Isn’t this what the consumer has been clamoring for? The fist pounders on how great NOrwegian, WOW etc. The bottom gets set by those carriers and the legacy airlines are forced to compete in the marketplace.

glbltrvlr wrote:

BA to offer long haul basic fares.

Given Norwegian's entry into the longhaul market, is anybody surprised?

I wouldn't call it race to the bottom with two pieces of hand luggage, blankets, headphones, drinks and meals at no extra cost. With a weekend bag and a backpack you can fit in clothes for up to 10 days. This is a better product than the long-haul LCC's I reckon

The unbundling of fares...why pay for what you don't need? That said, this is pretty good. The belly could be better served with belly cargo.

BA have always charged for seat selection. The only thing that changing is they are exetending their hand-baggage only fares to long haul.

You could have mentioned that it's not only BA. From the article:

The changes are part of a larger rollout by BA’s parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), which will see American Airlines, Iberia and Finnair also introduce the basic fare.

Great deal lol

They're selling their BE for $580 on BOS-LHR (regular Y for $670).
DY is selling BOS-LGW for $380. Upgrading DY's fare to add a meal, checked bag and seat selection puts you still lower than BAs BE fare.

How is this different than what BA offers now?

Jk but yech

... and Virgin Atlantic does a similar thing and wins “Best European Long Haul Carrier” or whatever it was . British Airways could hand out free tickets with a complimentary 10 carat Diamond and would still be judged as racing to the bottom.

DominoxX wrote:

I wouldn't call it race to the bottom with two pieces of hand luggage, blankets, headphones, drinks and meals at no extra cost. With a weekend bag and a backpack you can fit in clothes for up to 10 days. This is a better product than the long-haul LCC's I reckon

Agree..... Last year cashed in miles and went around the world in 8 days. Standard backpack and legal rollerboard.... I have to admit though out of 8 days I only had 5 hotel overnights

BA, Basic Airways.

Catchy, I like it, eager to see the new livery

I wish I could compare just how much in reality the fares have changed. The article states fare differences of "up to £60 less".

gatibosgru wrote:

Great deal lol

They're selling their BE for $580 on BOS-LHR (regular Y for $670).
DY is selling BOS-LGW for $380. Upgrading DY's fare to add a meal, checked bag and seat selection puts you still lower than BAs BE fare.

The rents are higher at LHR. Plus you get worldwide connection possibilities with BA. With NOrwegian you run great risks if you build your own connections.

starguy wrote:

... and Virgin Atlantic does a similar thing and wins “Best European Long Haul Carrier” or whatever it was . British Airways could hand out free tickets with a complimentary 10 carat Diamond and would still be judged as racing to the bottom.

People simply expect more from what was a premium carrier.

I'm pleased with this. If people want more from their BA experience, then they can pay more for it. Unbundling makes sense both for the consumer and the airline - why should I pay for 20kg of luggage when all I want is a rucksack for a long weekend. There's no longer a place for sentiment or entitlement.

PlymSpotter wrote:

I'm pleased with this. If people want more from their BA experience, then they can pay more for it. Unbundling makes sense both for the consumer and the airline - why should I pay for 20kg of luggage when all I want is a rucksack for a long weekend. There's no longer a place for sentiment or entitlement.

Did their fares go down or did the cheapest fare just become the unbundled fare? Nothing to do with sentiment or entitlement, it was the airlines themselves that have always included it. If BA fares go cheaper, this is great news then, give the choice. If the cheapest fares now became unbundled but at same price, it is race to the bottom. But it is where the airlines are going.

airzona11 wrote:

PlymSpotter wrote:

I'm pleased with this. If people want more from their BA experience, then they can pay more for it. Unbundling makes sense both for the consumer and the airline - why should I pay for 20kg of luggage when all I want is a rucksack for a long weekend. There's no longer a place for sentiment or entitlement.

Did their fares go down or did the cheapest fare just become the unbundled fare? Nothing to do with sentiment or entitlement, it was the airlines themselves that have always included it. If BA fares go cheaper, this is great news then, give the choice. If the cheapest fares now became unbundled but at same price, it is race to the bottom. But it is where the airlines are going.

