OPUP to WT+ while others were downgraded
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 17
OPUP to WT+ while others were downgraded
I was on the SAN-LHR yesterday which seemed to be massively oversold. They were pro-actively offering $800 to people who voluntarily decided to be rebooked on the next day's flight.
I was travelling with 9 colleagues all of whom were on separate tickets in various classes. 3 were upgraded from WT+ to Club and 2 were downgraded from WT+ to WT. 1 was told she was on "standby" and couldn't be guaranteed a seat, but ultimately ended up travelling in WT+.
I was sitting in my WT seat and someone else boarded with the exact same seat number. I refreshed my BA app to discover I now had a WT+ seat.
After fighting against a wave of people boarding the plane and reaching the WT+ cabin, I found someone sitting in "my" WT+ seat. I queried with the cabin crew who ended up moving the lady to a seat in WT and I ended up travelling in WT+.
As you can imagine my colleagues were bemused.
I was travelling with 9 colleagues all of whom were on separate tickets in various classes. 3 were upgraded from WT+ to Club and 2 were downgraded from WT+ to WT. 1 was told she was on "standby" and couldn't be guaranteed a seat, but ultimately ended up travelling in WT+.
I was sitting in my WT seat and someone else boarded with the exact same seat number. I refreshed my BA app to discover I now had a WT+ seat.
After fighting against a wave of people boarding the plane and reaching the WT+ cabin, I found someone sitting in "my" WT+ seat. I queried with the cabin crew who ended up moving the lady to a seat in WT and I ended up travelling in WT+.
As you can imagine my colleagues were bemused.
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 17
Given that their bookings contravened our WT Only travel policy, I don't feel too bad for them.
More to the point, I'm surprised that there could ever be a scenario where a paying WT+ customer could be downgraded while a WT customer is upgraded.
#6
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,596
If your collegue was on "standby",she probably was not downgraded.was she waitlisted for the flight or did she have a confirmed reservation?Standby passengers are usually offered whatever seats are left after all others have been re-accomodated.
It may well be that her confirmed reservation was on a different flight but she was able to get a last minute seat.That is perhaps why some of your collegues were allowed more expensive seats than the travel policy allows.
It may well be that her confirmed reservation was on a different flight but she was able to get a last minute seat.That is perhaps why some of your collegues were allowed more expensive seats than the travel policy allows.
#7
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 97
If your collegue was on "standby",she probably was not downgraded.was she waitlisted for the flight or did she have a confirmed reservation?Standby passengers are usually offered whatever seats are left after all others have been re-accomodated.
It may well be that her confirmed reservation was on a different flight but she was able to get a last minute seat.That is perhaps why some of your collegues were allowed more expensive seats than the travel policy allows.
It may well be that her confirmed reservation was on a different flight but she was able to get a last minute seat.That is perhaps why some of your collegues were allowed more expensive seats than the travel policy allows.
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 17
She was not one of the downgraded passengers. I provided the info as background to demonstrate that the flight was clearly oversold.
#10
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Provincie Antwerpen, Vlaanderen, België
Programs: MUCCI Gold
Posts: 2,512
Presumably the original bookings were in WTP as there were no WT seats available, or it wouldn't have been necessary for the exception to the WT only travel policy to be made. Now someone will need to go chasing BA for the downgrade refunds when they could be doing something more productive.
#11
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,711
This sounds like the service was badly oversold and also they were having some trouble keeping track in a fast moving situation. For example if there were some staff standbys, jump seat permissions, or irrops that freed up random seats at the last moment. It gets more complex when they try to keep couples together, some people will simply not fly if separated off from their partner, quite understandably. Hence people may be taking the $800 at the last moment, or even they lost track of who had already accepted. BA also proactively telephones some people and invites them to be re-routed, but if this is done in the last 24 hours, the information feedback loop to the airport's DCS often goes wrong.
So when a seat becomes available at the last moment, it is not quite a random process as to who gets that seat - there is some consideration of fare paid, who you work for, and of course status / CIV. Plus perhaps a late equipment change - even if it's of the same type some seats may not be operational.
Still - I can understand the body of bemusement engendered by all of this. I'm a bit surprised they had this problem on this particular route, I though SAN was quite well scoped in terms of matching supply and demand.
So when a seat becomes available at the last moment, it is not quite a random process as to who gets that seat - there is some consideration of fare paid, who you work for, and of course status / CIV. Plus perhaps a late equipment change - even if it's of the same type some seats may not be operational.
Still - I can understand the body of bemusement engendered by all of this. I'm a bit surprised they had this problem on this particular route, I though SAN was quite well scoped in terms of matching supply and demand.
#12
Join Date: Aug 2007
Programs: BA Blue
Posts: 120
Never been in the situation myself but surely the inconvenience is the passenger's, so any compensation should be due to the individual, rather than the company?
#13
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,747
Having travelled a few years ago at the company's expense and been delayed four about 5 hours arriving LHR-PEK, I had no trouble in claiming and accepting the Ł450 EU compensation. I had to wait, not the company and it ate into my one free day when I arrived of some sight seeing.
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 17
I'm not sure that's the best place for a bit of schadenfreude, TBH.
Presumably the original bookings were in WTP as there were no WT seats available, or it wouldn't have been necessary for the exception to the WT only travel policy to be made. Now someone will need to go chasing BA for the downgrade refunds when they could be doing something more productive.
Presumably the original bookings were in WTP as there were no WT seats available, or it wouldn't have been necessary for the exception to the WT only travel policy to be made. Now someone will need to go chasing BA for the downgrade refunds when they could be doing something more productive.
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 17
I believe voluntarily-denied-boarding compensation is issued to the traveller as a credit that can be used towards future bookings.