[KarlMarx]

I hope you maintain your sense of humour on your SAA flight, although it will be mercifully short, however you measure the distance.

[SimonS1]

Indeed…in the airport now…the one thing Zimbabweans do have is a cracking sense of humour.

In all seriousness, and very OT, I like SAA, certainly more than BA. Decent timekeeping and friendly crew. Works for me. 8 flights with them in 2 weeks.

[LadyLlondon]

so he can look at the link to his blog kindly supplied by bugadvisor?

[LuganoPirate]

Got to say I like SAA as well. I fly them in SA quite a bit though their fares have become very expensive on the JNB – George route. Business class is very good on the international routes and if they are using the 330/340 internally you of course get the full flat business class seat.

[LuganoPirate]

Oh, and sorry to be pedantic and correct you Simon, but they do do olives. Well, one anyway, in the meal they served me. One black olive on top of the sandwich! 😉

[SimonS1]

Indeed LP – went up to Zim and they had real business class, 2-2 seating, on a 90 minute flight, not the economy offering from BA.

Plus a hot meal both ways (no olives though…).

Plus once again the people on the gates in JHB stopping people with more than their hand baggage allowance. In the hold, otherwise it was “sorry you will not be travelling with us today”.

[basslines66]

Sorry to interrupt the thread, but can we get back onto the topic of EU 261 compensation?

I have been struggling with BA, even as as BAEC Gold, since August 15th, about whether I am due EU261 compensation for my cancelled flights from YUL to EDI, with wife and 2 small girls. In fact the flight was cancelled 2 days! First they said that I needed to wait till the Thomson/Jet 2 High Court Ruling on EU261, then they said that I was due nothing, not even a bag of crisps. On the day of scheduled departure, they did send a text message 4 hours before our flight was due to take off from Montreal, but gave no explanation, then later they said it was due to weather (I checked flightstats, other US flights were flying fine), and then due to technical reasons, and then due to “lightning strike” on the aircraft – an explanation given a month later.

Remember this is BA, not Ural Airlines. We arrived back in EDI 36 hours later, after insisting that BA put us on flights via NY rather than waiting the 48 hours they said we had “no alternative” but to wait for.

Each time I write to BA, I get a call centre response one month later. As a gold cardholder, does anyone have any ideas as to how I can speak to someone a little more sensible? This now irks me enough to want to pursue this, legally or publicly if I need to, as other than this experience, I am normally a big fan of BA.

Thanks

[Edski777]

Your best bet is to handle this through one of the specialized EU261 claim companies. They know exactly when you are entitled to compensation and deal with it for you with the airlines.
You pay for their services, but it takes the frustration out of the process.

[basslines66]

Edski777, thanks very much and I will first give BA one last chance just to see if they care at all, before going down the route you suggest. I will let you know how I get on.

[seasonedtraveller]

basslines66

I have used (below) several times with good results each time – costs 15% of your compensation without any hassle

https://www.refund.me/en/

[basslines66]

dear ST

Thanks! I have spoken to BAEC who put me onto Customer Relations. CR said that, slightly hilariously (but with a straight face), no compensation is due because the delay was, according to the Aircraft Investigation Team, due to “aircraft damage” rather than “technical issues”.

Perhaps what has happened is that they have employed clever lawyers who specialise in disguising certain things as totally and completely different things. Said clever lawyers (or maybe the “Aircraft Investigation Team”) have possibly read your earlier post where you pointed out that technical issues are “part and parcel of running an airline”, but they feel that they can maintain that, on the contrary, aircraft damage falls under “extraordinary circumstances outside the airline’s control”.

I forgot to ask whether the “aircraft damage” was in fact physical, as I suppose it may perhaps have been psychological, supernatural or tangential.

Is British Airways perhaps waiting for another Supreme Court Ruling in favour of passengers that includes “physical damage” within the definition of “technical issues”…?

Thanks though, I will turn this over to refund.me, as you have suggested previously, and send a nice letter to the Sunday Times (I have written before successfully about customer abuse from a terrible telecoms company).

I will let you know how I get on. Thanks again

[KarlMarx]

Reading this thread reminds me of something I saw on another board, asking if BA’s mission had changed from ‘To Fly, to Serve.’

Someone opined the ‘To Serve’ part had been deleted and then another added parentheses, per below

‘To Fly (when it isn’t snowing’)

Harsh, but funny.

[basslines66]

Karlmarx, I agree it is 50% Harsh 50% Funny.

BA possibly thinks it can adopt this strapline “To Fly (when it is not snowing)” because in the event of breakdown or delay, the cause of delay and inconvenience to passengers will be “physical snowflake damage” and nothing remotely to do with “technical issues”.

Chortle

[KarlMarx]

BA263 LHR RUH 22 December.

– downgraded from a 747 to a 767 with Club Europe seats
– first attempt ended with a return to stand and change of aircraft
– second attempt despatched

Currently predicted to be over 5 hours late. arriving, having morphed into an overnight flight in short haul Y seats.

My sympathy goes out to those affected (also on the returning BA262.)

This is not good enough, not near good enough.

[basslines66]

dear Karlmarx, do let me know if you get EU compensation for this flight or if in fact the whole delay was due to “aircraft damage” (BA’s new explanation) and not of course a technical delay (BA’s old explanation which has been deemed eligible for EU compensation) or not. My own case detailed earlier on this post is with refund.me and I will let you know what transpires when the case is hopefully concluded. And, sorry about the double hardship (the Downgrade Delay hardship)….

[Author]

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