We were booked to fly ORD-LHR-CDG, leaving ORD Friday May 26.
AA46 was 50 min late getting into LHR, making the connection to BA308 unlikely with checked bags. Rebooked onto BA316 at 14:55pm, waited in the lounge.. watched the whole IT disaster unfold, but only getting information from online news. ZERO news from BA, no announcement in the First lounge, flights were showing on-time, even after their scheduled departure times.
When the BBC reported all flights before 18:00 being canceled, there was an orderly panic with a line forming at Guest Services. 10 minutes later, lounge announcement by Guest Services saying that the BBC report was completely false. Meanwhile, people are reportedly able to rebook some of their flights if they manage to get someone on the phone (certain phone agents using "a clunky backup system"), whereas the First lounge agents cannot do anything. In fact, one of them suggested to go home and get drunk.
Once the lounge announces that the cancellations are indeed true, they tell everyone to head to 1 of 2 gates in T5 for exit. Insane lines form (as you have seen in the news). Lounge is mainly full, with people refusing to go anywhere.
Lounge staff continue to make announcements, asking people to leave the lounge and enter the "ghastly" line to exit. At some point, a woman lost it and started ranting (at someone?) in the lounge.
Finally, we are able to leave and get through immigration in a reasonable time (45 min). Checked luggage is unavailable and we are told nothing about how to obtain luggage for our trip, nothing about when we can contact BA (understanding that now is a bad time for BA), nothing about how to rebook our LHR-CDG portion (website is unavailable, phone lines disconnect after a sorry message).. and now they are saying, don't come to the airport to collect your luggage.
We are beginning a weeklong trip to France.. with nothing but our carry-ons.
No information from BA, not even a simple process, or even a simple timeline.
I am very hesitant to leave the UK (we have booked our own separate Vueling tix for tonight LGW-CDG), knowing that we have to rely on a website promise that things will be delivered to us, free of charge. Sometime. TBD.
I certainly hope their couriers deliver free of charge back to the US!
Meanwhile, forget about that LHR-CDG segment being rebooked...
Can't imagine when that would ever be possible now.
Sorry for having unrealistic expectations about communication and a little honesty.