You do have a choice...flying is not a right. It’s not a utility. If you don’t like the product no one is forcing you to buy. Find an alternate means of travel. Private jets are nice I understand.

PlymSpotter wrote:

I'm pleased with this. If people want more from their BA experience, then they can pay more for it. Unbundling makes sense both for the consumer and the airline - why should I pay for 20kg of luggage when all I want is a rucksack for a long weekend. There's no longer a place for sentiment or entitlement.

It’s not unbundling, it’s a scam. You will pay the same for the seat that you were paying for seat+suitcase. And if then you want the luggage prepare for an oversized extra charge.

I’m glad you are pleased with this.

mcdu wrote:

airzona11 wrote:

PlymSpotter wrote:

I'm pleased with this. If people want more from their BA experience, then they can pay more for it. Unbundling makes sense both for the consumer and the airline - why should I pay for 20kg of luggage when all I want is a rucksack for a long weekend. There's no longer a place for sentiment or entitlement.

Did their fares go down or did the cheapest fare just become the unbundled fare? Nothing to do with sentiment or entitlement, it was the airlines themselves that have always included it. If BA fares go cheaper, this is great news then, give the choice. If the cheapest fares now became unbundled but at same price, it is race to the bottom. But it is where the airlines are going.

You do have a choice...flying is not a right. It’s not a utility. If you don’t like the product no one is forcing you to buy. Find an alternate means of travel. Private jets are nice I understand.

Is this a serious response? Read what I wrote, the airlines set the precedent of what is included, now that they are unbundling, I asked are they lowering their fares or just charging for what they used to include. If BA is flying the same route as say Norwegian and they are simply charging more for the bare bones offering that everyone on Anet says the flying public deserves, why would BA get that business? If LCC's are still cheaper, where is the BA value prop? No insinuation that flying is a right. You are right though, no one is forcing the passenger to buy. That is why the Legacies are creating LCC brands in-house, they are coming out with economy basic, and why LCCs have a grown presence. For the vast majority of passengers, the back of the bus on BA is no different than Norwegian, Ryanair, you name it.

gatibosgru wrote:

Great deal lol

They're selling their BE for $580 on BOS-LHR (regular Y for $670).
DY is selling BOS-LGW for $380. Upgrading DY's fare to add a meal, checked bag and seat selection puts you still lower than BAs BE fare.

I wonder when this is for, as I flew BOS-LHR round trip on BA last April for a base fare of $505. I paid $594.20 altogether with seat selection on both flights: an upper deck Y window on the A380 outbound, and another Y window on the 744 return.

Jayafe wrote:

PlymSpotter wrote:

I'm pleased with this. If people want more from their BA experience, then they can pay more for it. Unbundling makes sense both for the consumer and the airline - why should I pay for 20kg of luggage when all I want is a rucksack for a long weekend. There's no longer a place for sentiment or entitlement.

It’s not unbundling, it’s a scam. You will pay the same for the seat that you were paying for seat+suitcase. And if then you want the luggage prepare for an oversized extra charge.

I’m glad you are pleased with this.

I don’t think I’ll ever understand anyone like you who post responses like this. BA, AA, IB are offering a fare class to match/rival what the LCCs offer over the Atlantic with the added bonus that you get access to their vastly superior network, free meals in coach and other products or services you wouldn’t find on other carriers like Norwegian. Who cares if that fare class is higher than the Norwegian one for that specific date and time, buy Norwegian and the risks associated with it to save $50-$200.
The whole point of offering this fare class is to keep these potential customers from going to Norwegian and “hopefully” keep them.
But it’s a scam

airzona11 wrote:

PlymSpotter wrote:

I'm pleased with this. If people want more from their BA experience, then they can pay more for it. Unbundling makes sense both for the consumer and the airline - why should I pay for 20kg of luggage when all I want is a rucksack for a long weekend. There's no longer a place for sentiment or entitlement.

