I was moaning yesterday. Sorry.
I was tired.
And justifiably irritated and disappointed.
Having said that I wouldn’t be using BA’s services for my Cape Town related air travel again (at least until they source some new aircraft to use on the LHR route) (and remembering that they have suggested that there will be 777-300s on the new LGW route from the end of the year), I received this missive from Emirates in my inbox this morning:
Dear Mr 6000,
When you’re planning your next adventure, choose a travel time that suits you. Our third daily flight from Cape Town to Dubai starts on 4 July 2016, so you’ll have more flexibility when it comes to exploring the world.
Good timing, Malcolm.
And it’s a bit of a gamechanger. That previous lack of flexibility was the reason that we didn’t use Emirates for our flights this time around, meaning that we missed out on:
- Decent food
- Wider seats
- Bigger (working) touchscreens
- Inflight wifi
- Inflight live news and sport
- 2,400 extra inflight entertainment options
- Choosing seats when booking your flight
- 30kg baggage vs 23kg
- Flights to Manchester (handy for Sheffield)
(and that’s before my frequent flyer benefits)
But we gained:
- 2 hour delays due to broken equipment
- Cabins last updated in 2000
- 7 pieces of broken trim visible from my seat in a quick check
- Leaking air con system dripping on family sitting next to me
- My armrest held together by duct tape
But now, with EK778 and 779 (to go with EK 770 and 771 and EK 772 and 773), things are easier still.
From 4th July, you’ll be able to do CPT-DXB like this (all times correct at local airports):
EK773 departing 1325 (arrives DXB 0110)
EK771 departing 1805 (arrives DXB 0530)
EK779 departing 2005 (arrives DXB 0735)
and come back:
EK772 departing 0350 (arrives CPT 1125)
EK770 departing 0850 (arrives CPT 1630)
EK778 departing 1050 (arrives CPT 1830)
And, in the bigger picture: more seats = greater flexibility, greater competition and that means prices should be kept in check as well.
It’s a win, win, win situation.
Made one trip direct to Pretoria with BA from LHR, and the next time with KLM via Amsterdam. I’ve rebooked again with KLM. The whole experience from start to finish, the online booking, the service, seats, in flight choices, availability of times, given the flexibility of using AirFrance too, even with the change at Schipol, KLM was superior and cost less than the BA equivalent and I arrived feeling more refreshed and relaxed than with the BA flight. I am waiting for Norwegian to get in on the act from Gatwick for cheaper direct flights.
Rich Nixon > Thanks for the comment. I have to say, our short haul LHR-BGO-LHR flights on BA were lovely. Modern, clean, airy planes make all the difference. The aging 747s are the biggest issue here.