Sully the Scarer

Its just hit me with a startling reality.

I have a booking to fly LGW to EDI tomorrow lunchtime, and due to family issues I really need to be on the 07:30. I have a Biz flexible ticket, so it should be rosy.

However - BA call centre closed, online changes closed, no chat, no online response service. I literally can't change my flight.

Perhaps I've never had to do this before on BA, or its never happened like this - but on KLM a few weeks ago I needed to change a flight and I (with no status at all) sent a chat message at 3am and got a reply instantly, with changes made in minutes.

What on earth is happening with BA? Is this some British antiquity to still operate a "6-10" service, when all other airlines are operating 24/7 through multiple channels with instant responses? Utterly bizarre.

Anyone know any way to change a booking - I fear even if I arrive at the airport at 6am they won't be able to validate the change before I need to board...From BA experience even that takes an hour or so...

Reality_Czech

try online in 5 mins when it is after midnight and 8 sept.

Sully the Scarer

Nope - just tried and I get the same "We regret that your booking cannot be changed on ba.com. Please contact your local British Airways office"

What a beautifully twee airline - part time and all. I'm amazed they don't land every BA plane mid-flight during the GMT night time to maintain this standard...



If I call the USA line, do you think they can help!?

KeaneJohn

I'm sure they could offload you and then amend the booking. Incidentally somewhere in a wiki is details of how to reach BA 24/7 by calling global numbers but I'm in my iPad so can't search and attach link. You will most likely end up in Newcastle or Manchster though.

theultimateflyer

This is correct. You can call any call center in the world (which in a way or another should cover you 24 hours a day). Skype is good for this for international calls (and +1800 numbers are free on Skype).

shefgab

The US number should be open now:
Tel: 1 800 452 1201 (from the USA)
+ 1 800 247 9297 (outside the USA)
Daily 0730-2000 Eastern

This is the HK office:
Tel: +852 3002 1208
Mon - Fri 0900 to 1730 hours

And the Tokyo office:
Tel: 03-3298-5209
Monday - Friday
09:00 - 12:00
13:00 - 17:00

jerry a. laska

Have a look at the tool listed in this thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...ntly-open.html
It will tell you which BAEC office is currently open throughout the world.

Ziz

Having been in this situation myself, albeit much earlier in the evening (so I found it even more aggravating that they weren't open), I wish ba would offer a UK number that auto forwarded to an open office somewhere in the world.

BA or bust

Or even offered a 24/7 service in the UK.... now there is a radical idea (for BA)....

babats

A few years ago I was working on just such a project which BA called Virtual Call Centre (VCC) - this was designed to manage a call from anywhere in the world (24 x 7) and pass through to a call handler anywhere in the world, but a CH who was qualified to answer in the (major) language associated with the originating country.

This was at the same time as ba.com was being developed/rolled-out and within 12 months the business case for the VCC project, based on the volume of calls coming in to BA, almost disappeared as the number dropped so dramatically (can't remember the actual %age) as customers were using the website to get answers to their questions.

CoweyB

I haven't rung a BA number in years but last time I did and it must be at least 12 years ago I remember being slightly - but pleasantly - surprised that having rung a UK number, I was been put through to a BA agent in the USA who promptly made the change to the flight that I needed.

HilFly

In days gone by calls to BA used to be redirected to centers which were open. Calling from the USA, I have had tickets booked in Germany, the UK, Australia, and more places that I can't remember now.

Often1

Every major international carrier provides exactly this service. A local telephone number which is routed to an agent who speaks the language of the country from which the call is made (or some approximation of that). Certainly for the UK in the case of BA.

While it is true that calls to call centers to handle routine ticketing matters have dropped off radically as individuals use carrier websites and large companies use corporate TA's (with their own 24/7 backup), until and unless BA upgrades its website to handle simple changes, call centers will be required for that.

To that point, there is no reason why a modern website cannot handle a routine change which does not involve anything other than flights. If there is a fee to be collected, this being 2016, that ought to be possible.