BA made a big fuss five years ago over its slightly phony 100th anniversary (of one of its many forgotten predecessor
airlines, Handley Page Transport). But the British Airways of today came into being on 1 April 1974.

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/british-airways-50-anniversary-ba-b2521499.html

On Wed, 03 Apr 2024 13:21:59 +0100, Recliner wrote:

> BA made a big fuss five years ago over its slightly phony 100th
> anniversary (of one of its many forgotten predecessor airlines, Handley
> Page Transport). But the British Airways of today came into being on 1
> April 1974.
>
> https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/british-airways-50-
anniversary-ba-b2521499.html

Actually, that gives me an excuse to ask you something, Recliner; I'm
breaking the habit of about 20 years and giving BA a chance for a trip to
the US in a couple of weeks (they can very much thank being in the same
alliance as Qatar for the honour...), and will be flying from LHR T5 to
Chicago. The question is - how stuffy are they in the Concorde room?
I'll be honest I dress for comfort (which at this time of year means
shorts and trainers) which has never been a problem in any 1st/biz lounge
I've ever been to, but I have a nagging fear that BA may expect people to
dress like they were going to the Garrick Club...

Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:
> BA made a big fuss five years ago over its slightly phony 100th
> anniversary (of one of its many forgotten predecessor
> airlines, Handley Page Transport). But the British Airways of today came
> into being on 1 April 1974.
>
> https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/british-airways-50-anniversary-ba-b2521499.html
>

Doesn’t time fly.

Somehow it doesn’t seem to have the same kudus it once had especially in
the Concorde era and as the article indicates it is now part of a larger
international group.
My Uncle held a reasonably high position with them having started with BOAC
in the early 1950’s interrupted only by National Service served till he
took early retirement about 30 years and I know a Senior Pilot who also
has been retired some time now, not sure when he started but I know he
loved Flying VC10’s .
Both think they worked through the best era at least for employees until
Lord King swept in with his winds of change.

GH

Clank <clank75@googlemail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 03 Apr 2024 13:21:59 +0100, Recliner wrote:
>
>> BA made a big fuss five years ago over its slightly phony 100th
>> anniversary (of one of its many forgotten predecessor airlines, Handley
>> Page Transport). But the British Airways of today came into being on 1
>> April 1974.
>>
>> https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/british-airways-50-
> anniversary-ba-b2521499.html
>
> Actually, that gives me an excuse to ask you something, Recliner; I'm
> breaking the habit of about 20 years and giving BA a chance for a trip to
> the US in a couple of weeks (they can very much thank being in the same
> alliance as Qatar for the honour...), and will be flying from LHR T5 to
> Chicago. The question is - how stuffy are they in the Concorde room?
> I'll be honest I dress for comfort (which at this time of year means
> shorts and trainers) which has never been a problem in any 1st/biz lounge
> I've ever been to, but I have a nagging fear that BA may expect people to
> dress like they were going to the Garrick Club...

No, they're relaxed, friendly and informal — no need to dress up. I find
that main lounge in the Concorde Room is a bit warm, so prefer the airier
outside terrace on the left, where G-BOAF's nose cone is on display in the
corner. The food and drink on offer is the same, inside or out. It's good,
but not outstanding. I found the food onboard was better in First.

I'm not sure if it's closed, but the dedicated First class security channel
was closed when I passed through a couple of months ago, as they were
belatedly installing the new x-ray machines. So there was a dedicated First
lane through the main South security. After security, you still turn right
for the Concorde Room (only); ordinary Gold card holders had to take the
long, indirect route to their First Class lounge.

Service on board is also relaxed and informal, particularly if you get an
enthusiastic new Mixed Fleet cabin crew; the older Worldwide (ie, former
BOAC grade) crew can be stuffy and arrogant, albeit highly experienced and
competent.

