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So, I’ve spent the past few days booking my travel for the next few months. I’m not a high-roller, and I’m sure BA can live without my custom. But equally, I think there are lots of people like me making very similar decisions, for the same reasons: the biggest one being that securing status was the whole point of travelling with the airline. It certainly wasn’t the food or the service. It was just that little bit of extra comfort – business check-in, especially, not even really the lounges, which are increasingly rubbish unless you’re at LHR – when you have to fly a lot for work, but work doesn’t pay for business class travel.
I’ve used almost all my remaining Avios up to book a nice trip to Italy for the extended family, with each flight costing 50p of real money, and a work trip to Malta – where I would previously have gone out of my way to spend £400 of someone else’s money to travel at an ungodly hour in and out of LGW/LHR, before then upgrading to CE with my own money – has now gone to Easyjet for £150 return from an airport that is actually near my house. I’m now eyeing my next three LH trips, which work pay for in WT/economy, but which I always would have upgraded to WT+ with my own cash to make sure silver is secured (or securable) as early in the TP year as possible. The one to the US will be on Delta. The one to the far east will be on Singapore. The one to the Caribbean will, unavoidably, be on BA, but I won’t be shelling out an extra £250 or whatever for WT+.
Perhaps I’m not representative, but in BA grasping for as much money as possible from the richest customers, it has alienated thousands of us who keep load factors high when there are eminently better options. I’ve now got more money in my pocket. My employer has too. BA has lost a loyal customer forever that it is never going to get back. I’m only ever going to fly with them when there are no other options or they are the cheapest and most convenient, which, 90% of the time, will not be the case.
It’ll be interesting to see how/if BA’s Executive Club changes affect their financial results in the coming couple of years…
It’ll be interesting to see how/if BA’s Executive Club changes affect their financial results in the coming couple of years…
It will be but I highly suspect that if sales do fall as a result of this it will be masked by the potential downturn of the either US/UK economies if this were to occur and none of the loss in revenue will be pinned to the programme but rather any economic downturn
Interesting to me that you value the tier points (and subsequently saving 20 minutes in a queue sometimes at checkin) from the WT+ upgrade over the 7+ hours of significantly increased comfort on the plane. Maybe you’re not as big as me, but I definitely give the latter more importance.
@AIAER – I think the issue is that there are huge numbers of leisure travellers not interested in status.
@AIAER – I think the issue is that there are huge numbers of leisure travellers not interested in status.
Sure, but people wanting status are probably frequent travellers (otherwise no point) AND loyal customers. Flying with family on SAS for the first time in forever as it’s the same price and BA are offering me nothing (SAS flight times marginally better). Would normally just have booked BA without looking.
I wouldn’t want to work for an employer who told me I must travel long haul in economy!!
I’m sure that, like @AIAER, some people will fly less with BA in future. I very much doubt that will have a negative effect on profits. Capacity is forecast to grow more slowly than demand, and I’m afraid that shedding the least profitable customers is a rational business choice.
It’s an unpalatable truth, but economy fares with business class privileges (lounges, check-in, security, boarding, baggage, seat reservations) will usually be unprofitable in their own right. It takes a lot of paid business class travel to offset that cost.
I’m sure that, like @AIAER, some people will fly less with BA in future. I very much doubt that will have a negative effect on profits. Capacity is forecast to grow more slowly than demand, and I’m afraid that shedding the least profitable customers is a rational business choice.
It’s an unpalatable truth, but economy fares with business class privileges (lounges, check-in, security, boarding, baggage, seat reservations) will usually be unprofitable in their own right. It takes a lot of paid business class travel to offset that cost.
About the most sensible comment on the whole situation I have read here.
OP; you never had “a relationship” with BA. They’re enormous – you’re a data point out of millions to them – they managed to sell you some unnecessary or suboptimal flights by dangling some freebies as a marketing strategy but have now decided that either this is no longer necessary, or that different marketing strategies are more effective.
Just booked econ KLM flights from a UK outstation and paid extra for luggage even though I will still be BA Gold.
In the past my loyalty would have accepted the extra leg change using LHR as a hub (plus the £110 extra cost) because of Avios and TPs.I’m sure my lost custom means nothing to BA, but if many hundreds think the same it will be interesting..
