BA Is Shite

British Airways' Frequent Flyer Fiasco: A Loyalty Program in Freefall

2025-01-07T12:23:00.003+00:00

Introduction

In a move that has sparked outrage among its most loyal customers, British Airways (BA) has decided to overhaul its Executive Club frequent flyer rewards program, transitioning from a distance-based to a revenue-based system. This decision, which affects how tier points are earned and how customers can attain or maintain their loyalty status, has been met with significant backlash. Here, we dissect the changes, explore their negative impacts on customers, and assess the blow to BA's brand value.

The Changes to BA's Frequent Flyer Program

Historically, BA's loyalty program rewarded travellers based on the distance flown, allowing even those who secured cheaper tickets to accumulate points. However, the new model pivots to rewarding based on the amount spent, meaning:

Tier Points: Previously, tier points were awarded based on the class of service and distance of the flight. Now, the number of tier points is directly correlated with how much money you spend on your ticket, significantly increasing the cost threshold for achieving or maintaining elite status like Silver, Gold, or Gold Guest List (GGL).
Avios Points: While still partially based on flight distance, the accumulation of Avios points is now more heavily weighted towards the price paid for the ticket. This shift makes it harder for budget-conscious travellers to earn points unless they spend more on premium cabins or last-minute bookings.

Negative Impact on Customers

Increased Costs for Loyalty: Customers who previously enjoyed loyalty status through consistent but cost-effective flying will now find it much harder to reach or retain their status unless they're willing to pay more for their flights. This change essentially penalises loyalty in favour of wealth, alienating a broad base of regular travellers.
Loss of Long-term Loyalty: The new system seems to favour business travellers whose companies foot the bill rather than those who choose BA out of personal loyalty or preference. This has led to discontent among leisure travellers who might now look elsewhere for their travel needs.
Unforeseen Disruption: The abruptness and lack of transition for these changes have left customers feeling blindsided, with many expressing their frustration on social platforms, indicating a potential mass exodus from the program.

Damage to BA’s Brand Value

Trust and Loyalty Erosion: The very essence of a loyalty program is to reward and retain customers. By altering the program in a way that appears to disregard the value of long-term loyalty for short-term revenue, BA risks losing the goodwill it has built over decades. The sentiment on platforms like X has been overwhelmingly negative, with users describing the changes as a betrayal of loyalty.
Public Relations Disaster: The backlash has not only been from individual customers but has also caught the attention of travel bloggers, influencers, and industry analysts, painting BA in a negative light at a time when customer trust is paramount.
Competitive Disadvantage: Airlines like Virgin Atlantic and others have maintained or adjusted their loyalty programs in ways that continue to value both distance flown and money spent, potentially attracting BA's now-disgruntled customers. This could lead to a shift in market share, with customers moving to competitors where their loyalty is still appreciated.

The Likelihood of Reversal

Given the uproar, history suggests that such drastic overhauls in loyalty programs often lead to a partial or full reversal when customer backlash is significant enough.

Precedent in the Industry: Other airlines have faced similar situations where they had to backtrack or modify changes due to customer feedback, like Virgin Atlantic with its redemption fees in 2023. BA's current scenario mirrors these past instances where customer satisfaction was prioritised over immediate financial gains.
Customer Feedback: The outcry from BA's customer base, particularly those with long-standing loyalty, indicates that without some form of amendment or compensation, the airline might see a sustained drop in customer retention. The negative sentiment expressed online and the potential for a decrease in repeat business might compel BA to reconsider or adjust their current strategy.

Conclusion

British Airways' decision to change its frequent flyer program has not only disillusioned its customer base but also potentially damaged its brand value in a way that could take years to repair. The airline must consider whether the short-term revenue boost from higher-spending customers justifies the long-term loss of loyalty from its broader customer base. If history and current sentiment are any indicators, BA might soon find itself needing to reverse or significantly alter these changes to restore its standing in the competitive airline industry.

www.baisshite.com the latest news and views on British Airways, the world's "favourite" airline.

Go Woke Go Broke - BA's Androgynous Uniforms

2023-10-05T12:42:00.004+01:00

Female British Airways staff 'are furious over cheap uniforms designed for non-binary crew' saying the first update in 20 years is purposefully 'androgynous' | Daily Mail Online

😆 https://t.co/rHYmohJ5FG
— PaulaLondon (@Paulalondonnews) October 5, 2023

Judging by the reaction on social media, this will drive people to Emirates.

