Is BA really that bad?

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dodgeyhack

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G'day,

Been booked onto QF320 to come back from LHR at the end of September.
This is BA metal and I'll be in Y and QF gold.

I've never flown BA long haul, but I've noticed they seem to cop a flogging here!

Are they really that bad?

Is requesting a points upgrade on BA the same process and cost in points as QF?
 
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dodgeyhack said:
G'day,

Been booked onto QF320 to come back from LHR at the end of September.
This is BA metal and I'll be in Y and QF gold.

I've never flown BA long haul, but I've noticed they seem to cop a flogging here!

Are they really that bad?

Is requesting a points upgrade on BA the same process and cost in points as QF?
Click to expand...

I think there is only bad news for you here. My Y and Y+ experiences with BA have been ordinary. I have found BA FA's to be quite rude compared to QF.

My understanding is that you can't use QF points to upgrade on non QF metal, unless that has changed with the recent codeshare agreement between BA/QF.
 
I last flew on BA in Y+ and it was only made acceptable by the interesting and attractive seat companion and the fact that I was distracted as I was on my way to a funeral. I would not be choosing them again - mind you I wouldn't be choosing whY unless no other options existed.
 
BA are quite good at recognising OW status, but I can confirm that they won't let you upgrade with QF points.
 
If you ask my SIN colleagues on my floor in the office, every single one of them (there about 60 of us on this floor) would choose BA ahead of QF, so I suppose it can't be that bad.

For me, BA is not the best, but I never had a poor experience as such.
 
I fly BA domestic whenever I am in the UK, status always recognised and seats and service are fine.
I last flew BA Y Long Haul in 2010 and it was at least comparable to QF Y ie. not great. Indifferent service, pretty poor quality meals ( my comparisons are with J so a very tainted standard). If I needed to fly long haul Y I would choose EK as I found the service and entertainment system streets ahead of either BA/QF
 
QF1 said:
YES...Bad Attitude
Click to expand...
or Bloody Awful.

I flew BA SYD-SIN-LHR-BOS-LHR-SIN-SYD in Y+ earlier this year (was either that or QF Y). They have only just started to roll out their new hard product over their fleet, and are years out from finishing it.

The Y+ product was awful. Hard, narrow, uncomfortable seats and IFE that was shocking. On the SIN-LHR leg I was upgraded at the gate to J and whilst better, it wasn't anywhere near as good as QF's (also the interior condition of the 747 I was on was shocking; there was part of the internal panelling at the top of the stairs falling out near an air conditioning vent, which was so thick with dust that there was pretty much no air flowing out of it).

In Y, it's a no brainer - QF on any A380 service would be more preferable to BA in Y (and probably even Y+ until the new product is out, which is pretty much identical to QF's Y+).
 
IMO BA and QF 747 are pretty much alike. Both have unreliable IFE, and in Y, food is much the same, though QF give you menus which conjure up a picture of gastronomic delights that usually leads to disappointment. BA on the other hand, minimize the expectation by offering the choice as they serve!
 
4 out of 6 op-ups in the past 16 months with BA (either BKK/SIN to SYD) and I must say I am impressed with BA :) Sure their interior cabins feel outdated, service can be a hit or a miss, however if I get male FA's then for some reason service is always fantastic.
 
I find the service from FA's to be better on BA than QF. BA are more formal and well spoken, QF are too casual for my liking. I don't really take to being asked "You want coffee?".

The hard product on QF is superior, and if you get the 380 it is far superior, even in Y. I flew the new 77W Y product HKG-LHR, and the seats are rather firm, with headrests that only slide up and down. The 77W IFE was more responsive than QF. But since you're flying a 744, the IFE if quite old in Y. The cabin was very tired looking, and not terribly clean.

One of BA's best assets is T5 at LHR, which if you via SIN or BKK you don't get to experience.
 
As a seasoned Y flyer, I'd take QF every time over BA. If nothing else, far too many of my BA flights have had the cabin temperature *way* too high for my liking.

Having said that, possibly the nicest flight I've ever had was BA, on the all-business A319 from New York to LCY!

Cheers,

Danny
 
rtyuiop said:
As a seasoned Y flyer, I'd take QF every time over BA. If nothing else, far too many of my BA flights have had the cabin temperature *way* too high for my liking.
Click to expand...
Yes! I remembered I forgot something! And there were no air vents if I remember correctly (at least in Y+ or J). I was sweltering. I much prefer a colder cabin so I can rug up as necessary. There were several people around fanning themselves with the safety cards.
 
I have happy memories of BA with humour.
I was boarding at Chicago on a J ticket.
The person in front of me at gate was asked politely if he'd 'like to move seat for operational reasons.' This triggered a classic DYKWIA rant about gold exec card, seat selection etc etc, not moving, it's up to BA to get things right etc
FA - politely rolled over, 'no problem sir, no need to move, we'll move someone else'
DYKWIA stomps off and I hand over boarding card.
FA in loud voice 'Welcome Sir, would you like to move to the 1st class seat that Mr DYKWIA didn't want?'
DYKWIA stops dead in tracks and turns round, face beetroot, but realises he's on a loser when he sees the smiles and laughs in his direction.
That was one of my favourite ever Opups.
 
What is BA Domestic like?

I know its only for 60+ minutes, but what are the 321's like?
 
Grim
Even in row 1 I felt cramped.
Winter is a nightmare for baggage. Think QF crowded and add overcoats, scarfs, warm jackets jammed in tiny overhead lockers.
At least the flights are short and the views nice if it's not cloudy
 
mannej said:
What is BA Domestic like?

I know its only for 60+ minutes, but what are the 321's like?
Click to expand...

See my post above, it's fine.
As WP I always get row 1. They know how to serve a decent ( free) G&T and the Indian pretzel things are yummy :)

EDIT: in deference to Canny man, I am 5ft 6in tall :mrgreen:
 
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