12 hours delays at Heathrow next week?

12 hours delays at Heathrow next week?

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Extra 300 Driver

Original Poster:

5,281 posts

247 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
I am in Singapore at the moment and I am due to be flying home on EK1 on Wednesday, just when the border staff go on strike. I am listening to radio 2 and they are predicting delay of 12 hours! Can they be serious? Is it not better to close the airport to all international flights and then send them when it opens again?

Edited by Extra 300 Driver on Friday 25th November 04:42

anonymous-user

55 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
The advice from BAA is that delays will be in the order of 12 hours. Aircraft will be held on the apron and passengers only allowed to disembark once space in immigration is available or may even be diverted to European airports.

Oh and its 'border' not 'boarder'!

Extra 300 Driver

Original Poster:

5,281 posts

247 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
MercScot said:
You can't spell!
Ta. Changed it.

So not only will I be flying home from Manila but I might have to wait on the aircraft for another 10 hours!

Pints

18,444 posts

195 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
From when does this happen?

In-laws are arriving tomorrow morning and I'm not going to drag myself out of bed early if they're just going to be let out 12 hours late anyway.

Extra 300 Driver

Original Poster:

5,281 posts

247 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
Pints said:
From when does this happen?

In-laws are arriving tomorrow morning and I'm not going to drag myself out of bed early if they're just going to be let out 12 hours late anyway.
Wednesday, you'll be fine

Puggit

48,510 posts

249 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
So they open the borders up for 'health and safety reasons' when the queues are slightly bigger than normal. But when everyone strikes they'll make you wait 12 hours?

Won't happen.

Either the planes will be cancelled, or it will be open season for terrorists entering the country.

Pints

18,444 posts

195 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
Extra 300 Driver said:
Wednesday, you'll be fine
Thanks.

5potTurbo

12,556 posts

169 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
OP: I do hope for you that you won't be stuck on the plane for 12 hours at Heathrow after a very long flight from Singapore!

My Outlaws are due to fly from T5 on Wednsday afternoon to stay with us for a week. They've been fretting about this for a week now, but it's hugely expensive for them to re-book their flights for Tue instead.

ETA: The Outlaws called BA a few minutes ago and their flights are being changed to Tue free of charge!
"B.A. in 'being helpful' shocker!"

Edited by 5potTurbo on Friday 25th November 10:36

Extra 300 Driver

Original Poster:

5,281 posts

247 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
5potTurbo said:
ETA: The Outlaws called BA a few minutes ago and their flights are being changed to Tue free of charge!
"B.A. in 'being helpful' shocker!"

Edited by 5potTurbo on Friday 25th November 10:36
I booked a flex first class ticket with emirates. Called them to see if I could change my flights to +\- 24hrs, they said it would be £200 to change, I mean, what does flex mean then!

miln0039

2,013 posts

159 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
12 hour delays?!

Well, at least nobody using Gatwick South Terminal will notice a change from the usual level of service....and their bags might beat them to reclaim for the first time ever!!

The Leaper

4,970 posts

207 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
Virgin & BA has today publicly indicated that all passengers due to arrive in the UK next Wednesday should rebook to another day, free of charge. I suspect there will be some cancellations too. BBC is predicting 12 hours queuing at major UK airports for non EU immigrants. Don't you just love those trades union people who will be on TV all day talking about the success of their industrial (in)action?

R.

Extra 300 Driver

Original Poster:

5,281 posts

247 months

Saturday 26th November 2011
quotequote all
After 2 hours on the phone to Emirates I have rebooked to arrive on Tuesday but I have been downgraded from F to J.

BluePurpleRed

1,137 posts

227 months

Tuesday 29th November 2011
quotequote all
I wouldn't be flying with them again if you paid for First TBH!

Extra 300 Driver

Original Poster:

5,281 posts

247 months

Tuesday 29th November 2011
quotequote all
BluePurpleRed said:
I wouldn't be flying with them again if you paid for First TBH!
More interested in getting back

BrabusMog

20,194 posts

187 months

Tuesday 29th November 2011
quotequote all
Did they put you in J because F was full? I'd also just want to get back but if there was space in F/C then I'd be annoyed at being dropped down.