On Wed, 03 Apr 2024 15:24:47 GMT
Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:
>Clank <clank75@googlemail.com> wrote:
>> On Wed, 03 Apr 2024 13:21:59 +0100, Recliner wrote:
>> Actually, that gives me an excuse to ask you something, Recliner; I'm
>> breaking the habit of about 20 years and giving BA a chance for a trip to
>> the US in a couple of weeks (they can very much thank being in the same
>> alliance as Qatar for the honour...), and will be flying from LHR T5 to
>> Chicago. The question is - how stuffy are they in the Concorde room?
>> I'll be honest I dress for comfort (which at this time of year means
>> shorts and trainers) which has never been a problem in any 1st/biz lounge
>> I've ever been to, but I have a nagging fear that BA may expect people to
>> dress like they were going to the Garrick Club...
>
>No, they're relaxed, friendly and informal — no need to dress up. I find
>that main lounge in the Concorde Room is a bit warm, so prefer the airier
>outside terrace on the left, where G-BOAF's nose cone is on display in the
>corner. The food and drink on offer is the same, inside or out. It's good,
>but not outstanding. I found the food onboard was better in First.

What ho! Sounds like Pims-o-clock at Heathrow!

>lane through the main South security. After security, you still turn right
>for the Concorde Room (only); ordinary Gold card holders had to take the
>long, indirect route to their First Class lounge.

Those smelly peasents. The walk will do them good anyway!

On Wed, 03 Apr 2024 15:24:47 GMT, Recliner wrote:

> Clank <clank75@googlemail.com> wrote:
>> On Wed, 03 Apr 2024 13:21:59 +0100, Recliner wrote:
>>
>>> BA made a big fuss five years ago over its slightly phony 100th
>>> anniversary (of one of its many forgotten predecessor airlines,
>>> Handley Page Transport). But the British Airways of today came into
>>> being on 1 April 1974.
>>>
>>> https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/british-
airways-50-
>> anniversary-ba-b2521499.html
>>
>> Actually, that gives me an excuse to ask you something, Recliner; I'm
>> breaking the habit of about 20 years and giving BA a chance for a trip
>> to the US in a couple of weeks (they can very much thank being in the
>> same alliance as Qatar for the honour...), and will be flying from LHR
>> T5 to Chicago. The question is - how stuffy are they in the Concorde
>> room? I'll be honest I dress for comfort (which at this time of year
>> means shorts and trainers) which has never been a problem in any
>> 1st/biz lounge I've ever been to, but I have a nagging fear that BA may
>> expect people to dress like they were going to the Garrick Club...
>
> No, they're relaxed, friendly and informal — no need to dress up. I find
> that main lounge in the Concorde Room is a bit warm, so prefer the
> airier outside terrace on the left, where G-BOAF's nose cone is on
> display in the corner. The food and drink on offer is the same, inside
> or out. It's good, but not outstanding.

Thank you, genuinely; that's very good to know. Temperatures are rapidly
rising here (we seem to have gone direct from Winter to Summer and skipped
Spring) and I hate having to overdress for a long journey...

> I found the food onboard was better in First.

Interesting to know. I've a day flight going west, and in that case I
normally try to stay awake all journey and make it an incredibly long day
so I'll fall straight to sleep at the 'right time' when I arrive & not
have jetlag to deal with - so I may skip over-eating in the lounge and
instead make a meal of it onboard (as it were) to keep myself awake. I'll
be in BA's 787 First - hard product looks broadly similar to Qatar's
QSuites, be interested to see how the food/service compares.

> I'm not sure if it's closed, but the dedicated First class security
> channel was closed when I passed through a couple of months ago, as they
> were belatedly installing the new x-ray machines. So there was a
> dedicated First lane through the main South security. After security,
> you still turn right for the Concorde Room (only); ordinary Gold card
> holders had to take the long, indirect route to their First Class
> lounge.

Apparently it has re-opened, although not sure if I'll need it; I'll be
connecting from T3, but I think I can transfer airside. That said, if the
inbound flight is on-time I might go landside anyway just so I can go
outside for a smoke...

Cheers for the info!

