BA still bl**dy average

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Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)

  • SimonS1
    Participant

    I try to avoid BA where I can but tonight the flight from Vienna was the best fit amidst a much reduced schedule.

    It was all going so well, boarded early, and even the free bottle of water and miniscule packet of kettle chips. And the flight arrived on time and parked at T3.

    At that stage it was announced the jetty wasn’t working and steps were needed which had to be brought from T5!!!! So we sat there for about 25 mins and then disembarked …via the jetty.

    Travel has been interesting over the last 2 years, first world problems and all that but its delightfully reassuring that BA still can’t organise the proverbial wotsit in a brewery even on the hollowed out schedules they now have.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    GivingupBA
    Participant

    That’s annoying. But was it the fault of BA, or the airport?

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    Montysaurus
    Participant

    More likely the airport I would have thought.

    3 users thanked author for this post.

    nevereconomy
    Participant

    They did get you there which these days is almost an achievement! With 30 odd years of frequent LHR arrivals on BA “the steps” are folklore. Would they be there, would there be a driver, would the vehicle start, did they even know the flight was arriving, even though it did 365 days every year ? It is irritating, but worse things happen at sea. (You might be stuck on a COVID ship.)


    SimonS1
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1197096]

    I believe BA do their own ground handling. Plus could it really be that the only steps for an A320 are kept at terminal 5?

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    FrDougal
    Participant

    But if the Jetway did indeed fail initially, this is the fault of HAA, not BA.

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    FormerBA
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1197092]

    The jetties are the responsibility of Heathrow airport and despite nearly 2 years to get on top of maintenance, they have continued to neglect the basics. BA should however have had a pair of steps on hand though if they delivered them in 25 minutes that suggest they were indeed in T3. It would have taken longer from T5.

    Seriously, the state of the place but it not just Heathrow. Gatwick was an absolute hovel the last time I past through (Aug’20) and Manchester is the most depressing airport experience ever.

    Perhaps if Heathrow Airport popped a shop at the top of the jetty then they might work every time.

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    ajs123uk
    Participant

    …and you would have only got a small bottle of water and piece of chocolate on Austrian so in that respect not much different from the competition!


    EU_Flyer
    Participant

    A 25 min delay in disembarking sounds ok given everything else that has been going wrong with BA. I half expected your luggage to have gone awol or some kind of accident.

    In the pre-covid days, you may likely have been stuck in a holding pattern for 30 mins and then another 20 for a gate.

    I guess travel isn’t what it used to be…

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    Flyboy18
    Participant

    Kind of sounds like your BA bashing for the sake of it!

    4 users thanked author for this post.

    DavidSmith2
    Participant

    I’m guessing from the OP that you were flying Eurotraveller, shorthaul, from Vienna? Although the delays would also have applied to any Club Europe passenger as well of course.

    But what you are saying is that the service was ‘bl**dy average’. It has been for donkeys years….. at least 20 in my experience. That applies to almost every shorthaul European airline though – not a BA-specific issue. I have travelled Air France, Iberia, KLM, Brussels, Bulgaria, JAT, Adria, SAS, Aeroflot, Malev, Czech, Tarom, Turkish, TAP…plus most of the low cost airlines. I would possibly put Austrian at the top of the list in terms of service and particularly ensuring connections, but all ‘bl**dy average’ as an overall experience, even in business class.

    3 users thanked author for this post.

    Justin Germany
    Participant

    My experience of BA over the last year has been generally outstanding. The only delay I had was weather related at Berlin. Other punctuality and service has been excellent.

    1 user thanked author for this post.
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