bmi diamond club - What a Farce

Flew from LHR to DUB last week. Booked C class on BD, award ticket.

So, arrived at LHR, went to check-in and was told (by a completely incompetent agent) there were no business class seats on the flight,

OK, I thought, what a bummer, and proceeded to board the A320. On boarding I noticed a very nice business class section and then asked the purser to reseat me in this area. He went to seek advice from the airline and came back and seated me in a very nice C class seat.

The flight was very nice, but what a disgrace, British Airways.

Also. I was told that as a One World Sapphire and a Star Gold I could not access the BD lounge. So I just went up to the Servisair lounge. BA has shot itself in the foot as far as my experience is concerned.

Another reason I have not been on a BA flight in three decades.

Did this flight have a BD or BA code when you took the flight?

If it was a BD code then indeed there was no business class, but your C ticket should have got you a seat in the flexible economy/economy extra section near the front. Sometimes there's an aircraft swap and you end up on a nice midhaul aircraft with proper business class seats.

If it was after the switch to BA (i.e. BA code, but flight still may be operated by bmi) then there is a club europe section on the aircraft and anyone who had a C or fully flex Y BD ticket should have been seated in this section.

As the switchover to BA has caused some confusion then the staff member may not have been aware of the reintroduction of business class on the Dublin route (as it's not on Belfast, Edinburgh or Aberdeen as BA don't offer a business class on domestics) and when your ticket was reissued for the BA flight number then it may have incorrectly placed you in economy.

So it's a mistake, there's a lot of changes being made and there's a potential for some computer errors and the staff not being fully aware of the service offering.

Give your feedback to BA so they're aware of the issues.

Another reason I have not been on a BA flight in three decades.

Do I detect some anti BA feeling in that post? :D

The flight was very nice, but what a disgrace, British Airways.

Well, now, hardly.

If it was a flight to SYD I might be more sympathetic.

Sounds like a mid-haul aircraft, so well done in getting moved up.

BMI havn't offered business class on this route for a number of years.... even when they did, it was shocking, IMHO. I switched on to it when BA stopped the Gatwick route, as it was the only business class option LON-DUB.

On the few times I used it, BMI gave my catering away to higher status passengers (something that has never happened to me on any other airline)... I rapidly switched to Aer lingus.

Ask for your extra miles back as you didn't get lounge access, or the full C experience.

And BA do offer C class to Jersey from LGW.

Budley, I completely agree with your sentiment and would have done the same.

I think with the confusion of BA / BD, which aircraft, which classes available to which destination, I am not surprised. It will take them some time to understand as internal communications within BA are not their strongest point. Trust me, I used to work for them!