Not only my return from JNB cancelled but tonight’s outbound as well

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Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

  • TiredOldHack2
    Participant

    Sod me sideways.

    Walking to the Galleries lounge at LHR with wife and daughter, after days of hassle because our 10m September flight back from JNB was scuppered by the strike, and email informs me that BA has cancelled the outbound flight, 055, tonight as well.

    Supposedly flying tomorrow, 2 September, at 1000 arriving JNB 2200. Once more, hours on the phone and internet cancelling hotels, booking new ones, trying and failing to contact Avis car hire at JNB to tell them we will be 24 hours late to collect our hire car, telling the first safari lodge we will be late arriving, failing to persuade BA to put us up in a hotel in JNB on arrival, working on a promise from BA that the hire car will still be there, and spending tonight in T4’s Holiday Inn Express which is unspeakably grim.

    We were told to go to Gate A13 at T5. There we were told that we should really be at the Business Counter in the Gslleries, so we went there where we c=found a queue of irate non-passengers and one, yes just one, BA staffer trying to rebook everyone. And then we were told to go back to A13. ARGHHH.

    Other things I have learned in the last week. Fortify Insurance, which proudly trumpets £10,000 worth of cover for cancellation and curtailment, hotels, etc etc points you at the small print buried on page 8 which says this is only for outbound journeys, not return.

    YOU FECKING WHAT?

    This was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime and it has turned into the biggest travel nightmare of my life.


    capetonianm
    Participant

    Really sorry to hear that TOH. I assume you’ll be entitled to, and claiming, your €600 each for the delay but although it might defray some of the costs, it goes nowhere towards mitigating the inconvenience, stress, and unpleasantness.

    I can only hope things improve and that once you arrive you’ll have a superb stay.


    SimonS1
    Participant

    Really annoying. When holidaying you can do without all this.


    TiredOldHack2
    Participant

    [quote quote=957783]Really sorry to hear that TOH. I assume you’ll be entitled to, and claiming, your €600 each for the delay but although it might defray some of the costs, it goes nowhere towards mitigating the inconvenience, stress, and unpleasantness.

    I can only hope things improve and that once you arrive you’ll have a superb stay.[/quote]

    BA said the delay was due to a tech problem. I understand that earlier flights were cancelled because of the French ATC issue. If BA pins the blame on the latter, no EU261.

    If anyone knows precisely why BA055 didn’t fly last night, I’m all ears. As well as being at the end of my tether.


    openfly
    Participant

    @TOH2….have a look at thebasource.com later today and it will probably give the reason for your delay…it tends to be truthful. Good luck.


    capetonianm
    Participant

    Good suggestion.
    In BA’s system they sometimes show a delay code and usually it’s a generic ZO which just means ‘operational’.
    What they’re showing for last night’s 055 is as below, no delay code, not helpful. BA source is more likely to tell the truth.
    Rough guess is that like so many things it can be blamed on FR ATC! Hopefully I’m wrong and you may have a claim.

    DOBA55/01SEP
    * OPERATIONAL FLIGHT INFO * BA 55 -1 SU 01SEP19
    CITY INFO HOUR (LOCAL)
    LHR ESTIMATED TIME OF DEPARTURE 1000
    ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL 2158 JNB

    *1A PLANNED FLIGHT INFO* BA 55 -1 SU 01SEP19
    APT ARR DY DEP DY CLASS/MEAL EQP GRND EFT TTL
    LHR 1905 SU FAJCDRIWETY/M 388 11:00
    BHKMLVSNQOG/M
    X/M
    JNB 0705 MO
    DHBA55/01SEP
    BA 55 /01SEP19
    1.0913Z X LHRWMBA 2LHR ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL 0657 JNB
    2.1207Z X LHRWMBA 2LHR ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL 0701 JNB
    3.1456Z X LHRWMBA 2LHR NEXT INFO WILL BE AT 1905
    4.1512Z LHRWMBA 2LHR ESTIMATED TIME OF DEPARTURE 1000
    5.1513Z X LHRWMBA 2LHR ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL 2156 JNB
    6.0244Z X LHRWMBA 2LHR ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL 2159 JNB
    7.0646Z LHRWMBA 2LHR ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL 2158 JNB


    SimonS1
    Participant

    This is an overnight delay, not a cancellation. Interesting that ExpertFlyer is silent on the reasons for delay.

    It would be unusual if this was an ATC issue, as such delays tend to be relatively short and certainly not 15 hours. Maybe it has tipped the crew over their hours, but that itself wouldn’t get BA off the hook as it is a reasonable expectation that they would have a standby crew available at their home base and therefore not exceptional.

    More likely a tech issue with the A380 in which case you are due 3 x €600 as well as duty of care payments.


    rferguson
    Participant

    Urgh how annoying for you T.O.H. Sorry to hear.

    All I can find out is the delay was for a tech issue. Which frankly does not surprise me with the A380. They always seem to be having issues delaying or cancelling flights lately.


    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    [quote quote=958173]thebasource.com[/quote]

    Is there also a Swiss or Lufthansa equivalent??


    Swissdiver
    Participant

    [quote quote=958734]

    thebasource.com

    Is there also a Swiss or Lufthansa equivalent??[/quote]

    Not to my knowledge. I found only Swissair nostalgia websites. So we are left with https://www.flightradar24.com/ or equivalent.


    TiredOldHack2
    Participant

    [quote quote=958273]More likely a tech issue with the A380 in which case you are due 3 x €600 as well as duty of care payments.[/quote]

    Yes, the captain of the flight out said that it was an engine issue. They changed this, that and the other and it still wasn’t sorted and they didn’t have a spare A380, so they delayed the flight. The 380 that did get us out to JNB was incoming from Boston, I understand, and hastily pressed into service.

    A lot of people were trying to make connections and were being put onto just about any other flight BA could. We had no connections. This meant that CW, oddly, was only about half full (the cabin crew explained).

    Oh, there was a party of some 200-odd Jehovah’s Witnesses aboard, all going to a gathering of the clan. My daughter, with us, was prominently displaying a rainbow wristband but, sadly, none took the bait 🙂

    Anyway, we’re in SA now and enjoying the game drives.

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