10 mins before boarding, the flight disappeared from the screens. No announcement. Passengers were informing themselves about what to do.
We had to rely on speaking directly to BA staff if we could find them, else other passengers.
We all realised that we had to leave the airport. We were herded onto buses by hotel staff, unaccompanied.
Then, all hell broke loose. We arrived at Le Meridien Hotel to be informed that we had to share rooms (with strangers) and to find a partner. There were no BA staff at the hotel. The poor hotel staff got such a hard time from some passengers, but people calmed down eventually.
So, I teamed up with a guy I met on the bus. We got our keys and found our room....One Queen Bed!!!
So, we complained and got a twin, but some had to share a double bed with complete strangers.
The next day, we were woken up 15 mins before we had to leave.
Eventually we left with a 13hr Delay. Before boarding, the Captain gave a speech, apologising, explaining his decision to delay the flight. But he also told us that unless we boarded in an orderly manner, we wouldn't be going anywhere. We were told not to give the crew a hard time. But the emphasis was on our behaviour, not the apology. This really wound some people up.
The official reason was that the entire crew had been disturbed at the hotel they were staying in by noise (construction work and a wedding, apparently). Fair enough if this is the case, but the whole thing could have been handled so much better.
Anyway, every cloud, etc..... I was in J. At the gate, J seat was scrubbed out and replaced with F seat. Some compensation...but I am waiting to see what else will be offered! (Any guesses?)
The IFE wasn't working in my seat, but otherwise the crew were great, given the circumstances.