What Alex Cruz had to say at World Travel Market yesterday

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• Polly says:

  7 Nov7 November 08:00

  We are doing Prague for 9.99 pp better than rfs at that rate..but t 5 v v useful for mercy runs to dub. Using t5 like a bus atm.
  Now sitting in J on our 787 in HEL to HKT minus 1 outside…

  Tnx Harry for your good wishes yesterday on QR Sale article..we may be turning right right round again for home as soon as we land.

  • the real harry1 says:

    7 Nov7 November 08:37

    hope your mum improves before you get there

• Drav says:

  7 Nov7 November 08:24

  BA have played a smart game for sure. Take a poor product that people are already wedded to – so you know you have an audience with low standards.

  slowly worsen it bit by bit to see how high people’s breaking points are… then slowly make small but cost friendly improvments and those people will probably never leave.

  genius.

  • Lux says:

    7 Nov7 November 08:34

    But that probably *is* the strategy, and it’s working, right? I still collect Avios and want to redeem on BA, despite the perceived decline in product quality and relatively low standard compared with the ME3.

• Lux says:

  7 Nov7 November 08:32

  Well done Rob, good insight.

  “No chauffeur car or entourage for Alex, to give him credit.”

  No second private jet following him, unlike the Chairman of GE! I have a good deal of respect for this, it’s a pragmatic choice that leads by example (note that smart politicians do the same – Ken, Sadiq), and I wonder how many of this blog’s regular business readers would accept the same.

  (I’ve cycled to Heathrow T3 before the tunnel close, and once walked home from Heathrow T4, but that’s because I’m a bit odd.)

  • Rob says:

    7 Nov7 November 08:38

    I had my entourage with me and we actually took a cab to Canning Town as we couldn’t face the (literally) 1000 person deep queue for the DLR at Prince Regent …..

    • Lux says:

      7 Nov7 November 08:50

      Finally a practical reason to use the cable car!

      • Mike says:

        7 Nov7 November 12:54

        Is the cable car free for WTM?
        If the weather is good I would recommend the chance to walk across the top of the O2. Normally some online deals.
        Still in two minds as to if I’m going tomorrow or not.

        • Rob says:

          7 Nov7 November 14:01

          Apparently it was free yesterday, so presumably tomorrow too.

    • RussellH says:

      7 Nov7 November 14:11

      That is one of the things I am realy pleased to avoid now that I no longer go to WTM
      🙂

  • Oh! Matron! says:

    7 Nov7 November 08:39

    Came here to say this.

    Despite being on expenses, I more than happily get the X26 from Kingston rather than Uber / Driving and leaving the car, etc, etc

    This shows a level of humbleness. But, then again, a bit of practicality also, as it may also have been quicker 🙂

    • Simon says:

      7 Nov7 November 10:27

      my current favourite (quickest) route home when travelling alone from T5 is tube to hatton cross and then either x26 or taxi home.

• pauldb says:

  7 Nov7 November 08:43

  Figari is an interesting one – already had Corsica on the to-do list. Unfortunately for a redemption it will probably sit in that unfortunate window where it’s 7500 base miles (>650mi) but you don’t even really get better value by upgrading with a Lloyds or Amex voucher as the catering in CE is so lame (medium band, <850mi).

  • pauldb says:

    7 Nov7 November 10:52

    It’s in the timetable already but not yet bookable. Sundays only from May 27th (half-term) to Oct 7th; 1205 departure from LHR.

    • pauldb says:

      7 Nov7 November 12:53

      And now bookable.

  • David Safir says:

    7 Nov7 November 18:10

    Figari-Sud Corse is very convenient for Bonifacio (and ferry to Sardinia); and Ajaccio, Bastia and Calvi are already well-served by LCC, occasional charters and French donmestic flights. An open-jaw out to Figari back from Olbia or vv would make a great (if expensive) “grown-up” summer break.

• The_real_a says:

  7 Nov7 November 09:02

  OT – 2000 MR points for RYANAIR on £80 spend via Amex platinum offers. Not on any of my other cards.