Did their fares go down or did the cheapest fare just become the unbundled fare? Nothing to do with sentiment or entitlement, it was the airlines themselves that have always included it. If BA fares go cheaper, this is great news then, give the choice. If the cheapest fares now became unbundled but at same price, it is race to the bottom. But it is where the airlines are going.

It’s not a race to the bottom to offer an unbundled fare. Lowering products and service standards across the board AND offering these fares, getting rid of business/first class, reducing wages across all work groups, transforming every aspect of the airline in to a LCC would be a race to the bottom.
Spirit (NK), WOW, Norwegian, Frontier and other LCCs/ULCCs make their money from offering unbundled fares and letting you decide whether you can read or not. If that wasn’t working, the legacies wouldn’t have lost so much market share and wouldn’t have bothered offering this same type of fare. It’s not a scam if you know what you’re paying for, can compare with multiple airlines and have options of different fares with their added benefits.

mcdu wrote:

You do have a choice...flying is not a right. It’s not a utility. If you don’t like the product no one is forcing you to buy. Find an alternate means of travel. Private jets are nice I understand.

Horsefeathers. There is no viable alternative means of travel, especially transoceanic.

Rookie87 wrote:

airzona11 wrote:

PlymSpotter wrote:

I'm pleased with this. If people want more from their BA experience, then they can pay more for it. Unbundling makes sense both for the consumer and the airline - why should I pay for 20kg of luggage when all I want is a rucksack for a long weekend. There's no longer a place for sentiment or entitlement.

Did their fares go down or did the cheapest fare just become the unbundled fare? Nothing to do with sentiment or entitlement, it was the airlines themselves that have always included it. If BA fares go cheaper, this is great news then, give the choice. If the cheapest fares now became unbundled but at same price, it is race to the bottom. But it is where the airlines are going.

It’s not a race to the bottom to offer an unbundled fare. Lowering products and service standards across the board AND offering these fares, getting rid of business/first class, reducing wages across all work groups, transforming every aspect of the airline in to a LCC would be a race to the bottom.
Spirit (NK), WOW, Norwegian, Frontier and other LCCs/ULCCs make their money from offering unbundled fares and letting you decide whether you can read or not. If that wasn’t working, the legacies wouldn’t have lost so much market share and wouldn’t have bothered offering this same type of fare. It’s not a scam if you know what you’re paying for, can compare with multiple airlines and have options of different fares with their added benefits.

Who said it was a scam? Unbundling is the reality. If customers used to pay BA $100 for a flight and got seats assigned/checked bag/etc and now pay $100 and no longer receive that, is that not a decrease in quality? Yes. Further point. If BA is charging $100 for that unbundled fare and an LCC is charging $80, what is the value prob to fly the legacies?

glbltrvlr wrote:

airzona11 wrote:

Did their fares go down or did the cheapest fare just become the unbundled fare? Nothing to do with sentiment or entitlement, it was the airlines themselves that have always included it. If BA fares go cheaper, this is great news then, give the choice. If the cheapest fares now became unbundled but at same price, it is race to the bottom. But it is where the airlines are going.

Exactly. Can't recall which, but at least one US CEO admitted that they were using the basic fares as a lever to get passengers to pay more, and another analysis showed that the basic fares were not less than the previous bundled fares.

UNITED!!

33lspotter wrote:

gatibosgru wrote:

Great deal lol

They're selling their BE for $580 on BOS-LHR (regular Y for $670).
DY is selling BOS-LGW for $380. Upgrading DY's fare to add a meal, checked bag and seat selection puts you still lower than BAs BE fare.

I wonder when this is for, as I flew BOS-LHR round trip on BA last April for a base fare of $505. I paid $594.20 altogether with seat selection on both flights: an upper deck Y window on the A380 outbound, and another Y window on the 744 return.

This is for Oct, using their low fare calendar (lowest price showing up any month)

airzona11 wrote:

Rookie87 wrote:

airzona11 wrote:

Did their fares go down or did the cheapest fare just become the unbundled fare? Nothing to do with sentiment or entitlement, it was the airlines themselves that have always included it. If BA fares go cheaper, this is great news then, give the choice. If the cheapest fares now became unbundled but at same price, it is race to the bottom. But it is where the airlines are going.

