British Airways - not impressed

[djc206]

Trabi601 said:

When I claimed for the broken entertainment on my Tokyo flight, they bunged me a £25 credit. Which is bloody useless, as I don't ever plan to use them again!

Funny I was on a Vegas flight with broken entertainment and they refused to give me a cash refund and gave me about 5000 air miles I think. Useful....

[danzltiu]

They cancelled a flight to Florida that me and the wife were supposed to be on. Put me in a hotel and on flight next day,paid for expenses food etc. Got them to move my return flight back a day and shift car hire one day. Put claim in and they paid out within the week. It was good that I left it until after Brexit to claim as amount was 1200 euro`s. Paid into my bank very quickly. Worth a bit more now than a few weeks back. Over all can't complain once it was cancelled they were excellent in how they dealt with us.

[//j17]

So to summarize the last few post:

a) I had a proper issue, complained and got compensation promptly from BA on top of doing everything they reasonably could to help and look after me.

b) I had a full-on strop because of something trivial that was at best a minor inconvenience, complained and got token compensation even though BA weren't under any legal or moral obligation to do so and am so outraged I'm never going to use BA again.

[djc206]

//j17 said:

So to summarize the last few post:

a) I had a proper issue, complained and got compensation promptly from BA on top of doing everything they reasonably could to help and look after me.

b) I had a full-on strop because of something trivial that was at best a minor inconvenience, complained and got token compensation even though BA weren't under any legal or moral obligation to do so and am so outraged I'm never going to use BA again.

I don't think one brief email explaining how services fell below the advertised and expected level constitutes a full on strop. I would argue that if something doesn't work as it should there should be compensation. You don't accept faulty goods so why should you just accept a faulty entertainment system on a flight where such a system has been promised to you?

I am flying with BA again I wouldn't let something so trivial put me off.

Personally I'd rather have an extra hour or two in the bar/lounge if I've not got a connection to make than 11 hours of sitting on a plane with no entertainment. The films and booze make long haul flights pass quickly without one or tother or heaven forbid both I find flying torture.

[GT03ROB]

//j17 said:

So to summarize the last few post:

a) I had a proper issue, complained and got compensation promptly from BA on top of doing everything they reasonably could to help and look after me.

b) I had a full-on strop because of something trivial that was at best a minor inconvenience, complained and got token compensation even though BA weren't under any legal or moral obligation to do so and am so outraged I'm never going to use BA again.

Correct!

When you travel things can & will go tits up from time to time. When it really goes tits up as opposed to just a failed entertainment system or a few hours delay thats when you really need the customer service. In my case really going tits up was having my Christmas Eve flight home from the Gulf cancelled when I was only going back for Christmas Day, flying back Boxing Day. I managed to find the BA station manager in the airport, he let me sit in his office, made me a coffee & kept me fully briefed what was going on while they decided if the flight was to be cancelled or not. While he was doing this he reserved me a seat on a Turkish flight which was the only way I could get home for Christmas Day. As soon as he had confirmation the BA flight was cancelled he confirmed my booking on Turkish. I made it home around midnight. That BA employee rescued my families Christmas. Yes I like BA, because when I really needed service they delivered. Oh yes & promptly paid compensation.

[Trabi601]

//j17 said:

So to summarize the last few post:

a) I had a proper issue, complained and got compensation promptly from BA on top of doing everything they reasonably could to help and look after me.

b) I had a full-on strop because of something trivial that was at best a minor inconvenience, complained and got token compensation even though BA weren't under any legal or moral obligation to do so and am so outraged I'm never going to use BA again.

I'd hardly say sending a short email about a broken entertainment system a 'full on strop'. And that's not the only reason I wouldn't use them again if I had a choice - the seats were hard and uncomfortable, the pitch was tight, and when the person in front reclined, the non-functioning entertainment screen nearly hit your nose. Food was rubbish, too.

[brickwall]

GT03ROB said:

When you travel things can & will go tits up from time to time.

Yup. You have to adopt that attitude, otherwise travel will invariably be far more stressful than it needs to be. I reckon 1-2% of my flights will be a proper, grade-A, nightmare. Goes with the territory.

