[DisgustedofSwieqi]

“You seem to have trouble with virtually everyone. I am having a nice day, thanks”

And how would you know that?

Did you read my review of BA A319 Club Europe on Seatplans?

[Irons80]

“And how would you know that?”

I think I know if I am having a nice day or not.

It’s no wonder so few different people post anything on this site, because you seem to wade into virtually every discussion and turn what was otherwise an informative, good natured exchange into a BA-bashing / I know more than you fest.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

“Oh and why don’t you read things properly, you supercilious fool”

You need to calm down a little, hypertension is potentially dangerous.

You quoted a policy in post 2 in a general sense, but in your post of 15:04 GMT you said “Anyway, as someone who always has a special meal (DoS have you ever ordered one?)”, you did not specify that you have on in your profile.

And in any event, why do you think someone with a special meal will be upgraded if they order it manually, as opposed to via profile?

Oh, would you also answer my question Yes or no answer. Is it okay to take money from someone for a promised service and then refuse to supply that service?

[Irons80]

Why would advise someone about a policy if I didn’t have experience of it???? I am not like you – I don’t proclaim to be a fount of knowledge / have an unchangeable opinion on absolutely everything.

I am quite calm thank you – it’s interesting that in your world of great experience and knowledge of everything, you seem to be now qualified to give medical advice as well. Does your mouth know no bounds?

[Irons80]

“And in any event, why do you think someone with a special meal will be upgraded if they order it manually, as opposed to via profile?”

Clearly it must be because you are special and BA wouldn’t want to offend you. They must be desperately trying to stop you from posting bad things about them on the BT forum. Otherwise, I do not know. Perhaps it’s because you are better than anyone else and therefore you get super-special treatment. Come to think of it, if that’s the case, why do you always moan about BA? You should count yourself lucky compared to the rest of us lowly souls…

“Oh, would you also answer my question Yes or no answer. Is it okay to take money from someone for a promised service and then refuse to supply that service?”

I couldn’t give a monkeys about that and HOLD NO OPINION (a new idea for you) as it’s not a situation in the context of this discussion that would affect me – this topic is about whether or not you can upgrade if you have a special meal request. Only you seem to care about your question.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

Irons 80

I never get upgraded when I order a special meal, but I have been upgraded when I didn’t.

Trust this clarifies. The thought of losing 60B (or 15A/K on a 777) for a middle row 5 in old first is not a nice one and I only expect the product I paid for,

[BusinessTraveller]

Right, enough is enough. As the editor of this website, i have had to spend most of today deleting inappropriate posts on various forum strings, and quite frankly it is very tedious.

If posters (and no, i am not looking at anyone in particular, as there have been plenty of culprits over the last few days) cannot keep to business travel related subjects, please refrain from posting – you are spoiling it for others.

I simply do not have time to moderate, delete and amend every single inappropriate post that goes up. So if forum strings veer from the travel-related into the personal, they will be deleted in their entirety, which would be a shame as the vast majority of topics start with posters genuinely seeking advice.

Mark Caswell

[Irons80]

Hi Mark,

Thank you for your post – I would like to apologise for the role I have played in causing this string to veer from travel-related into the personal.

I thoroughly enjoy this website and this forum and I wouldn’t want to contribute to minimising the enjoyment of it for others.

Irons 80

[stuartv]

Just to clarify. My profile has never been set to request a special meal all the time. If I travel economy I sometimes (if I remember) order a special meal when I make the booking, that is the case with this particular flight. I won’t opt for a special meal again and would then seemingly be eligible for upgrade, as happened on my return. I was looking at this more from the potentially lost revenue. The WT+ product is slightly different now in that one receives a menu card with a choice, so not the same as in economy. My initial contact (front desk) in the B Lounge confirmed I could make the change and she then took me to the customer service desk inside the lounge who then took my payment but when he came to issue the new boarding card had to make a call and was advised the upgrade was impossible. If I were to make the upgrade to Club for say, the £400 offer that is sometimes available I would apparently not be able to forgo the meal (which would avoid the issue) as policy dictates I cannot do this, so I was told. Maybe communicating this to the crew would be difficult and they’d try to feed me anyway and cause an issue further down the plane!

[Tete_de_cuvee]

Mark C – Admin – sorry to be off thread but can you please enlighten me as to what happened to the thread entitled:

“BA Mixed Fleet – A Bad Strategy?”

