British Airways

[TrackWatch]

I'm wondering if they were hoping to save time should a slot become available at Schiphol and it's backfired big time?

This is exactly why this happens (and / or to vacate the gate at the terminal for other aircraft to use). Happened to me many times on BA and I would say, 70% of times, an earlier slot does indeed become available.

So a typical scenario would be that everyone boards, doors are closed and the flight deck announces to the passengers that we are ready to depart but have a slot restriction of say 90 minutes. Sometimes they wait at the gate (if not imminently required for another a/c), sometimes they pushback and taxi to a remote holding area and shut the engines down. Loads of times, after say just 20 minutes I hear the engines spool up again and it's announced that an earlier slot has now become available.

Hugely frustrating at times, my thoughts used to be why have they boarded us and shut the doors when we could have had another hour in the lounge / terminal. But as I said, in my experience, invariably that slot restriction comes forward and unless we were all boarded, doors closed and airbridge retracted it could not have been taken advantage of.

 

[dosxuk]

I'm wondering if they were hoping to save time should a slot become available at Schiphol and it's backfired big time?

Last time I flew to Schiphol from Manchester there was fog causing delays at the AMS end, with a new scheduled departure a couple of hours late. However, we pushed back and sat off stand ready to leave on time "in case there was a break in the weather" - there was - we ended up leaving only a few minutes later than scheduled, apparently as soon as they opened up some slots it was first-come first-serve, so if you were ready to depart you could grab one.

...and why does it keep vanishing off Flight Radar 24 and re-appearing a moment later; it it a tricky position to get a constant signal from?

The ADS-B receiver network available to the likes of FR24 is optomised around aircraft in flight. The signals aren't strong and are easily blocked - but once in the air and it's line of sight they work fine. On the ground, you only really get a good signal if you're adjacent to the airport with that clear sight to all areas - not a problem if you're the airport operator, you can just mount your actual receivers on whatever the highest points on the airfield are. Different matter for the enthusiasts though.

It's the same reason ATC radio is mostly awful on sites like liveatc for aircraft on the ground - it doesn't mean the actual users are hearing it that badly, just the the enthusiasts can't get a good enough receive site to get clear audio.

 

[Butts]

The piggy back will absolutely not open if the delays are die to weather (or other events) at AMS and deemed to be outside of BA's control.

Hopefully it is something eligible for compensation - after what the passengers have been through it's the least they deserve.

From my experience they won't even offer the passengers in ET a complimentary tea or coffee onboard.

 

[JN114]

From my experience they won't even offer the passengers in ET a complimentary tea or coffee onboard.

With the current catering model it’s unlikely there’s sufficient stock on the aircraft to give all passengers any additional complementaries than they already get.

Yes there will be CE stock; but it won’t be sufficient to give to all passengers, so rather than “some” missing out; it is probably better customer service for all to be treated equally poorly.

 

[Mojo]

Yes there will be CE stock; but it won’t be sufficient to give to all passengers, so rather than “some” missing out; it is probably better customer service for all to be treated equally poorly.

IME in such circumstances they tend to give a Club Europe drink to Golds but for everyone else they just serve the normal complimentary water and snack on the ground rather than in the air.

Not sure if on the longer Euro Traveller routes that offer complementary food and an enhanced drinks offering they do anything different.

 

[JCO1406]

The last 787-8 with the old CW cabin is en route for refurbishment. This now marks the end of CW for the 787-8 fleet. 787-9 refurbishment is to resume once all the 787-8s are completed. This is currently 1 refurbished flying around, G-ZBKA. Still no dates yet on when the A380 refurbishment is expected to start, but there should be some refurbished aircrafts by the end of the year.

And yes, the new First Class will be fitted onto the A380s, but not on the 787s due to size limitations.

 

[Butts]

Came back from Las Vegas on Sunday on an Airbus 350 in Club World and my seat failed prior to landing - they had to kick a staff member out of a seat and put me in for landing.

Great experience for BA Customers at Las Vegas though - Lounge Gate(E1) and a Mini Casino all within close proximity to each other.

 

[nlogax]

Came back from Las Vegas on Sunday on an Airbus 350 in Club World and my seat failed prior to landing - they had to kick a staff member out of a seat and put me in for landing.

