Hello Everyone and welcome to this flight between Lyon and London, a routine that was about 7 years long.
I usually left from Heathrow, I had to go to the funerals of someone close to me, so it was a last minute flight and I did enjoy the cheaper fares from gatwick (BA opens also a route to Lyon from Gatwick in the winter for the Ski season).
You may have noticed I lived for a good couple of years abroad. I have kept some pictures, emails and documentation of the flights throughout the years, and I have been flying on the same route, at identical periods (Christmas, Summer holidays, Easter…).
I thought I could do something different, instead of posting FR sporadically I am suggesting to pick up one flight per year, so that we are able to compare and note the evolution of the product offered by BA.
My aim is here to analyse the evolution of service legacies have offered over the years.
At the time, the fare included (for free): A cabin luggage
so free seat selection at booking, Complimentary meal and drinks (incl alcohol) and checked-in luggage no more!
For the quality and level of service detailed above, the average price ticket I paid of a SINGLE flight on the LYS - LHR is:
£56 for 2012 £49,6 for 2013 (including a flight redeemed with Avios) £57 for 2014 (including a flight redeemed with Avios) £65 for 2015 (including a flight redeemed with Avios) £50 for 2016 (including a flight redeemed with Avios) £52 for 2017 (including a flight redeemed with Avios) £17 for 2018 (including 3 flights redeemed with Avios) - hence the lower average ticket price £94 for 2019 (including a flight redeemed with Avios)
2017 was the so far the worse year for the customer service at British Airways.
First we saw the introduction of the new and by far the worst seats on A320neos. Second and most, the introduction of a hard Buy on board - without a complimentary glass of water.
This is when British Airways went from "to Fly to Serve" to "to Fly to charge". And this is more or less the same time I started to fly more and more with Air France, less and less with BA.
The way BA introduced the BOB was quite nasty: they - on purpose - downgraded the snacks and drinks so that they could brilliantly come up with this idea that they want to offer more variety.
And the price of 2017 prime bullshit goes to….
the flight report itself
Avios Miles earned with this flight: 250 Status earned: 5
I - almost - always flew on the A320, BA very rarely operated any other A32X family members.
at lyon - saint exupery airport
We arrived at Lyon Terminal 1, it has been a good couple of months at that time that most of the flights were operating from the new circular terminal building.
The terminal is really bright and efficient, even at the security control and the central plazza, passed the duty free.
The departure gates are often located at the D section, where a passport control is required.
The priorities were called in order, executive gold members and business passengers first.
onboard the a320
Aircraft: Airbus A320-232 Registration: G-EUUH Engines: 2x IAE V25200 Age: 19 Years Layout: Y180
Push back..
The new cabin and PSU, despite the aircraft's great age.
The one thing which was a good news in 2017 for British Airways was the new safety video.
Which is really a masterpiece of British Humour I must say I really love it.
All the greatness of British touch in a few minutes… Unlike BA's customer service level!
The seats as usual. With the Coat hook that I never presented to you so there you go!
I changed seats, as there was nobody in the row behind me. You can tell the plane is old with the former sound control.
The new BOB service… BRRRRR
£4.95 buffalo foccaccia…
A quick walk in the cabin… Really like these cabin screens.
The magazine review…
For once the approach was under a clear sky, enabling wonderful views on the City.
My home is near Tower Bridge… Brings me back with a lot of memories!
The famous London Eye and the Houses of parliament.
Hyde Park on the top right corncer
at london - heathrow airport
We arrived at terminal 3, which is super convenient as the gate is right by the exit of the runway.
Finally leaving terminal 3
Afficher la suite
Verdict
British Airways
6.8/10
Cabine7.0
Equipage9.0
Divertissements7.0
Restauration4.0
Lyon - LYS
7.8/10
Fluidité8.0
Accès6.0
Services9.0
Propreté8.0
London - LHR
7.9/10
Fluidité8.0
Accès7.0
Services7.5
Propreté9.0
Conclusion
We are going to see that the level of service has been going down over the years, but not the ticket fare, all in the name of the free market and the high competition.
The end of the complimentary service is an absolute no go for a legacy carrier in my opinion.
In 2017, on the LYS-LHR legs, I paid on average £52 for a single ticket, using a "free" flight redeemed with avios. In 2016, on the LYS-LHR legs, I paid on average £50 for a single ticket, using a "free" flight redeemed with avios. In 2015, on the LYS-LHR legs, I paid on average £65 for a single ticket, using a "free" flight redeemed with avios. In 2014, on the LYS-LHR legs, I paid on average £57 for a single ticket, using a "free" flight redeemed with avios. In 2013, on the LYS-LHR legs, I paid on average £49 for a single ticket, using a "free" flight redeemed with avios. In 2012, on the LYS-LHR legs, I paid on average £56 for a single ticket (so £112 for return).
The new cabin was a bit more modern in terms of colours but the seats were less generous in terms of quality and pitch. The cabin crew is a real plus, nothing too fancy but you know what you get on board BAW: no bad surprises of staff being grumpy (unlike AF at the time) In terms of entertainments, there were a magazine, the screens in the cabin which were really strong for a 2012 product (I am not adding the Wifi criteria on my ranking)
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Thanks mate! Yes and it was M&S sandwich, the exact same nonesense you could buy at home before going to the airport. Im yet to fly again with them since they resumed the free water and crisps service
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2 Commentaires
Thanks Chris for this nice series of BA going downhill ...
Yes and it was M&S sandwich, the exact same nonesense you could buy at home before going to the airport.
Im yet to fly again with them since they resumed the free water and crisps service
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