GRRRR - BA Rant!

[queendisney]

its just unlucky..it can happen with any airline. We always have trouble with VA, we consider it the norm nowadays (you really don't want to be on our flight). Last year we took off 3 hours late. The year before they cancelled us from the early flight and stuck us on the later one. We thought it was just an amalgamation of flights but NO we waved good bye to the early one!!!! The year before that they gave our cabin crew to the Barbados flight and we had to wait for another flight crew to arrive, so that flight was late by about 2 hours!! We have come to a grinding halt twice going down the runway at MCO and turned back to the terminal while they checked things out (better safe then sorry I know)...it just goes on and on with them! AND still I book with them I am not bothered who I book with really but DH and I do look at each other amazed if we ever actually take off on time
By the way we are on the early flight with VA from Gatwick on 18th November....just a warning to anybody joining us on that flight! lol x

 

[Pootle]

Just had a look, doesn't look good for BA recently.

It definitely doesn't does it Wayne? LOL. Thankfully, the next time I use BA to Florida it's into TPA in August, so fingers crossed.

My BA views could be coloured by currently being sat in the Executive lounge at Toronto airport, wine at my side, awaiting my 'free' Club World flight back to LHR

Sometimes, it's just necessary to vent though Tracy and hopefully you feel better for it . Bet you just knew that someone would come along who's had poor experiences with Virgin . As for me, I've even had overnight layovers with both BA and Virgin at MCO years ago - BA used the better hotel though

 

[crabbie1]

Blooming hec!!!! Queendisney How unlucky are you and you still use them???? If I started to take off then stopped that would be it lol!!!! Off the plane no trip. Hope this flight goes well. They hv to get it right once for you.

 

[2Tiggies]

Well I guess I can't get too worked up about it. We've been delayed for hours on a runway before, lost an engine on the runway and been towed back to the gate, been stranded with tropical storms and had some delay or another almost every trip so at least we know in advance.

I won't mind if they put us back on the 8.30 pm flight from MCO. We've lost 3 hours on our last day now we lose 3 on arrival day.

 

[General Panic]

BA do cause a bit of resentment these days. I'm looking at booking in the next week or two my September flights from Edinburgh. I usually go United via Newark but BA just now are around £60 a head less, with at the moment what looks like a choice of times , not sure that will reamin with what i'm reading here mind you.

Whats put me off BA just now and heading back for United is the fact they charge such a huge fee for prebooking seats , in my case almost to the penny the amount they are cheaper than United!

I don't know who in BA thought this would be a good idea a while back but it's put me off using them in this case and with United starting a direct Edinburgh Chicago flight next year i think i'll try a different route to mix things up a little , hoping O'Hare will be a decent airport to change over in

 

[2Tiggies]

Right, just called American Airlines to find out about change fees if I wanted to fly on a different day. Never got that far - according to their system, there has been no change. According to BA, if I log in using my BA reference I got from AA, it has been changed.

I will hold off booking any lounges and changing anything for a while until all the airlines make up their minds and communicate with one another when they want to fly

They did say that if there is a change I will be notified by email .....

FWIW, both BA and AA apps on my phone, updated and refreshed, show the flight at the old time; AA webisite shows it at the original time too; BA login shows it as changed.

I'm off to make a coffee and will think about this another day

 

[jb68]

When I said I was not happy, they said there was nothing they could do, as my flights I had booked no longer operated at those times.

................I wanted the earlier flights, but BA were not willing to move me back

And YES, my flights were THURSDAYS which is where the problem was, they had cancelled flights on THURSDAYS

To be fair, they couldn't have moved you back if the flights no longer existed, whether they were willing or not

 

[1nfrequent]

Sorry to hear this, Elise. I had that problem a couple of years ago and ended up not getting to POQ until about 7.30pm. Depending on how many of you are gong (and how old the kids are), it might still be worth heading to one of the parks that are open until late. In my experience queues aren't as long and you can also get something to eat there. Mind you, I do go solo so it's a lot easier to organise that for myself.

Hope you don't mind the suggestion - it's very frustrating when flight times change.

1F

 

[Elise79]

Sorry to hear this, Elise. I had that problem a couple of years ago and ended up not getting to POQ until about 7.30pm. Depending on how many of you are gong (and how old the kids are), it might still be worth heading to one of the parks that are open until late. In my experience queues aren't as long and you can also get something to eat there. Mind you, I do go solo so it's a lot easier to organise that for myself. Hope you don't mind the suggestion - it's very frustrating when flight times change. 1F

Our DD will be 6 but we have done enough trips with her now to know that she crashes about 8.30pm.

I am less upset today - we will just head to OKW check in and grab something to eat at Goods and take it back to the room.

Not ideal start but never mind

 

[BlueGiraffe]

Thanks for the link to this thread!

I too got that email. We are flying out on Thursday 24th July. We chose to go with BA as they were so much cheaper than VA, and at the time VA weren't offering an early flight, just the 1:30pm one.

At the end of the day it's not the end of the world, because we are still getting there, I just wanted to be there as early as possible so the kids could eat dinner at a sensible time before bed. I had also (secretly) hoped to fit in a trip to DTD is everyone was up for it, but that's off the cards now.

Getting there late is better than not getting there at all, but it's so frustrating that they advertise one thing and then change it. It makes the whole day longer!!

The man I spoke to on the phone just kept saying it was a scheduling thing, and that they couldn't be expected to run a business if they didn't have the flexibility to change flights! What rubbish! He did tell me though that if they do put on an earlier flight we will be on it, which was good to hear (but I'm now thinking that was just a ploy to get me off the phone lol).

