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New CEO Sean Doyle has said he wants to make a fresh start after former boss, Alex Cruz’s cost cutting measures. But what changes can BA customers expect to service?
Doyle told The Telegraph: “We need to be premium in everything we do. We are investing to be premium.”
Before the pandemic, some Britons had said they were Abba flyers (Anyone but British Airways) due to the airline’s cost cutting.
In good news for hungry travellers, Doyle says BA will be bringing back some free food for short-haul customers.
Short-haul economy passengers will now receive a small bottle of water and a snack on their flight.
However, some travellers might debate if the BA ‘golden age’ is really back as some favourite freebies will not return.
Passengers will not be entitled to a free cup of tea on a morning flight or an evening gin and tonic.
Doyle said the airline had no plans to reintroduce these freebies saying: “We’re very happy with what we’re offering, so we’ve got no plans to change it.”
BA passengers will have to use the airline’s app to order extras online before taking off on a short-haul flight.
In recent years, BA passengers have complained about the lack of legroom on the airline’s short-haul flights.
New seating arrangements have brought British Airways closer to the budget airlines Ryanair and easyJet on legroom.
Former CEO, Alex Cruz, even removed toilets on some short-haul flights to get more seats onboard.
Doyle said he acknowledged that legroom has been cut to add extra seats but said it was necessary.
He said that if the airline wanted to provide lower prices, it had to add more seats to its aircraft.
Other passengers have complained about the baggage fees as customers now often need to pay for a bag in the hold.
Doyle said that the new hand baggage only option had been “very popular” with many passengers.
However, he said things would be made clearer to avoid passengers booking the wrong ticket and having to pay more at the airport.
Some passengers have also complained that the customer service centre staff have been “cold”.
Doyle also said the airline is investing in staff training to bring back “warmth” to its customer service.
He said: “You’ve got to have compassion, especially with a brand like BA that has a strong emotional relationship with its customers.
“That’s going to be more important than ever coming out of this crisis [the pandemic].”
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