Reply To: Unpopular opinion: BA has made a bold move to preserve exclusivity

[direttore]

Thaliasilje wrote:

For those who can afford it, The British Airways Club might indeed become truly rewarding.

When everyone feels entitled to perks, no one feels special. Perhaps BA is betting that by narrowing the pool, the remaining members will feel the exclusivity they’ve been craving.

For years, BA lounges (and most lounges nowdays) have often resembled glorified zoos. It’s hard not to notice the irony in calling them “lounges” when half of Heathrow Terminal 5 seems to be inside trying to drink as much champagne as possible to get the right value.

Time will tell.

Thank you for this post and the thread of comments it created.

It’s helped me think about the situation in a different way. And compare it with how I do business.

And I’m wondering… is it POSSIBLE that HfP readers and other such types are closer to the “bean counters” they accuse BA of than they might’ve realised?

A Facebook post in a group the other day revealed that a significant portion of BAs business comes from just 6 London boroughs. From Richmond, to Hampstead.

Those people don’t care about getting a bargain. Or saving money. They fly BA because THEY BELIEVE it’s the best. The name does that for them.
They may or may not benefit from the changes. But it won’t matter. They will continue to choose British Airways and they will simply pay for the product level they want.

People here are more interested in what they’re getting for their money.
And so enhancing the hard product with status made it more palatable… perhaps even fun.
But the truth is, BA isn’t the best product relative to the market. Everybody here knows that.

So perhaps the real questions now are:
Where else can I spend money that would make the game fun again?
And what other companies offer a better product and service for the price?

Just a thought…