And it's not just BA - my most recent one was caused by Swiss/Star Alliance, who cocked up a re-booking, leaving me unable to get on the last short-hop flight (11:30pm) to my destination, despite there being loads of seats and me being at the gate with plenty of time. The resultant drive from midnight to 3am was deeply unpleasant, but hey ho, I lived to tell the tale.

[lockhart flawse]

I fly a lot and find BA perfectly good. Emirates nothing like as good as it was 20 years ago.

I was bumped off my last BA flight from Dubai to London. They paid me £125 and put me on another airline that left an hour later. No complaints from me. All airlines go wrong from time to time.

The only airline I refuse to use is KLM because it is so spartan. I did Beirut-Amsterdam-Kazakhstan. Never again - KLM or Kazakhstan.

[V8LM]

The biggest problem with BA is that they partner with AA. Just had a nightmare of BA-booked flights operated by AA; part of which involved an overnight stay due to a cancelled flight. Second worse to AA is Holiday Inn Express that charged me $999+ tax for the room.

[tim0409]

I've just returned from my first "First" on BA and the experience was a bit mixed. Some of the issues were out of BA's control so not entirely their fault. I was really impressed with the First cabin on the 747 (childish excitement of being right at the front in 1A), the service was pretty good but not as good as I had thought it would be although my expectations were probably unrealistic. The flight didn't get off to a great start as the plane had come out of maintenance with a faulty APU; the temperature in the cabin was extremely high so the flight was delayed whilst they attempted to lower it without much success. We then couldn't move from the stand as nobody on the ground was trained to move the back stairs(?). JFK was closed due to a storm to we were diverted to Boston, which meant 2 hours on the stand in a very hot aircraft - after an hour then finally gave us some water.

The flight on the way back was delayed by 4 hours, so we were moved to an earlier flight. Our final destination on this booking was Copenhagen (this was one of the cheap ex-EU fares), we were then making our way back to Edinburgh on Ryanair. BA rebooked us on JFK-LHR-EDI which was a result as by now as the appeal of 6 hours site seeing in Copenhagen had lost its appeal. BA lost our luggage at T5 even though it was correctly tagged and there was plenty time for the connection. Then the shambles began; their handling agents in EDI promised us the luggage would be delivered that night - we hadn't heard anything the next day so took a trip to the airport. They finally worked out a courier had lifted our bags by mistake, and we could either drive to an industrial estate, or "wait but we can't tell you when they will be delivered.

BA are not perfect by any means, and seem to be on a race to the bottom under their new chief executive, but on balance they always seem to sort things out and by using ex-EU fights and avios I can afford to travel in Club/First. I can't really complain too much as our flights cost £400 each plus a part payment of 30k avios (for Club - this was a special offer/sale), which we then upgraded to First with 20k avios each way. I think I would have felt a bit short changed if I had paid the full fare though!

[WD39]

brickwall said:

I still fly BA when I can, because there are still decent perks with a Gold Card, and I still manage to spend the Avios.

However the long-haul business seat is really falling behind competitors. The older in-flight-entertainment system is properly terrible, the folding screen especially frustrating (you can't watch during taxi/takeoff/approach/landing) the lack of aisle access is annoyin had severag, and they really lack some of the cooler features of Emirates/Singapore etc. (e.g. personal minibar).

Why would you wish to watch the telly during those phases of a flight?

This is when you should be alert and ready should anything go wrong, not glued to Tom and Jerry.

As a former BA crew member, I remember several, thankfully minor, events during the phases of flight quoted and with the passengers not plugged in made handling the problem much easier.

Also, reading through the posts regarding positive and negative experiences on BA, is interesting but sadly nothing new.

With a huge airline operating hundreds of flights every day you can expect some problems occasionally. In my time we had an instant compensation process on board for passengers with minor in flight problems. A bottle of bubbly, a little something from the duty free etc. Don't know if this is still operating.

Edited by WD39 on Sunday 24th July 14:16

Edited by WD39 on Sunday 24th July 14:17

[anonymous-user]

WD39 said:

Why would you wish to watch the telly during those phases of a flight?

This is when you should be alert and ready should anything go wrong, not glued to Tom and Jerry.

