BMI Meltdown in DUB (12/06)
Dec 8, 2006, 9:20 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,531
BMI Meltdown in DUB (12/06)
Hello friends,
I was urged by a friend to post my experience here and ask for some feedback.
Context: Took advantage of the AA LHR-US F fares to book a trip BOS-LHR on AA. Planned to see friends in LON who decided they wanted to head to DUB for the weekend. No problem. Book a BMI LHR-DUB return fare for 85 GBP. Outbound Fare basis W; Return basis: T. I am Star Gold.
LHR-DUB leg: no issues
DUB-LHR. Truncated version No through baggage handling. Would have to re-check at LHR for BOS. Delays are occurring as inbound planes are in holding patterns. However, planes are being allowed to take off out of DUB. Aer Lingus and BA are still flying. BMI flight cancels. I ask if they can put me on one of the Aer Lingus or BA flights, explaining my LHR-BOS connection. No one knows. No one at BMI customer service desk. We are told to clear passport, reclaim bags and head to the lobby for instructions. At first they promised an agent in the lounge but no one ever comes. No staff are available to escort me through DUB arrivals, so I sneak in with an Air France flight that cancelled. The BMI check in counter is empty. The ticket sales line has two agents and a snaking line throughout the terminal. After a 20 minute hold, I get an agent on the phone, who proceeds to charge me 180 GBP to "upgrade my ticket" so she can change it to the following day. No travel compensation offered, and my query for assistance is denied. No one helped me at all at DUB. Hotel and airport transfers at my own expense. Next AM, the line is out the door, The *G line has 8 people in it, and it takes me 50 minutes in the queue. They are unable to print me a receipt for my journey, and at first can't even print a BP.
Questions:
1. Is it possible only two BMI employees work a shift in Dublin?
2. Should they have charged me to "upgrade" my fare when it was a forced cancellation and rebooking?
2a. It's 6 days later and my credit card hasn't been charged. If they do decide to charge am I entitled to refund?
3. Do EU compensation rules apply, based on others' experiences? The reason was somewhat related to weather, but both Aer Lingus and BA maintained their flight schedule.
4. Why couldn't BMI put me on Aer Lingus or BA?
5. Why does BMI treat *Gold pax like poop?
6. Why are contract employees so useless?
I was urged by a friend to post my experience here and ask for some feedback.
Context: Took advantage of the AA LHR-US F fares to book a trip BOS-LHR on AA. Planned to see friends in LON who decided they wanted to head to DUB for the weekend. No problem. Book a BMI LHR-DUB return fare for 85 GBP. Outbound Fare basis W; Return basis: T. I am Star Gold.
LHR-DUB leg: no issues
DUB-LHR. Truncated version No through baggage handling. Would have to re-check at LHR for BOS. Delays are occurring as inbound planes are in holding patterns. However, planes are being allowed to take off out of DUB. Aer Lingus and BA are still flying. BMI flight cancels. I ask if they can put me on one of the Aer Lingus or BA flights, explaining my LHR-BOS connection. No one knows. No one at BMI customer service desk. We are told to clear passport, reclaim bags and head to the lobby for instructions. At first they promised an agent in the lounge but no one ever comes. No staff are available to escort me through DUB arrivals, so I sneak in with an Air France flight that cancelled. The BMI check in counter is empty. The ticket sales line has two agents and a snaking line throughout the terminal. After a 20 minute hold, I get an agent on the phone, who proceeds to charge me 180 GBP to "upgrade my ticket" so she can change it to the following day. No travel compensation offered, and my query for assistance is denied. No one helped me at all at DUB. Hotel and airport transfers at my own expense. Next AM, the line is out the door, The *G line has 8 people in it, and it takes me 50 minutes in the queue. They are unable to print me a receipt for my journey, and at first can't even print a BP.
Questions:
1. Is it possible only two BMI employees work a shift in Dublin?
2. Should they have charged me to "upgrade" my fare when it was a forced cancellation and rebooking?
2a. It's 6 days later and my credit card hasn't been charged. If they do decide to charge am I entitled to refund?
3. Do EU compensation rules apply, based on others' experiences? The reason was somewhat related to weather, but both Aer Lingus and BA maintained their flight schedule.
4. Why couldn't BMI put me on Aer Lingus or BA?
5. Why does BMI treat *Gold pax like poop?
6. Why are contract employees so useless?
Dec 8, 2006, 12:34 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Edinburgh
Programs: BD*S
Posts: 5
bmi DUB
Hi, when did this happen? I'll try and answer some of your questions
1 - they probably do only have 2 ticket agents on at any one time as I think there is only 1 flight every 2 hours.
