DYKWIA - The 2014 thread
Aug 18, 2014, 4:32 am
#572
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Lincoln, UK
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Posts: 1,267
Aug 18, 2014, 4:46 am
#573
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
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Aug 18, 2014, 5:10 am
#574
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/m...tweenTerminals
Duty free purchases need to be in a plastic bag sealed by the retailer that has not been tampered with.
If the goods have been bought in the EU or onboard an EU carrier, the receipt must show they were purchased within the previous 24 hours.
If the goods were bought from Croatia (Dubrovnik, Pula, Rijeka, Split, Zadar or Zagreb) or Singapore (Changi), the receipt must show the goods were purchased within the previous 24 hours.
If the goods have been bought in the EU or onboard an EU carrier, the receipt must show they were purchased within the previous 24 hours.
If the goods were bought from Croatia (Dubrovnik, Pula, Rijeka, Split, Zadar or Zagreb) or Singapore (Changi), the receipt must show the goods were purchased within the previous 24 hours.
(Probably the reason is that only SIN agreed to sell liquids in these special tamperproof bags and adhere to whatever European regulations apply to stocking, distributing and issuing these bags.)
Aug 18, 2014, 6:19 am
#575
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 6,189
This isn't about BA nor about air travel, but it's a good story, anyway.
I met "Brainiac" in a sales presentation and walked away saying "This is one customer I do not wish to have.". He was a supreme egotist and was utterly convinced his far superior intellectual capacity entitled him to special treatment everywhere he went. Brainiac was, in short, the photo you see in the dictionary when you look up "DYKWIA".
About a year later, I was part of a trade delegation from California to a trade show in Düsseldorf. Who shows up in this trade delegation? Brainiac. I pointed him out to my boss, telling the boss "That's the customer I saw last year. Remember? The guy I told you we'll do ourselves a favor and NOT take on as a customer.".
The trade group boarded a train from Amsterdam to Düsseldorf. Boss and I quickly loaded all our luggage up on the train. Bear in mind, we all had a lot of luggage including our personal stuff plus demo kits and literature for the trade show. Brainiac left MrsBrainiac on the platform while he went off "exploring" this new exciting concept of a European Train. My boss insisted on helping MrsBrainiac get their luggage on the train, finally giving her a hand up just as Brainiac came back to see about his wife and luggage and trade show stuff, just as the train started moving out of the station. My boss and I had the Schadenfreude of watching Brainiac get reamed a new one by the furious MrsBrainiac and having to move his stash of luggage from the train vestibule to his compartment schlepping it all down the corridor of a moving train.
We arrived in Düsseldorf and got all our stuff off the train.
The train station had elevators to move passengers from the train platform to the pedestrian walkway below the tracks. Since everyone had a lot of stuff, we all got luggage carts which meant we had to line up for the elevator. Brainiac and MrsBrainiac ended up in the middle of the line. My boss suggested that he and I just take our time and go last, letting all the others crowd on ahead, which was fine by me.
Brainiac was incensed that he had to wait for the elevator. There was only room for one or two luggage carts at a time, so it was a short wait. He was practically apoplectic at the wait, bouncing up and down on his toes, muttering "Come on, come on, why is this taking so long, etc." I just watched from the sidelines and my boss stayed with all our stuff at the end of the line.
Finally, after what must have been an eternity for someone as impatient as Brainiac, it was his turn. At that point, the elevator stopped moving. The elevator had a glass door, so you could clearly see the mechanics through the door, and it was stopped dead. "What's wrong? Why is this thing not working? We need to get out of here." Brainiac was about to have a seizure because the elevator stopped right before his turn.
And then, I saw that there was no light on the elevator call buttons. No one had punched the "down" call button. I walked up and punched the button. Instantaneously, *MIRACULOUSLY*, the elevator sprung into action. The "down" button light came on and the mechanism starting working. Brainiac muttered "Thanks", as I walked by.
My boss stopped laughing sometime later that week.
Mr Super-High-IQ, intellectually superior to the rest of the human race, couldn't get his wife and luggage on the train and didn't think to punch the elevator "down" call button. I guess we mere mortals know how to do those kinds of things.
I met "Brainiac" in a sales presentation and walked away saying "This is one customer I do not wish to have.". He was a supreme egotist and was utterly convinced his far superior intellectual capacity entitled him to special treatment everywhere he went. Brainiac was, in short, the photo you see in the dictionary when you look up "DYKWIA".
About a year later, I was part of a trade delegation from California to a trade show in Düsseldorf. Who shows up in this trade delegation? Brainiac. I pointed him out to my boss, telling the boss "That's the customer I saw last year. Remember? The guy I told you we'll do ourselves a favor and NOT take on as a customer.".
The trade group boarded a train from Amsterdam to Düsseldorf. Boss and I quickly loaded all our luggage up on the train. Bear in mind, we all had a lot of luggage including our personal stuff plus demo kits and literature for the trade show. Brainiac left MrsBrainiac on the platform while he went off "exploring" this new exciting concept of a European Train. My boss insisted on helping MrsBrainiac get their luggage on the train, finally giving her a hand up just as Brainiac came back to see about his wife and luggage and trade show stuff, just as the train started moving out of the station. My boss and I had the Schadenfreude of watching Brainiac get reamed a new one by the furious MrsBrainiac and having to move his stash of luggage from the train vestibule to his compartment schlepping it all down the corridor of a moving train.
We arrived in Düsseldorf and got all our stuff off the train.
