Ba To Shed 12,000 Jobs,

[Bobbisox1]

Always terrible when you hear this but I fear it’s the tip of the iceberg

[Mamyalynne]

It may well be the tip Bobbie.

https://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?news_id=2042460&;c=setreg&region=2

[andy-hughes]

It depends in which areas the jobs are being shed.

For vast swathes of people like cabin crew and even flight crew, contracts come and go, and can be extended, or not, as market forces dictate.

So it may be that a large number of people who are being shed in the short term could be picked up again when things improve.

[Bobbisox1]

I’d like to think so A-H

[Gromit]

British Airways has been in decline for 20 years. In 2018 they undertook a major restructuring which involved thousands of job losses. That had an immediate effect, but not a good one. In Which?’s annual survey of the best and worst brands for customer service, published in September 2019, BA ranked 83rd, with Ryanair the only airline scoring lower. BA also featured near the bottom of Alva’s recent Airline Reputation Index, coming in at number 55 out of 65 global airlines.

[naomi24]

I don't know why, Gromit. I travel a lot and I like BA.

[Bobbisox1]

Must admit I flew with them to NY a year past Christmas and I wasn’t impressed

[LadyCG]

I flew with them to the Turks & Caicos and they were fantastic.

[andy-hughes]

I think because the vast majority of people only fly a few times in a year, the evidence has to come from surveys with averages of responses being used to gauge a provider's success or failure.

I have only flown once with BA, it was fine, but I know that doesn't mean they are fine all the time.

[jno]

it's been a few years now, but I was sitting in an aisle seat, with a guy next to me. He started talking across me to the woman across the aisle from me. I twigged that they were married but for some reason BA had chosen to put me, and an aisle, between them. I offered to change seats with the woman so they could spend the flight together( which they accepted). But what were BA thinking?

And don't get me started on their sandwiches.

[andy-hughes]

jno - // it's been a few years now, but I was sitting in an aisle seat, with a guy next to me. He started talking across me to the woman across the aisle from me. I twigged that they were married but for some reason BA had chosen to put me, and an aisle, between them. I offered to change seats with the woman so they could spend the flight together( which they accepted). But what were BA thinking? //

They weren't 'thinking' at all - seating plans are done by computer bots, when one section is full they move onto the next one, and they don't bother to take into account if people are traveling together because it needlessly complicates things. If people want to sit together, they sort it, as your couple did, and as my wife and I have also done on a number of occasions.

[youngmafbog]

Only flown Business class (to JFK) with BA but I have to say it was the worst ever. Had to claim compensation for a ripped shirt caused by defective cabinets. It looked like the plane had not been serviced properly, lots of things didnt work and at business rates it was not good at all. Never flew with them again.

On top of that the Cabin crew are/were snooty.

Virgin Business by far the best.

[youngmafbog]

On the job losses this really is the tip of the iceburg.

Many people will loose their jobs and undoubtedly many will loose or have their lives cut short by what is happening.

But, at present, those people seem expendable so long as we save a few people with underlying health problems who in most cases would go soon anyway. Something very wrong going on.

[CrapAtCryptics]

I believe BA are Spanish majority owned so perhaps they should prop them up, my experience of them is still not good. Premium economy the smallest seats which they expect you to pay for separately. ICE one of the worst I`ve ever seen, the food was nothing special and we are still waiting for a refund 38 days later when the queries are very simple. I wont miss them.

[Prudie]

BA are not what they were and I prefer Virgin but that's irrelevant - it's a crying shame, in fact what this will do to the whole airline industry is a crying shame.

[Gromit]

It is quarter owned by the Arab Quatar Airways.

[Bazile]

Is there anything that still wholly British owned ; or is that a contradiction in terms , nowadays ?

[douglas9401]

Sovereignty, Bazile, we have our sovereignty and that, apparently is the be all and end all.

End of. :-)

[naomi24]

Jno, I’d take an educated guess and say those seats were the only seats available when that couple booked their flights. BA can’t be responsible for that.

[jno]

naomi, the seats weren't assigned till we got to the airport. That should have given them plenty of time to prioritise couples who had made a single booking.

[Spicerack]

Perhaps the husband asked to be separated from his wife and changed his mind after 10 minutes sat next to someone else.
Can't imagine why.