British Airways Documentary BBC 2 June 02nd

islanderre

Seen this advertised on another aviation forum.......Should be worth watch.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2014/22/very-british-airline

Starts June 02nd on BBC 2

islanderre

Bump.....

This starts tonight.... I wont see it but have the box set to record!!!!!!

Lapin

The day all the 747s are replaced will be a sad day indeed.


The A380 doesn't have the same charisma.

Lapin

Interesting enough but very much behind the scenes. So much behind the scenes that we only met two paying passengers, and that was after 54 minutes. And even then, they only came across as a pair of twits mumbling about the souffle.

All other opinion was simply the result of in house testing with everything to the dummy flight with staff volunteers to the initial menu tasting by BA'a own execs.

The focus on BA's ruthless strive towards excellence and high standards came through well with their infamous 'snapshot' policy particularly well covered.

I'm glad it's not the warts and all type documentary like 'Airline' and the numerous fly on the wall shows in various airports, but I'd like to see a bit more input from customers telling us how they found the service, rather than BA continuously telling us how good they are at providing it.

Delta2113

It's worth watching and episode 2 looks like it could be even better - New York and snow problems etc.

the_monkey

Lapin wrote: »

The day all the 747s are replaced will be a sad day indeed.


The A380 doesn't have the same charisma.

Indeed, I don't know why they don't get a few 747/8's ... capacity is similar and they are new planes too.

How many episodes in the series ?

Delta2113

3 Episodes.

the_monkey

Good show, but what about that nobend in 1st class not happy cos his souvlait au born petit or whatever was slightly overcooked ?

Piss off ya posh stuck up knob end, there are starving kids in the world ... go to a top class restaurant in LA, you'll get a lot better - you're paying for the space you twat.

/rant...

Grandeeod

the_monkey wrote: »

Good show, but what about that f_ucking nobend in 1st class not happy cos his souvlait au born petit or whatever the f*ck was slightly overcooked ?

F-ck off ya posh stuck up knob end, there are starving kids in the world ... go to a top class restaurant in LA, you'll get a lot better - you're paying for the space you f*cking dick head.

/rant...

Felt disgusted by that too. Glad Ryanair evolved. This documentary is nothing more than a state backed promo video, designed to make the British prouder than they are.

Lapin

the_monkey wrote: »

Good show, but what about that f_ucking nobend in 1st class not happy cos his souvlait au born petit or whatever the f*ck was slightly overcooked ?

F-ck off ya posh stuck up knob end, there are starving kids in the world ... go to a top class restaurant in LA, you'll get a lot better - you're paying for the space you f*cking dick head.

/rant...

As I said myself above, they came across as a pair of twits to me too.

But I think you're missing the point about first class service in air travel.

London to Los Angeles is an 11 hour flight so passengers can expect to be fed en route.
And at £13k + per return trip they can expect top notch food. I don't know where you get the idea that they are just "paying for the space".

The competition in the industry is cut throat and as was pointed out in the documentary earlier, those in the premuim seats pay a much higher proportion than those down the back. They in effect subsidise air travel for economy passengers. Full service airlines like BA rely on them.

Thats why seemingly silly little thing like getting the souffle right is important and passengers like these need to be pampered.

Even if they actually are annoying twits, or dick heads as you call them, if they have the shillings, keep them. Otherwise they'll think nothing of flying with Virgin, AA etc...


Finally, how does eating in a top class restaurant when they get to LA rather than eating well at 38,000 feet on the way to LA do anything to help the plight of starving kids in the world.

lord lucan

the_monkey wrote: »

Good show, but what about that f_ucking nobend in 1st class not happy cos his souvlait au born petit or whatever the f*ck was slightly overcooked ?

F-ck off ya posh stuck up knob end, there are starving kids in the world ... go to a top class restaurant in LA, you'll get a lot better - you're paying for the space you f*cking dick head.

/rant...

I've no issue with the content of your post but can I ask that you watch the language in future and show some decorum in A&A.

Thanks.

the_monkey

Lapin wrote: »

As I said myself above, they came across as a pair of twits to me too.

But I think you're missing the point about first class service in air travel.

London to Los Angeles is an 11 hour flight so passengers can expect to be fed en route.
And at £13k + per return trip they can expect top notch food. I don't know where you get the idea that they are just "paying for the space".

The competition in the industry is cut throat and as was pointed out in the documentary earlier, those in the premuim seats pay a much higher proportion than those down the back. They in effect subsidise air travel for economy passengers. Full service airlines like BA rely on them.

Thats why seemingly silly little thing like getting the souffle right is important and passengers like these need to be pampered.

Even if they actually are annoying twits, or dick heads as you call them, if they have the shillings, keep them. Otherwise they'll think nothing of flying with Virgin, AA etc...


