Our disgraceful National Airline
Discussion
Update, yes we are HBO but why should that make any difference? We are only going for 4 nights and £60 for a bag in the hold makes no sense, why penalise us for our convenience?
We paid plenty for the flights as LHR is much more convenient for us with free parking and taxi in from my brother in law and decent treatment from a major airline was expected not the feel of a penny pinching bucket airline.
We went to check in and changed seats without a murmur, three seats between the two of us on a half full plane.
The 'snack' was a bread roll with a bit of bacon and tiniest bit of chicken and very sweet Iced bun, but did get a free drink and we arrived 10mins early!
We paid plenty for the flights as LHR is much more convenient for us with free parking and taxi in from my brother in law and decent treatment from a major airline was expected not the feel of a penny pinching bucket airline.
We went to check in and changed seats without a murmur, three seats between the two of us on a half full plane.
The 'snack' was a bread roll with a bit of bacon and tiniest bit of chicken and very sweet Iced bun, but did get a free drink and we arrived 10mins early!
Kenty said:
Update, yes we are HBO but why should that make any difference? We are only going for 4 nights and £60 for a bag in the hold makes no sense, why penalise us for our convenience?
It's cheap. It's the policy. Please note that for bookings made from 26 March 2015 British Airways will allocate a seat for all customers booking an HBO low fare on a short haul flight with us.
When travelling on these great value fares, your seat will be allocated when check-in opens. Should you wish to change your seat you can pay to do so at that time or alternatively pay to reserve a seat when you book your flight. If you are travelling with an infant on an HBO fare your seat will continue to be allocated at the time of booking. The changes apply to all Executive Club Members booking HBO fares. For all other fares, Bronze Members can continue to select their seat for free 7 days before departure and Silver and Gold Members at the time of booking for free.
We would like to remind customers travelling on HBO fares that only one piece of hand baggage plus a laptop bag or handbag is permitted. Your main piece of hand baggage can be up to 56cm x 45cm x 25cm (22in x 18in x 10in), including the handle, pockets or wheels at a maximum weight of 23kgs (51lbs). Families travelling with small children or infants can also take a collapsible pushchair and one car seat.
Kenty said:
Update, yes we are HBO but why should that make any difference? We are only going for 4 nights and £60 for a bag in the hold makes no sense, why penalise us for our convenience?
So in a few weeks when I get my premium economy flight back to the UK, it will be fine for me to call BA disgraceful because they didn't put me in Club or 1st? After all they will have spare seats there so why shouldn't I be allowed to sit there. Come on, you're not stupid, so surely you can see that you've received what you paid for & to call the supplier disgraceful for supplying what you asked & paid for is a bit off.
Kenty said:
Food on Miami flight was yuk, the cardboard box that breakfast came in looked more appetising than the food.
Granted, the BA breakfast on the way back from Miami (and other US routes) is derisory. It literally comes packed in a cardboard box and plastic wrappings. I do remember the days of a cooked breakfast on BA trans-Atlantic routes, and it was far better. GT03ROB said:
Kenty said:
Update, yes we are HBO but why should that make any difference? We are only going for 4 nights and £60 for a bag in the hold makes no sense, why penalise us for our convenience?
So in a few weeks when I get my premium economy flight back to the UK, it will be fine for me to call BA disgraceful because they didn't put me in Club or 1st? After all they will have spare seats there so why shouldn't I be allowed to sit there. Come on, you're not stupid, so surely you can see that you've received what you paid for & to call the supplier disgraceful for supplying what you asked & paid for is a bit off.
Kenty said:
Update, yes we are HBO but why should that make any difference? We are only going for 4 nights and £60 for a bag in the hold makes no sense, why penalise us for our convenience?
We paid plenty for the flights as LHR is much more convenient for us with free parking and taxi in from my brother in law and decent treatment from a major airline was expected not the feel of a penny pinching bucket airline.
We went to check in and changed seats without a murmur, three seats between the two of us on a half full plane.
The 'snack' was a bread roll with a bit of bacon and tiniest bit of chicken and very sweet Iced bun, but did get a free drink and we arrived 10mins early!
I will admit that when I said you could always choose seats FOC 24 hours before departure, I'd rather assumed you'd paid a regular fare. It's pretty clear that the hand-baggage only option is very much a budget fare, and you don't get a set choice for free. As such it rivals (and more often than not undercuts) the LoCos, who all charge to choose a seat. I fly BA most weeks (mostly domestics) and although I'm always just on hand baggage I never just pay the HBO fare as even as a card holder (just missed renewing on gold, dropped to silver We paid plenty for the flights as LHR is much more convenient for us with free parking and taxi in from my brother in law and decent treatment from a major airline was expected not the feel of a penny pinching bucket airline.