Extra 300 Driver

Original Poster:

5,281 posts

247 months

Tuesday 29th November 2011
quotequote all
BrabusMog said:
Did they put you in J because F was full? I'd also just want to get back but if there was space in F/C then I'd be annoyed at being dropped down.
Round up of my last trip;


Arrived in Singapore and found my bad damaged and I was surprised it had stayed together. I don't know what it is about DXB but when ever I transit through there my bags get beaten up. Normally I don't bother claiming but this time it was a new bag, so reported it straight away. The whole process took ages, no responses to phone calls, or e mails and when I was leaving for another stop 7 days later I still didn't know where my bag was or what was being done to replace it. I was eventually offered, 24 hrs prior to departure 20% of the purchase price of the bag. Didn't accept, got a new bag in Singapore and 48hrs later I was offers more money but nowhere near the orignal cost, but I was now out of Singapore.

I was then told EK1 had been cancelled due to the strikes in London, so I spent a lot of time trying to rebook, which was very disappointing to me as I had to cancel some business meetings and fly home a day early. It was also disappointing as I had booked F as a treat to myself after a tough year. I found out that there were no F seats available and that I would have to take J if I wanted to get home before Thursday as EK1 was cancelled for Wednesday and I had to be back in London for a meeting Thursday, so a later flight wasn't an option.

Found out on EK1 this morning that the flight hasn't been cancelled but that EK were doing all they could to get people to rebook on other flights" now it might be cancelled but at the time I was told it HAD been cancelled and I would not be able to fly it. I have now lost two business opportunities because I could not make meeting due to needing to take an earlier and I also missed flying F for my final trip home.

To top it all off i was flying on a -300 with a single row to DXB and I had booked myself in to row 7 as this is a mini cabin with just one row of J seats. Upon boarding I was offered a drink or a hot towel and no crew came to see me. I was the only one in the section and when I asked for an orange juice before departure I was told that they didn't have time to serve me, and that they were sorry but the ground staff had said all J pax were in the main cabin, so I was forgotten about. I was then told that the galley in front of me was the main Y galley and was very noisy in flight, being pissed off I said that's your problem, not mine.

So all in a rubbish year, with few highlights and now with a new client in a different location I have many options, including EK, but I feel they will be at the bottom of the list.

BrabusMog

20,194 posts

187 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
Extra 300 Driver said:
Round up of my last trip;


Arrived in Singapore and found my bad damaged and I was surprised it had stayed together. I don't know what it is about DXB but when ever I transit through there my bags get beaten up. Normally I don't bother claiming but this time it was a new bag, so reported it straight away. The whole process took ages, no responses to phone calls, or e mails and when I was leaving for another stop 7 days later I still didn't know where my bag was or what was being done to replace it. I was eventually offered, 24 hrs prior to departure 20% of the purchase price of the bag. Didn't accept, got a new bag in Singapore and 48hrs later I was offers more money but nowhere near the orignal cost, but I was now out of Singapore.

I was then told EK1 had been cancelled due to the strikes in London, so I spent a lot of time trying to rebook, which was very disappointing to me as I had to cancel some business meetings and fly home a day early. It was also disappointing as I had booked F as a treat to myself after a tough year. I found out that there were no F seats available and that I would have to take J if I wanted to get home before Thursday as EK1 was cancelled for Wednesday and I had to be back in London for a meeting Thursday, so a later flight wasn't an option.

Found out on EK1 this morning that the flight hasn't been cancelled but that EK were doing all they could to get people to rebook on other flights" now it might be cancelled but at the time I was told it HAD been cancelled and I would not be able to fly it. I have now lost two business opportunities because I could not make meeting due to needing to take an earlier and I also missed flying F for my final trip home.

To top it all off i was flying on a -300 with a single row to DXB and I had booked myself in to row 7 as this is a mini cabin with just one row of J seats. Upon boarding I was offered a drink or a hot towel and no crew came to see me. I was the only one in the section and when I asked for an orange juice before departure I was told that they didn't have time to serve me, and that they were sorry but the ground staff had said all J pax were in the main cabin, so I was forgotten about. I was then told that the galley in front of me was the main Y galley and was very noisy in flight, being pissed off I said that's your problem, not mine.

So all in a rubbish year, with few highlights and now with a new client in a different location I have many options, including EK, but I feel they will be at the bottom of the list.
Sorry to hear that. Jet Airways are one of our biggest suppliers and my contact there told me they were bribed by the CAA to empty flights into LHR so I'd imagine the same happened with you. Try flying EY if you can next time, far superior airline IMHO.