I wouldn’t want to work for an employer who told me I must travel long haul in economy!!
Depends upon the other benefits surely? Frequenters of HfP overly obsess about the time spent on a plane. I fly the only slightly better PE for work but typically J for leisure, but I’d be a fool to give up what I have for 8-12 hours at the back of the bus every now and than.
Of course I’m about to retire, so my world view is tainted by that :]
Just booked econ KLM flights from a UK outstation and paid extra for luggage even though I will still be BA Gold.
In the past my loyalty would have accepted the extra leg change using LHR as a hub (plus the £110 extra cost) because of Avios and TPs.I’m sure my lost custom means nothing to BA, but if many hundreds think the same it will be interesting..
Then BA have done you a favour saving you £110 and time by breaking your teir point chase.
I’m posting this here as when creating a new topic it gets flagged as spam. Presumably some piece of so-called “AI” working in the background of HfP.
In addition to the total shafting of customers by introducing BAC to replace BAEC, BA’s IT continues to sink to new lows of incompetence!
The new black edged ba.com pages are absolute rubbish. None of the links actually work and haven’t for months. It is now harder to get back to the old style pages.
My Household Account is now not showing 5 of its 7 members, although their Avios are still counted. The new transactions display is appalling, as are most of the new pages. My Upcoming Flights show as none, although I have two redemptions booked on Qatar.
As someone who was Gold for 15 years and Silver for another 5, plus a bit of Bronze, I have given up with this bunch of goons.
I’ve just used up my complete Avios stock on return trips for three people to Australia on Qatar in Business Class (I go every year).
I stopped boosting when BAC was announced and didn’t spend £2,000 on the January offer to boost un-boosted transactions from 2024.
My 100k Avios subscription at the original launch price has just dropped its last batch. It won’t be renewed later this month for £899.
My last cash flights with BA have now passed and I won’t be booking any more.
I have joined easyJet Plus with the status match offer – Gatwick is very convenient for me. Amongst other benefits, being nearly 2m tall, their free legroom seat selection is a BIG plus for me.
I have a large stash of Amex MR points. When it suits me I will transfer them to Avios and book immediately. Alternatively they will be transferred to other airline schemes as appropriate.
Previously I have always had a large Avios balance in excess of 500,000 – all gone now!
@Rob Perhaps we need a new thread for EJEC – easyJet Plus. It might be quite popular.Given the general feeling about BA and BAC (I was at the drinks party at Oxford Circus on Tuesday) and BA’s reliance on USA routes, they might be hit harder than they expect. A lot of people, including me, will not be flying to the USA for sometime (a common feeling at the party). Additionally the general UK/World recession, that is coming, will reduce corporate and personal spending on travel.
It’ll be interesting to see how/if BA’s Executive Club changes affect their financial results in the coming couple of years…
It will be but I highly suspect that if sales do fall as a result of this it will be masked by the potential downturn of the either US/UK economies if this were to occur and none of the loss in revenue will be pinned to the programme but rather any economic downturn
Unfortunately I think this is right, though perhaps the result may be the same – some changes or incentives for transatlantic trawl. I certainly hope so as I have to head east for a wedding later in the year!
Unfortunately the data won’t lie to BA. Apart from the BA app collecting your location data (perhaps even if not opened – would need to sniff the network to check), I’m sure AMEX and others will provide/sell you data on how many BAC members are flying to the USA. Rolled-up and anonymised I’m sure, but still valuable data. They will also have their own loading data and from other carriers/airports to know if passenger numbers fluctuate due to economic conditions.
I honestly believe they will move some of their lounges to a paid option (e.g. One of the LHR lounges – nickel’n’dime every interaction!) The No1 lounge (or whatever it is) had a huge queue as I passed it yesterday at LGW. I noticed SAS offer paid entry at ARN – not sure of other locations/airlines.
Still at least when you pay a few £k for a Club ticket and still have to pay for seat selection – at least that extra cost is earning TP 😉
I’m one of the millions for which nothing has changed.
I like many others choose flights and airlines on flight times, most direct/shortest flight, seating (only 1/2/1 onlong haul) , cost and refundabilty . Teir points and status didn’t enter equation.
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