Mamamia

Since last July when BA changed many of its Executive Club rules, it's been almost impossible for a member to redeem his accumulated milage for free flights.

I have been calling BA constantly, spending many hours on-line, trying to organize a flight for my family to Europe NEXT SUMMER...

Forget it. Loyal members for 5-6-7-8 years are the least of their concern.

British is totally disregarding its obligation to its Club members, and with almost 200,000 miles accumulated in my account (mostly by using their credit card, which brings them nice revenues) -- I end up purchasing tickets, and with another airline...

They have it too good. It's time to let others know the truth.

daph

I got our BA f.f. tickets for London for this month way back in Feb. and there was only one date left [for 2 people]. More have been opening up this month until the threat of a strike. It is getting awful. As Peter Greenberg, the travel writer/radio man says, they owe us those seats!

janis

BA won't even let you sign up for their ff program if you don't buy a full fair ticket. And if you are already enrolled you only get a fraction of the miles for coach seats.

BIG hint -- anyone flying BA, especially in coach -- sign up for Qantas' ff program. You'll get full credit for BA miles.

daph

Thanks, Janis! Will do! Someday we may go to Australia.

janis

You need to enroll w/ Qantas w/i 60 days of your BA return flight. Then send in a photocopy of you ticket or itinerary and boarding pass. (Phone Quantas customer service to get the mailing address - I don't have it here with me right now. I remember it is in Arizona but don't remember the actual address.)

m_kingdom2

I've never had any problem with redeeming them, however, they accumulate over time, and never that quickly. Now a much better scheme is airmiles, which you earn from a Mastercard. You can spend these on Hotels, flights, anything on airmiles.co.uk. I accumulate around 10k airmiles a year which buy quite a few free flights, and maybe three nights at at five star hotel in a lesser city.

Riffic

BA isn't alone in shafting its FFer's. Starting just this month, Lufthansa has really socked it to the non-Business/First class traveler with their rule changes by reducing (sometimes to NOTHING) the amount of miles accrued on a flight. In addition, they've raised the miles needed for travel to many destinations and for class upgrades.

Bottom line is air traffic is picking up considerably as we get further away from 9/11 and airlines are taking advantage of this.

sandi

Most every FF program has changed rules over the past year or so, with requirements for more miles to some destinations, a percentage of miles (less than 100%) for coach seats and difficulty getting award tickets when wanted. So FF program participants have to adjust, whether we like it or not. But admit, from what you state, that BA is putting many limits on their program.

However, you don't mention where you wish to fly - from/to, but would suggest you contact one of BAs partner airlines and see if you can get to your destination thru a partner airline.

Hee_hee_hee

I don't think you people understand the term FREQUENT flyer. A frequent flyer is not someone who only travels once or twice a year on any given airline. It is a person who travels at least once or twice a MONTH on that airline. Someone who accumulates miles on a partnered credit card but does not actually fly 20,000 miles IS NOT a frequent flyer and should not be treated equally as the true sky warriors that legitimately earn them. Tourists and infrequent biz travelers do fill seats on a plane but they pay such low fares the airlines don't really profit from them.

Kate_W

I've found it quite easy to get American Airlines flights using BA points. Also, you might also consider using BA miles to upgrade tickets (which can be a better value than using a lot of points for economy tickets). For example, buy WT+ and upgrade to Club World for half the points it would require to get an economy seat.

Mamamia

Sandi, I was trying to get award tickets to Israel... Practically impossible these days... And I'm talking ONE YEAR AHEAD... I managed finally to get a ONE WAY ticket for next July, HOPING I could find a ticket coming back SOMETIME in August... And even then, the connection I got was awful, 12 hrs. layover in London to catch the 10pm flight, when actually BA has a 2 hrs. layover, catching the morning flight -- if you pay the price...

Hee Hee... I have been using 2 BA Visa cards for 6-7 years now. BA has been making money on me on a DAILY BASIS. This, in addition to flying BA once-twice a year.

