BA heading (further) down the LCC path

[drron]

So I just looked at the new menu for BA short haul flights from 11 January 2017 and a G&T will now cost 6£!!!:shock:
I might become that guy who filled a plastic bottle with whiskey in the lounge before boarding (as mentioned in another thread):mrgreen:

I think whiskey would make a G&T taste rather strange.

 

[defurax]

I think whiskey would make a G&T taste rather strange.

If I'm going to do something silly might as well take some JW Blue from the lounge

 

[serfty]

Knew a guy who'd drink Scotch and Tonic ... nice enough person ... I'd have one with him - but just ask to hold the tonic ...

Wow, really BA are becoming LCC if they are to start charging for drinks on international flights (albeit shorthaul).

 

[Quickstatus]

So I just looked at the new menu for BA short haul flights from 11 January 2017 and a G&T will now cost 6£!!!:shock:
I might become that guy who filled a plastic bottle with whiskey in the lounge before boarding (as mentioned in another thread):mrgreen:

How is TonyHancock going to cope?

 

[LGW]

Makes Club Europe even better value.

I'm not likely to ever fly in economy,so it's not a big issue for me. The competition on the short haul European routes is intense. The only way BA can make money and fill seats is to have very low entry fares. (Lots of these flights can be under AUD$150 return including luggage) Most frequent flyers will have lounge access so can sort something to eat and drink pre-flight. For European passengers flying once or twice a year, they won't really care.

I'll be more concerned if/when BA makes negative changes to their J and F service, particularly long haul. KUL-LHR & return in F on the 787 recently was fantastic, Hard and soft product were great. Going HKG-LHR in A380 later this month and I'm expecting much of the same.

 

[clifford]

Makes Club Europe even better value.

I'll be more concerned if/when BA makes negative changes to their J and F service, particularly long haul.

Looks like this is an example of just that. I'd be hard pressed to lay out any cash for such a product. Looks like the new CEO (ex Vueling) is really making his mark.

British Airways Long Haul Club World Business Class Catering Scaled Back To Mediocre Levels | LoyaltyLobby

 

[anat0l]

Looks like this is an example of just that. I'd be hard pressed to lay out any cash for such a product. Looks like the new CEO (ex Vueling) is really making his mark.

British Airways Long Haul Club World Business Class Catering Scaled Back To Mediocre Levels | LoyaltyLobby

If our prime export beef is being sent over yonder to make meals like this, then someone in the catering should be made to eat a hat.

That said, the first comment made on that thread kind of exemplifies a large proportion of the BA crowd who are ambivalent to all of these lah di dah cuts, even when it cuts into First Class service.

 

[drron]

On our EWR-ORY flight on BA in J they were surprised I wanted to see a menu for dinner-It was an 8pm flight.But sir you are meant to eat in the lounge.

 

[anat0l]

On our EWR-ORY flight on BA in J they were surprised I wanted to see a menu for dinner-It was an 8pm flight.But sir you are meant to eat in the lounge.

That would be operated by OpenSkies.

I guess OpenSkies works with the sleeper service as well, though I thought they still made menus because there is usually a very small bistro selection, either for those who are just about to nod off with a night cap or those who want a very light meal.

 

[drron]

There was a basically inedible pasta dish.But if doing this the passenger should really be told this is happening.In our case we were only on that service because the US flight the day before to CDG went tech.Took us a long time to organise the alternative as US staff were hopeless.So at checkin someone could say something.
We were also trying to ensure our bags were on the flight-assured they were at the lounge but of course they weren't.Therefore I was counting on eating onboard.

 

[Pleb Status]

BA are now going to charge for snacks between meals in long haul Y (or meal if the flight is less than 8.5 hours).

BA scraps free 'galley snacks' for long-haul economy passengers | The Independent

 

[LGW]

Not really an issue for me, but it seems a bit too much of a penny pinch really.

