What happens when a journalist gets poor service
Jul 3, 2012, 4:05 am
#76
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Mucci de la Cuisine Aérienne du Réseau Courte Durée de British Airways
Posts: 4,704
^
The passenger had a purchased a flight because she actually needed to be somewhere for a reason (that is after all why most people actually fly; not to spend hours in a lounge or take photographs of the inflight catering) and had a reasonable expectation of getting there at least approximately on time and was understandably annoyed at the delays to both sectors (her knowledge about airport operations is irrelevant, most people after all don't purchase goods and services knowing every nuance of the supplier's operation).
All BA needed to do was respond to her actual questions (which should have taken too much thought) and give a reason for the delay and the issue would probably have gone away. If a passenger is frustrated (whether justified or not) then the sense of not actually being listened to will only escalate the problem.
As for those who mock her for writing for The Guardian, if it wasn't for the dogged determination of The Guardian (for which it was heavily criticised by a number of other newspapers at the time), News International would still be running with the line that phone hacking was confined to a "single rogue reporter" and Murdoch would still have a strangehold over British politics.
And as for Twitter, I find it certainly has its uses and BA has a place on there but this is a salutory example that people do have different expectations of it. There have been instances before where reasonably high profile users have asked questions of BA during disruption and found (and publicised the fact) that they got far better answers from the public at large than BA.
The passenger had a purchased a flight because she actually needed to be somewhere for a reason (that is after all why most people actually fly; not to spend hours in a lounge or take photographs of the inflight catering) and had a reasonable expectation of getting there at least approximately on time and was understandably annoyed at the delays to both sectors (her knowledge about airport operations is irrelevant, most people after all don't purchase goods and services knowing every nuance of the supplier's operation).
All BA needed to do was respond to her actual questions (which should have taken too much thought) and give a reason for the delay and the issue would probably have gone away. If a passenger is frustrated (whether justified or not) then the sense of not actually being listened to will only escalate the problem.
As for those who mock her for writing for The Guardian, if it wasn't for the dogged determination of The Guardian (for which it was heavily criticised by a number of other newspapers at the time), News International would still be running with the line that phone hacking was confined to a "single rogue reporter" and Murdoch would still have a strangehold over British politics.
And as for Twitter, I find it certainly has its uses and BA has a place on there but this is a salutory example that people do have different expectations of it. There have been instances before where reasonably high profile users have asked questions of BA during disruption and found (and publicised the fact) that they got far better answers from the public at large than BA.
People thinking that airlines should employ hundreds of staff, just to answer inane tweets from all over the world just beggars belief. We are an airline and our resources should go into that not answering hundreds of tweets.
I assume this is irony!
Jul 3, 2012, 4:31 am
#78
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: UK
Programs: Mucci, BAEC (Silver), FlyBe
Posts: 1,649
I agree that she expressed herself very poorly (and came across as rather arrogant by peppering it with silly demands for compensation), but the BA response is pretty poor too -- and let's face it, the BA response would have been the same regardless of how she expressed herself.
). The real problem, as she described it, was that if she was two hours late for a two-hour game of football (including half and injury time), she planned her itinerary such that she expected to arrive as the game was starting. It doesn't matter if you are taking trains, planes or automobiles - the real crux of the matter is that she didn't leave enough time for the unexpected.Or you can take the view that the game of football was incidental and the wedding was the important event, in which case why even bring the game up on the blog?
The trouble for any airline, train company, etc. is separating the wheat from the chaff, and it's empty complaints like hers that screw things up for the rest of us when a complaint genuinely is justified.
Jul 3, 2012, 5:49 am
#79
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,180
Now Bahrain Boy I shall have to take you in hand. You know that Auntie Pucci is as high tech as a Mongolian Yak herd. I suppose that that what I meant to say in order to understand more fuller the rubbish that this female was spouting I wanted to know why Twittering was more valid than emailing or texting.
What we are saying is that it is a general broadcast of what you are thinking, seeing, or watching. I could not understand - and probably still don't totally understand what trending is all about.
