Buy a British Airways ‘BA 100’ lapel pin badge to support the Flying Start charity

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• Mark says:

  3 Feb3 February 05:02

  There are actually firm orders for 18 A350-1000s. Technically, though, the 3 additional 777-300ERs are replacing the 3 oldest 777-220s so those don’t really count (even though that doesn’t mean they will necessarily operate the same routes).

  • Mark says:

    3 Feb3 February 05:03

    Should say 777-200s of course….

• Whizz68 says:

  3 Feb3 February 05:45

  OT: Good morning, I wanted to know if there are any promotions to buy Sherwood points. I am looking to top up my Lufthansa Miles and More account for a redemption and needed about 8000 miles.
  Thank you,

  • Roger says:

    3 Feb3 February 07:09

    You mean starwood points?
    Best bet is to use Amex MR -> Marriott
    You can but Amex MR (may be at 1p per MR?)

    • Matt says:

      3 Feb3 February 07:45

      2 MR 》3 Marriott

  • Lloyd says:

    3 Feb3 February 07:37

    Are you planning to steal the points from the rich to give to the poor?
    😁

    • Alex W says:

      3 Feb3 February 08:05

      Lol!

    • Rob(staaaar) says:

      3 Feb3 February 11:14

      Haha

  • Alex W says:

    3 Feb3 February 08:07

    Starwood points are now marriott points, which you can buy at a poor rate.

  • BJ says:

    3 Feb3 February 10:49

    Check on LH web page if they still have an economist subscription deal to get the miles directly. If you have not already booked a hotel via LH they usually have a bonus for first booking. Heathrow Rewards is another option.

  • Whizz68 says:

    3 Feb3 February 11:47

    Thank you everyone !
    Have a great Sunday!

• Nat says:

  3 Feb3 February 05:47

  Mark,
  Do they have any plan to replace those old 777-200ER( G-YMM*)? Or may be any plan to retrofit the economy section.

  • BJ says:

    3 Feb3 February 10:59

    I wish they would get rid of those soon. I was told that BKK was switching to a 787 late 2017 but it never happened, no idea if it was unreliable informstion or due to engine troubles or capacity.

    • Nat says:

      4 Feb4 February 14:58

      As far as I know It was the BA BKK agent(or their ex BA employee) refused to switch to newer plane coz they thought they wouldn’t be able to sell all the seat on each flight. Quite funny, everytime I flew BA, it was packed.

  • Mark says:

    3 Feb3 February 14:18

    The stated plan is to run the 777-200ERs for 30 years, so another 8 years before they start to replace them. It’s G-ZZZA/B/C that are going over the next couple of years, replaced by the additional 777-300ERs. In the meantime BA is working through the densification programme that will see all the remaining 777s eventually getting 10 abreast economy.

    In practice I suspect that will mean 787-10s taking over some of the 777-200 routes. My guess is the 777-300ERs will be (re)-fitted in premium heavy config (with the new Club seat) and used for the likes of New York as the final phase of the 747 retirement takes in.

    • BJ says:

      3 Feb3 February 14:33

      Not very good news but thanks Mark. Is 10 across coming to the LHR 772s also, not that I plant to fly 12h+ flights in Y?

      • Mark says:

        3 Feb3 February 14:46

        Yes, unfortunately. Though the initial focus is on the Gatwick based aircraft.

      • Dwadda says:

        3 Feb3 February 18:50

        10x on anything other than a 380 really should be against the law. There are defra regulations on the minimum space to provide livestock being shipped to the slaughterhouse. I looked into it. ANA Y, for example, passes this test. You guessed it. BA Y fails. That is why pigs don’t fly! (On BA)

      • Mark says:

        3 Feb3 February 22:43

        Some people will accept anything so long as the price is as cheap as possible…

        9 abreast on a 787 isn’t likely to be any better, not that I’ve had to suffer either in parts thanks to HFP. For anyone travelling Y in the future, Airbus operated routes are generally likely to be better, so long as none of the airlines actually takes up the suggestion of 11 abreast on an A380!

