I regularly fly BA within Europe. This is a non-story, they are just formalising something that usually happens on full flights anyway – except they call you forward by row.

He reached the passport/ticket desk just ahead of me, only to be told that his Bronze card counted for approximately the square root of bugger all. I was called forward and greeted with overly theatrical schmooze while he was made to wait in shame.

He isn’t as daft as he looks, he will now be the first Bronze Card holder to board. I sometimes consider doing this 🙂 Being in Bronze is sometimes purgatory where you queue up behind the Gold & Silver Card holders only for everyone else to be called forward before you get to the desk. It was quite funny when two Bronze holders were told to go back to the Executive Club queue when they snuck into the front of the queue for everyone else.

The best thing about Bronze is that you can select your seats a week in advance. It usually means I can sit in the emergency exits and stretch out 🙂

And as for being last on board, it depends on the flight. I wouldn’t recommend it on the early morning flights (which are completely full of business travllers) unless you are checking your bags in. The overhead lockers fill up quickly.

The worst flight for me was a return from Copenhagen that was filled with American OAP’s returning from a Scandinavian cruise. It took forever to get them all aboard and for the crew to prise their various shopping bags off them to be correctly stowed. I thought the crazy old dear next to me died at least twice…

The best thing about Bronze is that you can select your seats a week in advance

Isn’t that the only thing about bronze ? I never fly ba these days don’t miss it. I’m a regular on airfrance/KLM now due to their flight times suiting better which seem to be maintaining their lowish standards compared to ba’s rapidly dropping standards.

BA has massivley gone down hill in the last 18 months IMO. Having to check in your own luggage and getting rid of having a free drink on the flight has just made them compete head to head with RyanAir, Easy Jet et al, which frankly they aren’t very good at anyway! BA used to have a price premium as you got better service, now they seem to be in a race to the bottom on saving costs and don’t give 2 hoots about customer service (rant over!)

Isn’t that the only thing about bronze ?

Pretty much.

The only other airline I frequently fly is SAS – they still give you free coffee (although that’s meaningless to me as work will cover the cost of a coffee if I don’t want to spend Avios).

I used to use Easy Jet for some trips, but not so much recently. Paying £15 to sit at the front and get speedy boarding was worth it, and still way cheaper than BA and not much different once on board. I suppose flying form T5 is usually a much better experience than the building site that Luton was (when I last flew from there 9 months ago).

On a recent BA flight one of the crew mentioned that they are expecting less leg room on some of the newer airbuses coming in for european flights. At 6’3″ unless I am in an emergency exit seat I already struggle!

On both legs of Frankfurt trip the emergency exit had no extra leg room and they still try to get you to pay extra to sit there. I am only 6’2” and could hardly fit into the seat. Luckily no one in middle so I could stretch sideways.

I used to mainly travel long haul so going back to BA short haul is a nasty shock. Good job I can do Paris on train this week instead

Good job I can do Paris on train this week instead

Much more civilised. I’d take Eurostar to Brussels or maybe further. I often think a sleeper train would be great for business trips to early morning meetings.

Though honestly I’m amazed they didn’t actually have a priority boarding sorted already.

They have had priorty boarding as far back as I can remember. First, business, those needing more time (children and disabled), frequent fliers, everyone else

All a bit of a non-story I think

Being in Bronze is sometimes purgatory

So it should be!

😉

CFH – had three years of not flying BA and had the joy of being congratulated by BA each time they downgraded my membership (after 20 years of gold)

Your picture is very apt. BA really know how to puss you off if you are not a frequent flyer. Need a few Asia trips to get the gold back fast.

You’re all looking at this the wrong way. I’d love to be held back to be the last one allowed on, then walk through the cabin looking smugly at all the people who paid more for exactly the same service that I’ll get. Winner!

I’d be pleased to be on last knowing that I got a better bargain than everyone else for precisely the same service. I wouldn’t want it to be known if I’d overpaid.

Edit: Snap!

Need a few Asia trips to get the gold back fast.

I think you’d need more than a few trips. My last long-haul to Seattle got me barely more tier points than a flight to Amsterdam. I ‘earned’ loads of Avios – and by loads I mean I could afford to buy a sandwhich on my next flight 😉

@CFH take the hats away and the picture is about right for gate A3 at 0645 on a Monday morning 😆

long-haul to Seattle

Round trip of 280 TP and about 30k Avioses. Nice. 🙂

Round trip of 280 TP and about 30k Avioses. Nice

I wish. I think it was more like 40 tier points and 2400 avios. I think the game is rigged so that some of us will never be treated as little more than peasants. I’d write to my local MP, but I expect he’d be sat next to you quaffing champagne 😆

😆

I will be flying with Emirates soon … 😀

The best caption to this image on here was:

Flashy, TJ and Me (Fred)