USAFAN

I have read about BotB, Oxon Flyer and more…
May wife and I used BA Club World on 21.August from Frankfort to London and then to Miami.
BA903, A380 came very late to FRA…and went very late to LHR…at about 13.30. And a crew and the captain cold not open the door several time! Also our two suitcases where lost….at LHR at BA? or at AA?!
The BA to MIA was gone. We had to stay one night/day in London…we had nothing and had to buy some things in London!
On 22. August we went with BA to MIA Club World…our two suitcases where still lost. We did not get the suitcase! After 7 days we got our two suitcases. We asked for needed compensation … never got an answer from British Airways….

Littlegirl

Yes there are but I doubt that they would be available to use.

I think there was a trial flight tonight on a 380 for a new inflight service offering, so that could be what you saw, maybe.

I don't think it could be sent out on a flight, even if M/F or WW crew were available as there would be no crew downroute to bring it back.

trickster

Looks like a false alarm, it's frankfurt bound this morning as usual. Odd.

ThatT1Feeling

The big bird early this morning at the C Gates

Was on XLEA this morning to FRA. Was fortunate enough to be given a guided tour - I asked when boarding and once everything had calmed down and levelled out, I was lucky to get a personal invite to look around!

Biggest points to note for me:

1. The aircraft is much quieter than other longhaul aircraft, even other 4-engined ones. I was in Row 10 on the outbound and will go further back for my inbound journey later today to see if it's any noisier behind the engines. I have a C BP so I am sure they won't mind if I decide to plonk myself in row 42 instead!

2. CW is, well, CW, certainly on the lower deck, with the welcome addition of 2 x USB ports, one by the entertainment controls and one by the main power socket. The IFE looks promising - the screen resolution improved but of course there was no IFE running on the flight so it was hard to be sure. On the lower deck I would avoid Row 10 due to its proximity to the galley and associated noise.

3. F is apparently much improved.

4. CW upstairs (especially the front cabin due to the curvature of the aircraft) is the closest to the current 747 UD, with window bins and a cosier feel. The toilets at the front of the UD are huge, using the shape at the nose of the aircraft very effectively! Not sure on favourite CW seat yet, but thinking maybe almost any window upstairs, row 53 looking good but close to the galley or maybe row 59, both for easy access. Row 50 is also tempting, but I think I noticed a misaligned window in that row. The cabins of 4 rows each beats the 777 layout, plus only 7 across rather than 8 helps to reduce the feeling of the cabin being crowded.

5. WT+ looks big. Being used to such small WT+ cabins up till now, the 50+ seats means it loses its exclusive feel. However, it is on the UD which does feel slightly different and "better" than the LD. The video screens are much bigger than I have seen in WT+ on the 747 or 777.

6. If I were travelling in WT, the 4 last rows in the "demi-cabin" at the back look excellent. Although the front row (row 80) is close to the toilets, it's probably preferable to row 83 due to space in front and less galley noise from the back of the plane. Either way it beats the rear cabin on a 777 or 747 hands down!

There were a couple of other (possibly industry, supplier or other stakeholders) being shown around the upper deck, which had a full complement of crew who had no job to do... who therefore all looked completely glamorous and highly-polished! But I am assured that they will be providing service on the return flight and those who served outbound will be upstairs.

I have a couple of pics to add which I will when I can.

Overall, the crew are still clearly still excited about their new bird - there are relatively few major changes from what you will see in a 747 or 777 aircraft, which some may see as a disappointment, but F is apparently better, USB is welcome, the IFE looks like it should be better and it's new - and that in itself is a good thing.

Oh, and seat 25D in Y - genius!!

Edit.... The crew were very protective of the F cabin as it's not launched yet. However on arrival at LHR, the airbridge went to 1L so all pax got a sneak peek.. Definitely more space per seat and more privacy.. looked good!

BotB

Wikipost and Calendar updated to this point.

Hope ZBJC will start some training runs soon to ARN, I'll update the wikipost if it does and post a calendar with any gossip or info people can provide.

