More cuts at British Airways, this time in the first class cabin.
- Amuse-bouches – CUT
- Fresh flowers in lavatories – CUT
- Amenity kits – DOWNSIZED
- Slippers + blankets – ONLY UPON REQUEST
Three minor cutbacks, but another sign that British Airways is truly missing the point of what it means to be a full-service legacy carrier.
IAG Group unveiled LEVEL this week, a new Spanish-based low-cost longhaul airline that seeks to compete with Norwegian Air. Clearly, that is the focus of Alex Cruz, CEO of British Airways. The man comes from Vueling, a low-cost-carrier, and thinks that the LCC business model can be applied across the IAG group.
But it can’t. I’ll stake my reputation on this: British Airways will only suffer if it continues to cutback. No one will pay a premium to fly British Airways over EasyJet or Ryanair because of what British Airways used to be.
I see no situation in which these cuts will actually lead to growth.
One cabin crew employee, who has been with the airline for 12 years, told the newspaper staff were “embarrassed by the state of the product. The only thing not being cut is the prices”.
And I think that about sums it up.
No one is going to choose British Airways because there are fresh-cut flowers in the lavatory. But people will not pay a premium to fly British Airways when the product (and seat on all but the A380s) is so diluted that it barely passes for business class.
See also:
British Airways Passengers Angry at Lack of Food and Toilet Paper
British Airways Will Have Less Seat Pitch Than Ryanair!
The Death of the English Breakfast on British Airways’ Domestic Flights
British Airways’ Curious Strategy for Growth
BA F is definitely so uninspiring it’s not even on my bucket list to check out. Heck, the new Q Suite on QR looks far more interesting.
And so is CX.
Oh dear. We will be flying BA premium economy international in a couple of weeks. I guess I shouldn’t expect much from this airline. We make this same trip every year and for last 12 years have flown continental & then united. We switched this year & now I’m thinking this is a mistake. Let you know how it goes
Well, make sure you eat before getting on board. And grab a bottle of wine duty-free while you’re passing thru! You will need it.
I travelled BA First a couple of months back and I made sure I requested everything going including the slippers and pajamas. Flowers have definitely gone from the washrooms and the amenity kit was now, let’s say, “travel sized”.
I also flew BA Club Europe last week and talking to the crew, some are extremely negative about the removal of customer benefits and are openly critical of Alex Cruz. One said he should be immediately fired and another said that they are planning to leave the airline this year because of Alex Cruz. What I was also told by a crew member is that Cruz cuts are now coming BA Premium Economy. Currently the BA PE meal service is essentially Club World but with less choice of dishes. Now under Cruz, it will be economy catering and nothing more. So you will be paying the higher BA fare plus the same Air Passenger Duty as someone in BA First for a slightly bigger seat and absolutely nothing else.
Truly sad when you pay big money to fly biz first and have to pay extra to book your seats in advance. Wife and I are going to fly Oslo to Las Vegas for our wedding day and had to book 2 seperate reservations because she returns before me, Could not book seat so we could set togeather when booked tickets that cost $$$$ had to pay $150 each to book seat in advance. So future UNITED or SAS here we come.