On Wed, 3 Apr 2024 15:29:47 -0000 (UTC), Muttley wrote:

> On Wed, 03 Apr 2024 15:24:47 GMT Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>>Clank <clank75@googlemail.com> wrote:
>>> On Wed, 03 Apr 2024 13:21:59 +0100, Recliner wrote:
>>> Actually, that gives me an excuse to ask you something, Recliner; I'm
>>> breaking the habit of about 20 years and giving BA a chance for a trip
>>> to the US in a couple of weeks (they can very much thank being in the
>>> same alliance as Qatar for the honour...), and will be flying from LHR
>>> T5 to Chicago. The question is - how stuffy are they in the Concorde
>>> room? I'll be honest I dress for comfort (which at this time of year
>>> means shorts and trainers) which has never been a problem in any
>>> 1st/biz lounge I've ever been to, but I have a nagging fear that BA
>>> may expect people to dress like they were going to the Garrick Club...
>>
>>No, they're relaxed, friendly and informal — no need to dress up. I find
>>that main lounge in the Concorde Room is a bit warm, so prefer the
>>airier outside terrace on the left, where G-BOAF's nose cone is on
>>display in the corner. The food and drink on offer is the same, inside
>>or out. It's good,
>>but not outstanding. I found the food onboard was better in First.
>
> What ho! Sounds like Pims-o-clock at Heathrow!

I gave up booze about 6 years ago, but honestly one of the few things that
could tempt me off the wagon is a Pimms in summer...

Clank <clank75@googlemail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 03 Apr 2024 15:24:47 GMT, Recliner wrote:
>
>> Clank <clank75@googlemail.com> wrote:
>>> On Wed, 03 Apr 2024 13:21:59 +0100, Recliner wrote:
>>>
>>>> BA made a big fuss five years ago over its slightly phony 100th
>>>> anniversary (of one of its many forgotten predecessor airlines,
>>>> Handley Page Transport). But the British Airways of today came into
>>>> being on 1 April 1974.
>>>>
>>>> https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/british-
> airways-50-
>>> anniversary-ba-b2521499.html
>>>
>>> Actually, that gives me an excuse to ask you something, Recliner; I'm
>>> breaking the habit of about 20 years and giving BA a chance for a trip
>>> to the US in a couple of weeks (they can very much thank being in the
>>> same alliance as Qatar for the honour...), and will be flying from LHR
>>> T5 to Chicago. The question is - how stuffy are they in the Concorde
>>> room? I'll be honest I dress for comfort (which at this time of year
>>> means shorts and trainers) which has never been a problem in any
>>> 1st/biz lounge I've ever been to, but I have a nagging fear that BA may
>>> expect people to dress like they were going to the Garrick Club...
>>
>> No, they're relaxed, friendly and informal — no need to dress up. I find
>> that main lounge in the Concorde Room is a bit warm, so prefer the
>> airier outside terrace on the left, where G-BOAF's nose cone is on
>> display in the corner. The food and drink on offer is the same, inside
>> or out. It's good, but not outstanding.
>
> Thank you, genuinely; that's very good to know. Temperatures are rapidly
> rising here (we seem to have gone direct from Winter to Summer and skipped
> Spring) and I hate having to overdress for a long journey...
>
>> I found the food onboard was better in First.
>
> Interesting to know. I've a day flight going west, and in that case I
> normally try to stay awake all journey and make it an incredibly long day
> so I'll fall straight to sleep at the 'right time' when I arrive & not
> have jetlag to deal with - so I may skip over-eating in the lounge and
> instead make a meal of it onboard (as it were) to keep myself awake. I'll
> be in BA's 787 First - hard product looks broadly similar to Qatar's
> QSuites, be interested to see how the food/service compares.

You can eat whenever you like; there's no meal service as such. Just tell
them when you'd like to eat, and they'll plan the cooking to suit your
agenda. Two dedicated cabin crew for eight seats, so they have time to do a
good job, though they each take a mandatory break mid-flight.

Here's a pic, 2K on a 789:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/recliner/53630353378/lightbox/

Oddly, enough I find the new Club Suite to be a more comfortable, more
adjustable seat (better footrest), and the doors make it very private, but
the First bed is much more comfortable. However, the crew in Club is very
over-worked, so service is slow.