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BA Suspends Short-haul Flights

2022-08-03T12:34:00.001+01:00

British Airways has suspended ticket sales for short-haul flights from Heathrow Airport until 15 August.

www.baisshite.com the latest news and views on British Airways, the world's "favourite" airline.

BA's Third Rate "First Class" Breakfast

2022-06-10T11:15:00.004+01:00

First class #BritishAirways breakfast. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/hNfw1Les8h
— Jane Hawkes (@ladyjaney75) June 9, 2022

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BA's Ludicrous Mask Policy

2022-04-25T10:43:00.003+01:00

I booked @British_Airways to Malta because you said mask mandate dropped.
Now being told to wear a mask. Mis-selling!
What is actual BA policy please?
Btw people don’t tend to get Covid on planes. As you well know.
— Allison Pearson (@AllisonPearson) April 25, 2022

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BA Finally Removes Mask Mandate - About Bloody Time!

2022-03-15T13:47:00.001+00:00

From 16 March, our face mask policy is changing.

Where we’re clear the destination you’re travelling to doesn’t require a face mask on board, it will become optional 😷 ✈️

Please continue to respect fellow passengers' mask preferences in these instances.#BritishAirways pic.twitter.com/vgh5ws7DfO
— British Airways (@British_Airways) March 15, 2022

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BA To Continue With Mask Mandates

2022-02-10T11:00:00.003+00:00

Until airlines remove mask passenger numbers and revenues will continue to be negatively impacted.

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Something Fishy Going On at Terminal 5

2021-11-03T10:42:00.003+00:00

British Airways passengers left "baffled" after crates of frozen fish arrived instead of their luggage 🐟🐟🐟https://t.co/IrROzAFlJU
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) November 3, 2021

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SITA Hacked

2021-03-08T11:53:00.002+00:00

Dear Customer,

We take the protection of your data very seriously.

We have been notified of a data breach at global technology company SITA, an IT services provider to many airlines around the world. SITA is not British Airways’ booking and reservations system provider and SITA’s breach does not involve our customers’ financial information or password as SITA does not have access to this data. Please be reassured that this incident was not a breach of British Airways' systems.

Along with many other airlines, we do share limited information with partner airlines in order to enhance your experience when flying with them. We have been notified by SITA that some British Airways Executive Club Members’ names, membership numbers and some of their preferences, such as seating, has been impacted.

The password you use for your account is not held by SITA and has not been put at risk by this breach.

As a precaution, given the potential that customers have re-used passwords used for other websites, we are taking the following action to protect you:

Please log into your account and reset your password
Please create a new password that you have not used elsewhere
Once your password has been reset and you have completed a verification step, you will be able to regain full access to your account

We know fraudsters try to use situations like this to their advantage. We will not contact you by phone and ask for your password - please do not reveal your password to anyone claiming to be from British Airways. If you need to contact us, you can do so via our contact centres.

We are sorry for the inconvenience caused and thank you for your continued support and cooperation in helping us to keep your information safe and secure.

British Airways

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BA Selling The Family Silver

2020-11-23T12:20:00.004+00:00

Loyalty Lobby reports that a leaked post from the British Airways Intranet revealed that the airline will start a sale of certain First Class items today, mostly tableware and other things you usually find when flying BA First.

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BA's Voluntary COVID Test

2020-11-18T11:44:00.002+00:00

British Airways has announced the launch of a voluntary Covid-19 test for passengers travelling to the UK from three US airports.

British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle said:

“If we have a testing formula it gives people certainty from which they can plan.”

The trial begins on 25 November and will be free to eligible customers on three flights:

-American Airlines flight AA50 from Dallas Fort Worth to Heathrow
-British Airways flight BA268 from Los Angeles to Heathrow
-British Airways flight BA114 from New York John F. Kennedy to Heathrow.

Customers will be tested 72 hours before their trip, as well as during and after travelling.

This is of course utterly pointless, if the UK government doesn't change its stance on quarantine!

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Cruz Replaced With "Immediate Effect"

2020-10-12T11:16:00.005+01:00

Surprise departure of @British_Airways CEO, Alex Cruz, who departs with immediate effect.
— Andrew Neil (@afneil) October 12, 2020

He's done the dirty work, and now BA needs to build bridges again with their remaining customers and staff.

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BA Bans Booze on Shorthaul Flights

2020-06-17T12:31:00.000+01:00

British Airways has unveiled a drastically reduced food and drinks service, with booze banned for those travelling in short-haul economy.