We went to check in and changed seats without a murmur, three seats between the two of us on a half full plane.
The 'snack' was a bread roll with a bit of bacon and tiniest bit of chicken and very sweet Iced bun, but did get a free drink and we arrived 10mins early!
) there's no free seat selection and I'm choosy where I sit.
So...you've certainly paid no more than a LoCo. Sure you couldn't reserve seats (just like a basic LoCo fare), but you got free drinks (unlimited, you can always ask for more), got free food, possibly had a little more legroom; and no-one tried to sell you scratch cards, and they didn't play 'Congratulations' or whatever on the PA when they arrived early, ...and that's disgraceful 
Stephanie Plum said:
GT03ROB said:
Kenty said:
Update, yes we are HBO but why should that make any difference? We are only going for 4 nights and £60 for a bag in the hold makes no sense, why penalise us for our convenience?
So in a few weeks when I get my premium economy flight back to the UK, it will be fine for me to call BA disgraceful because they didn't put me in Club or 1st? After all they will have spare seats there so why shouldn't I be allowed to sit there. Come on, you're not stupid, so surely you can see that you've received what you paid for & to call the supplier disgraceful for supplying what you asked & paid for is a bit off.
I am not stupid, I paid £125pp I didn't expect an upgrade, I didn't want extra leg room, I didn't want to pay £60 per hold bag,
I wanted something different from £25 Ryanair flights, I wanted to choose my seats, I wanted something to eat a bit better than a petrol station snack, I wanted a bag in the hold - also I hoped I got a better aircraft, better maintained, better than a bucket airline but I'm not sure I did. BA has to have a business model better than the bottom of the market, it should be bettering them, it should be giving a bit more for the. Price they charge it wasn't in evidence. When I fly long haul again it will not be at my list to use them and it should be. If you can't see that, your blinkered. It isn't good and it should be.
Vixpy1 said:
Always loved BA, used them in the summer to fly to spain and just booked to go to Dubai in March with them.
And they have put us on a 747 on the way out, will take me back to my childhood when i was on them all the time. Excellent!
Sadly unless you luck into one of the few refurbed 747's they have they are really showing their age at least in the back. American 777 -300er's far nicerAnd they have put us on a 747 on the way out, will take me back to my childhood when i was on them all the time. Excellent!
Kenty said:
I wanted something different from £25 Ryanair flights, I wanted to choose my seats, I wanted something to eat a bit better than a petrol station snack, I wanted a bag in the hold - also I hoped I got a better aircraft, better maintained, better than a bucket airline but I'm not sure I did.
Firstly you wouldn't get the same flight with Ryanair for £25.Secondly, choosing seats, better meal, bag in the hold. None of these are part of the fare you paid for, pay more you'll get them.
Lastly, what made you think the aircraft was badly maintained?
Sorry but you come across as moaning for a profession when there really isn't anything to moan about
surveyor said:
American 777 -300er's far nicer
Most of them are, (indeed most are brand new) but I'm pretty sure I flew in the oldest 777 known to man back in Dec coming home with AA. Luckily the flight was less than 10% full, but the aircraft was really showing its age; panels hanging off, broken seats, REALLY old interior (no screens in the seatbacks, just one 20" LCD at the front. Was a stark contrast to the new Airbus we flew in going out!!
parabolica said:
surveyor said:
American 777 -300er's far nicer
Most of them are, (indeed most are brand new) but I'm pretty sure I flew in the oldest 777 known to man back in Dec coming home with AA. Luckily the flight was less than 10% full, but the aircraft was really showing its age; panels hanging off, broken seats, REALLY old interior (no screens in the seatbacks, just one 20" LCD at the front. Was a stark contrast to the new Airbus we flew in going out!!
megapixels83 said:
I have 6 trips with BA over the next month 2 are HBO and 4 include hold bag bought at full cost. All are saying I must pay £12 to "reserve" a different seat.
Does anyone actually read the small print (and not so small print) for the tickets they've paid for?Assuming you're not a silver/gold card holder - if you mean 'FULL cost' i.e. a fully flexible fare than you are able to choose seats when you book for free. Since you say you're being asked to pay for a seat choice then you aren't really 'full cost', it's just a regular non-flexible fare. Although in fairness not many folks choose fully flexible as you have to specifically tick a checkbox when you book...and it costs more.
On a regular fare you get a free seat choice 24 hours prior to departure. On HBO you don't have that choice 24 hours before - the system assigns you a seat - just like a LoCo when you don't pay extra for a seat. Not even silver/gold get to choose seats on HBO for free.
Leithen said:
The 787s are a great step forward too.
