British Airways - a masterclass in losing customer loyalty

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I stopped using them when they stopped giving me a cooked breakfast and wanted more to put my bike in the hold than me in a seat. Even teeny weeny airways offer a better death pack for lunch
 
Richard_C":hdurtn2h said:
So now, instead of supporting my 'national airline' ... its my last resort choice, not my first.
Richard, your experience of declining standards from BA echoes my own. Back in the days when I used to fly 2 or 3 times a week on business BA was a decent choice and I had some excellent personal service from them. Since then the service level has disappeared. However, I don't go as far as you. BA is not my last choice, I just do not favour them over other airlines in the way I used to.
 
Some years ago I was in charge for a couple of years of a logistics and food supply company supplying airlines in the UK and US mainly. Half of the US carriers were in chapter 11 and loss making. Airlines are a precarious business. They have massive investment in long term purchases (planes), fuel costs that are hard to hedge (oil price volatility) and all sales are short term.

Premium carriers such as BA were competing with the low cost carriers (Easyjet, Ryanair etc now) who sell no frills, cheap as chips (and some of them periodically go bust). Consumers expect the likes of BA to compete on price and still maintain the leg room, food service and so on. It's impossible.

Travel became an undifferentiated commodity market for the masses in most cases, with a few premium seats sold at very high prices for those that can afford it. Basically they are the buses and trains of the air, and we endure it for a few hours to get to our destination.

Food logistics on planes are unbelievably difficult. 9/11 was the game changer. You cannot imagine the security steps to get food prepped in a catering unit (not airside) and eventually onto the planes. Very costly, and not viable except at premium prices.

We reap what we sow. Many airlines will fail now. We should in any case be travelling less and causing less pollution. Humankind may mend its ways post Covid 19.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top