When did BA turn into a (rubbish) low cost carrier?

[tertius]

Three of us flying to Geneva tomorrow, I go to check-in online and we apparently have a checked luggage allowance of precisely nothing - its an extra £60 for two bags! God forbid you might want to take any clothes on holiday with you.

I'm absolutely stunned. How much extra will it be for an actual seat to sit on do you think?

[ashleyman]

I've NEVER had an issue like that with BA.

I actually prefer them over the rest, especially to mainland Europe as they allow 2 hand luggage items + a checked bag per person which is quite rare these days!

Edited by ashleyman on Friday 22 July 18:10

[GT03ROB]

OFFS, you booked a HBO fare didn;t you?

[joshleb]

Got to have a bit of common sense when booking your ticket to make sure you know what you're getting.

Yes, frustrating if you were expecting it, but if flying for a short break I don't mind it, gets me a cheaper ticket and just pack hand luggage.

[tertius]

I actually opted to pay more for the BA flights because all the other options were "luggage is extra"!

[GT03ROB]

But you did book HBO didn't you?

When you book European flights online there are 3 columns ET HBO, ET & CE. It's quite clear.

[craigjm]

Must be a HBO fare if you cant check luggage. The website is quite clear.

[GCH]

GT03ROB said:

OFFS, you booked a HBO fare didn;t you?

This. Very clearly stated in the booking process.

[tertius]

craigjm said:

Must be a HBO fare if you cant check luggage. The website is quite clear.

Nope, don't recognise that at all, plus I got to choose my seats, so it certainly wasn't that.

[craigjm]

What does your ticket say?



Are your bags too big for the hand luggage allowance?

[tertius]

craigjm said:

What does your ticket say?



Are your bags too big for the hand luggage allowance?

Ticket? Can't remember the last time I got an actual ticket - the itinerary says "Economy (M)", it also says "... may charge for checked luggage and other optional services" - my emphasis, "may" not "will".

And yes way too big - this is me plus two children on holiday, its not a business trip.

Probably its because I booked through Expedia, but I'm bloody peeved I spent ages checking all the "extras" and chose BA as it didn't list baggage as an extra, even though it was more expensive (even after allowing for the baggage allowance on the other flights).

[craigjm]

Expedia sell HBO tickets as standard and its £60 to upgrade to checked bags after purchase. I guess the lesson is to check out everything before you purchase. Doesn't make them a st carrier though. They offer it on all the business routes because most business travellers don't need to check luggage in.

Lesson learnt for next time

Enjoy your trip

[DanL]

Sounds like user error to me. BA only charge for bags if you go for the super low hand baggage only fare...

[GoneAnon]

This may not make them a st carrier but don't worry - they have so many other things to fall back on that DO make them st!

[Whitean3]

DanL said:

Sounds like user error to me. BA only charge for bags if you go for the super low hand baggage only fare...

Except their 'super low' fare is anything but.

BA is operating as a low cost carrier in Europe these days.

I have 2 colleagues that commute to Switzerland every week- one on EJ, one on BA, similar schedules. Guess which carrier has had the worst reliability and costs, by an absolute country mile?

[pushthebutton]

Whitean3 said:

Except their 'super low' fare is anything but.

BA is operating as a low cost carrier in Europe these days.

I have 2 colleagues that commute to Switzerland every week- one on EJ, one on BA, similar schedules. Guess which carrier has had the worst reliability and costs, by an absolute country mile?

EasyJet?

[CAPP0]

Swiss are very good for LON-GVA and their prices are usually comparable with BA. Never had luggage issues with them, even for ski trips with the (downhill) kitchen sink included.

[Puggit]

pushthebutton said:

Whitean3 said:

Except their 'super low' fare is anything but.

BA is operating as a low cost carrier in Europe these days.

I have 2 colleagues that commute to Switzerland every week- one on EJ, one on BA, similar schedules. Guess which carrier has had the worst reliability and costs, by an absolute country mile?

EasyJet?

How much of BA's problem lie outside of their control? Costs of flying from LHR are much higher than the other London airports. Plus for reliability they suffer at the hands of the fact that LHR runs at full capacity so there is no room to wiggle when something goes wrong (weather etc)

I do agree that BA have trimmed a lot of the more enjoyable aspects of flying and are causing some of their own problems though! Unfortunately LHR is my nearest airport as I live on the M4 and I really don't want to use the M25 to get to another airport!

[pushthebutton]

Puggit said:

How much of BA's problem lie outside of their control? Costs of flying from LHR are much higher than the other London airports. Plus for reliability they suffer at the hands of the fact that LHR runs at full capacity so there is no room to wiggle when something goes wrong (weather etc)

I do agree that BA have trimmed a lot of the more enjoyable aspects of flying and are causing some of their own problems though! Unfortunately LHR is my nearest airport as I live on the M4 and I really don't want to use the M25 to get to another airport!

It's a bit of both. Some are BA's doing and some are as a result of working out of LHR. There isn't enough revenue from aviation in the UK to support the 'more enjoyable aspects of flying', especially in the non-premium cabins.

BA are also a reflection of their staff contracts which were negotiated in different times. The cynic in me thinks that low-cost travel is really just a result of new operators paying fewer people, less, to do more. It then progresses to registering your company in a different location to save taxes, then registering your aircraft overseas to avoid fees and regulation and finally employing your staff on agency contracts in countries that don't have the same labour laws as the UK. The end result is something similar to the collapse of Low Cost Holidays:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/travel/2016/...

where neither staff nor passengers have any protections or recompense as a result of the owner circumventing local protection laws for both groups in order to achieve a lower cost. Whether, I agree with this or not, I can't change it; people will continue to seek out the lowest cost and then whine when something goes wrong and they're afforded no protection.

I think that when consumers think they're comparing like-for-like, quite often they're not. As Swerni pointed out above, the vagaries of the phrase "similar schedules" just doesn't cut it. Without wishing to be confrontational, I don't believe the OP chose BA "even though it was more expensive." How much more expensive was it? I think that the schedules may have also paid a part in the decision as will the choice of airport. Like it or not, there's additional cost associated with popular slots which enable you to make the most of a holiday and there's a cost associated with operating out of LHR as it's convenient for both London and the M40/M4 corridor.