simons1

There have been loads of cases on here in recent times. Not always being shafted but mostly indicative of poor training and and staff making it up as they go along.

Failure to proactively pay out on EC261. Failure to pay out TPs and Avios as Air Lanka is allegedly not part of One World. Incorrect bag charges. Failure to check bags through BA to BA even though told this is now allowed. Answers that bear no relation to complaints. Passengers shafted with miserable compensation for core failings (seat doesn't go flat) etc etc.

If people knew what they were doing HUACA would not be such a regular part of FT routine.

You are right though, the price of tickets has come down in CE, these days the cabins are apparently packed with cheap fares and upgrades.

FrancisA

There are obviously training deficiencies, which is why on occasion it is necessary to speak to a superviser. BA are not alone in that either as an airline or a business (banks are exceptionally bad in this area).

HUACA normally applies to complex tasks which are far from everyday and areas where the agent is being asked to show a degree of discretion, which a particular agent may not have. Again these problems are hardly unique to BA.

Fares in general are far far cheaper in all cabins as a result of competition. I can remember BA discounted Y flights to Spain being £150 in the 80s. If that price had gone up with RPI it would be over £600 today. In reality, cheapest Y fares are now about half the 80s price. There must be a limit to what efficiencies can deliver, particularly when other essential costs have risen over the last 30 years by RPI. The inevitable consequence is that service quality will be lower reflecting the lower price.

This seems to be the picture across the airline industry. If that were not so someone would be flying J or Y only cabins full of travellers who are prepared to pay a substantial premium for quality. Why does no-one do this on routes such as LCY-FRA or ZUR or BSL or any other high volume high yield route? Because the demand isn't there and the market has accepted current service standards.

As for CE. I am not privy to the manifest so I cannot see whether people are flying on cheap tickets or are upgrades. In 20 years regular CE travel all I can say is cabin size is back to where it was pre 9/11 and seat maps look pretty full weeks out.

Not sure why there would be many upgrades in CE. Avios upgrades are expensive as they require a high ET fare first, POUG and AUP are less available than previously and op ups to CE are relatively rare as convertible seating means cabin size can be changed to reflect demand.

My personal take is that BA are building a successful and expanding network on the back of service standard cuts necessary to remain competitive. Their profit performance bears this out.

Is it the same airline I flew with in the 80s or 90s. Probably not if you compare service standards (and prices). Has it maintained its core values, I'd say yes. Will I keep flying BA? In my case yes because I am happy with the route network. product and price.

If that doesn't work for you, fly someone else.

Flier74

In that case keep pursuing as I said I hope you will get the outcome you wish for.
As to point 2 in your post, yes this is correct but this then normally gets checked in for free under the "proactive holding"

That point made by Customer relations seems a copy and paste job to me, something many have fallen foul of in a variety of issues in the past.

Point 1 is not in line with BAs handbaggage policy and on smaller aircraft they then hold load the wheelie bags at the aircraft side (free of charge) and return it aircraft side in disembarkation, mainly on Sun Air and the The Saab 2000 as I have seen myself but not sure what other Aircraft types this will be offered on.

Again I hope you get the outcome you wish for

:D!

2 weeks ago out of LCY to ZRH, someone managed to bring a large piece of luggage through security to the gate, larger than the BA sizer, but not so big that it wouldn't fit into an overhead locker on an A380 or B744.

The gate staff noticed that this bag would obviously not fit on the Embraer, and promptly told him that he would have to gate check it. They printed out a luggage tag and wrapped it around the handle of his bag.

I sat down in 3C and watched as the rest of the passengers boarded, including this man who brought his bag on board, with the checked luggage tag, and of course it wouldn't fit, although I didn't see what happened to the bag in the end. It didn't go in the ground cabinet near 1B at least.

simons1

Agreed, the airlines, utilities and banks are the three worst cases. Not many sectors of business require legislation to force them to treat customers fairly.

Maybe but delivering efficiencies and taking away front line services are two different things. Remember BA post privatisation was a bloated organisation, packed with civil service management types selling monopoly fares that were fixed with competitors. Plus the oil price right now is virtually the same as it was in 1980 so that's one 'essential cost' that hasn't risen by RPI. Plus of course many other aspects of the industry have changed, aircraft are more efficient, used more intensively etc and in fact in many cases it's the same old 747s trundling around but now fully depreciated.

The seating isn't convertible, it's all economy seating and a curtain on a rail that moves (unless you are referring to the pull out table). The old convertible seats were I grant you good as they were wider as well as having more legroom but that's just a memory now. As for cheap fares wasn't it less than a year ago that BA were knocking out CE fares from Gatwick from £150 return? Do companies really do that where there is strong demand at premium prices?

