KevinM2

Sorry for sounding quite urgent, but I put my elderly Aunt on a BA flight at 5pm from EDI to LHR to connect with VS200 to Sydney.

The BA flight (departing at 18:25 BA8049) was delayed and is only just arriving at LHR, however, I can't speak to anyone at BA to see what is happening (as all their offices appear to close at 8pm), and Virgin won't speak to me because I am not a passenger and didn't make the booking.

I just want to try and find out what is happening, as she is in her 70's, and is not a very good flyer at the best of times, and is travelling on her own. She will be an absolute bag of nerves right now.

Any advice?

Thanks

Flying Winemaker

You can see the arrival time of BA8049 on ba.com. I don't know what else you expect BA to be able to tell you, as the onward connection is with a different carrier.

Did you explain to your Aunt that she would have to change terminals? Does she have a mobile telephone?

KevinM2

I really just want someone to tell me if she will make the connection or not. Virgin won't even tell me if she is onboard the VS200 even after it departs.

I had arranged Mobility Assistance for her BA flight and her Virgin flight.

Initially, when the flight was booked, the onward connection was with a (Virgin) partner airline (Midland), however, that all changed, obviously, recently.

No, no mobile...None of my Aunts, Uncles, Great Aunts etc who are in their 70s and 80s have a mobile...just seems to be something that the older generation don't tend to bother with.

Airprox

I'm not entirely sure what you are expecting BA to be able to tell you on the telephone, but unfortunately they aren't going to be much help. This is something that needs dealing with at the airport by the traveller.

Presumably you fully explained to your Aunt how to make the T1 to T3 transfer before hand anyway, so she just has to continue to follow that process. The flight arrived an hour late, so there is still 90 minutes to make the connection. She should continue over to the T3 FCC and then find the VS desks for assistance.

cornishsimon

Is this all on one ticket ?

cs

KevinM2

Yes, all on the same booking

UKtravelbear

Surely the mobility assistance was waiting for her BA flight to land?

In my experience they are pretty good of letting a connecting airline know that they have Passenger X and they are on the way.

As to the lack of phone I assume she has your number(s) and will be able to contact you in case of problems?

As to being a bag of nerves she is probbaly having the time of her life being fussed over !

cornishsimon

If a late inbound means they miss the Virgin connection then the operator who caused the problem will be responsible for looking after them.

In this case BA would have I re-accommodate your family on a later flight, BA or QF are possible or overnight them and get them off tomorrow, in which case BA would provide food, hotel and phone calls.


cs

stifle

In that case worst case is she gets rebooked.

KevinM2

HeeHee, I appreciate your "upbeat" view of her "partying away", but believe me, she was shaking like a leaf before going through security at EDI...and that was when the flght was due to leave on time.

She's in her 70's, in a wheelchair, and travelling halfway round the world on her own (she lives in Australia, and was over visiting) was a major event for her.

Seasoned travellers like us members on here woudn't think twice about this, and as you say would probably think of it as a mini adventure, but an elderly, wheelchair bound lady who has only ever made two flights in her life might look on this a little less favourably.

All I really want to do is speak to someone at either BA or Virgin and them tell me if she made the VS flight OK.

I guess that there's no way to check if she made the flight, other than calling her son in Australia in 30 hours and see if she gets off the plane in Sydney.

Yes, she has our telephone number, but whether she has the presence of mind (in between panic attacks) to call is another matter

NickB

Unless you are mentioned as next-of-kin in the reservation, I doubt that BA or VS would give any information on whether a passenger was on a flight or not.

cornishsimon

Correct again
BA and VS will be the same on this and they will refuse to confirm or deny anything relating to someone else's booking with them unless your relative has specifically told them that they can talk to you.

All down to uk data protection laws I'm afraid.


cs

janetm

At least your aunt knows the language

We had once my mother-in-law, who is in the late 60s and does not speak anything but Spanish travelling alone via AMS back to Peru.

We ordered the mobility service for the AMS airport when buying the ticket with KLM and confirmed it when we left her at the airport in HAJ.

24hours later we got the news that she arrived fine in Lima, but nobody picked her up at the gate and she anyway made it through the two security controls and new gate alone.

Never underestimate the power of life experience, but I can truely understand your feelings

Fingers crossed and best regards

UKtravelbear

Sorry, I wasn't trying to make light of your concern but elderly people are far more resilient that we more experienced 'youngsters' think.

She is probbaly at this moment singing your praises to her seat mate telling them what a wonderful chap you are and trying to marry you off!

KevinM2

Well, I just got a phone call from the VS check-in desk at LHR and she hasn't made the flight. She is in bits. VS whilst extremely understanding of her situation have said it is down to BA to arrange everything with her, however, the VS lady doesn't even think that there are any BA staff avaialble to talk to.

She has been sent off to the BAA desk (as it was BAA mobility assistance that was wheeling her about LHR), but she is in no state whatsoever to talk to anyone.

My aunt told me on the phone that the wheelchair assistant person told them that they didn't need a boarding card, despite my aunt insisting, and me telling her she needs one.

In between my Aunt's panic I'm sure she told me that the mobility assistance guy took her out to the main LHR area rhather than through transfers to the VS desk, and so she eventually arrived at the VS desk after the flight had closed.

She is now stuck at LHR T3 in tears at 10:30 at night not knowing what to do.

An absolute shambles...and I still cannot speak to anyone at BA to try and sort something out.