It’s not a race to the bottom to offer an unbundled fare. Lowering products and service standards across the board AND offering these fares, getting rid of business/first class, reducing wages across all work groups, transforming every aspect of the airline in to a LCC would be a race to the bottom.
Spirit (NK), WOW, Norwegian, Frontier and other LCCs/ULCCs make their money from offering unbundled fares and letting you decide whether you can read or not. If that wasn’t working, the legacies wouldn’t have lost so much market share and wouldn’t have bothered offering this same type of fare. It’s not a scam if you know what you’re paying for, can compare with multiple airlines and have options of different fares with their added benefits.

Who said it was a scam? Unbundling is the reality. If customers used to pay BA $100 for a flight and got seats assigned/checked bag/etc and now pay $100 and no longer receive that, is that not a decrease in quality? Yes. Further point. If BA is charging $100 for that unbundled fare and an LCC is charging $80, what is the value prob to fly the legacies?

Jayafe called it a scam, my apologies for bundling you in that.

Ticket prices have been for the most part fluid (for lack of a better term). What you pay for JKF-LHR will not be the exact same price the person sitting next to you paid for the exact same services. Your example is irrelevant with the $100 fare.
Again, if Norwegian has a better price, fly them. The value of a legacy over Norwegian is how they get you to where you need to be in an IRROPS situation, their vast network, partners and interline agreements, complimentary services, extensive reward programs.
All you have to do is be delayed on the one daily flight of Norwegian vs being delayed on AA/BA and you’ll see the value. No one is forcing anyone to buy that ticket. If you want an unbundled fare, the legacies have them. You want to be extra cheap, Norwegian will welcome you with open arms.

Aren't most airlines moving to this model transatlantic? Delta, Virgin, KLM, Air France, Norwegian, British Airways are the ones that jump to mind.

DocLightning wrote:

mcdu wrote:

You do have a choice...flying is not a right. It’s not a utility. If you don’t like the product no one is forcing you to buy. Find an alternate means of travel. Private jets are nice I understand.

Horsefeathers. There is no viable alternative means of travel, especially transoceanic.

And intercontinental travel for whatever you deem a cheap price isn't a right either.

[twoid][/twoid]

DominoxX wrote:

I wouldn't call it race to the bottom with two pieces of hand luggage, blankets, headphones, drinks and meals at no extra cost. With a weekend bag and a backpack you can fit in clothes for up to 10 days. This is a better product than the long-haul LCC's I reckon

Me neither. Fully agree on that. As long as two pieces of hand luggage, blankets, headphones, drinks and meals are included I don't really have an issue... My two

Jayafe wrote:

PlymSpotter wrote:

I'm pleased with this. If people want more from their BA experience, then they can pay more for it. Unbundling makes sense both for the consumer and the airline - why should I pay for 20kg of luggage when all I want is a rucksack for a long weekend. There's no longer a place for sentiment or entitlement.

It’s not unbundling, it’s a scam. You will pay the same for the seat that you were paying for seat+suitcase. And if then you want the luggage prepare for an oversized extra charge.

I’m glad you are pleased with this.

And you have evidence to back this assertion up I presume? Because I can look back at my BA flights and see a price decrease on routes I fly a lot when they brought in hand luggage only fares to the Short Haul market.

Jayafe wrote:

BA, Basic Airways.

Catchy, I like it, eager to see the new livery

euro white with white tail, BA in comic sans

I'm generally in favor of unbundling, but nobody in this thread has mentioned the big problem for the consumer yet:
Until recently, it was pretty easy to compare prices in an OTA search. Now that baggage isn't included in half the airlines, I have a hard time spotting the cheapest offer because it's all mixed up, much like in the old days when taxes and fees were hidden somewhere in step 7 of booking. I'm currently shopping for a flight from Germany to Spain with a family of 4 (with baggage) and it's super complicated to compare prices because every flight contains different amenities.