It had been going several months and disappeared whilst I was away.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

stuartv

You are magnanimous to a degree beyond my limit and I mean that as a compliment.

Having been stonewalled by airlines (not just BA, although they have been a culprit) on the basis that ‘the rules don’t allow it’, I would definitely have been upset that they took my money and then didn’t deliver. In English law, a verbal contract is binding and proof of payment is pretty convincing that the deal was agreed.

Still, I take my hat off to you for being apparently unaffected by this and not letting it spoil your day, I’ll think of you next time I encounter an airline problem and it may help me through with less stress 🙂

On a broader note, airlines are in a service business and do need to be more customer centric. BA did lose £179, as you said and I wonder why they did not try to see if they could have provided you with another meal that may have been available. After all the original special meal was included in the ticket price and the £179 would still have shown a margin, even after providing a new meal.

To have a zero over catering policy and to turn away extra money does sound like a case of penny wise, pound foolish.

[continentalclub]

stuartv – just out of interest, when you say that you were ‘made aware of’ the upgrade, do you mean that you were specifically approached, or in the course of some interaction with staff you unilaterally and pro-actively were informed of the availability of the upgrade?

For the interest of others, World Traveller and World Traveller Plus catering is different since the Winter timetable change, as WTP passengers receive Club World main courses, so there is a logistical issue (without commenting on whether it’s an insurmountable one, since I’ve no idea how it would impact on SOPs or even work-agreements) in providing an SPML out-of-booked-cabin.

Further, I have a feeling that EU261/2004 wouldn’t apply in this case, both for reasons of the upgrade payment being separate from the ‘ticket’, and the refund being almost immediate. In UK law (which of course leans heavily on that word ‘reasonable’), there is provision for a merchant/service provider to simply refund when a product or service cannot be delivered.

This, for example, can happen when someone in Argos pays for an item, it’s picked from the storeroom and the picker discovers that it is damaged. If it’s the only one left, Argos are perfectly entitled to simply refund the customer and return the customer to the position that they were in moments ago.

If the customer believes that they have been put to material disadvantage by the failure to supply, then they may sue for damages, but as far as I’m aware that’s all that they could do – and the judge would have to agree that they had suffered to a significant and/or measurable extent.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

CC

You are correct about the supplier being able to refund under the circumstances you describe, but that does seem different to this case.

The airline was aware that he had a special meal booked and was also aware of it’s own policy before it made the offer, whereas presumably Argos sell on the basis that they believe the goods are in saleable condition and they find that they are not. The meal did not get damaged, they just decided they should not have sold him the upgrade,.

Nonetheless, the deal was struck and consideration received.

Given that the airline did not try to offer him a different meal, which I would have thought was a reasonable action, then I’m not sure that this defence would apply in this case.

On EU261/2004, dunno, I can’t see anything in there that is temporal or says payment must be in one go, but then again I haven’t read every para and may have missed something.

[stuartv]

I asked if there were upgrades available, as a Silver Card holder I’m usually fortunate enough to get moved. I was told that they were upgrading for £179.00 and did I want to do that. It is what it is, a mistake was made, nobody died and I got to New York in the class I originally booked and with a crappy special meal. I run a business, if someone offered me additional money, said they didn’t actually want a meal and I had an open seat, it just makes sense for me to take their money and sit them down. If the process currently in place doesn’t allow for this, then the process needs review.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

“If the process currently in place doesn’t allow for this, then the process needs review.”

Good point.

Different situation,same principle, last year I was booked on a non flexible club ticket from Paris (where i had an engagement) to the middle east, via Heathrow, with a short connection in T5.

A few days before the flight, I got a warning email from BA advising of a French ATC strike and potential delays.

I rang the BAEC to discuss this and offered to move to an earlier flight (at some inconvenience, it would shorten my client day), to receive an outraged reply that I was on a non changeable ticket.

So I asked about the anticipated delays and the answer made it clear I’d miss my connection on the number quoted, so I asked what would happen if I did.

The reply was that BA would transfer me to/from and put me up in a hotel, provide dinner and breakfast , then re-book me on LH the next day, as there was no BA flight.

I asked the guy to speak with his supervisor who confirmed this and then I asked him how much it would cost BA to do this, compared to waiving the rules and making an exception that was mutually advantageous. Then I pointed out it was BA who contacted me and that I was trying to be helpful in responding to the email.

I got the change, but it does make you wonder about the commerciality of some airlines. I’ve had similar experiences with other carriers, too.

[Author]

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