Originally Posted by
HMPS
Yes BA had no presence at this airport, but I am sure other airlines were present. As soon as the diversion was decided, someone at BA operations should have swung into action calling their counterparts at the new airport.....yes, of the "resident". Airlines.. If nothing was done , one wonders who if anyone in senior management knows about this. I have given up /switched airlines , suppliers based on how well they do on IRROPS. After all regular OPS become second nature and that is why they come off without any major hitches. The measure of a person or entity comes thru at times of exceptions.
In hindsight at least if the original flt was not cancelled, someone should have given thought to plan B & C.
The flight landed after midnight. There are no network carriers at BFS, just charters and a few LoCos. The "resident" airline (the orange peril) may or may not have ground handlers there (probably not), and even if it did, I doubt BA has an arrangement with them. The other airlines all use outsourced ground handlers, and those ground handlers assisted the stranded passengers to the best of their ability.
I assume you aren't familiar with BFS or Northern Ireland (I am) but BFS is a regional airport, 21km from Belfast, and there is no substantial settlement any nearer. It is certainly far smaller an operation than DUB, LHR, or the like. The facilities which you seem to think could be magicked up just don't exist, or to the extent they do, they had been already accounted for by the earlier diversions. Given longer (e.g. half a day's) notice, I'm sure other coach companies from further away in the province could have been contacted and arrangements made, but they didn't have that time. There is also not a fleet of taxis ready and waiting to make international journeys at the drop of a hat.
I see that the OP has quite properly, and as I predicted, received an undertaking from BA to repay his out of pocket expenses and an offer of compensation in Avios for the inconvenience (which was almost entirely out of BA's control). I am struggling to think of any practical and reasonable steps which BA could have taken to make the situation any better.