mikeyjames,
Welcome to AFF.
Quite an interesting read and certainly does not show BA up in a favourable light.
Personally I would post the whole report here rather than using the link.
Thanks
straitman, advice noted:
British Airways - World Traveller Plus
Follow this link to see what British Airways describe the onboard "World Traveller Plus" (Premium Economy) experience as
Follow this link to see what QANTAS describe the onboard "Premium Economy" experience as
NOTE: Had to remove these links due to posting rules buit I'm sure you can find them:mrgreen:
A Real Life Experience of World Traveller Plus on a British Airwyas 747-400
This is my recent experience on a flight from Bangkok to Sydney on 20th July 2009 - Flight BA009
Booked Via QANTAS as a code share flight with British Airways
Seat Numbers: 11J (Me) / 11K (Wife)
To say the “Premium Economy” experience was a disappointment would be an understatement to say the least. I have listed the main reasons for this below:
Seat 11K
1. Dried vomit on the floor between seat and window.
2. Touch screen did not work properly.
3. When watching TV shows, movies, etc they would constantly reset to the beginning
4. Screen had large dirty area that occupied top left corner (on the inside so couldn't be cleaned)
Seat 11J
1. No sound at all through the entertainment system.
2. The flight attendant unsuccessfully tried to fix the headphone socket into place with gaffe tape. So basically, I had no entertainment available for the entire flight.
3. Laptop power adapter did not work. By this stage I had given up complaining. The power adapter for my laptop is perfectly functioning and was actually purchased on a BA flight so I would assume it would have been compatible with their system.
In General
1. The flush button on the premium economy toilet fell off and needed to be gaffe taped.
2. The whole back of the toilet (where the flush button attaches) then fell off and needed to be jammed back into place.
3. At one stage the waste receptacle in the premium economy toilet was so full the lid would not close and you had to forcefully jam waste paper into it.
4. About 3-4 hours into the flight I was informed the supply of bottled water had been expended. The idea of having a bottle is so you don’t have to keep asking / searching for small cups of water – it’s much less disturbing when you are trying to relax (what I would call a “Premium” experience). Anyway, this necessitated calling the flight attendant for a small cup of water (barely a mouth full) constantly. In mid flight when the flight attendants always seem to disappear somewhere (as I presume that they assume people are sleeping) it meant I had to keep getting up and searching for water myself as calls were never responded to.
Past Experiences with BA World Traveller Plus
I have travelled on British Airways 747-400 in “World Traveller Plus” class before. It wasn't bad in 2004 in comparison to other airlines' economy class and was only about 25% more expensive. It is rather obvious that in the preceding 5-6 years or so that BA has not done a thing to upgrade it’s systems in this class of travel other than it's pricing. I wouldn't be surprised if I was watching the same monitor I was in 2004, though without sound this time.
A 2009 Comparison
In comparison I travelled Sydney to Bangkok via Thai Airways normal economy class and found the experience much more satisfying – a working entertainment system, clean toilets without parts falling off, no dried vomit on the floor, no need for flight attendants to try and fix problems with gaffe tape, no lack of bottled water, and no disappearing flight attendants half way through the flight. Normal Thai economy class beat BA "World Traveller Plus" hands down. I'll admit I had exit row seats on the Thai flight so the extra leg room didn't hurt.
My complaint to BA
I explained all of the above and simply asked to have the difference between World Traveller and World Traveller Plus refunded (a 30% refund in my case).
BA's Response
"Any problems that are detected are recorded and passed straight to our maintenance team. This means it can be put right immediately"..........."We acknowledge that there is still work to do in this area. We have started the changes and we are getting a positive reaction from our customers. It is helpful to have your own comments to help us pinpoint where we need to focus our efforts".........."I appreciate that this has come too late for your particular flight. I am sorry.".....(re: water) It is also difficult to anticipate what the demand for each product will be. We monitor the amount we use on our flights, and usually get the balance right from that. Clearly something went wrong on the day you were travelling though"......."While I do understand the reasons you have for asking, I am unable to arrange a refund of your upgrade. I am sorry to disappoint you."....... "As a gesture, I have arranged to send you and your wife a £50 Highlife Shop! voucher. The full details of how to use this will be included with the vouchers. I hope this will go some way to show our apologies to you"
My Response to BA
I’m not too concerned about where you need to focus your efforts from now on. My concern is the sub standard experience I received; that I upgraded for a “premium economy” experience and received anything but. Do you consider it acceptable that your patrons pay for a 'premium' service and receive a sub-standard one? Are you trying to tell me your staff are not experienced enough to anticipate how much bottled water is needed for a packed 9 hour flight? Your response shows how little regard you have for your patrons.
My Advice to travellers
Be very very careful when considering paying for World Traveller Plus on British Airways. Especially when travelling on one of their older aeroplanes. You may very well have a lot of trouble justifying the extra expense (sometimes up to double the price depending on the discounts available)
My Advice to British Airways
Take your customer complaints more seriously! If you plan on providing a 'premium economy' service provide one that is more than in name only.
My Advice to QANTAS
If your partner airlines cannot live up to what you advertise (e.g. your "Premium Economy" service) there should be a warning - for example, "British Airways 'World Traveller Plus' may not be of the same standard as the "premium Economy" service advertised on this site”