Finally, how does eating in a top class restaurant when they get to LA rather than eating well at 38,000 feet on the way to LA do anything to help the plight of starving kids in the world.

Complaining about the quality of food at that altitude is ridiculous,
the taste buds are off at that pressure anyway, so airline food needs to be over salted as it is ...

You can't have perfect perfect comfort in a plane, you can get close but it will never be as good as a normal on the ground restaurant.

You may as well complain that there isn't a golf course in the 1st class cabin.

- The kids reference, was more of a reference that he should be content with his lot in life - he's done well fair play to him.

I like to think if I could afford that kind of seat i'd just be so happy with my space and my bed and the super TV that I wouldn't complain about food..

Then again I think if I were loaded I'd just buy 3 economy seats
and lie out on them rather then sit near those twats..

the_monkey

lord lucan wrote: »

I've no issue with the content of your post but can I ask that you watch the language in future and show some decorum in A&A.

Thanks.

Apologies, original post edited ...

dealhunter1985

more importantly, I hope Jodie makes it through !

roundymac

I flew BA last year, on both legs the 747s were fairly clapped out. On the outward leg the flight was was delayed by two and half hours for technical reasons. Not long after we took off the technical reasons returned, ie; most of the cabin lighting failed. On the return flight on a different 747 half the toilets in the rear half of the plane were u/s. Both planes were looking dated & jaded internally.

knucklehead6

repeated June 4th at 11.20pm for those of us who missed it

L1011

dealhunter1985 wrote: »

more importantly, I hope Jodie makes it through !

I wouldn't be confident - I could tell from the start of the show from the way they focused on her and the lad that has already been booted out that something went awry. TV editors can be stupidly transparent in their motives.

circular flexing

the_monkey wrote: »

Indeed, I don't know why they don't get a few 747/8's ... capacity is similar and they are new planes too.

The industry as whole is moving away from high capacity 4 engine jets in favour of 777/787/A350 etc.. as the 747-8's are just too expensive to operate.

Order numbers for the A380 are not all that great either, especially when compared to 777/787/A350 order numbers.

Tenger

the_monkey wrote: »

Indeed, I don't know why they don't get a few 747/8's ... capacity is similar and they are new planes too.

How many episodes in the series ?

The A380 is a far more efficient people mover than the B748i.
But in reality the B773, the A350 and the B77X will surpass both.

the_monkey

What a pity , I love the 747 ...

So have Boeing made a blunder ? the 747/8 is relatively new after all ...

Tenger

the_monkey wrote: »

What a pity , I love the 747 ...

So have Boeing made a blunder ? the 747/8 is relatively new after all ...

Not a blunder. The B748i was a redesign of the B744 using the tech that was developed for the B777 and B787 programs. So the investment was less that for a larger program, such as the B737MAX .So while the sales of the pax version have definitely been underwhelming it will prob break even overall. The B748F is selling well.

the_monkey

By F you mean the freighter yeah ?

circular flexing

the_monkey wrote: »

By F you mean the freighter yeah ?

Yes. The 747-8F definitely has a future, the 747-8I not so much.

Jack1985

MYOB wrote: »

I wouldn't be confident - I could tell from the start of the show from the way they focused on her and the lad that has already been booted out that something went awry. TV editors can be stupidly transparent in their motives.

Agree how was it funny when she was acting out talking to a blind customer? She looked a right idiot - She hit the nail on the head then when she said it was her evaluation and they were focusing on her not the rest with that performance.

N7777G

knucklehead6 wrote: »

repeated June 4th at 11.20pm for those of us who missed it

Life is short - don't waste a precious hour of your life - it was awful stuff

Zonda999

I enjoyed the program, although its nowhere near as good as that one of the BA 744 in D-Check which was screened in 2012 (Highly recommended). I reckon Jodie will probably make it through, surely both of the cabin crew recruits they focused on, won't be booted out!

While people are on the subject on BA's 744's, their upcoming retirement, and why they aren't all being replaced with other VLA's, people need to realise that when BA ordered those planes, they were primarily concerned with range, of which the 744 had significantly more of than virtually any other aircraft at the time. What they're being replaced by (A350, A380, B787 and B77W) have effectively the same range as the old 744's but are more "right-sized" to BA's current and presumably future network make-up.

I flew on a BA744 to and from JFK in 2012 (Both late 90's birds so among the newer in the fleet) and they getting a bit worn, fine in terms of space but obviously getting on otherwise. I preferred the 3 month old Malaysian A380 I flew on last year I'm afraid! They are without doubt a fantastic looking aircraft though, and they really look well in the BA livery. I have heard similar things about fairly worn out 744's from a friend who flew in a Lufthansa 744 to India lately by the way..