It's a double whammy for those in economy, not only are they wedged in to tiny seats, they now have to stump up for in between meal snacks.

God I'd hate to travel like that.

 

[clifford]

... it seems a bit too much of a penny pinch really.

It's a double whammy for those in economy, not only are they wedged in to tiny seats, they now have to stump up for in between meal snacks....

Also, BA are often hugely uncompetitive in pricing their fares, as well as offering minimal service. For example I was recently looking at booking a 1-way LHR-CAI for May next year. BA wanted US$1,963 for a non-stop flight and Aegean (not a bad little airline) wanted US$237 for a 1-stop flight via ATH. I can't imagine who would choose BA in such a circumstance unless it was their employer's policy.

OTOH, as I have mentioned before, BA can be very competitive (with LCC's) when it suits them. I recently purchased a round-trip ticket on BA, FCO-LHR-FCO for Eur114 all-in, which was cheaper than any LCC fare I could find (Rome-London-Rome). OK, the fare only includes seat and carry-on, but for a 2.5 hour flight it's not a problem for me. And I should be able to use the BA lounges on this trip.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

a 1-way LHR-CAI for May next year. BA wanted US$1,963 for a non-stop flight and Aegean (not a bad little airline) wanted US$237 for a 1-stop flight via ATH. I can't imagine who would choose BA in such a circumstance unless it was their employer's policy.

True - but once you convert that to a round-trip basis BA is USD630 compared to Aegean at 583. Then it becomes non-stop vs 2 stops + lounge access etc etc. It's a strange carry over for the legacy airlines to still insist we do round-trips though.

 

[OATEK]

True - but once you convert that to a round-trip basis BA is USD630 compared to Aegean at 583. Then it becomes non-stop vs 2 stops + lounge access etc etc. It's a strange carry over for the legacy airlines to still insist we do round-trips though.

This is a major issue if you are trying to use BA around Europe. I have found that open jaw bookings are close to return prices, but single leg journeys are usually priced out of reach compared say to A3 who price much like QF domestic.

 

[BAM1748]

BA are now going to charge for snacks between meals in long haul Y (or meal if the flight is less than 8.5 hours).

BA scraps free 'galley snacks' for long-haul economy passengers | The Independent

What happens as well is people experience this, then associate poor service and BA together, then when they progress up to another class or talk to their friends they choose someone else and are extremely hard to win back.

The next BA management team might re instate the snacks but the damage is done and it takes years to claw back lost passengers.

Matt

 

[Pleb Status]

BA to reduce seat pitch to 29in on the A320/A321 domestic/European aircraft. Less than Ryanair apparently

BA to offer less legroom than Ryanair on some planes - BBC News

 

[clifford]

BA to reduce seat pitch to 29in on the A320/A321 domestic/European aircraft. Less than Ryanair apparently

BA to offer less legroom than Ryanair on some planes - BBC News

That's what you get when you put Alex Cruz, the ex-boss of a lousy LCC, in charge of BA. And the poor Brits will just suffer it, as they do with other really awful things.

 

[defurax]

That's what you get when you put Alex Cruz, the ex-boss of a lousy LCC, in charge of BA. And the poor Brits will just suffer it, as they do with other really awful things.

I received a survey invitation after my last short haul intra-European flight with BA. A lot of questions were about the new paid catering, so at least someone at BA is wondering what people are thinking about the service they offer. The worst part of the paid catering is that is take 75 minutes for the service cart to go through all rows so that most people with kids just couldn't access the toilet. It really gave an LCC feel!

 

[clifford]

I received a survey invitation after my last short haul intra-European flight with BA. A lot of questions were about the new paid catering, so at least someone at BA is wondering what people are thinking about the service they offer. The worst part of the paid catering is that is take 75 minutes for the service cart to go through all rows so that most people with kids just couldn't access the toilet. It really gave an LCC feel!

I look forward to my flight on BA from Rome to LHR next week (not).