BA Exec Club Cancels All AVIOS

Avios miles expire after 36 months if you don't make any transactions within that period.

Chris

As I've just found out. But it would have been good customer relations to have been informed of the fact in advance. And they are refusing to reinstate them. So service recovery is not a strong point either. Appalling. CJB.

You haven't flown with them for three years. You're not exactly their best customer.

Oh, and it's not exactly a recent thing. They've expired after three years since WAAAAY before the change to Avios.

This folks, is what we call a First World Problem...

This'll be the same company that's just sent me an email telling me they are "nickel and diming" seat allocations

It seems that if you're booking a "hand luggage only" fare you now lose the right to chose a seat unless you pay extra for the privilege.

It's not as if the hand luggage only fare is a massive saving - it's only a tenner cheaper (when I booked)

so let's piss off a load of customers for the sake of a few quid a flight

tim

Welcome to a world where many people make their buying decisions solely on price, ignoring value.

If the seat allocation is important to you, pay the tenner and check a bag in as well. Leave the nickel-and-dimeing to those who are comparing pennies on the ticket price against Ryanair.

This situation has been brought about by many years of customers demanding the absolute lowest price on air fares. Now they've got the low prices they wanted, as well as the option to pay more to get the extras that not everybody needs, they're still complaining.

Chris

They make it clear on their web site, and I'm sure it would have been mentioned in other written communications you received from them.

If people just chuck stuff in the bin without bothering to read it then you can't blame the airline for that.

Chris

*ding*

"Yes, I want to fly to Australia for two shiny shirt buttons, but I want to do it in first class, being force-fed vintage champagne and caviar, dammit!"

That you granny for teaching me how to suck eggs

I was making a point about their strategy, not asking for advice

tim

Except that checking in luggage is one of those things that does actually cost the airline extra to provide.

It doesn't seem the slightest bit unreasonable for someone who doesn't want that facility to ask "why should I pay for it?".

It's not as if these seats are easy to get, you have to book them in both directions and they are yield managed at a quantity that is lower than the quantity of the lowest fare (meaning that they sell out before the lowest fare class does), and if only one direction is sold out you can't book them for just the direction that isn't.

And now they are taking away a perk (that costs them nothing at all to provide) from platinum [1] members who should deign to want to book one

Good customer relations - not! IMHO

tim

[1] and all lower classes, of course

I also believe that the customers who demand the absolute lowest fares are implicitly opting for the lowest standard of maintenance, spare aircraft etc.

I'm not worried, I haven't flown for a number of years anyway. ;-)