Originally Posted by
PlaneSpeaking
Hi CWS, thank you for all your hard work on this and all the other threads to which you contribute. I was supposed to be on the BA857 from PRG to LHR on Jan 21 but it was delayed to the following morning and with no catering for obvious reasons. Would you happen to have the reason for the delay please? I know it might seem obvious as weather related but the captain was a training captain with two first officers on the flight deck and he made the decision not to fly as scheduled rather than being told not to fly. Given the number of successful A320 landings at LHR around our scheduled arrival time on the evening of Jan 21, I couldn’t help feeling as though the decision was made to show the first officers that it’s ok to make such decisions and that if it hadn’t been a training flight, we may well have departed for LHR as scheduled. Your words of wisdom will be appreciated as always.
The delay code and notes does not fit the reasons you suspect the flight was cancelled. They have placed 13 hours and 21 minutes of delay down to RS or Cabin Crew Rotation. There is a note to suggest it was nightstopped due to Storm Isha. The delay code in itself would validate the claim in my mind. What were you told either on board or at the gate and at what time was the decision made now to fly? This will shape my answer further.
If this is what was you were told by the flight deck crew directly I would expect BA to defend this claim and I would back them in doing so on this occasion. It may be that due to the code used they decide to capitulate, however we start to get into VERY dangerous territory if passenger pressure via use or threat of use of passenger rights regulations starts to suggest a commander’s decision can be overruled or punished. The Air Navigation Order is very prescriptive in where the buck stops.
However, assuming you were told nothing (as is normally the case) or that it was down to weather then given the code used, I’d go ahead on that basis but wouldn’t expect a great chance of success due to the notes used.
What you were told at the time is key here.
FWIW I am not accusing you of anything just to be clear.