Noooooooo I will choose routes to avoid getting on a 787. Despite 70 BA flights last year (I just checked my account) I'm not a happy flier, and a 787 is step too far. Plastic plane and burning batteries. I was in Seattle last year and got speaking to a guy who worked at Boeing at Everett and started asking him what he thought...secretly hoping he was going to tell me it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Sadly, all he did was grumble about the quality coming out of the South Carolina factory and saying he wouldn't fly on a South Carolina 787 by choice No doubt inter-plant rivalry, but it sure didn't fill me with more confidence.
Yea, yea I know it's totally illogical, but there we are. There's planes I'm happier on than others, and a 787 is right at the bottom of my list.
Edited by tvrolet on Tuesday 19th January 00:13
tvrolet said:
Leithen said:
The 787s are a great step forward too.
Noooooooo I will choose routes to avoid getting on a 787. Despite 70 BA flights last year (I just checked my account) I'm not a happy flier, and a 787 is step too far. Plastic plane and burning batteries. I was in Seattle last year and got speaking to a guy who worked at Boeing at Everett and started asking him what he thought...secretly hoping he was going to tell me it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Sadly, all he did was grumble about the quality coming out of the South Carolina factory and saying he wouldn't fly on a South Carolina 787 by choice No doubt inter-plant rivalry, but it sure didn't fill me with more confidence.
Yea, yea I know it's totally illogical, but there we are. There's planes I'm happier on than others, and a 787 is right at the bottom of my list.
Edited by tvrolet on Tuesday 19th January 00:13
My biggest criticism of the new fleet across all airframes is the design of the economy seat's armrests. Why the hell they haven't managed to design them to lift flush between the seats baffles me. Trying to help children fall asleep lying against you is almost impossible.
tvrolet said:
Leithen said:
The 787s are a great step forward too.
Noooooooo I will choose routes to avoid getting on a 787. Despite 70 BA flights last year (I just checked my account) I'm not a happy flier, and a 787 is step too far. Plastic plane and burning batteries. I was in Seattle last year and got speaking to a guy who worked at Boeing at Everett and started asking him what he thought...secretly hoping he was going to tell me it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Sadly, all he did was grumble about the quality coming out of the South Carolina factory and saying he wouldn't fly on a South Carolina 787 by choice No doubt inter-plant rivalry, but it sure didn't fill me with more confidence.
Yea, yea I know it's totally illogical, but there we are. There's planes I'm happier on than others, and a 787 is right at the bottom of my list.
Personally I have only flown a 787 once (I average a bit over 1 long haul return once a month), and that wasn't at the back so I can't comment. I disliked that the toilet felt like a port-a-loo, with thin plastic doors that the people 3 rows away could hear every fart and groan!
One of my friends, also a PHer, works for a US company, in the hotel sector, has a policy of fly US cariers, fly the cheapest, has to be through our booking system, and we don't care how much it makes your life a missery that you have to take connecting flights which doubles the trip length. A direct booking with BA came in cheaper than with their travel system, but he wasn't allowed to do that, even although he is a EMEA manager in his unit. In the end he 'accidently' booked much more expensive BA direct flight (which is the only direct flight) Austin, waited to get a b
king (never happened), flew the 787-8 in cattle and was very happy, and said the seats were ok for him. The other option was a beaten up United 767 and a connecting flight on a puddle jumper, so a much better option time and comfort wise.A lot of people don't realise that the 787 was designed as a 767 replacement with lower fuel burn. This makes it perfect for use into new/smaller destinations, which is is what BA is doing with theirs. So routes like Calgary had been served with 767's, now are getting 787's. Routes which are quieter during winter or summer might downsize from 777's to 787's. Chengdu started as a 772 route, and downgraded to 788 route due to lower demand than expected.
Personally I am in the same boat as a few others here. BA fly to where I need to go for work primary, ME OR SE Asian carriers are not an option as this takes me to the US mostly. On the back of all the work travel, most of my personal travel is with them too, since flying BA (or OW) with status v's flying with no status on another airline on non premium tickets a no brainer.
BA's hard product is no match for the subsidised ME carriers, and frankly, for Long Haul in the 747's, and non refit 777's for WT/WT+ is pretty rubbish. But the staff (usually) make up for it, and do a much better job than the ME carriers.
And when their planes go tech, you are much better with BA than an US or many other airlines.
As for breakfasts, my pick is the bacon rolls they do in Club on the US return flights, waking up a still a bit drunk they go down a treat. The full english I had on the way back from Singapore in Club 15 months ago was dire, tasteless rubber, but I had the same breakfast in Club on the way to South Africa 2 months ago and it was night and day better, and dare I say good! Maybe that is the difference in London and Singapre catering.
The breakfast yesterday from the US in WT+, so the same as WT, was ok, I have had much worse. But I didn't get upgraded so who do I complain to?
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