Tenger

Zonda999 wrote: »

I enjoyed the program, although its nowhere near as good as that one of the BA 744 in D-Check which was screened in 2012 (Highly recommended). I reckon Jodie will probably make it through, surely both of the cabin crew recruits they focused on, won't be booted out!.......

I would expect that both applicants gave permission to be filmed.....might be embarrassing if they were not hired later on.

the_monkey

Lufthansa have a few 747/8 passenger planes afaik..

L1011

Zonda999 wrote: »

surely both of the cabin crew recruits they focused on, won't be booted out!

Why do you think they focused on them? Probably filmed as much with the ones who aren't getting multiple "snapshots" too - the wonders of the edit suite.

Zonda999

Tenger wrote: »

I would expect that both applicants gave permission to be filmed.....might be embarrassing if they were not hired later on.

MYOB wrote: »

Why do you think they focused on them? Probably filmed as much with the ones who aren't getting multiple "snapshots" too - the wonders of the edit suite.

I don't doubt that they did but I reckon they would have edited in at least one recruit who made it through training

the_monkey wrote: »

Lufthansa have a few 747/8 passenger planes afaik..

They do, they remain the only operator of the passenger variant B747-8i so far

Strumms

Lapin wrote: »

The day all the 747s are replaced will be a sad day indeed.


The A380 doesn't have the same charisma.

I think if someone gave me the option tomorrow to take a flight on an A380 vs 747 I'd go with the A380. For a 10 hour flight I don't really think a 747-400 which is pretty much considered a classic at this point will match an a380 in terms of overall comfort and passenger experience. I have flown on the 747s going back to the EI 100 series and up and I totally get the iconic nature of the aircraft and from an enthusiasts standpoint I really get why there is so much love for it but as a customer on a 10 hour flight the product offered by the a380 from the quietness of the cabin, space, mod cons..layout... Wins hands down for me. Minot experienced it yet but on my bucket list..

As regards the programme... It's hardly much of a documentary more of an advertisement meets crappy soap opera meets reality tv... Not a good combo and I don't think most of us learned a whole great deal about their operation then we might have guessed about it anyway... I also agree with the posters who criticised the programme for the limited amount of air time given to regular customers...

Tenger

Strumms wrote: »

I think if someone gave me the option tomorrow to take a flight on an A380 vs 747 I'd go with the A380.............I totally get the iconic nature of the aircraft and from an enthusiasts standpoint I really get why there is so much love for it but as a customer on a 10 hour flight the product offered by the A380..... Wins hands down for me...

100%. What the market wants and what the aerosexuals want are often 2 very different things.

I remember being #2 for takeoff in LHR many years ago. The captain had to made a PA warning the pax that Concorde was about to take off. Tremendous sound and vibration from the beauty. It shook our narrow body. Still remains one of my best aviation memories. But so inefficient from an operational experience.

On the other hand about 4 years ago I was in a similar situation in LHR. I was a pax on the lefthand side, watched a B744, A380 and an A333 take-off in quick succession. The A380 was the quietest of the 3.

Henry Ford III

I enjoyed the programme.

It was surprising to see how much time and effort went into the uniform and cabin crew appearance.

There was a black lady who preened herself to the nth degree, but still looked awful.

Preset No.3

Id like to see Tenger getting his bits waxed and looking all prim and proper in his uniform!!

owenc

What??

Tenger

Nowadays the BA uniform is still seen as a very important past of the brand. Wearing it correctly is still important. Not quite as regimented as the Asia/ME carriers however. In the US uniform standards are a little more lax.

pac_man wrote: »

Although I enjoyed that doc the other night, I think this one was a lot more informative.....

I guess back then spin was a little less apparent and/or domineering.

Preset No.3 wrote: »

Id like to see Tenger getting his bits waxed and looking all prim and proper in his uniform!!

You sound a bit like my wife did a few years back. The uniform no longer impresses her.

*P.S. can I warn a poster for wanting to see a Mod getting his "bits waxed"?

andy_g

Tenger wrote: »

*P.S. can I warn a poster for wanting to see a Mod getting his "bits waxed"?

Afraid not normally pic requests of mods are to be entertained :eek:
*runs*

fr336

This is definitely watchable for anyone with any kind of aviation interest, but I wouldn't call it high quality sadly.

Very glad Alice got her stripes though seems a lovely lass!

Davidth88

Watched the second one last night , having missed the first one.

TBH , found it boring .

Tenger

Davidth88 wrote: »

Watched the second one last night , having missed the first one.

TBH , found it boring .

The 'issue' with many of these type of programs (ie the LHR Live show a few months back also) is that they are aimed at the general public who have little knowledge of aviation. For most people who do have an interest and a bit of knowledge this program doesn't delve into the nitty gritty that they would like to see. Aircrat Investigation can often appear very simplistic to aviation fans, as it is aimed at the lowest knowledge base and aims to entertain rather than just teach.

lord lucan

It had all the hallmarks of a PR piece, even concorde got a mention. Nice bit of cheap advertising for BA.