Great experience for BA Customers at Las Vegas though - Lounge Gate(E1) and a Mini Casino all within close proximity to each other.

Absolutely hate Harry Reid Intl. You board the plane from E-gates with slot machines still ringing in your ears. Hell.. the last time I tried to leave Vegas on BA we turned around at the Canadian border and landed back there.

 

[Butts]

Absolutely hate Harry Reid Intl. You board the plane from E-gates with slot machines still ringing in your ears. Hell.. the last time I tried to leave Vegas on BA we turned around at the Canadian border and landed back there.

Not sure if it has changed but the slot machines are in a self-contained Glass Room which also doubles as a smoking facility with no noise emanating from the "vice den"

It is quite a contrast to the arrivals area where machines predominate in the "open air"

BA provides good service for customers in California where I was able to enter Admirals Lounges provided by American Airlines in San Francisco and Los Angeles even travelling on economy tickets.

The Lounge in LA was particularly good and far better than it's counterpart at Heathrow T3.

 

[JCO1406]

G-EUOE has been retired. Another A319 gone.

 

[cf111]

The Lounge in LA was particularly good and far better than it's counterpart at Heathrow T3

The LAX oneworld lounge is very nice. The best LHR T3 lounge has to be the Qantas one.

 

[AlterEgo]

The LAX oneworld lounge is very nice. The best LHR T3 lounge has to be the Qantas one.

If you're talking about access for J, I agree. If you're lucky enough to have F lounge access, the Cathay one is generally preferred; it's intimate and feels exclusive and classy. It has a sit down restaurant with full service and a range of Western and Chinese food.

Likewise at LAX, the oneworld lounge is good, but the Qantas F Lounge is a cut above - even if it is due a refurb (in my humble opinion!).

 

[superalbs]

If you're talking about access for J, I agree. If you're lucky enough to have F lounge access, the Cathay one is generally preferred; it's intimate and feels exclusive and classy. It has a sit down restaurant with full service and a range of Western and Chinese food.

Likewise at LAX, the oneworld lounge is good, but the Qantas F Lounge is a cut above - even if it is due a refurb (in my humble opinion!).

I'd still go for Cathay Pacific's business lounge over Qantas to be honest, the vibe is spectacular.

 

[LTJ87]

British Airways confirmed today that it will add new Boeing 787-10 aircraft to its fleet at Gatwick from 2029 onwards, as the Boeing 777-200 is replaced:

A message from CEO Sean Doyle to colleagues following release of IAG annual results

-

mediacentre.britishairways.com

Last year, we announced an order for 32 new Boeing 787-10 aircraft. I’m delighted to share the first of these brand-new aircraft will be delivered to Gatwick in 2029, starting the replacement of our existing 777-200 fleet. These new aircraft, featuring crew bunks, will help us continue improving the onboard experience for both customers and colleagues, while supporting the continued growth of our network.

 

[camflyer]

More changes to the Club (formerly known as Executive) but it only looks to benefit very high spenders.

British Airways makes status even easier for high spenders

For members of The British Airways Club, next year it will be even easier to earn status if you are a high spender, but nothing changes for leisure travellers.

www.headforpoints.com

* Earn more tier points for baggage and seat selection
* Earn up to 2,000 tier points by contributing towards Sustainable Aviation Fuel
* Increased bonus points on BA flight segments
* Earn tier point bonuses on American Airlines and Iberia flights

The beauty of BAEC used to be how simple it was so it was easy to work out how many TPs you got per flight. Now they seem to be going out of their way to make it as complex as possible.

 

[AlterEgo]

More changes to the Club (formerly known as Executive) but it only looks to benefit very high spenders.

British Airways makes status even easier for high spenders

For members of The British Airways Club, next year it will be even easier to earn status if you are a high spender, but nothing changes for leisure travellers.

www.headforpoints.com

* Earn more tier points for baggage and seat selection
* Earn up to 2,000 tier points by contributing towards Sustainable Aviation Fuel
* Increased bonus points on BA flight segments
* Earn tier point bonuses on American Airlines and Iberia flights

The beauty of BAEC used to be how simple it was so it was easy to work out how many TPs you got per flight. Now they seem to be going out of their way to make it as complex as possible.