>
>> I'm not sure if it's closed, but the dedicated First class security
>> channel was closed when I passed through a couple of months ago, as they
>> were belatedly installing the new x-ray machines. So there was a
>> dedicated First lane through the main South security. After security,
>> you still turn right for the Concorde Room (only); ordinary Gold card
>> holders had to take the long, indirect route to their First Class
>> lounge.
>
> Apparently it has re-opened, although not sure if I'll need it; I'll be
> connecting from T3, but I think I can transfer airside.

Yes, I think so. You get to travel through some of the road tunnels under
the taxiways.

On 3 Apr 2024 14:55:07 GMT, Marland <gemehabal@btinternet.co.uk> wrote:

>Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:
>> BA made a big fuss five years ago over its slightly phony 100th
>> anniversary (of one of its many forgotten predecessor
>> airlines, Handley Page Transport). But the British Airways of today came
>> into being on 1 April 1974.
>>
>> https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/british-airways-50-anniversary-ba-b2521499.html
>>
>
>Doesn’t time fly.
>
>
>
>Somehow it doesn’t seem to have the same kudus it once had especially in
>the Concorde era and as the article indicates it is now part of a larger
>international group.
>My Uncle held a reasonably high position with them having started with BOAC
>in the early 1950’s interrupted only by National Service served till he
>took early retirement about 30 years and I know a Senior Pilot who also
>has been retired some time now, not sure when he started but I know he
>loved Flying VC10’s .
>Both think they worked through the best era at least for employees until
>Lord King swept in with his winds of change.

The real changes for employees came much later, under Willy Walsh. Lord King just oversaw the superficial merger, but
under the surface it was really still BOAC and BEA, with the former staff of both airlines continuing with their own
packages for many year. The fleets had different aircraft and different standards.

As the article shows, air fares have come down a lot in real terms, and there are many efficient new competitors that
didn't exist 50 years ago. Deregulation brought the low cost airlines to Europe, putting great pricing pressure on the
former BEA routes, while various new long haul competitors have offered higher quality at lower prices on the former
BOAC routes. The Gulf airlines have lower costs (eg, they get funded by their wealthy owners, and the staff live
tax-free), and can afford higher staffing levels as well as better seats. Heathrow has been opened up, and BA now has to
compete with both Virgin and all the US majors on routes where it once had a comfortable duopoly with PanAm or TWA.

Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 3 Apr 2024 14:55:07 GMT, Marland <gemehabal@btinternet.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> BA made a big fuss five years ago over its slightly phony 100th
>>> anniversary (of one of its many forgotten predecessor
>>> airlines, Handley Page Transport). But the British Airways of today came
>>> into being on 1 April 1974.
>>>
>>> https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/british-airways-50-anniversary-ba-b2521499.html
>>>
>>
>> Doesn’t time fly.
>>
>>
>>
>> Somehow it doesn’t seem to have the same kudus it once had especially in
>> the Concorde era and as the article indicates it is now part of a larger
>> international group.
>> My Uncle held a reasonably high position with them having started with BOAC
>> in the early 1950’s interrupted only by National Service served till he
>> took early retirement about 30 years and I know a Senior Pilot who also
>> has been retired some time now, not sure when he started but I know he
>> loved Flying VC10’s .
>> Both think they worked through the best era at least for employees until
>> Lord King swept in with his winds of change.
>
> The real changes for employees came much later, under Willy Walsh. Lord
> King just oversaw the superficial merger, but
> under the surface it was really still BOAC and BEA, with the former staff
> of both airlines continuing with their own
> packages for many year. The fleets had different aircraft and different standards.
>
Indeed , My relative did fairly well in the years of transition as he had
left on a very good package
but was then back with them as a self employed consultant on advising
people who were being made or offered redundancy on their options.
Apparently one of the hardest points was persuading employees who were
ingrained with years of loyalty to BA and its predecessors that their
loyalty counted for very little. “ Look they are sacking you , they aren’t
considering your loyalty so why show any to them.”

Unfortunately his memory is now going but he still has access to
discounted flights that lets him visit
his children who live in the USA though the choice of flights is more
restricted than it was.

GH