rumbataz

is this the most jinxed flight that BA has? I've flown the BA1337 around a dozen times over the last five months. It's the NCL-LHR route.

It almost never departs on time. Today, departure was delayed by more than 40 minutes. That's a big percentage of the total flying time (50 minutes).

The gate staff couldn't be bothered to tag passenger's bags anymore so it was a free-for-all during boarding with several passengers taking in excess of four bags on board.

Boarding was very slow. Again.

The usual 50mph+ headwind meant that our journey towards LHR was painfully slow.

We arrived at LHR more than 45 minutes late - bearing in mind the flight is only meant to be a 50 minute flight, that's a huge percentage of of the flying time.

And then the inevitable parking at a remote stand so we had to take a bus to the terminal.

And the final rubbing of salt in the wound - the baggage took around 20 minutes to arrive on the carousel.

Annoyances like this happen with alarming regularity on this flight and the cabin crew seem almost resigned to it - indeed the captain mentioned that "there's nothing we can do" when talking about the late arrival of this flight at LHR.

It is soul-destroying to get on a domestic flight that is delayed by almost the same amount of time as the flying time on so many occasions. A few weeks ago it was delayed by well over two hours.

Delays of this magnitude wouldn't be felt too much on long-haul flights where the delay would be a relatively small proportion of the flying time. However, on short-haul flights, this simply isn't good enough.

As I've never been able to get through to BA's Customer Relations (have they sacked everyone who works in that department as the phones ring but nobody answers?) and neither have I ever received a response from my online complaints/survey comments, this is the only way that I can vent my frustration.

Geordie405

Have you considered taking the train instead?

golfmad

I hear your frustration rumbataz but it's unrealistic to expect there to be any proportional relationship between delay time and flight time. A delay is a delay. It's not going to be a smaller delay because it's a short flight.

Can you get away with hand luggage only for these trips? It might remove another source of frustration from the equation.

paulwuk

Typical BA. You get what you get with a monopoly carrier. Take the train for domestic use, and fly KL or LH or similar for further afield.

While delays may be "oh well", landing at a remote gate, and even after the bus journey not having the bags ready, is just typical BA CBA.

FlyerTalker6245

Indeed you did. You arrived 46 minutes late.

I'm afraid I have little sympathy. I suspect that you may be better off finding a new way to get to London as British Airways won't show much interest until their punctuality costs them money.

Skipcool3

I think baggage delivery in 20 mins is good at an airport as busy as LHR.

I just wouldn't let this wind me up, and as posted would consider the train....
Do BA run the shortest DOM routes (NCL, MAN, LBA) for point to point traffic really? Or do they operate them to feed in to long haul? With airport slots at LHR so scarce, inevitable further squeeze on smaller aircraft.

Tobias-UK

I agree, it's usually much longer than that at MAN/AMS/FRA (my regular Euro trips).

I've been on the NCL route a few times this last 8/9 months and I've not (yet) experienced the OP's issues. But then again a 40 minute delay with any airline is not that unusual.

Fitch

I know every's needs and preferences are different, but I do wonder if the train might not be a better option for you.

As a thought experiment, if you were starting from the city centre and had to check a bag for a 20:10 departure, let's assume you would start your journey at 18:30. Let's also assume that your final destination is somewhere in Central London...

By Plane

18:30 - 19:00 Metro to the airport
19:00 - 19:15 Check in bag
19:15 - 19:30 Clear Security
19:30 - 19:45 Go to gate
19:45 - 20:10 Wait at the gate
20:10 - 21:20 BA 1337
21:20 - 21:30 Walk to baggage reclaim
21:30 - 21:50 Wait for bags
21:50 - 22:00 Walk to Tube
22:00 - 23:00 Tube to final destination

By Train

18:30 - 19:00 Swift one in the pub
19:06 - 22:15 East Coast Mainline service to King's Cross
22:15 - 22:30 Tube to final destination

I've done that route quite a lot over the last few years (albeit to/from Edinburgh) and train wins out for me 90% of the time on comfort and convenience...

Hoch

Seems like it is hardly an 1337 service

Sorry, someone had to say it!

