Ok, so i'm really not one for complaining and certainly not one for superlatives and sensationalism. I also understand that companies and people get things wrong from time to time and thats ok, it's the way they respons when that happens that matters to me as a consumer and customer.
That said, i have just experienced, by far my worst ever flight on British Airways, an experience i deem unacceptable and that British Airways should be thoroughly embarrassed by, the problem is, they are not.
It's probably fair to say that i'm a no one on BA's list of important customers, i rarely fly much at the moment due to having two young kids, maybe 2-3 long haul trips a year and in a mixture of cabins. I have launched a new brand and this is now taking me all over the world and i'lll be flying more frequently for a period of time. Tokyo, New York and Dubai are all trips i will be taking this year and a lot more next year as we sign up new agents and distributors.
So, my business partner and i were heading out to our factory near Shanghai for a week to over see the first full scale production run of our new products and to travel around to suppliers of other raw naterials. I decided that we needed Club World as our schedule was busy and arriving and getting stuck in straight away was important. He reminded me that we had had an excellent flight the previous year to Hong Kong in PE on an A380 and we didn't need Club. I agreed.
I used a 241 voucher, 78,000 Avios and roughly £1k in taxes to book the flights from Leeds, through Heathrow to Shanghai.
When we boarded and saw the WTP cabin, i was shocked. It was outd dated, tired, broken and nothing like what we thought we were getting. My seat had stains all over it, the tray table didnt work, to stop my drinks or food slipping off onto the floor i literally had to either hold the table up with my hand or raise my knees up. Incredibly uncomfortable. I did manage to prop it up with my handkerchief for breakfast. When i told a cabin crew member she shrugged her shoulders and said they were all like that and she gave us double the gin and tonics that we had ordered. The IFE screen was tiny and incredibly basic, the selection of films available was poor.
There were only 5 rows in total in WTP, behind a very large Club World cabin (70% empty). We were in row 5 and during dinner service by the time they got to us, the beef had gone. I'm pretty sure it had been served in economy. I ended up having chicken teriyaki noodle dishes, where the noodles were half cooked and half raw. The chicken was dry and not great. We were not offered a drink for the entire dinner service. The cabin crew were all concentrating on economy and PE felt like an after throught. I ended up going to find someone to get some red wine and when they brought it, they gave us two bottles each. They clearly use this doubling up on alcohol as a way to try and appease angry customers as they must get complaints every flight.
During the flight there was about a 5-6 hour period where no one came and offfered anyone any water. people we getting up to go and find some. Also, when i went to find someone to ask if there was any snacks or food, i was told that quite a few others had asked them the same thing, they didn't have much catering on board and they were trying to find a solution. 20 mins later we were all offered an ice cream. I have never got off a flight so hungry and immediately went to Burger King in Shanghai airport.
I bought Wi Fi on board and this barely worked. I did however manage to look on the BA website that stated the proper PE cabin was available on 777-300 planes and i looked at my booking it said 777-300 as aircraft, which when i look now is blank.
I complained to BA and i recieved a standard email template telling me how many 747's they have refurbished and have 48 new long hail airfract and here's 8000 Avios, which they also said was for the lack of catering.
I've been loyal to British Airways for 20 years, always booking with them if possible. The brand meant something to me and after a long and tiring trip in places a long way from home, getting on BA flight was almost like being home, something familiar and comforting. I no longer feel that way.
Earlier in the year i took my first and to date only Virgin Atlantic flight from Manchester to Atlanta for the Super Bowl, i was in PE. It wasn't a brand spanking new cabin, looked quite old, but it was light years ahead of the experience i had on BA. Good seat, tray table worked, good IFE screen, good movie choice, USB port, decent food, attentive service from dedicated PR crew. I was also flown out to Dubai in Business Class on Emirates by a customer to Dubai and i thought that was better than my club world experiences.
BA know that when i booked my seat, i would be getting an out dated and old cabin, they knew that, the cabin crew knew that people would be angry about it and complain, yet they still charge full wack for it regardless. How long have they had to refurbish these cabin? They have chosen not to and they have chosen to provide a product that they know their customers will deem sub standard. Is this what the BA brand now represents? Knowingly accepting, not even second best and simply not caring?
Why not notify customers about the cabin they will get and why not discount the price and avios for the old and tired cabin? I don't walk into a shop, order a brand new TV for £2k and they go out the back and get me one from 5 years ago for the same price. It's pathetic.
Had i know (and perhaps i should have used this forum), we'd get that pathetic cabin, i'd have booked us into the club world cabin. If that had not been possible, i would have chosen a different airline or flown economy. I feel that i have been completely conned by BA and that their response has shown me exactly what contempt and disdain they have for me as a customer.
I asked to be downgraded to economy and get my avios back for the return flight, but they said i couldn't get avios back. The reutn flight was far better from a catering perspective.
Not that this matters to BA, but after 20 years loyalty, i will now book other airlines where ever possible and the BA brand doesn't represent to me what it used to.
Very sad.
Out dated and broken cabin
Hanky helping tray table stay up
Terrible