[Anonymous]

[1nfrequent]

Just saw this on the BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22717377

Really doesn’t reflect well on BA (and I say that as someone who uses them for almost all travel). I hope that those passengers are compensated beyond the legally required levels.

1F

[BigDog.]

This wasn’t the only occurance. Apparently there were some loaded longhaul flights staying overnight at LHR as the pilots had gone out of hours and there was no cover left.
I understand the economy passengers and foreign passport holders stayed on the plane overnight as the immigration and ground services had closed.

[millionsofmiles]

WHAT ???

Staying overnight in the plane?
Ridiculous. Seems BA is becoming a third world carrier.

[AnthonyDunn]

millionsofmiles – 30/05/2013 15:01 GMT

If you read the BBC report, the plane flew back to LGW because the pilots were still within their hours whereas the cabin crew were out of theirs. Presumably, they dead-legged it back to LGW as well.

Having nearly had a comparable experience at VCE when the inbound was well delayed, I can attest that at VCE pretty much everything shuts up come 23:00. Perhaps BA might like to think a bit around this experience and their late night LGW/VCE/LGW scheduling if hotel availability either in Venice or on the mainland is so tight – particularly in the Summer tourist season.

[Bucksnet]

millionsofmiles was replying to BigDog’s post about another incident at LHR.

BA need to plan better!

[Swindoneric]

BA aren’t helping themselves at the moment. It seems that every day there is a new problem of some sort. Some are more serious than others. One flavour of crisps in the lounge is one thing but watching your flight leave an airport without you or any other passengers on board is a game changer. Big Dog, you post more frequently (and eloquently) than I do but were passengers really forced to spend the night on aircraft? If they did I missed it in the news.

[BigDog.]

@Swindoneric @ 16:04

As far as I am aware, the LHR overnight episode, a knock on from the LHR-OSL emergency, hasn’t been reported in the press thus far. Maybe as those impacted are now out of the country.

It was a topic at a dinner party from a BA insider. Some passengers did want to leave, however apparently there were no immigration to handle them, nor baggage handlers to out-sort the items, nor other ground staff. I understand the crew stayed on-board until relieved the following morning.

As I noted on another thread, one wonders when does it become unlawful restraint or false imprisonment?

[JordanD]

@Swindoneric (1604) and @BigDog. (1624)

If it is the same post LHR-OSL incident flight, as has been reported on Flyertalk, then the facts are slightly different from those which the poster over there has reported (he having been on board the flight in question).

Due to other cancellations/other events in London last weekend, nearest available hotels were in Brighton, so passengers were given a number of options when it was clear the flight was not going to get away in the small hours of Saturday morning (apparently after BA had served them dinner on the ground), and some of them did choose to leave the airport, head home and return for the rescheduled lunchtime departure.

Apparently there was overnight immigration (that’s how the passenger in question left the airport), so I fear BigDog’s third party coverage may have been wrong. The issue was – as you might expect for the hours in which LHR doesn’t have scheduled traffic, there wasn’t much of it.

One other issue on that question – the passengers on that flight included a number in transit who apparently didn’t have appropriate papers to land in the UK (again, source is the same individual on that flight); not sure how BA deals with that, but I would assume that latitude there lies with UKBA.

[BigDog.]

@JordanD@16:37
Please read my previous posts, I reported several days ago on another thread,(and above @14:56) the premium classes with UK passports did offload into hotels in Central London.

My posting on this subject commenced before the flyertalk posts which is not at odds with mine as you appear to be suggesting.

[andystock]

I will post a section of my complaint to BA about last Friday’s events which explains BA’s customer service is on a par with Ryanair!

[millionsofmiles]

To make my statement more precise:

I referred to the passengers on the longhaul flight. Having to camp out a night in an airport is not nice but bearable.
Staying a whole night in a plane because BA doesnt have a replacment crew at their HOMEBASE, now that is ridiculous and almost criminal in my eyes. I would certainly have opened an emergency door and tried to leave.

[Swindoneric]

@millionsofmiles. If that happened, it’s truly awful. One would have thought that there would be some kind of crew on standby although if all of the standby crews are being used..? Not great publicity for BA, to say the least.

[tiggerbrown]

@millionsofmiles 30/05/2013 17:01 GMT

Either something is criminal or not. State what you mean please, as your statement remains unclear.

[millionsofmiles]

Urging people to stay in a fixed place without the chance to move out is a criminal offence, imho.
And plase dont tell me now that it may have cost 2000 pounds or something to get the people back through immigration..in Heathrow.
Ridiculous!
If I were a passenger from the US, with a ticket purchased in the US, I would sue them from here to Jerusalem, if they had forced me to remain on board or manhandled me when I gtry to disembark.

I am really serious here. I am sure, the passenger would win in a court in the US.

[Author]

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