So basically I have decided that I am self centred anti social woman with little to say for herself. This description befits me as I am barely interested in the minutiae of my life never mind the lives of others. I am actually busy getting on with my life as opposed to writing about it. Why would I want to broadcast "Charantais Melons down to 2 for 1 Euro" Is anyone that interested? "I'm being chased by Phil the Flier"? You get my drift.
As usual Littlegirl is right - why BA would engage people to monitor such drivel is beyond me.
Still maybe I should go on and just see for myself and report back. If i can find it that is.
Jul 3, 2012, 6:08 am
#80
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,212
Jul 3, 2012, 6:12 am
#81
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,180
Despite me being registered on both Twitter and a Facebook I haven't yet been able to figure out what it is I'm supposed to do on there. People I've never even heard of keep wanting to be my friends. One who I accidentally added to my very short friends list just keeps poking me.
Jul 3, 2012, 6:52 am
#82
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: UK
Programs: Mucci, BAEC (Silver), FlyBe
Posts: 1,649
*melons
Jul 3, 2012, 7:54 am
#83
Join Date: May 2012
Location: ATL
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 200
Well that depends. Imagine someone was sitting in a café down the road idly browsing Twitter, only to see your tweet "#charentaismelons down to 2 for 1 Euro" ... well they'd be straight down to the fruiterer's pausing only to add you as a friend on Twitter. Congratulations: you've just found yourself a new chum, and you already have something in common*!
*melons
*melons
Jul 3, 2012, 8:20 am
#84
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Manila, Philippines (MNL)
Programs: BAEC Gold [>20k Lifetime TPs] | Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond [as is Mrs PtF] | Various Others
Posts: 6,156
Jul 3, 2012, 8:31 am
#85
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: London, ARN, HEL, ..... or MAN
Programs: BA GGL / GFL, Mucci Diamond!, HH Diamond, Radisson Premium, IHG Gold, Hertz Gold
Posts: 5,908
Jul 3, 2012, 9:09 am
#87
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,147
Despite me being registered on both Twitter and a Facebook I haven't yet been able to figure out what it is I'm supposed to do on there. People I've never even heard of keep wanting to be my friends. One who I accidentally added to my very short friends list just keeps poking me.
The Twitter thing is utterly pointless scribble. In his opinion.
Jul 3, 2012, 7:29 pm
#88
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 25
I'll admit, I was tickled when on the Storify conversation the man said that he would be travelling to New York on Virgin.
I last flew to NY on Virgin in the summer of 2008. Delayed 3 hours outbound (Heathrow) and 6 hours on the return journey. Never found out the reason for the outbound, but the return journey delay was because they had an equipment substitution and the pilots for the new type of plane had not had the mandatory hours of rest required. We eventually left Newark at about 3:30am. Even the McDonalds was long shut. I can only imagine the blog post that would follow after a delay like that!
(Although it would be justified, I guess. I just wanted to kick Branson in his stupid face. Worse, I had an onward journey to Singapore three days later and school there 5 days later, so it ruined my well prepared jet lag reduction schedule)
I last flew to NY on Virgin in the summer of 2008. Delayed 3 hours outbound (Heathrow) and 6 hours on the return journey. Never found out the reason for the outbound, but the return journey delay was because they had an equipment substitution and the pilots for the new type of plane had not had the mandatory hours of rest required. We eventually left Newark at about 3:30am. Even the McDonalds was long shut. I can only imagine the blog post that would follow after a delay like that!
(Although it would be justified, I guess. I just wanted to kick Branson in his stupid face. Worse, I had an onward journey to Singapore three days later and school there 5 days later, so it ruined my well prepared jet lag reduction schedule)
Jul 4, 2012, 1:47 am
#89
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Buuurmingham, UK
Programs: IC RA
Posts: 191
Can sympathise:
1. Social media should work on Sundays;
2. Customer relations should try to offer some sort of substantive reply. Hearing nothing is better than the cut & paste job;
3. From a passenger's point of view, the point is that they were late but their friends on easyjet weren't.
1. Social media should work on Sundays;
2. Customer relations should try to offer some sort of substantive reply. Hearing nothing is better than the cut & paste job;
3. From a passenger's point of view, the point is that they were late but their friends on easyjet weren't.