BA going Buy on Board refreshments for short haul...

malkie76

Thing is, they are offering full refund, or compensation to affected passengers, so you don't really have much of a point beyond that. Your claim that rebooking elsewhere at a greater cost won't hold any water.

You cannot force someone to provide a service they no longer offer.

magyar wrote: »

To give an extreme example, their First Class ticket says that you get lounge access, spa treatments, personal concierge service, high quality meals on board, and of course a very good seat up the front of the plane. If they tried to remove any of these items then quite naturally people would expect compensation

They do that on a daily basis. Lounge access is subject to availability/capacity, as are spa treatments, and the time of Quintessentially.

Please start a legal battle for your bag of Corkers Hand Cooked crisps and report back here how it goes.

magyar

malkie76 wrote: »

Thing is, they are offering full refund, or compensation to affected passengers, so you don't really have much of a point beyond that. Your claim that rebooking elsewhere at a greater cost won't hold any water.

You cannot force someone to provide a service they no longer offer.

Agreed on the latter point, but you are wrong when you say they are compensating passengers: they are not. All they are doing is offering 1,000 Avios to people who specifically ask for it. This would indeed compensate someone who had booked e.g. one single leg to Paris, because all you'd have got was a packet of nuts and a drink.

But one person on FlyerTalk now is saying they have several flights booked and has been offered the same 1,000 Avios for the whole lot. So it's not compensation. And it's ridiculous to suggest that person should rebook every flight.

Also, as someone else on FT has pointed out, offering a refund isn't at the company's discretion as a remedy, the consumer can choose a price reduction.

malkie76 wrote: »

They do that on a daily basis. Lounge access is subject to availability/capacity, as are spa treatments, and the time of Quintessentially.

Please start a legal battle for your bag of Corkers Hand Cooked crisps and report back here how it goes.

Agreed on the point about availability but that is clearly stated as part of the marketing. And in practice, if people are affected in this way (which is very rare, the lounge usually has capacity) they will always get thrown some Avios as compensation.

I don't know why you're taking such a negative view on this. I have no issue at all with a company changing their service, that is their prerogative. But to not even compensate thousands of affected people - indeed to email and tell them what a great move it is! - is wrong, and no of course there won't be a legal battle over this, but I do think companies shouldn't be able to so blatantly flout the law and ignore it.

PeacefulWaters

On the plus side, if you find yourself a little peckish on a flight you can now get more to eat than half a dozen posh crisps or a nice lemon biscuit.

malkie76

But they are compensating people, the degree to which extent is slightly subjective. On lounge capacity I guess you've not been to SFO recently!!

You are correct on questioning why I'm being negative, I guess I'm questioning your legal argument, rather than the principle here.

It's a minor thing, and if anything gives better options on short haul, but it makes me question where they go next in reductions. I honestly guess the lounge access on short haul will go. Both of those would bring them in line with domestic US flights, so it's not an outrageous suggestion.

magyar

PeacefulWaters wrote: »

On the plus side, if you find yourself a little peckish on a flight you can now get more to eat than half a dozen posh crisps or a nice lemon biscuit.

As I said above, I actually completely agree with that - the 'meal' has for a long time been rubbish and in practice I either used to eat in the Lounge (in the days when I had a Gold/Silver card...sigh!) or in the terminal.

Annoyed about the loss of a G&T, basically... :-)

magyar

malkie76 wrote: »

But they are compensating people, the degree to which extent is slightly subjective. On lounge capacity I guess you've not been to SFO recently!!

You are correct on questioning why I'm being negative, I guess I'm questioning your legal argument, rather than the principle here.

It's a minor thing, and if anything gives better options on short haul, but it makes me question where they go next in reductions. I honestly guess the lounge access on short haul will go. Both of those would bring them in line with domestic US flights, so it's not an outrageous suggestion.

Not been to SFO, or indeed anywhere much in the USA lately, most of my travel was always SH Europe.

For a very long time, BA have made it quite clear in practice they only really value LH, and to be honest that makes sense for them. It's nigh on impossible now to make Gold unless you're travelling LH club regularly, even though I used to travel to Europe most weeks I was only making Silver. So I agree I can see lounge access being limited to LH (or possibly LH + Golds).

On the degree to which people are being compensated - you're right, it's subjective and it shouldn't be. The very, very easy thing would have been to simply tell people who are affected you can still get a drink, a sandwich etc. and be done with. It's easy enough to do - I often fly Eurowings who have two fares, one with a snack meal included and the other Basic fare where you pay for it. The crew have a list of who's allowed it free - would be pretty easy to do that. And certainly a lot easier than dealing with all the complaints...

SW17

malkie76 wrote: »

It's a minor thing, and if anything gives better options on short haul, but it makes me question where they go next in reductions. I honestly guess the lounge access on short haul will go. Both of those would bring them in line with domestic US flights, so it's not an outrageous suggestion.

Not an outrageous suggestion, but if they took lounge access, there wouldn't be a lot left for their FFP members. US carriers don't give lounge access, but they do give more or less guaranteed upgrades, which BA does not. There has to be something left, though we can't rule anything out in their current situation...

holidaysforme

Filled in the form a few days ago for the 1000 avios for three of us. Have people received them yet?

holidaysforme

Could anyone link me to the discussion of Flyertalk about this please? I don't know my way around rhat forum very well and cannot find it anywhere.
The person booking 28 flights and only getting 1000 avios has intrigued me:eek:

richardw

Try this http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1793630-confirmed-buy-board-f-b-coming-ba-short-haul-89.html