Great quote from the article:

You will remember how a key reason for launching The British Airways Club was to make it ‘simpler’ to calculate what you need to earn status. Giving people 40 tier points for Club Europe, 140 for Club World and asking them to hit 600 during the year for Silver was apparently too complex.

The new rules, from 1st April, are:

• Work out the base fare for your flight, which is not openly visible during booking
• Add back the carrier surcharge, but not airport charges, as this qualifies for tier points
• Take the amount you spend on seats and excess baggage and double it
• Where necessary, convert these sums to Sterling
• Work out the underlying fare class of your ticket, decide whether that would count as non-flex, semi-flex or flex, and look it up in the new ‘bonus tier points’ table to calculate your bonus

Really, honestly, BA can go and do one. The endless lies about how things are getting worse and more difficult dressed up as benefits and simplicity are just stupid. Yes, BA may well have needed to gut the scheme which was full of grifters, but passing it off as good news is just insulting.

I am going to hit Emerald with Qatar before my Gold BA status expires so they aren't getting rid of me from the lounges. Mine's a double of whatever the most expensive stuff is, thanks.

 

[cactustwirly]

Great quote from the article:


Really, honestly, BA can go and do one. The endless lies about how things are getting worse and more difficult dressed up as benefits and simplicity are just stupid. Yes, BA may well have needed to gut the scheme which was full of grifters, but passing it off as good news is just insulting.

I am going to hit Emerald with Qatar before my Gold BA status expires so they aren't getting rid of me from the lounges. Mine's a double of whatever the most expensive stuff is, thanks.

How does it actually compare to Miles and More from Lufthansa?

I have a big trip coming up with Lufthansa and Swiss and will earn a few Miles and Mores so interested how they compare

 

[Butts]

More changes to the Club (formerly known as Executive) but it only looks to benefit very high spenders.

British Airways makes status even easier for high spenders

For members of The British Airways Club, next year it will be even easier to earn status if you are a high spender, but nothing changes for leisure travellers.

www.headforpoints.com

* Earn more tier points for baggage and seat selection
* Earn up to 2,000 tier points by contributing towards Sustainable Aviation Fuel
* Increased bonus points on BA flight segments
* Earn tier point bonuses on American Airlines and Iberia flights

The beauty of BAEC used to be how simple it was so it was easy to work out how many TPs you got per flight. Now they seem to be going out of their way to make it as complex as possible.

Aside from the above to qualify for Silver you need to complete 50 Flights (or 25 for Bronze) - what could be simpler than that ?

 

[John R]

Coincidentally I’ve just today qualified for Star Alliance gold through Singapore KrisFlyer. Just two return trips were needed, albeit long ones!

 

[Royston Vasey]

Aside from the above to qualify for Silver you need to complete 50 Flights (or 25 for Bronze) - what could be simpler than that ?

We don't all smoke enough ciggies to make 25 return trips to LUX make sense, Buttsy!

I gave up on requalifying for Silver and enjoyed being home a few months ago, for the first time in 15 years (of which 20 months were Gold).

I too have started my earning with Qatar. With two eco long hauls to Asia and a few other Oneworld flights planned I'll be Sapphire again by late summer (open airspace permitting) and am already crediting BA short and long haul to Qatar so the tier points count for something. This is mainly flying in high economy buckets and premium economy buckets, short and long haul. For now I've been using my digital BA card to access lounges on a no-status boarding pass, and paying for seat selection if needed.

Their scheme resembles the old BAEC in terms of earning through distance and fare code only, and as for the old BA Silver, has a sweet spot for regular economy long haul travellers with restrictive travel policies. And as before the location of Doha means any trip to China or Japan warns 4x long haul earning.

I often have spent enough in a year to qualify in the new BA scheme, but not this year for various reasons and I worked out QR was a better bet.

They even offer a lounge in London and Doha for QR Rubies (the London one is the same you're offered as a BA Sapphire).

The unexpected snag in the plan will be the lack of ability to fly through Doha and get four QR sectors, which we all hope will be over soon...

 

[Butts]

Luckily as I am travelling from Edinburgh to wherever I am going via Heathrow it equates to about one trip a Month.

This is where Silver really pays off - 4 Exit Seats, 4 Fast Track Security 4 Lounges per trip !!

