BA news: Chauffeur transfers to the plane & new Club World service

BA chauffeur transfers

In BA’s continuing focus on improving service to premium passengers, they have quietly extended their VIP transfer service to premium passengers. The service will be offered to customers who are arriving into Heathrow on UK domestic flights and have a tight connection onto either a short-haul flight in Club Europe, a long-haul service in Club World (long haul business class), First or are Gold & Silver BA Executive club members.

The service is not automatic and will be only offered if it is identified that you could miss your connection. If BA recognizes that you may miss your next flight they will contact the crew on board via the ACARS system. You will then be notified on board that you will be met from the aircraft. This is a real benefit to know in advance rather than sitting anxiously on the plane wondering if you are going to miss your next flight or not.

BA will pick you up in their BA branded luxury Jaguar car straight from your aircraft and will drive you directly to your next flight. There is something very special about being driven directly to the aircraft. I have only done it once when I managed to snap up a bargain upgrade to first class on Qatar for £250 and got chauffeur driven to the plane from the gate. It certainly made me feel like a VIP or someone famous! I may be tempted to book a tight connection from a BA domestic flight on purpose from now on….

Club World new service

It is only a few days until the new Club World service launches on 1st September and it now looks unlikely that the White Company branded bedding and amenity kits will be launched at the same time. Despite being confirmed by one of BA’s cabin crew on Flytertalk that it would launch at the same time as the new catering service, the official BA line is now saying it will be sometime in the autumn.

However, it looks like BA will be trying to ensure consistency across Club World flights with some elements of the service standards being launched across all flights in October. This is nothing to get excited about though, as it is simply a different way of serving drinks and second meal service by hand. It remains to be seen if this is actually an improvement. I really don’t care how they deliver it to me as long as it doesn’t mean waiting longer as a result.

There will also be a focus on a more personal approach with the new service between the crew and passengers with crew using the passenger’s name throughout the service and being more visible in the cabin between meals. This is long overdue as it takes very little effort and had been happening very inconsistently before. My particular favourite was when one of the crew in First called me ‘darlin’ which did not go down well with me!