BA Again Plunged Into IT Chaos –

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Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)

  • FormerBA
    Participant

    Yesterday, BA were again plunged into operational chaos when they again suffered from a major self inflicted IT outage. Dozens f flights were cancelled last night with knock on cancellations impacting today’s operations. Some people sat for hours on long haul flights waiting to disembark as the IT issues were compounded by massive staff shortages, and the refusal of their demoralised workforce to take up the offer of double pay pay plus £25/hr to stay on after their shifts.

    Twitter and other social media shows massive queues air side and reports that passengers on cancelled flights could not get their bags back. This will undoubtedly take days if not weeks to recover from.

    It is just a month since BA’s last major IT outage, which sadly appear to be more reliable than their flight operations.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    DerekVH
    Participant

    I hope both WW and AC are proud of the mess they have left behind. This ongoing farce of IT outages crippling all parts of the airline clearly shows that their cost cutting has had disastrous consequences which BA seem incapable of resolving. I assume there is currently a vacancy for a CIO/CTO (and maybe soon a CEO)!


    DavidSmith2
    Participant

    is it a sign that this is the new normal? – None of the online UK media websites I use appears to even be covering this story.


    FormerBA
    Participant

    I suspect that the mantra ” there is a war on” is what is protecting them as well as our PM and his government.

    Reuters did pick it up last night but it seems the BBC felt this morning that the Will Smith debacle was more important that reporting that the UK gateway and flag carrier had descended in to chaos again. Indeed even the share price rose this morning and as that is all that matters Doyle etc will be safe!

    3 users thanked author for this post.

    Polly
    Participant

    Yep, we sat on the tarmac by t4 from 3.10 til 4.50. Water offered, etc, lots of connecting pax upset, no comms at all to the pilot…weird. Some cyber mystery going on?? Or simple IT issues, due to letting go all their seriously good IT experts a few years back!!!!!


    GordyUK
    Participant

    Indeed… far more important to keep harping on about “partygate” than focus on new/breaking issues of this magnitude !🙄

    3 users thanked author for this post.

    cwoodward
    Participant

    Only the British would tolerate this nonsense from a major(?) airline year on year I suspect.


    stevescoots
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1208215]

    those of us that can vote with our wallets

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    Bobbo
    Participant

    Not really sure why people fly BA anymore. Lots of better options out there.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    MarcusGB
    Participant

    Sorry to hear so many affected by this. I turned my back on BA since the Gate Gourmet Debacle, and witnessed them handing out sandwiches for passengers on long haul flights.
    It was very apparent as to how they treated their staff from then, and on an ethical basis, supporting an Airline that I give my loyalty and Money too, I refused to support treating your workforce in this manner. I knew many who decided to leave, and joined Etihad, KLM, and Vigin, as Senior Crew or Pilots.

    But there really are better choices, minus paying the absurd APD tax for taking off from the Island. Save £3-500 per long haul flight these days. Hopping from a regional airport or from LCY for an hr, saves hours in avoiding LHR and the sheer stress and pathetic service at every stage, in addition to the rudeness, and absurd charges.
    I use KLM or AF to their Hubs, preferring Amsterdam, that are simply superb when and IF, such issues arise. Etihad was always useful down to Australia.

    With KLM being my favourite, this has been very rare, and Schiphol as an airport has been much improved during the Pandemic, all goes smoothly, great state of repair, looks and feels as calm as ever. Staffing and crew management has been well retained and organised for the build up of flights.

    Swiss and LH also are excellent and rarely have these difficulties, though pretty plain and simply functional airports.

    Making profit has been the aim of both BA, as well as the airports in this country for many years, and they simply don’t care about passengers, service, or loyalty.
    The sooner people switch and experience Airlines other than BA, should keep BA qwhere it belongs, confined to history, along with its Victorian state of attitude towards their employees! How they treat staff, and pay in favour of profits, as well as Passengers and “European Business class”, is a complete joke. Space, seats, food and drink, BOB, all dismiss this claim, and in fact i hear more jokes here and overseas about their reputation rating anything that identifies them as “Our National Carrier”.
    They shame the Country, as a Company, and “Management incompetence”!

    And they are NOT the oldest International Airlines, having been changing their name several times in its history, merely turning into different Company.
    KLM, then Qantas hold those 2 accolades!

    Why anyone would term them as our “National carrier!”, these days i would state others deserve that title, more Low Cost and serving regions far better. These “Wake up days”, will cut them to what they really are incapable of!

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    I tend(ed) to use BA into Europe, purely from a scheduling point of view & I live only about 30 mins from T5. However, not only the IT issues, but general service issues worry me sufficiently to look elsewhere.

    My next trip to Malta is being charged at nearly £1,000 and is not even being flown by BA, when Air Malta can do the same job for £250 & unbelievably, Easy have caught my attention for doing the same job for £80 return or £160, if I pay to block the middle seat.

    Both my recent trips to Asia have unusually for me, totally avoided BA metal. The harsh reality is BA no longer have a confident enough offering to the parts of Asia I need to get to and listening to the horror stories of IT failures, appalling soft product offerings in business, cancelled flights, lost bags and inflated tickets prices, is enough to use other, far better and cost effective offerings.

    The best part of BA for me, currently is the First Wing, gets you airside quickly and there is never an issue with the very polite security staff. However, once you pass through the tunnel and into the lounge, it is like going back in time, to a very unpleasant time.

    Even if BA don’t want to increase their offerings, the management certainly need to mystery shop the likes of QATAR and even Finnair – to see what the competition are offering.


    LaundryMan
    Participant

    Well said both MarcusGB and Martyn

    We have a choice but like Martyn the European schedule on BA suits me

    However the fact that both UK airports and BA can increase prices to line their pockets to get back into profit is not acceptable

    Have heard nothing further from Mr Doyle since his comments last week – do management actually come face to face with customers to understand what is actually going wrong / on ?


    ASK1945
    Participant

    [quote quote=1208423]Not really sure why people fly BA anymore. Lots of better options out there[/quote]

    Bobbo – as i explained in another thread on the Forum, many of us are owed thousands of GBP from cancellations during the Covid pandemic – and were given time-dated vouchers, not refunds. When a forthcoming flight with BA (at 1650) was cancelled and the only options offered were at 0700 that week, I was basically forced to accept. Other airlines flying the route had spaces during reasonable hours.

    I didn’t realise then that under EU261 rules i could demand a refund, or force BA to transfer me to another airline – but I do know now if it happens again.

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