FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - How to make a "good will gesture" apology voucher do almost the opposite...
Old Jun 24, 2018 | 2:12 am
  #10  
Schultzois
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Originally Posted by orbitmic
Unfortunately, the situation you describe is not as unusual as you hoped. I suspect that you got your voucher not so much because customers relations thought your situation was particularly bad in their eyes but because it was the first time you did experience it, and not so much because they wanted to apologise but because they wanted to be shown to do something. If the same flight conditions arise again, you will find the handling exactly the same or a bit worse each year.
I didn't actually complain directly to customer relations - I received this, as did many others whose flights were diverted, as a proactive "gesture" from BA. It actually caused me not to write in separately about the safety/duty of care elements, as I felt BA was already acknowledging the stuff-up. I did mention my disappointment over the whole experience when I sent in expenses later (which were eventually reimbursed) as well as in the immediate days following when I was chasing my bags, which took the better part of the week to eventually be delivered to me.

If the same flight conditions arise again (a dusting of snow in December) I have learned to fly other carriers. BA is the only one that had serious problems that day, and general wisdom suggests that it's because they were flying planes inbound even though they didn't have adequate de-icing arrangements in place, and as a result couldn't get planes out of LHR as easily as every other operator there. This even after weather had cleared.
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