I have to empathise with your comment about the long wait time.

I made a fairly complex J class reservation recently, a day before I was heading out to Spain on a completely different reservation.

I was under a bit of pressure and, in haste, stupidly managed to arrange to be in KUL when I was supposed to be in DUB for a rather special wedding at the end of next February.

I repeatedly tried to get through to BA from Spain, eventually running up a phone bill of £70 and also tried getting some resolution via on here, without any success. The number of times I heard the recorded message that customers were waiting in excess of 30 minutes was, to my mind, unacceptable for a company like British Airways.

The change I required was a Cathay sector with a BA code share. I even called Cathay, got through straight away. They said they could change it, but it had to be done by BA as they were the issuer (well, I had to try, in the circumstances).

I finally got through, on my return to the UK. I explained the change I required and that I would be making an additional itinerary KUL-LHR-DUB-LHR-KUL to slot into my current itinerary. However, because, according to BA, I hadn't contacted them sooner, I was liable for a fare recalculation and change fee. There was no sway, and frankly, she disbelieved my claim that I had been repeatedly attempting to contact BA.

Adding insult to injury, she said that had I contacted BA on the day I told her I had originally attempted contacting them, they could have done it without a charge.

Total cost for a change to one flight, same flight, just 2 days later; £470.

Sometimes, British Airways really pull it out of the bag and you think "that's why I fly BA."

Other times, however, they push you, they really do.