DominicB

I write this at gone 10pm on a Saturday night, with feelings of intense fury at BA - an airline I have spent several years supporting with great loyalty, to the tune of being a Gold card member.... but, in years gone by, did Gold with United/*A...

I've been on a business trip to the West Coast, on a paid Club booking, and had an MFU to come home out of LAX. When I booked I was told there was no non-stop availability, and paid a little extra to buy an AA First flight LAX-LAS to pick up BA274 in First to get me home. From the moment I landed in LAS, I knew life was going wrong...

No information on landing about where in the airport BA flew from - not even any signs acknowledging what I discovered to be T2 until after leaving the D gates of T1. A lounge where, as Emerald/Gold and in First, I'm cross-questioned about my right to enter it - and which is so full that when I get in, there is literally nowhere to sit, save the computer booths. Boarding that is an angry, cluttered farce, with no provision for premium cabins. My AA issued boarding pass suddenly being deemed not valid, and having to redo the awful boarding process. But - all of that a mere bagatelle...

I land at LHR and go to the carousel and wait, and wait, and wait... Until, finally, I go to the baggage counter. Indeed, my bag has not been scanned as entering LHR. At which point the mis-information begins - or are they lies...

First untruth - at 3pm, I'm told my bag will be delivered to my home (90 mins drive from LHR) by 12.30 the next day. On asking how - given there's only one daily flight from LAS, I'm told that BA don't wait for their own metal, and any/every carrier will be used. Fact: My bag waited until the next day's BA flight.

Second untruth - I'm told that even if, by some reason, the bag is on the next BA flight, I'll have it by 6.30pm. And that's not unreasonable, the flight landing at 2.10. I don't - and ring the luggage line, to be told it's coming today.

Third untruth - I ring BA at 7.57pm for a final bit of news. The answering machine tells me they are open until 8pm - but they are not, as it's 7.57 and they have gone home.

At 10.15pm I realise my bag won't be here today.

I'm going back to Star Alliance. My Gold days were living in the North East, and I often had mislaid bags on a UA/BD connection - but rectified in hours, and with no mis-information.

I can cope with incompetence with a good heart and a forgiving smile, but since arriving in LAS on Thursday early evening (west coast time), I've been shat on without any concern or care by BA - not helped by my status, frankly. Good to know that they have so many customers who are so well of and happy in these troubled times that they can allow such shoddy customer service.

Fruitcake

It sounds like you had a really bad time.

Some of it can be put down to experience though -

1. I have learned not to trust an AA boarding pass on BA (so get any I have changed at the airport which the staff do willingly IME) - same for a BA issued PYOBP on AA.

As for the change at LAS - when changing from AA to BA at BOS a few days ago, I asked about this on the AA flight, and looked in the AA inflight magazine, and the upshot was an AA first officer took us to the bus stop for the inter terminal shuttle. That was lucky and very good of him but I find a cautious, check what to do as early as possible approach, can help.

I hope you get your luggage back soon. ^

Genius1

It's bad that there were no directions at LAS, but that's the airport operator's fault, not BA's.

In what way were you questioned at the lounge? They do have to check your eligibility. I understand the lounge at LAS is quite small and is a contracted out lounge (non-BA). BA should investigate the overcrowding issue, as I think this has been reported before.

It is poor that you were misinformed about your baggage. The agents were obviously confused about the situation - I do not see that they had any reason to lie to you at all, merely that they were unsure about the situation and didn't go about finding out the correct information in the correct way.

However, misroutes do happen and you will, in all likelihood, receive your bag within the next day or two. Some compensation would be payable for this I'd have thought.

I wouldn't be too hasty in ditching BA based on one poor experience with your bags. Just as likely to happen on Star Alliance. UA is really no comparison to BA in terms of lounges, onboard service etc.

HMPS

I have had two consequitive experiences with BA on poor treatment, lost reservation, lost baggage.

When my bags did not show up ( WC) and after the carousel stopped spinning, I was making a reort to to an agent. Two BA flt crew just walked up and asked the ground agent to find their bags. I had to assert myself between the two and remind the GA that I was the CUSTOMER and also first to talk to her.

maybe that is why it took more than eight calls, a visit to the airport and four days to get my bags....perishable cheeses and chocolates did not survive.

Not BA again, Maybe the old BOAC !

BTW Dominic do let us know if you get any communication (except maybe " letter no. 37 " ...so sorry...) or compensation !

cornishsimon

I'm just curious about this, have you never had any of these problems on star alliance airlines ?

We're your bags tagged to your final destination correctly by AA in the first place etc ??

cs

LTN Phobia

While I admit that I have had a similar problem to the one reported by the OP with Star Alliance in terms of the luggage, it doesn't make it any better what the OP experienced with BA.

Saying that, I'm rather relaxed with my luggage due to a rather good luggage delay cover that pays out depending on the number of hours it's delayed by. I find that it causes me to be not very wound up by the delayed luggage as I watch the clock tick over. Highly recommended as a stress-reducing solution.

As for the rest of the experience of the OP, it is rather poor, and I suppose the OP will just have to write in to BA customer relations to complain about the issues.

irmster

the LAS lounge is not big enough -but hopefully the move to T3 later this year will change this. When we were there, there were no seats available at all to start with, so we sat outside playing a few slots.

heckenhocker

I think we've all had baggage problems / IRROPS on any airline if we use them often enough. For me the difference is how the airline handles the situation. In this case, BA let themselves down.

My experience has been different (BA has been good in fixing its messes, LH, SAS have not), but I can understand how the OP would be growling this evening.

I suspect BA has tried to fix the old issue with its baggage tracing, where you basically get/got no information until about 3 minutes before the doorbell rings. However the downside of that is information that is given in good faith, but ends up being incorrect.

Petrus

May I suggest you read the Sticky thread at the top of the BAEC forum. Thank you.

As for BA crew trying to get their bags, what is so infuriating about that? All airline crew do this. Crew, of any airline, should have the benefit of not having to wait for too long for their bags because... they do it several times a week.

Jenbel

Can i ask what insurance you have which covers you for the homeward stretch? I've never seen a policy which covers me for baggage delays on the way home - and I am the champion baggage loser (too much KLM flying in the days when a connection time of < 1 hr or more than 2 hrs meant an automatic bag loss!).

AJLondon

So should they be allowed to cut across and queue jump a paying customer seeking assistance from a ground staffer?

Surely a deserving candidate for that "Nepotism is alive and well on BA thread"?! Remind me who started that....

LTN Phobia

I have a "bag delay-specific" cover which is separate from travel insurance. It only provides cover for delays of 12 hours or more (other travel insurances I have provides cover for a shorter period of delays than this but only at destination and they are based on reimbursement of expenses, whereas this one is not - it goes purely on the period of time it is delayed, regardless of whether I have had to pay to buy anything), but it pays out regardless of whether the delay occurred inbound or outbound.

PanGalactic

Don't waste your time getting upset over it. Life is too short for that.

Definitely complain, although stick to the facts, tone it down and I wouldn't bother mentioning the part at the carousel with the BA staff unless you have names otherwise its just a pointless waste of typing.

Petrus

I did not read it as that. If they did indeed cut across and interrupt a customer then that is of course unacceptable and unforgivable.

LTN Phobia

I must admit I did read it as flight crew having interrupted the conversation between the agent and HMPS and thought to myself, "that is rude of the flight crew and also of the agent not to ask the flight crew to wait a moment until they finished dealing with the customer".