Some people have all the fun Hope you had a great trip. Re: LAX A380...not sure but someone may have posted something in this other thread?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...ertalk-do.html

Looking forward to seeing you pics ^

Sorry to hear about your troubles USAFAN

Sometimes problems do occur and it seems you were unlucky this time around, shame that your bags didn't seem to follow you onwards and that you had some issues getting help, I believe you should be entitled to some compensation for not having your baggage but don't know what you would get and how to go about this...I'll hope someone more informed can help and suggest searching the BA forum for other similar topics to get some idea. (Certainly I think BA will provide you with some cash compensation to cover some clothes and toiletries you would have needed, not sure if you get anything else...I seem to remember something like Ł 75 per person but maybe I am wrong).

Anyway, hope you did enjoy the new CW seats on the A380 and the other benefits the A380 brings (lower noise, more room, etc...) even if there was a door issue...

Enjoy your trip, safe travels,

sigma421

Quick follow up on the luggage. Me and three of my family members got stuck in London overnight during the Ethiopian dreamliner incident. We spent around Ł120 on clothes and toiletries which BA paid up without fuss when we sent the receipts in.

filton216

Hey everyone!

Just to say I was aboard BA902 this morning to Frankfurt and what and amazing Aircraft!

It's quiet (apart from a very loud landing gear!!)

I got the tour along with a few others and it is very spacious!!

I asked to go to the cockpit too, and ended up in the captains seat too!!

It is a must do!

BerksFlyer

So BA are paying compo for a fire on another airline's plane, but are refusing to even respond to correspondence, let alone pay compo, when their own caught fire on 24th May?

Confused of Berkshire (and a tad upset if the truth be known!).

Anyway, back to the thread subject, I can't wait for my debut on the A380 on 22nd September, these reports and pictures really do whet the appetite!

sigma421

Have you tried giving them a ring? Generally if you ring them and can quote either your booking reference or executive club number you'll find your letter has been received and logged but not responded to, that tends to speed things up.
Also (just to be entirely clear) the money I'm talking about wasn't compensation but re-imburment of expenses. BA didn't deliver my luggage to me and hence I didn't have anything to wear the following day. We kept the receipts and they reimbursed us.

USAFAN

I HAVE NOT GOT AN REPLY - I WAS NOT ABLE TO RICH BA - CAN YOU HELP?
==========================
Response Via Email (Priti) 26/08/2013 03.02 PM (BST)
Dear Mr Gurwicz

I am sorry for the inconvenience caused to you due to the delayed flight.

Please be assured that I have sent your email to our Customer Relations department, who will reply to you as soon as they can.

They appreciate your patience as they will spend time looking into your comments before responding. For any further queries about this matter, please contact the Customer Relations team directly as all information will now be held in their separate system. Their details can be found on ba.com at this link:

http://www.britishairways.com/contact

I hope they resolve this swiftly for you.

Please do not hesitate to let us know if we can help you with anything else.

Regards
Priti
British Airways Executive Club

==============================================
Sorry to hear about your troubles USAFAN

Sometimes problems do occur and it seems you were unlucky this time around, shame that your bags didn't seem to follow you onwards and that you had some issues getting help, I believe you should be entitled to some compensation for not having your baggage but don't know what you would get and how to go about this...I'll hope someone more informed can help and suggest searching the BA forum for other similar topics to get some idea. (Certainly I think BA will provide you with some cash compensation to cover some clothes and toiletries you would have needed, not sure if you get anything else...I seem to remember something like Ł 75 per person but maybe I am wrong).

Anyway, hope you did enjoy the new CW seats on the A380 and the other benefits the A380 brings (lower noise, more room, etc...) even if there was a door issue...

Enjoy your trip, safe travels,[/QUOTE]

sigma421

Give them a ring. Best way of moving things forward.

cazoz

Is there any chance at all it might pop up earlier on the LAX route.
Am on 279 on 26/09 in J - would be great to try.

courtster

Shame, as it will be on the 269 by then. Can you swap to the later flight?

cazoz

Nope, it's a redemption. Just had a look. Cruel fate...

courtster

Ah well - at least the redemption is fully flexible so if availability rolls in you can do the swap with minimal outlay ^