 

[camflyer]

Aside from the above to qualify for Silver you need to complete 50 Flights (or 25 for Bronze) - what could be simpler than that ?

50 flights a year puts Silver out of the reach of most leisure travellers. Used to be possible, with clever planning, with far fewer.

The irony is by dropping the "Executive" from the name they have made a FF scheme which is more designed for executives than ever before.

 

[AlterEgo]

Aside from the above to qualify for Silver you need to complete 50 Flights (or 25 for Bronze) - what could be simpler than that ?

Only a fool would be flying 50 times to attain Silver when better rewards are available elsewhere in Oneworld for fewer sectors.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Mar 2026 ==

How does it actually compare to Miles and More from Lufthansa?

I have a big trip coming up with Lufthansa and Swiss and will earn a few Miles and Mores so interested how they compare

I don't earn with Miles and More but Senator is hard to attain, and hence has never attracted my interest.

 

[Snow1964]

British Airways has announced new services from coming winter, Melbourne (Australia) and Columbo (Sri Lanka).

I think it served Melbourne in the past, but stopped about 20 years ago

• The airline’s long-haul route network is set to grow by nine per cent*
• New destinations include Melbourne in Australia and Colombo in Sri Lanka
• Expansion includes boost to winter capacity on several popular leisure routes including Cape Town, Tokyo and Barbados
• In response to the Middle East conflict, the airline also added additional flights to Bangkok and Singapore
• British Airways Holidays notes customers looking for alternative getaways, with an increase of more than 50 per cent in holiday searches for the Caribbean

British Airways has announced a significant planned expansion to its network for winter 2026, with the addition of two new destinations, Melbourne in Australia and Colombo in Sri Lanka.

In addition, the airline will be adding more flights for winter to Cape Town (South Africa), Haneda (Tokyo), Bridgetown (Barbados), Kingston (Jamaica) and San Jose (Costa Rica). The new schedule reflects a nine per cent* growth in British Airways’ long-haul route network, as the airline continues to invest in providing more choice for customers.

These planned new routes and frequency growth for winter 2026 is in addition to short-term capacity increases to destinations to meet customer demand, as a result of the situation in the Middle East. British Airways added seven extra return services to Bangkok and Singapore in the last week and will continue to review its schedule and add additional flights to destinations as needed.

Demand for travel continues to remain strong, and as customers look for alternative holiday destinations in the immediate term, British Airways Holidays has seen a rise in searches for popular destinations like Antigua and Gran Canaria, which have increased by 63% and 50% respectively.

British Airways announces major winter 2026 expansion

-

mediacentre.britishairways.com

I wonder if the engine problems that have seen number of long haul planes grounded are now coming to an end, because for last few months seem to have been very tight for serviceable long haul planes. Alternatively it could just be PR spin, and keeping quiet about other routes which are getting cuts to free up planes.

 

[sh24]

Possibly also a calculation that Dubai and other Gulf routes might not be back/bounce back that fast.

Lovely to see network expansion that isn't another boring 3rd tier US city.

 

[TravelDream]

Shocked to see BA return to Melbourne.

It was thought for some time BA would pull out of Australia altogether ending the Sydney via Singapore flight.

Great news!

 

[Bald Rick]

Shocked to see BA return to Melbourne.

It was thought for some time BA would pull out of Australia altogether ending the Sydney via Singapore flight.

Great news!

Also surprised. Where is the stopover?

 

[TravelDream]

Also surprised. Where is the stopover?

KL. It's an extension of the current LHR-KUL BA33/34 service.

I imagine BA retains traffic rights between Malaysia and Australia which makes it one of the sensible choices.

 

[Bald Rick]

KL. It's an extension of the current LHR-KUL BA33/34 service.

I imagine BA retains traffic rights between Malaysia and Australia which makes it one of the sensible choices.

Aha. The Sydney’s used to stop over ther ein the late 90s. Did it myself!

 

[TravelDream]

Aha. The Sydney’s used to stop over ther ein the late 90s. Did it myself!

The routes chopped and changed a lot through the years.

The daily Sydney flight is currently through Singapore and has been for many years, but it's also gone through KL and Bangkok in 'recent' years. Obviously, it used to be a multi-stop route before planes with sufficient range allowed a one stop service.