I guess I just have to keep in mind that we got a great price, and we are going to see Mickey Mouse - and keep all my fingers and toes crossed that, for whatever reason, they decide to add extra flights and we get to go at 11-something.

 

[flortlebap]

I think telling you they may add you back to an earlier flight was probably just appeasement it's unlikely they will release enough seats now to justify running two flights and will probably limit the seats released just to one flight now.

It's crazy that they can do that though and so inconvenient!

 

[BlueGiraffe]

It's crazy that they can do that though and so inconvenient!

Indeed!

If BA hadn't have been advertising the early flight, and I hadn't have got such a good price, I'd have gone with someone else.

But it makes me cross that I'm not getting what I paid for - an early flight!

 

[Elise79]

But it makes me cross that I'm not getting what I paid for - an early flight!

I think this is what has annoyed us all - we picked them for the price and the flight time!

 

[pampat]

I was told a while ago by a travel agent that when you purchase an airline ticket (could also apply to ferry, train, etc., I think) the contract that you have formed only states that the airline will get you to that destination for that price. It is not a legally binding contract that the carrier will get you there at the time you booked, on even that day! Crazy isn't it? That being said the only changes we have ever had is by 15 minutes or so. Knowing that, we've kind of just sucked it up and got on with it, but I can imagine that it would be much harder to deal with if it was hours instead of minutes.

Pam

 

[flortlebap]

I was told a while ago by a travel agent that when you purchase an airline ticket (could also apply to ferry, train, etc., I think) the contract that you have formed only states that the airline will get you to that destination for that price. It is not a legally binding contract that the carrier will get you there at the time you booked, on even that day! Crazy isn't it? That being said the only changes we have ever had is by 15 minutes or so. Knowing that, we've kind of just sucked it up and got on with it, but I can imagine that it would be much harder to deal with if it was hours instead of minutes.

Pam

It is crazy, when you consider that if the boot was on the other foot (ie a passenger WANTING to switch to a later flight) there would usually be significant cost to it, yet BA aren't compensating people for them losing half a day of the holiday...

Side note, but we got asked to move by Jet2 from Manchester to Leeds because the plane was over booked... We refused and they offered to pay for our hotel, parking, and offered us £200 on top for the inconvenience!

If a budget airline manages to compensate so well, I don't see why BA don't...

Anyway, rant over - and I'm not even flying with BA

 

[BlueGiraffe]

A couple of hours isn't the end of the world, it just messes up my plans and makes me 2 hours late for Mickey Mouse!

The man I spoke to on the phone actually used the phrase "It's only a couple of hours. I'm sure you can live with that"

 

[wayneg]

If a budget airline manages to compensate so well, I don't see why BA don't...

Anyway, rant over - and I'm not even flying with BA

Due to a house purchase in Tenerife falling thru my Brother recently cancelled some flights, he was due to fly out on Easyjet return BA Business class, last I heard he could reschedule EasyJet for a small fee, was going to lose his money on BA flights.
I recently changed some flights with JetBlue, fantastic service, cost £35 each. On the other hand Aer Lingus wanted to charge us £640(£320pp) for doing the same.

A couple of hours isn't the end of the world, it just messes up my plans and makes me 2 hours late for Mickey Mouse!

The man I spoke to on the phone actually used the phrase "It's only a couple of hours. I'm sure you can live with that"

If it was us going I would agree with him, first evening we unpack, a quick bite, DTD if early enough but thats it, bed and early start on our first day. This last trip we arrived at hotel around 9pm, ideal for me, a sandwhich, unoack and sleep.
It doesn't matter to us at all but does others.

 

[2Tiggies]

A couple of hours isn't the end of the world, it just messes up my plans and makes me 2 hours late for Mickey Mouse!

The man I spoke to on the phone actually used the phrase "It's only a couple of hours. I'm sure you can live with that"

How does he know?! See I can actually live with a couple of hours. The trouble is that we have connecting flights leaving at stupid o clock to make it to Gatwick for the original flight time without pressure and now we have a nearly 7 hour layover which I could do without. Furthermore, I have booked a lens rental and paid for it and they deliver in person to the person (i.e. no leaving at the front desk or with a third party) so that messes things up a bit too. Nothing major - all just little inconveniences but they add up

Did all of you get an email?

I didn't. I booked through AA codeshare flying on BA. I have called both airlines. Both insist that there is no change to my flight, yet if I go into manage my booking through BA, it shows the 1.40 departure. (Admittedly both apps are still showing the old time, as is the AA website and mange my booking page). I really just want them to confirm it officially now so that I can shuffle my plans around to suit.

 

[Elise79]

How does he know?! See I can actually live with a couple of hours. The trouble is that we have connecting flights leaving at stupid o clock to make it to Gatwick for the original flight time without pressure and now we have a nearly 7 hour layover which I could do without. Furthermore, I have booked a lens rental and paid for it and they deliver in person to the person (i.e. no leaving at the front desk or with a third party) so that messes things up a bit too. Nothing major - all just little inconveniences but they add up Did all of you get an email? I didn't. I booked through AA codeshare flying on BA. I have called both airlines. Both insist that there is no change to my flight, yet if I go into manage my booking through BA, it shows the 1.40 departure. (Admittedly both apps are still showing the old time, as is the AA website and mange my booking page). I really just want them to confirm it officially now so that I can shuffle my plans around to suit.

Still waiting on an email here...

 

[2Tiggies]

Still waiting on an email here...

So it's not just me then

Even the airline systems don't seem to be reflecting it yet. Had an agent from BA in my booking looking at exactly the same page as I was, while on the phone. Yet I was seeing 1.40 pm and he claimed to be seeing 11.20 am

Bangs head against wall ........