trueblu

OK, as someone who isn't entitled to use F check-in routinely, this makes me want to try it on, just to get this smashing response!

tb

Leccy

Firstly thanks all for your comments and explanations...just landed over in the US now so thought I would see the responses and am amazed at how many there are. To try and address some of the points

Holding the gold card out - this seems like a good thing for me to have learned, although as someone else said, my british reserve would make me feel like I am flaunting it! Will do so nice and subtlely next time though (maybe this can be the BA equivalent of the Las Vegas $20 trick!). Still not sure this would have made a difference today as I am still not sure that she "doubted my credentials" (Ok i was unshaven and in jeans - but lets not turn this to one of those threads!). Throughout my many flights on BA I have only rarely (normally at the beginning of a new membership year) been asked for my gold card, never at check-in before. To those who are amazed that people don't do this anyway, maybe it would be good to have signage up asking for those documents to be ready if that is the expectation...


The need to man up - on the one hand i get this, if it is not challenged it rewards the behaviour and affects everyone, mea culpa! On the otherhand I am also amazed at how often i get to watch people stressing themselves out over small stuff and making their own travel more miserable than it needs to be. For me, this was not a battle that was worth stressing for and as i mentioned in the OP, i then got to experience great customer service, so no big deal. The reason i posted was because to me it seemed like the policy this morning was to close first to golds when busy - something i was interested in getting other experiences/thoughts on...

Cheers

roughlad

Best to check in by Economy!
http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/a...k/IMG_0973.jpg

evanderm

I think that's when you check in online and travel without any bags to check to a destination that doesn't require passport verification.

sunrisegirl

Of course, but it's always courteous and polite to respond if they ask you a question. @:-)

If we ask what cabin you're travelling in, or your status, it's rude to just walk past without answering us or at least giving some kind of acknowledgement.

evanderm

Or even engage in friendly chat with any customer facing employee to maybe brighten their day

bealine

............and that is the root cause of the OP's problem!

Because we get queues like this, we ask for more staff. We get told "if only you make sure that just the passengers entitled to use First go in there, you should be able to cope!"

So, what are we to do? Act as policemen and risk being told we're fire-breathing dragons or just let all and sundry in and leave you to queue for half an hour? The schools are breaking up folks, the terminal is going to be heaving - what do you want us to do?

potakas

I didn't say that for Golds* like me

(Seriously, it wasn't some kind of attitude from my behalf.)


* I only pay wit real money my tickets on the cheapest CE/WT+ fares and if Y is very cheap, I will never think of it twice.

G*G

Totally unacceptable behaviour from the staff member. I would have not hesitated in taking his/her details and pursue. First check in is a published benefit for a GC holder - and you'd expect a somewhat decent behaviour in the 'policing' of this area.

This is something I'd expect (and have irritatingly gotten used to) at Schiphol, hosting a fine breed of incompetent service industry staff members - or in a Bassa-infested BA cabin during the strike. But just not ok at BAs flagship terminal T5.

LTN Phobia

Don't worry, Potakas, when you use the F check-in for the first time, it's unlikely you will encounter a scary dragon (you might however have a friendly dragon).

Do have the GC (or the BP showing your status) ready just in case you are asked to show it, though.

LadyB

The *receptionist* is often the first person a customer sees, I realise in this case it isn't as you've already checked/bag dropped and been through security but this role is an important one in any company or organisation.

I've worked as a *receptionist* and it's very annoying when people walk past without even acknowledging my existance, not to mention rude.

A cheery 'hello,' 'good morning,' 'good afternoon' is nice to hear and means people have noticed you.

WhitePlains

Assuming that you are serious (I never can 100% fathom when a Brit is serious and when not), I really get a kick out of these British good mannerisms and really appreciate it. ^


Next time, just tell off the old bag. It does not do anyone any good to let go of rude behaviour like this, especially when you are entitled to use that desk!

FlyerTalker6245

Well a few things to add here:

1. Yesterday I was flying out of T5 on Domestic. I was welcomed by the loveliest lady ever at galleries North who was a true credit to BA. I am quite sorry I never caught her name as I was so impressed with her demenour in my 10 second interaction I think I'll send a ba.com/welldone

2. Kettle chips were back in the lounge rather than those ghastly Walkers ones

3. At boarding, every Tom, Dick and Harry was piling through the Fast Track lane; no member of staff was stopping them.
But an unenforced Fast Track lane is still better than no lane at all, I guess?

4. Some First passengers genuinely don't know what they're entitled to.

My brother, a real first traveller, got knocked back from security as they hadn't done his passport properly at Glasgow the previous day.

As a result, he set back with his First boarding pass.
He didn't even know there was a First class desk so didn't bother trying to go there.
He saw a Club desk (walking back from Security South), but obviously since he was in First he didn't think he could check in at Club World/Club Europe.

Eventually, he went and stood in a queue for 10 minutes at a normal economy class check in queue.

An amusing tale; I really hope BA staff take account of these real stories - not everyone is an FTer who knows the rules inside out. And attitudes such as those displayed in this story just contribute to customers thinking crazy thoughts like "I'm in First...so I can't check in at Club"

WhitePlains

^ I appreciate your approach and I would say enforce the rules, but with a humane attitude and discussing it with the pax, not telling the pax. Maybe enforcing the rules with a little non-rude considerate explanation is in order?

I remember one time a few years ago while entering the lounge at LHR, I asked the lounge lizard what would happen if I were actually holding status, but not received the actual card (as I travel a lot and out of home a lot). Those times they probably did not send the cards out with about 45 days overlap period between card validity and membership year end.

She lectured me "It is beneficial to have that card". I said well yeah, but if I am travelling, and do not have it because I am away, what then? Can you see if my status online? She stuck to the exact same words, higher pitch. I told her off in a higher tone of voice, entered the lounge while doing so: to her outrage, asked for a superior officer, made a complaint.

All this could have been avoided if she had not been so stupid as not to even hear my question, perish the thought of answering me, and trying to lecture me on what she had to say. Sounds like the same lizard was crawling around the F desk on the day the OP went for checking in. I am not painting all BA lounge personnel with the same brush, but it only takes one rotten apple in the staff to hand out bad service and that creates a ripple effect of dissatisfaction among pax.

And last but not the least, from the some of the people I know who work for BA, I have to say that the vast majority of BA staff are paid far less by WW than what they deserve, yet deliver excellent service.

BA304

I think we need a new phrase to describe the gatekeepers at lounges.

Dragon and lizard (particularly the latter) are a tad disrespectful in my opinion.

Almost as bad as "gate-lice".

Given the persuasions of many of this board's contributors BArkeeper is perhaps suitable.