British Airways is a ‘2 out of 10’ airline, says its biggest shareholder
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British Airways is a ‘2 out of 10’ airline, said a senior airline executive in a Sunday Times interview yesterday.
The amusing thing is that the company behind the man behind the comment – Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways – owns 25% of BA’s parent company, IAG. It’s the parenting equivalent of telling your step-children they’re ugly.
I should say, before I go on, that I have met Akbar on a few occasions and like him. He is an interesting character though. Of all the titled people I know, he is the only one that I always feel expects to be called by their title (‘His Excellency’) and would be offended otherwise. I have also visited the Qatar Airways head office in Doha in the past.
You can read Akbar’s full rant on The Times website here (paywall). If you have American Express Business Platinum, register for your free digital subscription on the Amex website here.
The interview covered a range of topics, but I focus on just two areas here. The first is his opinion on British Airways, and the second is his opinion on premium economy seating.
To quote:
“I’m very direct,” he says. “I don’t care what people think. People need to hear frank opinions.”
Akbar Al Baker on British Airways
“BA management “lost focus”, he says. Instead of making it “an airline Britain and the British people would be proud of”, the leadership reduced it “to a low-cost carrier — a level I never expected BA to be”. He explains: “British Airways is the flag carrier of the UK. You remember the motto? ‘To fly, to serve’. That was not any more the motto of the company. It was only on a billboard.” When Qatar Airways decided to invest, “we wanted BA to get the glitter back. We wanted an airline that doesn’t sell food but serves food.”
How many marks out of ten would he give BA in recent years? “Two.”
Al Baker hasn’t given up hope of still being proud of his step-child. Financially, of course, IAG has always delivered a better return for the Qatari Government than Qatar Airways itself, but you can have money without pride.
We go on ….
He praises Cruz’s replacement, Sean Doyle, one of whose first moves was to bring back free food and drink in short-haul economy. “He’s a very good leader. He has my confidence … British Airways will come back to its old glory.”
Akbar Al Baker on premium economy
We recently covered a speech by Tim Clark, the CEO of Emirates, where he admitted that not introducing premium economy earlier had been an expensive mistake. Emirates was seeing strong demand and a big price premium on the routes that have it.
I already knew from speeches by Al Baker in the past (I was at the unveiling of their new economy seat in 2019 – see photo above of Al Baker, second right, with a footballer I believe) that he feels differently:
But one thing he will not be doing is hiring cabin crew to work in a new premium economy cabin — the class between economy and business that Emirates has introduced, joining BA and Virgin Atlantic. He thinks the 25 per cent extra that airlines charge for premium economy is a rip-off. “It’s the most uncomfortable seat. You can’t rest your feet on the floor. And they give you the same meal, the same bottle of wine, or whatever they give in economy.”
Al Baker believes that if you have the best economy seat on the market, you don’t need premium economy.
On this one, I don’t agree. This is partly because there is ample evidence from other airlines that premium economy can be hugely profitable.
It is also, to my mind, simple logic. You could offer me caviar for lunch and Bollinger on boarding, but it still won’t get me to squeeze my 6’2′ frame into an economy seat. It’s worth noting that Al Baker is a very slim man of average height.
You can read more on The Times website here if you can get around the paywall.
PS. Here is a fascinating fact from the article. As we have covered on Head for Points, the ‘blockade’ against Qatar by Saudia Arabia, the UAE and others has recently ended. This means that Qatar Airways aircraft can fly over Saudi airspace again, avoiding a lengthy detour. Al Baker believes that, in a normal flying year, this will save an astonishing $1.2 billion in costs, primarily fuel.
How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.
Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa
Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 Read our full review
You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.
British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.
American Express Business Platinum
40,000 points sign-up bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
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