Patrickheg

lord lucan wrote: »

It had all the hallmarks of a PR piece, even concorde got a mention. Nice bit of cheap advertising for BA.

Better than watching cornation street surely.

Not a dig at you but some people have very high expectations of specialty programmes that have a limited fan base in their pure form so have to be "dumbed" down to increase the viewership numbers.

lord lucan

Patrickheg wrote: »

Better than watching cornation street surely.

Not a dig at you but some people have very high expectations of specialty programmes that have a limited fan base in their pure form so have to be "dumbed" down to increase the viewership numbers.

The thing is,i don't think it was even dumbed down. It was a slick piece of PR that continually screamed BA= Service,BA= Service! I wasn't expecting a warts and all behind the scenes look at BA but even a closer look at some other areas other than Cabin Crew and Airport/Terminal Managers would've been nice.

fr336

Oh it was defo dumbed down (as usual then), but also a relatively sound piece of PR. I don't think it's brilliant in either vein though.

The thing that stuck with me was most people's salary being spent on couple of First Class BA flights.....that crap is for status more than anything no 'first class experience' is worth such sums.

roundymac

fr336 wrote: »

Oh it was defo dumbed down (as usual then), but also a relatively sound piece of PR. I don't think it's brilliant in either vein though.

The thing that stuck with me was most people's salary being spent on couple of First Class BA flights.....that crap is for status more than anything no 'first class experience' is worth such sums.

Not unless you can afford it, then you can have peace away from the riff-raff( economy):D

basill

Some people fail to grasp simple airline economics even though the metrics were laid out in the first episode. First and Business class provide the profit, economy pays for the petrol. Very little yield comes from the back of the aircraft. But if you want to pay a grand plus to go across the ditch in cattle class then go ahead and get rid of the premium cabin and cargo whilst you are at it.

roundymac

I'v flown Premium Economy a couple of times, I don't think it's worth it in the long run, seating is slightly wider with a couple inches more on the knees. Cabin layout is 2-4-2. The only real benifit is that you can get bumped up to Business which happened to us one time. Oh and the food in P/E is the same as in economy.

circular flexing

roundymac wrote: »

I'v flown Premium Economy a couple of times, I don't think it's worth it in the long run, seating is slightly wider with a couple inches more on the knees. Cabin layout is 2-4-2. The only real benifit is that you can get bumped up to Business which happened to us one time. Oh and the food in P/E is the same as in economy.

P/E has a couple of other advantages too, namely an extra bag and (depending on the plane), you are let off after First and before Business/Economy which can be useful if you have to clear immigration in the US. Also, you get way more tier points (220 vs. 90 for Economy for return transatlantic trip) so if you are trying to build them up it can be good for that.

airman737

Zonda999 wrote: »

I enjoyed the program, although its nowhere near as good as that one of the BA 744 in D-Check which was screened in 2012 (Highly recommended). I reckon Jodie will probably make it through, surely both of the cabin crew recruits they focused on, won't be booted out!

While people are on the subject on BA's 744's, their upcoming retirement, and why they aren't all being replaced with other VLA's, people need to realise that when BA ordered those planes, they were primarily concerned with range, of which the 744 had significantly more of than virtually any other aircraft at the time. What they're being replaced by (A350, A380, B787 and B77W) have effectively the same range as the old 744's but are more "right-sized" to BA's current and presumably future network make-up.

I flew on a BA744 to and from JFK in 2012 (Both late 90's birds so among the newer in the fleet) and they getting a bit worn, fine in terms of space but obviously getting on otherwise. I preferred the 3 month old Malaysian A380 I flew on last year I'm afraid! They are without doubt a fantastic looking aircraft though, and they really look well in the BA livery. I have heard similar things about fairly worn out 744's from a friend who flew in a Lufthansa 744 to India lately by the way..

https://www.google.ie/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&ie=UTF-8&rct=j#q=BA+744+in+D-Check

Excellent 58 minutes

Preset No.3

I've flown economy.

I've flown business.

Now I only fly business!!! Worth. Every. Penny.

Davidth88

Tenger wrote: »

The 'issue' with many of these type of programs (ie the LHR Live show a few months back also) is that they are aimed at the general public who have little knowledge of aviation. For most people who do have an interest and a bit of knowledge this program doesn't delve into the nitty gritty that they would like to see. Aircrat Investigation can often appear very simplistic to aviation fans, as it is aimed at the lowest knowledge base and aims to entertain rather than just teach.

Agreed , although the LHR live show was great in that it showed things like the Met guys etc .

I hate the shows like the Easy Jet one where it concentrates on passengers who are usual stupid .