Cymro

There's little that BA could do instantly about the failures, so the front-line staff did what could be expected of them.

However, averaged across the airport IRROPs and usage levels are predictable, and maintenance failures need to be addressed. While the front-line staff can't be expected to address those issues, BA as a whole can and should fix those problems over the short-to-medium term.

Jermyn

I agree that that OP has experienced unacceptable ground services for an F product. The CCR is stretched beyond capacity. The point being made is that a true F experience should allow for flexibility in accommodating guests, because capacity is not an issue.

The closest another lounge has come to this situation is the F section of CX's Wing. The result? An even better lounge: The Pier, built to increase F capacity and ensure that any F pax (as well as OWE) are always able to get showers and dining tables.

Of the OW airlines with F it's no secret that BA trails the pack in terms of lounges, on its home turf. I manage my expectations accordingly but wish I didn't have to...

Andriyko

The general waiting times are shorter. I never had to wait for more than 5-10 minutes for a shower even in the morning when the majority of longhaul services arrive. Nor did I ever had to wait for a table in the CCR. Even in the F lounge dining area one can get a table within a short period of time. OK, I don't fly every day but still... To employ more staff, build more showers, expand the dining area just for a rather rare occasion when the lounges are busier than usual seems uneconomical.

simons1

The reality is BA could double their capacity in lounges, massages etc and it still would not be enough to cover last minute IRROPS situations.

Plus what about the OPs point about seats on the plane - what would you do? Kick out the people who already had those seats booked on the revised flight? Have an empty plane on standby to guarantee the OP his preferred seats?

Unfortunately things sometimes go wrong, in the circumstances I think the best route is just for BA to apologise and compensate the traveller for the loss of amenities that has caused.

corporate-wage-slave

There were quite a few annoying middle duration irrops, the information screens seemed to have defaulted to 2 lines for almost all flights! I hope the rest of your anniversary trip goes well, and my congratulations for passing that milestone.

I was also in the CCR at 19 hrs last night and the restaurant booths - which did not look like they were all taken to me (I was outside on the high tables, Sardinia polo shirt) - and would have opened up within a few minutes. It wasn't that busy. In that list, given the irrops, the poor situation with showers is the only thing which strikes me as indefensible. Even then, a 10-15 minute delay would strike me as reasonable, that happens with Cathay too. This is more about irrops and yesterday's miserable weather, than anything else.

binman

The OP experience was not premium and certainly not luxurious. He was flying First Class and there really to have been better service recovery. That does not mean disrupting others, it means treating him and his wife like valued important passengers and as individuals. This is BA problem, no individual attention and absolutely no attention to detail.
The lack of showers, inadequate spa facilities and overcrowded lounges simply mean that disruption at LHR is even more unpleasant than it should be. Knowing that this will always be the case is not a reason for accepting it.

You need to vote with you feet.

sebastiansw3

The OP had an experience that was anything but First Class. The BA apologists who accuse him of whining aren't fair. I am a huge fan of BA and long for the day when it invests sufficiently in staff and product to be taken seriously as a premium airline. You can no longer guarantee a clean plane, access to advertised services in the lounge (or indeed the CCR at all if you've been bumped to T3). Fast track is a monumental joke and the only thing that saves BA is the (albeit increasingly rare) phenomenal staff and crew.

BA235

The provision of an adequate number of (working?) showers is an uncontroversial expectation when travelling F through a carrier's home base. Though as I am fortunate never to have to connect through Heathrow I have never had cause to use them. As an aside, are there any public showers in the terminal? Do they have showers in the B Lounge?

Andriyko

So, just because ten days a year twice as many showers may be required than on average on any other day the airline should maintain that many showers? Who will pay for this?

corporate-wage-slave

There are showers in the B lounges, and they are not over-used except perhaps between 08 hrs and 10 hrs. The rest of the day they are generally available for walk ups. Apart from staff showers and the Aspire lounge, all showers in T5 are under BA's control and aren't available for Domestic / ET / WT / WTP passengers without status.

stevie

Just an update. The rebooked flight was delayed by another hour or so as they tried to fix the IFE. Here in JNB we are rebooked on a later flight and all was done smoothly. The flight itself was fine with the MF crew being very nice, albeit inexperienced.

Sorry if I was a little snappy last night wanted my wife to get a premium experience and she seemed to enjoy everything despite the challenges. Guess I am jaded traveller.

Anyway thanks to all for kind wishes.

By the way the Slow lounge is wonderful here.

corporate-wage-slave

Glad to hear you and your wife enjoyed the flight, the latter probably being the main thing. And I hope you also enjoyed name checking all the celebs in CCR yesterday too!

HighLife

I'm terribly British about these things and don't usually pipe up, but the OP is absolutely right to be frustrated in my opinion.

There should be enough capacity in the CCR to seat many more diners

There should be more cabanas

There should be more shower suites, and these should always be maintained
on a rolling basis (so no more than one or two are ever out of use)

CCR loos should be cleaned more frequently, and there should be more of them

There should be more capacity for last minute massage / treatment appointments too.

The only point on which I can't see any improvement is seating on board. Once those seats are taken by others, that's it.

The shower situation over the summer has been diabolical, and continues to be. The wait for a table in the CCR is just not acceptable. I am turned away far too often, and on the occasions I do manage to get a table near the front on either side I hear FAR too many other people being turned away.

(I don't bother with the BA treatments personally as they are not a patch on what QF or AF offer in F)

Don't get me started on the Cabanas. I have 3 F flights from LHR to LAX over the next 2 months and in NO case is Quintessentially Useless able to reserve a Cabana for me in EITHER direction during my layovers from TLS.

BA235

You seem certain of the number of days in which there may be excessive demand for the showers so I shall of course defer to your superior knowledge. Given your familiarity with the provision of showers perhaps you could tell me how many there are and how many of these are currently operable. Do you know?

stevie

Haha did not see anybody who was there?