  • the real harry1 says:

    7 Nov7 November 09:30

    doubt if it will appear on BA Amex…

    • PalCsaky says:

      7 Nov7 November 09:52

      This is not a statement credit offer but a voucher code to be used at checkout. How do you make it stack with other codes? “To redeem this offer, visit ocado.com, register with Ocado and quote promo code VOU5504605 at checkout”

    • bagoly says:

      7 Nov7 November 10:29

      I thought retailers generally use the offers to try to woo one away, so they might well actively target BAPP cardholders!
      Or does brand on the card, here BA, have a veto list?

      Whether they would succeed is a different matter.
      I’m an Easyjet regular, and had some OK experiences with Ryanair, but last time they diverted us rather unnecessarily, and the recent round of cancellations has made me think I will avoid them even if they are the only airline offering a direct route.

    • Simon says:

      7 Nov7 November 12:53

      I thought Ocado stopped you using the same delivery address as a new account. So cant refer wife, kids etc

  • David says:

    7 Nov7 November 14:52

    Now, does this work on cumulative spend I wonder?

    Also note, Ryanair sell gift vouchers:
    https://www.ryanair.com/gb/en/gift-vouchers/buy-now

• Mikeact says:

  7 Nov7 November 09:19

  “massively increase the numbers of places where you can collect points”….I guess this means more Avios will be needed to redeem, as perhaps suggested.

  • mark2 says:

    7 Nov7 November 09:37

    Indeed: increase the amount of ‘money’ available and prices will go up.

    • Gavin says:

      7 Nov7 November 13:17

      Expansion of Avios partners could mean many things – but more Avios in the market will more likely mean a devaluation of the program one way or another

• Joe Griffiths says:

  7 Nov7 November 09:44

  Re: dynamic pricing model. This point: “….will relate to last minute bookings, or possibly the Etihad model where you can book any seat on any plane if you are willing to use enough points.”

  Given the furore about bumping in the US earlier this year, and concerns about downgrading of BA 241 bookings, is this really an acceptable model to be aiming for? Surely it just increases pax anxiety that they’re not going to get the seat they paid for, or worse, get chucked off the flight because someone else “deserved” their seat more than them?

• will says:

  7 Nov7 November 10:09

  Ref Catering in Economy. I personally think that a good idea may be to split down the fare classes in economy even further and sit people on the aircraft per fare class.

  EG fully flex or (if BA want to treat status holders well) Golds behind CE and offer them complimentary food service.
  Something like a free choice of 2 items from the food on the BOB and then complimentary drinks. I feel it would cause too much hassle if these ticket holders were spread throughout the aircraft so sitting them all in one block would make it easy to administer.

  I’m pretty sure I heard this announcement on an American Airlines or Finnair flight last month (although I wasn’t particularly concentrating) something like “Seat rows x to y receive complimentary service, rows y to z cup of tea only (or must pay)”

  • Richard says:

    7 Nov7 November 11:35

    Finnair don’t announce anything but short haul Emerald card holders get a free alcoholic or soft drink (tea/coffee/water/juice is free for everyone). The trolley has a small tablet the size of a 5inch smart phone and the seat map is loaded into it so they know where the status card holders are sitting. They will now proactively offer the free drink but for about the first year they didn’t mention this benefit, this is perhaps linked to the new smaller tablet. Before they had a handheld 7inch type without the seat map. If you change seats just mention you have an emerald card.

  • Leo says:

    7 Nov7 November 13:48

    Yeah that sounds really classy….

  • will says:

    7 Nov7 November 17:48

    It may not be “classy” but it solves the problem of people who say “BA is premium, I expect a free meal” and also gives BA the ability to sell cheap HBO fares to compete with the LCC’s.

    Asking people who’ve paid £500 for a fully flex short haul to pay for BOB isn’t a great business model imho, likewise asking your top tier members to pay for BOB may turn them off a bit.

    It will certainly be awkward handing out free drinks to some and then charging the people sat next to them though.

  • Andrew says:

    8 Nov8 November 09:02

    It’ll be like going back to the days of BMI. There’ll be 4 rows behind the curtain at the back of the plane on a Friday evening domestic.

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