MSE News: British Airways announces major shake-up to its frequent flyer loyalty scheme

zagfles

I'm probably missing something but the benefits of "status" seem incredibly trivial, stuff like seat selection, priority check-in, boarding, extra luggage, lounges? Is that it? I thought it meant stuff like free upgrades etc. 

silvercar

zagfles said:

I'm probably missing something but the benefits of "status" seem incredibly trivial, stuff like seat selection, priority check-in, boarding, extra luggage, lounges? Is that it? I thought it meant stuff like free upgrades etc. 

Seat selection can be expensive, if you don’t have status. You are also far more likely to be upgraded if you have status and they need to upgrade some people to create space in a lower cabin. My OH is gold and on European flights normally flies in economy. About 1 in 3 flights he is upgraded. You also earn more Avios from flights the higher status you have. Priority checkin at say Heathrow, where you go straight through the first wing and into the lounge is a big benefit. Extra luggage can be useful (& cost saving). There is also the benefit of the gold line to book and sort queries and in the case of cancellations and delays can make a significant difference.

zagfles

silvercar said:

zagfles said:

I'm probably missing something but the benefits of "status" seem incredibly trivial, stuff like seat selection, priority check-in, boarding, extra luggage, lounges? Is that it? I thought it meant stuff like free upgrades etc. 

Seat selection can be expensive, if you don’t have status. You are also far more likely to be upgraded if you have status and they need to upgrade some people to create space in a lower cabin. My OH is gold and on European flights normally flies in economy. About 1 in 3 flights he is upgraded. You also earn more Avios from flights the higher status you have. Priority checkin at say Heathrow, where you go straight through the first wing and into the lounge is a big benefit. Extra luggage can be useful (& cost saving). There is also the benefit of the gold line to book and sort queries and in the case of cancellations and delays can make a significant difference.

I've only ever paid for seat selection on Ryanair, and was only a few £, maybe £3 or so. It's not necessary if you just want to sit together, apart from on Ryanair who will split you up if you don't pay. No other airline does IME. 

I've got no chance of status anyway if they need you to spend £3500 each on flights with just one airline just for the lowest level! I spent under £1000 across several different airlines on my 5 holidays last year inc one long haul 

I'm sure I've saved easily enough by shopping around rather than being "loyal" to one airline to pay for all the trivial extras that "status" gets you. Even short haul upgrades don't seem to get you much, most airlines seem to have a slidable partition in the same cabin so you get the same seats as economy. Maybe get a better sandwich? 

Doshwaster

zagfles said:

I'm probably missing something but the benefits of "status" seem incredibly trivial, stuff like seat selection, priority check-in, boarding, extra luggage, lounges? Is that it? I thought it meant stuff like free upgrades etc. 

All of those things add up and are quite valuable to some people.  Get the seat you want at time of booking (including exit rows), less waiting at checking/security/boarding and no need to spend any money in the terminal. Could easily be worth £50-100 per flight.

Free upgrades do happen occasionally and when they do they will almost always be given to people with status.

Of course don't need status to get those extras - just pay for a business class seat. The question is whether with these new changes people who can't make status (including me) will decide to pay extra for the tickets or suck it up in Economy.

Another possibility is that BA will stand unbundling the extras to allow people to pay for priority check-in, security, lounge access etc. 

zagfles

Doshwaster said:

zagfles said:

I'm probably missing something but the benefits of "status" seem incredibly trivial, stuff like seat selection, priority check-in, boarding, extra luggage, lounges? Is that it? I thought it meant stuff like free upgrades etc. 

All of those things add up and are quite valuable to some people.  Get the seat you want at time of booking (including exit rows), less waiting at checking/security/boarding and no need to spend any money in the terminal. Could easily be worth £50-100 per flight.

Free upgrades do happen occasionally and when they do they will almost always be given to people with status.

Of course don't need status to get those extras - just pay for a business class seat. The question is whether with these new changes people who can't make status (including me) will decide to pay extra for the tickets or suck it up in Economy.

Another possibility is that BA will stand unbundling the extras to allow people to pay for priority check-in, security, lounge access etc. 

I guess it might be worth it for people who fly long haul several times a year and are fussy about where they sit. We rarely do more than one or two long haul trips a year and don't really care where we sit. But I guess this sort of stuff is aimed at business travellers rather than leisure anyway. 

jimi_man

zagfles said:

Doshwaster said:

zagfles said:

I'm probably missing something but the benefits of "status" seem incredibly trivial, stuff like seat selection, priority check-in, boarding, extra luggage, lounges? Is that it? I thought it meant stuff like free upgrades etc. 

All of those things add up and are quite valuable to some people.  Get the seat you want at time of booking (including exit rows), less waiting at checking/security/boarding and no need to spend any money in the terminal. Could easily be worth £50-100 per flight.

Free upgrades do happen occasionally and when they do they will almost always be given to people with status.

Of course don't need status to get those extras - just pay for a business class seat. The question is whether with these new changes people who can't make status (including me) will decide to pay extra for the tickets or suck it up in Economy.

Another possibility is that BA will stand unbundling the extras to allow people to pay for priority check-in, security, lounge access etc. 

I guess it might be worth it for people who fly long haul several times a year and are fussy about where they sit. We rarely do more than one or two long haul trips a year and don't really care where we sit. But I guess this sort of stuff is aimed at business travellers rather than leisure anyway. 

This is us. We like to choose our seats (Long Haul) as depending on the plane, not all business seats are equal. For short haul, we generally fly economy and being 6'3, I like the exit row for the extra leg room. Also it's nice to be able to use lounges when you fly economy. So status suits us (Silver in both our cases, which tends to be the sweet spot in BA status). And also (a slightly niche benefit) is that when flying on premium staff tickets. - which we do - then you don't get lounge access unless you have status. 

Personally I'm not overly upset about the changes, it was always going to come. It was too easy to get. There are ways around having to pay £7500 for silver and it could be done for around half that which will fit in with our existing travel pattern. 

TobyCG

I've read & watched a few articles and videos on these changes now and frankly I can see the logic from BA's perspective. The number of people who were attaining silver or gold status through dirt cheap 'tier runs' and then clogging up the lounges was getting out of hand.

Like it or loathe it, business and first customers are where the money's at for the airlines and they're more concerned about alienating these passengers than they are those who generally fly in economy.
If you've paid thousands for a business or first class seat and you find the lounges rammed with loads of economy passengers who have 'status', you're not going to be very impressed or feel like you've purchased a 'premium' or 'exclusive' experience.

The problem has been exacerbated in recent years due to the points promotions the airlines have run in the wake of COVID, to try to get people back in the air.  This has led to more people than ever having silver or gold status and it feels like BA are trying to 'reset' everything here. Whilst it does seem like they've gone to the other extreme and gold in particular looks very very difficult to achieve, status in general shouldn't be anywhere near as easy to get as it has been of late.