2 - I can't understand why you would be charged to upgrade and rebook your ticket. EU regs state that you should be reaccomodated on the next bmi flight that has seats available. how many BD flights were scheduled out after yours was canx?
3 - with the information you've posted so far I would imagine you should be entitled to a refund but we need more details before I could say for sure.
4 - BA don't operate to LHR from DUB, just code share with EI. EI cancelled their ticketing agreement with BD some time ago (as they went so low cost) so we can't ticket each others passengers. you'd have to have bought another ticket with them.
5 & 6 - too many issues on these ones!
1 - they probably do only have 2 ticket agents on at any one time as I think there is only 1 flight every 2 hours.
2 - I can't understand why you would be charged to upgrade and rebook your ticket. EU regs state that you should be reaccomodated on the next bmi flight that has seats available. how many BD flights were scheduled out after yours was canx?
3 - with the information you've posted so far I would imagine you should be entitled to a refund but we need more details before I could say for sure.
4 - BA don't operate to LHR from DUB, just code share with EI. EI cancelled their ticketing agreement with BD some time ago (as they went so low cost) so we can't ticket each others passengers. you'd have to have bought another ticket with them.
5 & 6 - too many issues on these ones!
Dec 9, 2006, 3:50 am
#3
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,900
There are only ever 2 ticket sales staff on duty as this is enough and alot of the time i just walk right up and dont have to que. The gate agents are Aviance staff as are the lounge staff. BMI should have re booked you free of charge to London on the next BMI flight. They how ever do not have to re book your onward flight to USA unless you are on a through ticket ( One single ticket for the whole journey). Sorry to hear of your bad luck but I guess when things go wrong they really go wrong. I have had a similar experience when the BMI flight to LHR went technical and I actually rang my Travel Agent who re booked me in their system whilst i was sitting on the plane waiting to get off. If I had have waited and tried to fight with the rest of the passengers all the seats for the next flight would have been well gone. My Travel Agent had re booked me DUB-LHR-ORD and the next BMI flight was also delayed, when we arrived in LHR there was a UA agent meeting the BMI flight and a mini van was waiting for us to take us to the UA flight!!!! I was really impressed by UA's professionalism that day. It could have been a disaster otherwise.
Dec 9, 2006, 5:05 am
#4
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold(OWE), QF LTG, MR Plat, IHG Spire, Hertz PC
Posts: 8,156
Hi, when did this happen? I'll try and answer some of your questions
1 - they probably do only have 2 ticket agents on at any one time as I think there is only 1 flight every 2 hours.
2 - I can't understand why you would be charged to upgrade and rebook your ticket. EU regs state that you should be reaccomodated on the next bmi flight that has seats available. how many BD flights were scheduled out after yours was canx?
3 - with the information you've posted so far I would imagine you should be entitled to a refund but we need more details before I could say for sure.
4 - BA don't operate to LHR from DUB, just code share with EI. EI cancelled their ticketing agreement with BD some time ago (as they went so low cost) so we can't ticket each others passengers. you'd have to have bought another ticket with them.
5 & 6 - too many issues on these ones!
1 - they probably do only have 2 ticket agents on at any one time as I think there is only 1 flight every 2 hours.
2 - I can't understand why you would be charged to upgrade and rebook your ticket. EU regs state that you should be reaccomodated on the next bmi flight that has seats available. how many BD flights were scheduled out after yours was canx?
3 - with the information you've posted so far I would imagine you should be entitled to a refund but we need more details before I could say for sure.
4 - BA don't operate to LHR from DUB, just code share with EI. EI cancelled their ticketing agreement with BD some time ago (as they went so low cost) so we can't ticket each others passengers. you'd have to have bought another ticket with them.
5 & 6 - too many issues on these ones!
It happened on Sunday December 3rd when high winds hit the UK and Ireland.
1 - yes there is a flight about every 2 hours.
2 - apparently the woman at BMI demanded the OP pay the difference in fare. Yes she broke the rules, but he was more keen on getting on a flight rather than arguing. There were another 6 flights after the OPs although the OPs flight and the next 4 were cancelled.
3 - I would have thought so, but you only need to get a bad BMI agent who does not read the letter properly to deny the refund.
4 - I think they OP would have been happy even to get to LGW which BA do fly to.
Hope the info above helps.
FWIW, I was fortunately scheduled on the first BMI op later that day which made it out. SMB was on the flight so I am sure that helped.