It's disrespectful for them to treat us like fillers on a waiting list! Especially when we are trying to plan a vacation ONE YEAR AHEAD.

As someone said, BA OWES US. And they have been really disappointing. I am switching to different credit cards soon.

Patrick

The idea that only miles earned by actually flying should count fully for credit is absurd. There is no reason for airlines to offer all those other ways to earn miles and then say, "OK, you have the miles but they don't count because they weren't earned flying." Miles are miles no matter how they are earned. My loyalty to American for example is not only shown by always flying them, but by restricting all my credit card charging to their credit card for which they earn revenue, and for using their partners for things like dining, hotels, and even buying flowers. If they didn't profit from these things, they wouldn't offer them. And if they weren't going to reward me with points that are something then I wouldn't use them. It is that simple.

JoyC

Well it's not only limited to BA I tell you. Recently I used my Northwest FF miles for travel from St. Louis to Tokyo. I have to go from St. Louis to Minneapolis back to Detroit and then to Nagoya.Mind you there is a NW direct flight from STL to DET but if I want to do that I must fork in an additional 30,000 miles. Crazy!!

Sue_xx_yy

hee hee hee, airlines sell those miles to credit card companies who in turn award them for whatever they can get people to agree to do for them, whether that's spending bucks on that credit card, or signing up for that credit card, or hanging upside down from a trapeze for x hours while humming the tune to "the flight of the bumblebee". In making the decision to subcontract out the awarding of miles, the airline has already clearly indicated that how the points are earned is immaterial, insofar as its contractual obligations to the point holders are concerned.

Unfortunately what is considered 'honouring the terms of the contract' is pretty fluid. The airline must only promise to award a given percentage of its inventory; owing to the constant changes in flight schedules and so forth, they are not required to guarantee one can get access to any particular inventory at any given time, no matter how far in advance you book, or how long a time it has taken one to accumulate the miles. This has always been the basis of my skepticism of points programs - in exchange for points, a customer is guaranteed of getting something of value to the market as a whole, but not necessarily something of value to the customer in question. This seems to be the case here.

Mincepie

We have had no problems with BA frequent flyer miles and have just booked our tickets to South Africa for later this year..always great service and have never had any problems.

Gardyloo

Go introduce yourself on the BA forum at flyertalk.com. All the experts are there, frequent and infrequent fliers alike.

sandi

Mamamia - Definitely pose your questions to flyertalk.com

But have you or can you use the BA miles on EL AL? I know they partner with American, so assume they do with BA. Considering you're planning to fly in July/August - that's high traffic time, but not to have anything available a year ahead isn't very encouraging. You'll have to be on top of this regularly to see what opens, it at all.

As one of the other posters mentioned, have you considered using the miles for an upgrade if you can get a decent airfare?

You have to think outside the box, for all possibilities/options. So try flyertalk and see what they can recommend.

Gariem

I have booked two flight upgrades with points to Club World with British Airways this year and had no problems (just stay away from weekends). I booked the latest in July for travel in September-October. Admittedly, my flights were only to London RT from a North American Gateway, but from there you can now buy inexpensive tickets for travel to the European continent (Ryanair, etc. even some B/A flights if you book early enough.)

TopMan

I'm afraid I have absolutely NO sympathy for that army of "sky warriors" out there who haven't figured out yet that, like themselves, airlines are ultimately in the business to make money and they also know that pretty much regardless of what they do the "warriors" aren't going to suddenly start swimming over to London.

Kinda hurts when that shoe is on the other foot doesn't it?

Jocelyn_P

This raises a question for me:

I have a Capital One (or Miles One--whatever they're calling it nowadays) credit card. I have enough credits for one RT ticket to Europe. I also have an AA frequent flyer account, and enough miles with them to upgrade both DH and I to business class. Can I redeem both on the same ticket? I need to use Capital One's travel agent to redeem those miles. I've never redeemed upgrades or tickets with AA.