• Ralf says:

  3 Feb3 February 06:19

  Are there really people who are fans of British Airways?

  • Shoestring says:

    3 Feb3 February 07:35

    You probably have to distinguish between the word ‘fan’ – which these days has connotations of ‘fanboys’, ie people who ‘love’ BA no matter what – the converse being ‘haters’ – and level-headed people who see air transport as public transport and therefore judge airlines on the routes/ services they provide for the cost involved vs alternatives.

    As such, I’m definitely happy with BA on the whole as it lets me travel frequently and conveniently to my chosen destination at very modest cost and in quite good comfort. Is that a ‘yes’ in your books?

    • Doug M says:

      3 Feb3 February 09:07

      +1 with Shoestring. I like the CW seat too, not necessarily the arrangement of them, but the seat itself.

    • BJ says:

      3 Feb3 February 11:09

      +1, the haters are largely fools who jump on a BA-bashing bandwagon because they think that’s cool. I wish they would get an informed opinion of their own. Sure, there are seats and airlines I like better but BA and CW are not that bad, and despite the fees BAEC is still one of the best FF schemes around.

      • Kipto says:

        3 Feb3 February 12:29

        +1

    • Michael Jennings says:

      3 Feb3 February 13:34

      The word “fan” is derived from “fanatic”, so the level headed people are the ones who perhaps changed the meaning.

• Paul says:

  3 Feb3 February 07:43

  Wow keeping these disgusting , clapped out 747 flying with no cabin changes till 2022 was bad enough,to go on till 2024 is awful.

  This if further evidence, if it were needed, that BA is protected at it home base at fortress Heathrow. Shocking!0

  • Memesweeper says:

    3 Feb3 February 08:03

    I can’t speak for the whole fleet, but I flew on a BA 747 a few weeks ago. It wasn’t clapped out and certainly not disgusting. Best experience in the air I’ve ever had in fact.

    Most airlines have retired the 747-400 which BA flies, and hardly any bought the -800 which replaced it. This is because they are expensive to operate compared to more modern aircraft. BA uses them extensively on the London New York route which is bonkers profitable for them hence it’s not too much of a concern they burn too much fuel. BA has a highly advantageous position in Heathrow, but on the route the 747 is dominant on it has plenty of competition too : Virgin, Delta, Norwegian, United offer real competition and if you just hate the 747 there’s the JV partner AA as well. If the 747 was awful BA would surely fly it on monopoly or low-revenue routes — not the flagship big-bucks high profile route!

    • Paul says:

      3 Feb3 February 08:30

      “Best experience in the air I have ever had.”

      Delighted for you but unfortunately you’d is not a typical experience and my own is the polar opposite. CX AA QR have all provided far far better experiences in the few years than BA has in over a decade. I fly F with BA the last time on a filthy 747 to PHL a few months ago. The fleet let alone the 747 is filthy and I posted the pictures of a 787 experience to CAI on flyertalk.
      American don’t provide their partner and revue share with competition in its true sense but they are singularly better in the air.
      VS has never provided competition beyond shouting about it

      • Mark2 says:

        3 Feb3 February 09:03

        It just proves the saying YMMV.

      • Matt says:

        3 Feb3 February 09:52

        Paul flying J on 747 UD is one of my favourite flying experiences I’ve had. Flying to San Diego next week in 62 J/K and we can’t wait.

    • Callum says:

      3 Feb3 February 23:26

      That doesn’t make much sense. It doesn’t matter how profitable the route is, it’s still burning the same amount of fuel.

      E.g. the 747 is flying to NYC and making 10 units of profit and the A380 to BOS is making 5 units of profit. Switch them round and BOS is now making 3 units of profit and NYC is now making 12 units – the overall profit is still the same. (Hopefully that makes sense!)

  • BJ says:

    3 Feb3 February 11:12

    Personally I would love to fly one of those again, I think my last time was 2009 or 10. Awesome engineering and design 🙂

• Andy Sparrow says:

  3 Feb3 February 08:29

  Recently flew back from CapeTown on one of the un refurbished 747’s. Really showing it’s age.