H

corporate-wage-slave

Well I know I am being a bit picky here, but I'd never turn up at NCL that early, security if it takes 5 minutes would be deep into Red Button territory. And I'd expect to be on HEX or the tube in under 10 minutes of arrival at T5, the joys of HBO. NCL is well placed for residents locally, in terms of the A1 and the middle class housing locally. So I would shave a good 90 minutes off the flying time, and to be fair, 15 minutes off the train time too.

In my case, I'm aware that the late service from NCL to LHR gets the "benefit" of a whole day of accumulated delays for crew, aircraft and LHR airport. So I neatly avoid the problem nine times out of ten.

I live 45 minutes from the airport - much further away than most users. So if the service is on time I leave home at 18:45, to arrive 19:30, depart 20:10. However before setting off I would check whether BA1336 has left London, it's scheduled to do so at 18:25. Yesteday it actually left the gate at T5 at 19:08, and took off at 19:32. So in that situation I would simply not leave until the aircraft has taken off, say 19:40, and I would be at the NCL lounge 5 or 10 minutes before boarding.

paulwuk

Have to agree with CWS

Form MAN, on VS (BA similar, extra 5 minutes at home due to 10 minute gate close time, but longer into London due to T5)

0615 Leave home
0622 Exit taxi
0625 Arrive security
0630 Clear security
0630-0640 contingency
0640 Gate closes
0655 Wheels up
0745 Exit plane
0749 Get coffee
0755 At Tube station
0835 in office

Vs
0630 Leave Home
0650 Arrive Station
0655 Collect ticket
0659 Depart Station
0854 Arrive Euston
0930 In office

So 45 minutes longer on the train, and far more expensive, and far more uncomfortable.

simons1

Assumes the flight is on time of course. The 45 minute saving is about the same amount as the delay on the OP's flight in which case there would be little in it.

Plus of course you use a morning example and at the end of the day the chances of a delay invariably seem higher. I was once a regular on the last flight from MAN to LGW before the route was pulled and the pilots were regularly saying the timetable was unrealistically tight with delays inevitable towards the end of the day.

TyneTraveller

The poor old BA1337 hasn't had the best punctuality record over this winter schedule, when it has operated at all. It is like has been mentioned above, usually due to an accumulation of small delays throughout the day. Yesterdays 1337 operated the BA 754/755 LHR-BSL rtn before arriving into NCL late as the 1336 at 20:21. To be fair, the guys there had it turned around pretty quickly and was only on stand a full 37 minutes

HarryKUK

Getting the train is sadly not really a better option for some people.

In my case, I fly the LBA route quite a lot. It is often cheaper than the train, provides access to lounges which can cover dinner when I am on the late flight, and is convenient in my case as I live closer to LHR than Euston and closer to LBA then the train station.

It is also cost effective in terms of Avios, as I currently earn 1000 Avios per sector meaning I can book every 4.5th flight using Avios if required, even if this is for my travelling companion (I prefer not to use Avios for myself whenever possible as it makes more sense for me to take the paid fare and collect double Avios). This may all change when the new earning structure comes in making the benefit of Avios less rewarding, though the lounge is still a plus.

rumbataz

The train's not really a good option for me as getting from NCL to Kings Cross and then to my home is tortuous, particularly with a suitcase and a heavy laptop bag. It will involve a fair number of changes in the Underground once I get to Kings Cross.

I guess what made yesterday particularly bad was the security at NCL. There was nobody checking boarding passes before you enter the security area. Only one scanner was operative/manned. That got things off to quite a bad start as the delay at security was considerably longer than normal and then I got the entire contents of my laptop bag taken out and X-rayed separately. That caused yet another delay.

I sometimes take the slightly earlier NCL-LHR which departs at 18:15 and that has a slightly better record of getting onto the stand within about 20 minutes of the scheduled arrival time.

Unfortunately the BA1337 is the last NCL-LHR flight. I do feel sorry for the cabin crew too. This flight often has connecting long-haul passengers and I imagine many of those missed their connections too - so they were probably in a worse situation than me.

The captain even admitted that that everyone's evening had been ruined, including the cockpit and cabin crew's evenings.

Hence, I'm really annoyed at BA, the corporate organisation, rather than the crew on this flight. BA need to fix this persistent lateness or just tear up the timetable as it bears no resemblance to the actual arrival time.