BotB

Noticed a lot of threads point out some issue that winds them up (and may or may not be particular to BA) especially if it is something you repeatedly run into with higher frequency...So, on a positive note; What do you do to change the situation or provide some stress relief in such situations?

Hoping that by sharing some ideas and tips, all of us will benefit from this and make travelling a bit nicer (or at least ways to mitigate stress!)

For example:

-no overhead locker space or too much carry on brought on board
-no fast track or no priority boarding
-crew that are having a bad day or simply poor crew
-IRROPS
-noisy people (large or small)

For my part: i tend to try and relax as much as possible before the flight to help be in a positive mood which helps in case of any issues as otherwise, being stressed from arriving late or being in a bad mood before boarding...I am not going to improve on things when something does wind me up...

Also, I do try to treat the staff as I would like to be treated and give them eye contact and smile when talking to them / first coming on board...I think many people treat crew like they are a fixture of the aircraft and forget that they are people like you and I. If they are feeling respected and appreciated they will hopefully reciprocate.

I try to reduce any frequent periods of flying or hotel stays I do with any one brand and this helps to both see what the other 'half' do as well as to appreciate what I do like about my favourite brands. The little things that wind me up with BA pale sometimes when you see what bigger issues one faces with no status or simply with an airline that has a different 'culture' on board.

I do have to say I really like the fact that BA crew are usually people that enjoy some interaction with pax and can joke or share a smile about little things whilst other airlines cabin crew tend to be more officious or distanced (not all I appreciate).

So, what do you do? Do you drink like a fish? Do you take some pills? Other?

irishguy28

Fly Ryanair!

Swanhunter

* focus on what I can influence - getting on first to secure bin space, take headphones to blot out talkers, have work to keep me occupied, book an exit row on short haul to improve personal space and avoid recliners
* ensure I am as far away from other people as possible (F or UD on Longhaul if possible) and if at all avoid peak leisure travel periods as they are most likely to cause stress
* try to remember most people are stupid by accident rather than design and cut them some slack
* fly someone else (a change can be as good as a rest)
* don't fly at all (a rest is often better than a change)

Prospero

Attending to those things you can influence is excellent advice. I really can make an appreciable difference.

I made some changes to my weekly work routine which involves one day in GLA. These were initially arranged as Monday day trips. As these appointments are quite physically demanding coupled with a 4am alarm call, returning home late evening and even with less physically demanding work during the rest of the week, I was zombie come Thursday. So I changed the day trips to Fridays and as a result I’m much more alert/productive during the working week and use the weekend to relax/recover.

I’ve honed my routine and now travel without any cabin baggage. I attend to my GLA stuff armed with an A5 size notebook, selection of writing implements, two smartphones and an iPad loaded with all the documents I need. No more boarding/locker space anxiety. It has been liberating.

Great thread topic BTW ^

V10

By far the most important - selecting a seat at time of booking or checking in as early as possible. Being in a middle seat absolutely ruins any flight for me.

I agree about concentrating on what you are able to influence, if you can't influence something it's not worth fixating on and getting unnecessarily worked up about it when there's sod all you can do.

I'm now in complete control over my travel schedule and budget (i.e. I book and pay for it myself) so do what suits me best. A little something in the lounge before hand is always welcome - people may complain that they get busy but generally it's still a nicer place to be than with the hordes in the shopping centre outside. Checking luggage, so it's a wait at baggage reclaim at the other end but I'm not having to worry about cabin space or dragging it round the airport.

Last but not least, no more long haul flying. It magnifies all the worst aspects of flying into something that wouldn't be as much of an issue on a short flight.

FoxtrotOscar

Sometimes I just use another OW partner just for variety. Was pleasantly surprised with American to JFK this week. I preferred the herringbone formation as a solo business traveller, and cheeseburger sliders for the second meal was a change from finger sandwiches and a hard scone.