As a former BA crew member, I remember several, thankfully minor, events during the phases of flight quoted and with the passengers not plugged in made handling the problem much easier.

It's the modern way, many airlines now start and finish their IFE on the ground. People sleep during take off and landing some have their shoes off, some are in PJs when it's freezing outside. Most people aren't anywhere near prepared to evacuate the cabin. It's a balancing act isn't it between having people relaxed and enjoying their flight vs people on the edge of their seats getting ready to jump down the slides at a moments notice.

I'd much rather be able to watch a film as soon a s I get on or continue to watch it as we arrive on stand TBH.

[DanL]

WD39 said:

Why would you wish to watch the telly during those phases of a flight?

This is when you should be alert and ready should anything go wrong, not glued to Tom and Jerry.

Because flying is boring, and 99 times out of 100 nothing happens during those phases. For the 100th time the cabin announcements cut across the entertainment anyway. Plus, I imagine anything passengers need to react to would also be pretty evident, and would pull people out of their reverie! Arguably it's better having people plugged into the IFE system than using their own headphones, where you can't cut across what they're listening to...

ETA: I was in business class last week on BA to/from NYC for a holiday. It was fine - nice, even. This was my view:



My friend was on Emirates at the same time, and had this:


BA looks tired in comparison, you have to admit!

Edited by DanL on Sunday 24th July 17:56

[Ayahuasca]

Sorry, all you BA peeps, your protestations leave me unmoved.


You will long for BA If you ever have the misfortune to experience American Airlines.

[djc206]

Ayahuasca said:

Sorry, all you BA peeps, your protestations leave me unmoved.


You will long for BA If you ever have the misfortune to experience American Airlines.

I'm doing that next year to MIA. BA out, AA back I've had a look and we're on one of the 777-300's with flat bed so hopefully it won't be too bad....

[surveyor]

djc206 said:

Ayahuasca said:

Sorry, all you BA peeps, your protestations leave me unmoved.


You will long for BA If you ever have the misfortune to experience American Airlines.

I'm doing that next year to MIA. BA out, AA back I've had a look and we're on one of the 777-300's with flat bed so hopefully it won't be too bad....

Personally I rate the AA 777 300 as a class above ba's aging equivalent

[djc206]

surveyor said:

Personally I rate the AA 777 300 as a class above ba's aging equivalent

Good to know thanks!

BA club is a bit sparse and functional isn't it. The fold out entertainment is a bit crap compared to competitors but the service is generally OK to good and I've never had any complaints to make travelling in club.

Regarding the photo above showing Emirates business, it's very nice but that cabin is gaudy as hell, very Arab. I actually prefer the neutral look.

[Ayahuasca]

djc206 said:

Ayahuasca said:

Sorry, all you BA peeps, your protestations leave me unmoved.


You will long for BA If you ever have the misfortune to experience American Airlines.

I'm doing that next year to MIA. BA out, AA back I've had a look and we're on one of the 777-300's with flat bed so hopefully it won't be too bad....

OMG. You are doomed to experience Concourse D at Miami. The suffering will start before you get near a plane. It is like those scenes you see of the fall of Saigon, but less organized.

[surveyor]

Ayahuasca said:

djc206 said:

Ayahuasca said:

Sorry, all you BA peeps, your protestations leave me unmoved.


You will long for BA If you ever have the misfortune to experience American Airlines.

I'm doing that next year to MIA. BA out, AA back I've had a look and we're on one of the 777-300's with flat bed so hopefully it won't be too bad....

OMG. You are doomed to experience Concourse D at Miami. The suffering will start before you get near a plane. It is like those scenes you see of the fall of Saigon, but less organized.

Whereas we checked in with no queue, passed through security in 5 minutes and had a bite to eat while we waited...

What's wrong with concourse D?

Ps aa at Miami do kerbside check in of you are arriving by taxi / car

[djc206]

Ayahuasca said:

OMG. You are doomed to experience Concourse D at Miami. The suffering will start before you get near a plane. It is like those scenes you see of the fall of Saigon, but less organized.

I'm also going to Port Au Prince so it's certainly going to be an interesting trip anyway! I'll just be sure to have a few drinks before I get there.