BA’s deteriorating ground service at LHR

Back to Forum
Viewing 12 posts - 16 through 27 (of 27 total)

  • maxgeorge
    Participant

    To poach from a fellow poster – ABBA, Anything But BA..

    I had better service on my five flights with the much maligned JS (Air Koryo).


    EU_Flyer
    Participant

    [quote quote=1357625]Would be better to let people try for their original connection, THEN rebook them if necessary. Just a lack of common sense – so very prevalent everywhere these days.[/quote]

    [quote quote=1357593]They then called a guy who was on standby, who’d been given my seat, and told him that he wouldn’t be flying after all. I got a sharp glare from him[/quote]

    BA do have a lot of staff travelling on Standby Staff Travel Tickets. Commercial customers showing up to their flights are a major inconvenience.


    TonyR
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1357634]

    Didn’t Lord King once bump a whole load of BA First Class passengers so he and some of his management team could fly to New York?


    MarkCymru
    Participant

    Something almost exactly like this happened on a recent JNB-LHR-DUB routing. They wanted me to wait over 6 r for the next available BA flight and refused to put me on Aer Lingus in two. After I threatened an EU261 claim and asked for the names of those taking the decision, I got rebooked on EI (which, sadly, they now own!) I have gold for life and was flying in J (on a reward ticket, which is why they refused initially to rebook me — it took me reading the text of the regulation to them to convince them this was wholly irrelevant). I was refused a copy of my rights — in itself, the basis for action. What an embarrassment BA has become. I feel sorry for the people working there, who were clearly upset by the company’s blatant disregard for the law


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    Despite being BAEC gold and closing in on lifetime gold, I have not flown BA for over 18 months. I have trip to Italy in November and will need to make 2 more flights to retain status for 2023.

    Their appalling service, cancelled flights, reports of lost luggage and ridiculous fares, don’t put me off. I just use other airlines that offer better service, have reliable schedules, fares I can justify and smiling and pleasant cabin crew. For Asia its a mix of Finnair and CX.

    For Malta, I use Air Malta – the BA schedules to Malta seem to change like the wind the fares are much higher and the flight timings rotten.

    To think pre covid BA was my preferred choice and to a degree, still are – but unless you have the budget for point to point – they have virtually priced themselves out of the market. For Asia, BA appear happier retaining former passenger flights as cargo flights to retain slots.

    The recent news that LH are using an A380 for BKK later this years, clearly shows the BA research team who decide on passenger routes, are reading the market differently to other airlines.

    Even Virgin to the Far East are not much good at the moment – wonder if they regret giving up HKG…

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    ceden
    Participant

    It does seem extraordinary that so often guidance lights are not on, or air bridge not ready. BUT is this a BA issue or LHR issue. My guess is that it is Heathrow incompetence and that BA need to get compensation (may be they already do), but would be much better if they got the issues resolved with LHR.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    scott1nthesky
    Participant

    Thanks everyone for your insight and shared experiences, all very interesting and helpful.

    I have no doubt BA booted me off to accommodate staff ID90s on this trip given their entirely false explanation for why I “missed” the flight. They’ve rejected my EU261 claim, again on grounds of false evidence, and I’ve asked for a deadlock letter to take it to CEDR. I don’t have any faith this will result in a good outcome but I’m trying nonetheless (a colleague recently settled a similar claim with EZY, who claimed a weather event delayed a flight overnight despite the pilot’s assertion the aircraft was tech). We’ll see – and yes, as many of you seem to have done, I already avoid BA unless there’s no other viable option for my schedule.


    cwoodward
    Participant

    Martyn : I predict that Virgin will soon return to Hong Kong – in one guise or another providing that they continue to exist.


    scott1nthesky
    Participant

    An update to thank those of you who provided helpful advice, and to note that perseverance, even with an organisation like BA, may sometimes pay off.

    Prior to posting my original comment on the forum, I’d had an e-mail exchange with BA customer relations about being compensated for their proactive offloading from my connection at LHR and subsequent all-day delay. The last e-mail from them was also the least professional: “I am not lying to you. Do you think it’s in my interest to lie? I’m sorry you’re not due compensation but I’ve checked and you’re not entitled to it.”

    Following my post on this forum, I contacted BA again and told them I intended to refer the case through CEDR and needed a deadlock letter. I asked them to provide this within 7 days. Instead, I received an e-mail in under 24 hours. This message was from someone claiming to be part of a “special investigation team” – the respondent noted they had reviewed my case and BA had made a mistake, that indeed I was entitled to compensation under EU261. Within a further 48 hours, they transferred €520 to my bank account.

    I’m pleased with the outcome but do wonder how many passengers lose out because they are fobbed off by their intentional dishonesty and/or incompetence.

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    FDOS
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1365209]

    Well done. I wonder how many people do not follow through like you did?


    cwoodward
    Participant

    FDOS_ I enjoy reading your contributions however I have one sincerely meant question. ‘Why do you continue to use BA when there looks to me plenty of decent alternatives ? (I don’t live in the UK and am perhaps misreading the availability of alternatives)

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    FDOS
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1365368]

    cwoodward

    I only use BA if there is no viable alternative or there is some other key driver.

    This year, I have flown multiple times on QR and U2 and only twice on BA (because the price was 50% of QR on a particular day and the course I was running did not have many delegates, so the impact on margin was significant). I was fortunate that both flights ran without IT issues, significant delays or canx and although the service was mediocre, it turned out to be a good choice in the bigger scheme of things.

    My next flights are on Saturday and I’ve reverted to QR.

    1 user thanked author for this post.
Viewing 12 posts - 16 through 27 (of 27 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Be up-to-date
Magazine Subscription
To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below
Polls