LTN Phobia

- Sleep as much as possible on board
- Participate in Galley FM if the crew are willing and not busy and if I happen to be awake
- Noise cancelling in-ear headphones with noise isolating buds
- Not drinking anything other than water and occasional tea/juice (helps with the jetlag and dry skin)
- Board early if I have any overhead locker space concerns
- Try to ignore irritations as much as I can
- Not to be in a hurry so that I don't get stressed
- Try to be as nice and helpful as possible to other passengers and crew - it makes me feel better

This isn't to say that I am jaded with BA flights. I'm simply bored (not so much fed up) with flying in general.
So my comments above don't relate to anything specific - they are something I always try to do but I am almost always bored with flying anyway.

windowontheAside

It's an interesting question. I suppose my thought is that I rarely get jaded with BA.

For me the BA part of the journey is usually the most pleasant part of the end to end journey compared with the other parts (getting to the airport, getting through the airport etc) and since I am familiar with BA I take advantage of the perks - lounge access, priority boarding, exit row seating (which makes a massive difference to l/h Y travel). Those definitely compensate for less than stellar service at times.

When I occasionally fly other (non-OW) airlines I am reminded what a difference those things make.

I also try to control my own environment on board as much as possible. I always take a window seat as you might have guessed

For sleeping, Bose noise-cancelling ear buds and a Tempur-Pedic sleep mask create an almost complete blackout. If flying in J I take one of those curved memory foam neck pillows which makes a perfect pillow for sleeping with ear buds as my ear goes in the hole in the middle while my head is supported. CW pillows are woeful.

For daytime l/h flights I take at least two sources of IFE - I can't remember the last time I used the on board version other than the moving map. For flights over 3 hours or so I also take snacks and (soft) drinks so that I am not dependent on the vagaries of catering and service. I always smile and treat the CC with cheerful respect but I find I rarely speak with them outside of the usual "The chicken and a Diet Coke please".

Sometimes I get fed up with travelling, but that's rarely directed specifically at BA.

pinkcat

Steady on,
I was going to suggest flying US airways TATL would remind you where you are better off!

chucko

Right. Fly a couple of hours on a US domestic, that tends to put things in perspective for me.

TravelOCD

Funny that this topic came up because I was just about to start a thread similar to this. I recently flew on US airways outbound to Las Vegas and back with American Airways. I know there are a lot of things that BA doesn't do as well as they should but compared to the American airlines, BA does everything so much better!

On both transatlantic legs, there were no IFE at all in economy (yes, a bit of a first world problem but seriously, are the US airlines operating in the 1990s??). For the US airways flight out, I sneaked a look into Business and it didn't look like there were IFEs either and no ipads handed out afterwards. I'm not sure what those guys paid for business but I hope it wasn't too much!

This was then followed by a 9 hour delay on the way back to LHR due to technical issues. Totally understand these things are unexpected and I would prefer to wait 9 hours then get on an unsafe plane. The grating thing was that after a 9 hour delay, once everyone was aboard, we were told there was another 30min delay because they just noticed there was a panel that needed to be fixed. 9 hours and it's still not ready. Topping it off is of course no compensation as it's not EU airline...

So now if I ever get annoyed at BA..I just think American and suddenly all seems right with BA again.

(Oops, just read the other replies and realised the American theme was already picked up on)

Nimrod1965

Deleted

rapidex

Not necessary to be in Afghanistan to be shot at.Look at the passengers on the PIA A310 landing in peshawar.

Just fly TPAC on United and you will be back to BA in no time.

Joely

^ never done TPAC but have done LHR-LAX on UA Y, not something I would recommend.

PaulN

Generally I'm flying for leisure so I do try to go with the flow when issues or potential annoyances arise. Luckily I've been seriously delayed only once in many flights.

For those that fly often it must be similar to my daily commute where there are any number of irritations from late trains to other passengers behaviour but again the best way is not to let it wind you up, block out as much as you can with music or a book.

As the theme of other responses say - there are far worse things in life than not having space for a bag or not getting fast track boarding.