unless I headed off to Australasia/North America!

          • the real harry1 says:
            6 Apr6 April 20:10

            my bro in law is in the same boat, oncologist, I guess he’s same age as you, also spent a year in Aus, FFS don’t tell me you’re married to Kate?!!!

          • Alan says:
            6 Apr6 April 20:14

            Haha LOL nope – don’t worry I’m not your brother-in-law stalking you 😉

          • the real harry1 says:
            6 Apr6 April 20:25

            that’s good, not on best terms as she tried to cheat me out of money

            anyway – my relationship with bonnie Scotland – worked there 2 years out of Glasgie – great times – plus spent all my holidays there 8YO onwards

          • Alan says:
            6 Apr6 April 20:27

            Ah, excellent – well hopefully you’ll make it back up soon. August always a good time to visit Edinburgh – points are excellent value at hotels thanks to the the Festival being on! Do let us Scots know if you’re up visiting 🙂

  • Vinz says:
    6 Apr6 April 19:38

    I wouldn’t mind BoB if flights were actually cheap. There’s been a ridiculous increase in prices for European flights. What’s the point in flying BA in Europe when you could save money and spend it towards buying business class on long haul?

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