  OK if it had weeks left before retirement but the idea you are paying good money and might still be on one of these in 2022 is a joke.

  With no direct LON – CPT alternative guess they don’t care

• Benylin says:

  3 Feb3 February 08:36

  OT: What ways can you earn Shangri-La / Golden Circle points (aside from Shangri-la spend)?

  • Qwerty Bertie says:

    3 Feb3 February 10:11

    Flying Singapore Airlines, and there are some retail partners in that part of the world. Have a look for a website that promotes the close ties between Shangri-La and Singapore Airlines, and which discusses status matching between them. (Can’t remember the name/URL, sorry.)

    • Pangolin says:

      3 Feb3 February 11:54

      The website is Infinite Journeys (avoiding a URL in case it gets flagged for moderation)

      • Dwadda says:

        3 Feb3 February 18:54

        Anyone manage to get the upgrade to gold to work? I completed the necessary flights but SQ cust serv denied all knowledge of infinite journeys.

    • Qwerty Bertie says:

      3 Feb3 February 22:37

      Dwadda, did you follow all the steps/formalities in sequence? For example, were you activated as silver, then registered for the status match, then flew three times?

      There might be steps I can’t remember, but I think the above is the gist of it.

• Frankie says:

  3 Feb3 February 08:49

  OT but this is BITS. I was on a BA A319 on Thursday morning from Belfast to Heathrow and there was only one toilet in economy (two seats where the other loo used to be). After a significant delay on the runway due to snow there was quite a queue for the one loo when we were airborne. Does anyone know if there is a policy on economy passengers using the CE loo? Are they allowed to use it? One toilet seems ridiculous for the 100 plus seats in economy. Easyjet have three! (granted it’s all economy – but still)

  • Shoestring says:

    3 Feb3 February 08:55

    Economy passengers can use the CE loo if they so choose. We often do, just ducking through the curtain. Never has any cabin crew saying it’s not allowed. If they did, I’d just say ‘sorry, there’s a big queue the other end & needs must!’

  • Qwerty Bertie says:

    3 Feb3 February 10:17

    There exists a set of regulations that requires a certain ratio between toilets and people when in the workplace; I have never heard of an equivalent for public areas, and I doubt there is one as we hardly see public toilets in streets anymore. However, there might be an equivalent law for some forms of public transport where people are contained/not free to disembark for significant periods of time…and if not there certainly should be!

  • Callum says:

    3 Feb3 February 11:27

    I don’t think most people use them though – I can’t remember the last time I used one on a shorthaul flight. Just like I never use them on trains or buses.

    • Jovanna says:

      3 Feb3 February 11:40

      I’ve seen the business loos preciously guarded by cabin crew on Aegean and AA (‘First’). I’ve seen BA cabin crew remind people when ducking through the curtain that there’s another set of toilets in economy.

      Once, a passenger in the row behind me in CE, complained to the crew when someone from the rear came through and used the toilet. This was before we’d even pushed back. The flight went tech and we swapped aircraft. I didn’t see the person that had complained after we boarded the second aircraft.

      • BJ says:

        3 Feb3 February 12:06

        Would’t be the first time a passenger has found themself in a hangar 🙂

      • Shoestring says:

        3 Feb3 February 14:01

        @Jovanna – but this was specifically BA Europe with one loo at the front & one at the back. With maybe 130 passengers in Economy & only 1 loo at the back, BA can hardly complain if people see the queue and go up front instead. Tbh, the cabin crew patently don’t care either (in Europe).

        LH, I think there is generally much better provision of toilets for all fare classes so the same considerations don’t necessarily apply.

    • Lady London says:

      3 Feb3 February 12:28

      When you gotta go you gotta go. And what about children?

      Imagine if the 1 look breaks down….Has even Ryanair stooped so low yet?

      • Lady London says:

        3 Feb3 February 12:31

        *loo. Getting really tired of WordPress doing ridiculous overwrites, something seems to have changed on this new platform that has unleashed it.

    • Leo says:

      3 Feb3 February 20:30

      It comes with age.

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