Shoot me now!

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BA Is Revolting (In The Rising Up Sense of The Word)

2020-06-05T11:49:00.002+01:00

British Airways parent company considering legal challenge to UK quarantine rules https://t.co/DQIqbq4tJK pic.twitter.com/jWlFoK3892
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 5, 2020

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BA To Pull Out of Gatwick?

2020-05-01T11:27:00.001+01:00

In addition to looking to cut 12,000 staff from its workforce of 42,000 there are signs that BA may well not return to Gatwick once Covid-19 has ended.

The admission came in a memo, written by the head of BA's Gatwick hub and seen by BBC News.

BA's Gatwick operation, which is currently suspended, is roughly a fifth as big as its Heathrow hub.

In the memo to Gatwick's staff, the company says:

"As you know, we suspended our Gatwick flying schedule at the start of April and there is no certainty as to when or if these services can or will return.

We need to ensure that our remaining operation is efficient, flexible and cost-competitive to enable us to survive in an increasingly lean and unpredictable industry."

Post Covid it is clear that the airline and travel industry will take quite some time to recover. Not least, because governments will most likely expect visitors from abroad to quarantine on arrival and airlines will be expected to practice social distancing in airports and on flights.

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BA Halts Flights To China Over Coronavirus

2020-01-29T10:03:00.003+00:00

https://t.co/xEeHzSBrrl
— Forbes (@Forbes) January 29, 2020

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BA Cancels 1,500 Flights

2019-09-09T11:28:00.004+01:00

Those of you expecting to fly BA today shouldn't bother turning up at the airport,. because BA have cancelled 1,500 flights as a result of the pilots' strike.

This won't end well.

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Belated Happy Birthday To British Airways

2019-08-28T10:19:00.003+01:00

British Airways: on the airline's 100th birthday, thousands of prospective passengers are stressed, upset and out-of-pocket as a result of BA's botched communication about the impending pilots' strike
I will try to answer as many Twitter questions as I can from 1 to 2pm BST today
— Simon Calder (@SimonCalder) August 25, 2019

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BA IT Crash

2019-08-07T10:19:00.000+01:00

The BBC reports that BA is suffering an IT crash.

Customers at UK airports have taken to social media to complain about long queues, flight delays and the app crashing.

At Heathrow, 81 flights have been cancelled while BA have cancelled 10 Gatwick flights.
BA said it is reverting to manual systems for check-in at airports.

More than 200 flights have been delayed across the UK, with the airline advising customers to allow extra time at airports.

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BA Faces Record £183M Fine

2019-07-08T10:32:00.002+01:00

British Airways fined £183m over a customer data breach last year https://t.co/kihxoXHBzF
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) July 8, 2019

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BA Düsseldorf Flight Ends Up In Edinburgh

2019-03-26T10:18:00.001+00:00

A British Airways flight destined for Düsseldorf in Germany has landed in Edinburgh by mistake, after the flight paperwork was submitted incorrectly.

The passengers only realised the error when the plane landed and the "welcome to Edinburgh" announcement was made.

The plane, which started at London's City Airport, was then redirected and landed in Düsseldorf. WDL Aviation ran the BA flight through a leasing deal.

BA said it was working with WDL to find out why it filed the wrong flight plan.

"We have apologised to customers for this interruption to their journey and will be contacting them all individually," BA said in a statement.

Not very impressive!

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British Airways To Become Spanish Airways?

2018-11-12T09:46:00.003+00:00

British Airways news pic.twitter.com/pvgjqCMeLo
— Sam Coates Times (@SamCoatesTimes) November 12, 2018

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BA Hacked

2018-09-07T10:24:00.001+01:00

British Airways apologizes after 380,000 customers hit in cyber attack - Reuters https://t.co/reWsGavoM9
— British Airways News (@BA_Headlines) September 7, 2018

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Tight Sniffing BA Stewardess Dismissed

2018-08-20T11:25:00.004+01:00

British Airways flight attendant suspended for posting video w - The Independent https://t.co/SFZgxqbMA6
— British Airways News (@BA_Headlines) August 20, 2018

Apparently there is a "healthy" market online for used cabin crew tights etc!

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BA's GDPR Fail

2018-07-23T09:58:00.002+01:00

#Doh #GDPR #Fail | British Airways shows everyone how not to GDPR 🤦‍♂https://t.co/XaGbQwjhxZ
— Duo48 WordPress Development (@Duo_48) July 23, 2018

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