Best to reserve judgement on that. The 'ride' from lower oil prices has been handy, however a company's share price only drops by a third in 9 months where there are more sellers than buyers. So maybe the company's owners don't buy into your rosy financial analysis.

Of course. This is always the acid test. Personally going east at least I find other airlines with far superior propositions. That's why the company I work for has shifted all travel away from BA unless it is a route with limited options.

scillyisles

Excellent reply +1

airline brat

Some strange and frustrating experiences with gate staff, we had something very similar Saturday on BA834 (Gate 22) although with no monetary demand. I had a legal roll-aboard and a laptop bag, Mrs. ab had a legal roll-aboard and a purse, we're both in CE and had seats in row 3 to put 1 item overhead and 1 underneath. Admittedly flight is full in the back, it has 7 of 20 seats open in CE.
At the gate, my agent tells me she wants to check the bag, I decline and that's that. Unfortunately Mrs. ab is at the middle desk, her agent orders up a luggage check tag; when I step over to ask to to uncheck the bag as we're completely legal, in CE and will do the '1 up 1 down' routine, she refuses and tells me that I'll have to take it up with the cabin crew. Of course when we get to the plane, they tell me I have to take it up with the gate staff, the jetway is now jammed with passengers.....no joy there. The really annoying part of the equation is that 1/4 of the CE overheads leave empty and at least a dozen WT passengers go past me with the same (or more) luggage, and of course most other CE passengers have similar belongings onboard. No handing out of yellow underseat tags in the gate area, just an arbitrary choosing of passengers to force checked bags and some extra time collecting luggage at Dublin.
Some serious consistency issues with that gate crew, and something that I've not seen on this route before (I fly it at least 2-3x/month).

simons1

And try talking to a supervisor in that situation anyway....

Maybe if staff were supervised there would be less mistakes made.

Mingo89

Thanks for all the replies.


I am now drafting a complaint letter and I'd be really grateful for your thoughts on the following:


- Should I mention the fact that I bought a hand baggage only fare by mistake?
- Should I mention the laptop I was carrying?

NWIFlyer

No, definitely not - the responsibility to ascertain what you're buying is clearly yours. You'd actually be better showing that you fully understood the requirements of HBO (even if you found out unwittingly) and were abiding by them by having a single compliant piece of hand luggage plus a compliant additional bag.

I think it's largely irrelevant, but I would only mention it in the context that you knew it had it fit inside your single carry-on, and therefore you had ensured there was space for it.

sxc

I would only mention that you were forced to check in a bag that was within cabin limits. I would also say that you explained that everything you had could be packed into the roll on and handbag, and show the photos of the roll on in the sizer.

The fact that you bought something different to what you thought you bought is a side issue and will likely confuse the main point.

FrancisA

In is case, it is not whether the luggage was legal or not that matters: reality is that if too many people turn up with compliant luggage and put one piece overhead the other at their feet, there is still inadequate overhead space. Hence gate checking is inevitable.

In this instance however the fact that you were in CE should have swung it. As soon as you said that, you should have been allowed to board unimpeded.

I often make the point that people overdo HBO when it really saves no time (my JER-LGW flight this morning had the luggage on the carousel by the time the first person reached it and had to walk past it to exit - so where's the saving there?). However, the hand luggage that I do take is usually unsuitable to be checked - high value items, fragile items like glasses, item need on the flight, medicines etc.. I would have been furious, if I had been in CE and would definitely have escalated it to the captain it necessary.

Again, AFAIK this is simply not supposed to happen to CE passengers.

FrancisA

Avoid mentioning the HBO mistake.

Say you were aware of the size and piece restrictions and that your laptop fitted into your main bag and remained within the size limits for the main piece and your handbag was definitely within the second piece limits.

You could say that you are aware that in some circumstances, such as fully loaded planes, you can understand why it may be necessary for BA to check what would otherwise be hand luggage, but that you understood that in those circumstances there is no charge payable even on a basic (HBO) fare.

You are therefore very surprised and disappointed ...etc

simons1

1. No, it isn't relevant as you were within HBO limits.

2. Just say it was your intention to put one bag inside the other but agent insisted your bag was checked due to limited storage on the aircraft and charged you (incorrectly) £65 which you had little option to pay to avoid missing the flight. However it was paid under protest as they will see from the paperwork enclosed (which they can check to their records) and you are now seeking money back.

airline brat

I did have a talk with the Purser, she tried the 'flight is full' line with me until I pointed out the WT passengers headed past us with full luggage allowances in tow and the open CE bin space. Not sure that I'd ever take it up with the captain...