Half trip report - tl;dr: Crazy trip, everything worked out OK
Oct 14, 2016, 6:19 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: BAEC "I'm blue Da ba dee da ba di", Skywards Blue, Miles & More (very passive)
Posts: 80
Half trip report - tl;dr: Crazy trip, everything worked out OK
I planned a weekend trip a while ago, which should take me from Hamburg to Glasgow. I booked the last flight (BA967) from Hamburg to London and the second to last (BA1498) to Glasgow with a 65 minute layover.
At about 2:45, checkmytrip notified me about a delay on the first flight. I was in an adventurous mood and just went to see what happens. I did not receive any notification by mail, phone, SMS or the app from BA.
I left home at 3:15 pm for the 7:05 flight (I was done packing and wanted more lounge time, ride to the airport takes an hour).
Train service was interrupted, with the alternative I arrived at the airport at 4:45.
The priority bag drop counter was empty, the regular bag drop counters were empty, everything was handled at the check in assistance counter.
Half an hour later I dropped my bag and headed to the fast track security.
After another 30 minutes (5:45), 50 minutes before boarding, I reached the lounge, had a beer, a few sausages, pretzels, a G&T and headed out to the gate.
Between the departure screen in the lounge and the departure screen downstairs in the terminal, an expected departure time of 7:40 appeared.
In fact this was the time, the door closed.
Fast forward to the English coast, the captain announced another 25 minutes of holding. After the holding, a few rebooked connections were announced, long haul on the flight 24 hours later and Dublin on the first flight in the morning. Not Glasgow.
Just after landing, about 10 minutes after my connecting flight closed, they announced the rebookings again and my flight to Glasgow appeared. I was rebooked onto the last flight of the day.
But: The disembarking was done via stairs and bus and while waiting for the door to open, I mentioned to the flight attendant that it will still be a tight connection. She agreed, but encouraged me to try it.
So, off the plane, on the bus, out of the bus into the terminal building (approximately then the original connection started), to the boarding pass reissue desk.
The lady checked the computer and said "oh, you were offloaded again. Let me call the gate". They got me on the flight again, she added my checked bag's number handed me the new boarding pass and rushed me to the connection counter. I might have torn down a tensa barrier on the way. Sorry about that.
She was quite excited whether the boarding pass will be accepted, but in the end it was. The security area was extremely empty, so I got through there in about two minutes, mostly running past the closed checkpoints.
From there, it was a short run to the gate, where pre-boarding had just started. I had seat 1F on the missed flight and got 1D on this one.
The whole trip from entering T5 to gate A1 took amazing 19 minutes.
There was another departure delay and the uneventful flight arrived in Glasgow 15 minutes late.
When the next thing happened.
The jetway could not be connected to the plane. So they moved stairs to the rear exit and everyone had to exit there. I think the last time I left a plane at the rear was in the 90s.
At least my bag arrived just when I reached the belt.
I just hope the return on Sunday is less eventful.
At about 2:45, checkmytrip notified me about a delay on the first flight. I was in an adventurous mood and just went to see what happens. I did not receive any notification by mail, phone, SMS or the app from BA.
I left home at 3:15 pm for the 7:05 flight (I was done packing and wanted more lounge time, ride to the airport takes an hour).
Train service was interrupted, with the alternative I arrived at the airport at 4:45.
The priority bag drop counter was empty, the regular bag drop counters were empty, everything was handled at the check in assistance counter.
Half an hour later I dropped my bag and headed to the fast track security.
After another 30 minutes (5:45), 50 minutes before boarding, I reached the lounge, had a beer, a few sausages, pretzels, a G&T and headed out to the gate.
Between the departure screen in the lounge and the departure screen downstairs in the terminal, an expected departure time of 7:40 appeared.
In fact this was the time, the door closed.
Fast forward to the English coast, the captain announced another 25 minutes of holding. After the holding, a few rebooked connections were announced, long haul on the flight 24 hours later and Dublin on the first flight in the morning. Not Glasgow.
Just after landing, about 10 minutes after my connecting flight closed, they announced the rebookings again and my flight to Glasgow appeared. I was rebooked onto the last flight of the day.
But: The disembarking was done via stairs and bus and while waiting for the door to open, I mentioned to the flight attendant that it will still be a tight connection. She agreed, but encouraged me to try it.
So, off the plane, on the bus, out of the bus into the terminal building (approximately then the original connection started), to the boarding pass reissue desk.
The lady checked the computer and said "oh, you were offloaded again. Let me call the gate". They got me on the flight again, she added my checked bag's number handed me the new boarding pass and rushed me to the connection counter. I might have torn down a tensa barrier on the way. Sorry about that.
She was quite excited whether the boarding pass will be accepted, but in the end it was. The security area was extremely empty, so I got through there in about two minutes, mostly running past the closed checkpoints.
From there, it was a short run to the gate, where pre-boarding had just started. I had seat 1F on the missed flight and got 1D on this one.
The whole trip from entering T5 to gate A1 took amazing 19 minutes.
There was another departure delay and the uneventful flight arrived in Glasgow 15 minutes late.
When the next thing happened.
The jetway could not be connected to the plane. So they moved stairs to the rear exit and everyone had to exit there. I think the last time I left a plane at the rear was in the 90s.
At least my bag arrived just when I reached the belt.
I just hope the return on Sunday is less eventful.
Oct 15, 2016, 1:02 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: BAEC "I'm blue Da ba dee da ba di", Skywards Blue, Miles & More (very passive)
Posts: 80