The train station had elevators to move passengers from the train platform to the pedestrian walkway below the tracks. Since everyone had a lot of stuff, we all got luggage carts which meant we had to line up for the elevator. Brainiac and MrsBrainiac ended up in the middle of the line. My boss suggested that he and I just take our time and go last, letting all the others crowd on ahead, which was fine by me.
Brainiac was incensed that he had to wait for the elevator. There was only room for one or two luggage carts at a time, so it was a short wait. He was practically apoplectic at the wait, bouncing up and down on his toes, muttering "Come on, come on, why is this taking so long, etc." I just watched from the sidelines and my boss stayed with all our stuff at the end of the line.
Finally, after what must have been an eternity for someone as impatient as Brainiac, it was his turn. At that point, the elevator stopped moving. The elevator had a glass door, so you could clearly see the mechanics through the door, and it was stopped dead. "What's wrong? Why is this thing not working? We need to get out of here." Brainiac was about to have a seizure because the elevator stopped right before his turn.
And then, I saw that there was no light on the elevator call buttons. No one had punched the "down" call button. I walked up and punched the button. Instantaneously, *MIRACULOUSLY*, the elevator sprung into action. The "down" button light came on and the mechanism starting working. Brainiac muttered "Thanks", as I walked by.
My boss stopped laughing sometime later that week.
Mr Super-High-IQ, intellectually superior to the rest of the human race, couldn't get his wife and luggage on the train and didn't think to punch the elevator "down" call button. I guess we mere mortals know how to do those kinds of things.
Aug 18, 2014, 7:19 am
#577
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: LAX/SYD
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Posts: 245
Aug 18, 2014, 7:49 am
#578
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London
Posts: 158
Aug 18, 2014, 2:27 pm
#579
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: U.K.
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 351
Coming through BOS on Thursday, left the lounge to go to duty free, joined the line when first was called out of the lift came said American with wife and two teenage sons, at the top of ones voice he barked he couldn't believe they didn't page him in the lounge as we are business class. He then barged past several others and then past me and the wife to be met by the gate agent, he handed over the passports all with post it notes attached with there Christian names on them!! Until he got to his passport, well it wasn't there. The agent said Mr XYZ we have been paging you your passport is at security where you left it. He proceeded to demand they go and fetch it as again he is business class, at which point the other agent looked at the chap in front of us and his boarding pass and said Ah first class extremely loudly and welcomed him. Got on board sat down in 3A said chap appeared at the door 10 or so mins later looked left and demanded his family were moved to the front business cabin as there were less seats, CSD gently reminded him that it was First not business. Never have I met such an obnoxious man before left me flabbergasted and speechless
Aug 18, 2014, 2:59 pm
#580
Join Date: May 2008
Location: YYZ
Posts: 2,636
While flying AAnother Airline, in a moment of stupidity, I've left my ID at a security checkpoint. Somehow, the TSA got the message to the airline and the Lounge AAngel found me and informed me that I had left it there. Sufficiently embarrassed, I was able to reclaim it at the checkpoint before heading over to my flight. Never expecting the airline staff to deliver it to me.
Still doesn't excuse rude behaviour or the fact that he's the one who left his passport behind in the first place.
*Regardless of how DYKWIA or rude the passenger is, they're still a club passenger.
Aug 18, 2014, 3:17 pm
#581
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
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Posts: 31,452
Aug 19, 2014, 5:24 am
#582
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Wiltshire/London
Programs: BA Bronze
Posts: 157
Being relatively new to FT, I've just searched for the printingandbreakfast saga and it was absolutely worth it
Aug 19, 2014, 8:49 am
#583
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Lincoln, UK
Programs: BAEC Gold, IHG Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 1,267
Not all thankfully.
It was only after queuing, loading up my own suitacases, hand luggage and jacket did I realise that everyone was setting off the metal detector but there were no staff present to do a manual search. In fact, looking over, the only thing looking at the X-Ray screen was an empty chair.
It was only after queuing, loading up my own suitacases, hand luggage and jacket did I realise that everyone was setting off the metal detector but there were no staff present to do a manual search. In fact, looking over, the only thing looking at the X-Ray screen was an empty chair.
Aug 19, 2014, 10:42 am
#584
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: London, UK
Programs: Amex platinum, LeClubAccor Plat, Club Carlson gold, Hilton HHonours Diamond
Posts: 318
In all fairness, the staff could have been a tad more proactive to try to get the message through to the passenger in the Lounge. Given that the passenger was in Club and it could have been the sleeper service where pax are expected to dine in the lounge; it logically follows that the passenger will not be in the gate area to hear the intercom announcements. It's a quick phone call and would have shown excellent pro-active customer service for a (supposedly*) premium passenger.
While flying AAnother Airline, in a moment of stupidity, I've left my ID at a security checkpoint. Somehow, the TSA got the message to the airline and the Lounge AAngel found me and informed me that I had left it there. Sufficiently embarrassed, I was able to reclaim it at the checkpoint before heading over to my flight. Never expecting the airline staff to deliver it to me.
Still doesn't excuse rude behaviour or the fact that he's the one who left his passport behind in the first place.
*Regardless of how DYKWIA or rude the passenger is, they're still a club passenger.
While flying AAnother Airline, in a moment of stupidity, I've left my ID at a security checkpoint. Somehow, the TSA got the message to the airline and the Lounge AAngel found me and informed me that I had left it there. Sufficiently embarrassed, I was able to reclaim it at the checkpoint before heading over to my flight. Never expecting the airline staff to deliver it to me.
Still doesn't excuse rude behaviour or the fact that he's the one who left his passport behind in the first place.
*Regardless of how DYKWIA or rude the passenger is, they're still a club passenger.