What was your most creative way of beating the BA cancellations?
Dec 12, 2017, 2:03 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: London UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 201
What was your most creative way of beating the BA cancellations?
So have an ex AMS Qatar flight Tuesday afternoon. Thanks to this brilliant forum, and in particular CWS it became increasingly obvious that the 426 AMS service on Monday night wasn't going to happen, the plan originally being to overnight in AMS and take the flight the following morning. Options were not looking good, so me and the good Mrs Kipperman took the "interesting" option of a bus to AMS.
This involved, briefly, my daughter dropping us off in Dover, waiting in a howling cold gale in a bus stop, being delayed an hour on the Channel tunnel, being caught in a 4 hour traffic jam outside Ghent and finally being dropped off at a freezing and snowy non central train station at 3am this morning after 20 hours on a bus. Fortunately our hotel room was still available, and a quick uber jaunt dropped us off here.
Curiously I did have a plan C, which was avios tickets on the BA 2758 LGW service this morning (12th December) The irony?- it of course went, albeit with a bit of delay, but with enough comfort to catch my onward flight. But I'm happy with the outcome - plan C would have been a tad stressful, and only have come into play if we couldn't get across to the continent.
This involved, briefly, my daughter dropping us off in Dover, waiting in a howling cold gale in a bus stop, being delayed an hour on the Channel tunnel, being caught in a 4 hour traffic jam outside Ghent and finally being dropped off at a freezing and snowy non central train station at 3am this morning after 20 hours on a bus. Fortunately our hotel room was still available, and a quick uber jaunt dropped us off here.
Curiously I did have a plan C, which was avios tickets on the BA 2758 LGW service this morning (12th December) The irony?- it of course went, albeit with a bit of delay, but with enough comfort to catch my onward flight. But I'm happy with the outcome - plan C would have been a tad stressful, and only have come into play if we couldn't get across to the continent.
Last edited by kipperman; Dec 12, 2017 at 2:08 am
Dec 12, 2017, 3:03 am
#3
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,791
Dec 12, 2017, 10:12 am
#7
Moderator: Qatar Airways
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: LHR/NCE/MIA
Programs: BAEC GfL & GGL, SQ Gold, Amex Centurion, Mucci des Chevaliers des Bons Mots et Qui Savent Moucher
Posts: 8,948
I'm going to keep checking this thread until someone comes along and says 'I tobogganed to my destination'.
M
M
Dec 12, 2017, 10:34 am
#8
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: TPA/ABZ
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold. GGL/CCR.
Posts: 13,248
Spare a thought for us in Tampa. I had to wear long trousers yesterday morning due to the cold although it did warm up nicely by around 10am.
Dec 12, 2017, 11:38 am
#9
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: Hhonors Diamond, IHG Platinum, BA Silver
Posts: 260
Dec 12, 2017, 11:54 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,194
Dec 12, 2017, 1:32 pm
#11
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: East Cheam
Programs: QF, BA, VA
Posts: 198
320 euros and no I don't expect to get anything back from BA. I needed to get back to LHR with a colleague in order to catch long haul flights on different PNR's.
Dec 12, 2017, 2:09 pm
#12
Join Date: May 2012
Programs: BA Gold, HHonors Diamond, IHG Platinum, Senior Railcard & Bus Pass
Posts: 983
Not exactly creative, but here is my story.
I’d booked a one-way LHR-MAN flight for Sunday, planned to stay with a friend in Manchester overnight, take a train to Cheltenham Monday, have dinner with another friend and spend the night in a hotel, before travelling home by train today, Tuesday.
Standing in the long queue at A7 to get out of T5, I decided to reject the LHR-MAN re-booking offered for Monday (which would have arrived after my train departed for Cheltenham). Instead I took the Heathrow Express to Paddington, booked an extra hotel night in Cheltenham and travelled there by train on Sunday evening.
Earlier in the day while waiting in GF for my delayed (later cancelled) flight, I posted a rather flippant and insensitive comment on Flyertalk about being so warm that I could de-ice a plane with my face (I have since deleted it).
I got of off the train at Cheltenham to find Karma waiting for me. Rushing to the taxi queue, I tripped on steps, cut my cheekbone and broke my glasses. I spent the rest of the evening with an ice-pack on my face and I am now sporting a black eye!
I’d booked a one-way LHR-MAN flight for Sunday, planned to stay with a friend in Manchester overnight, take a train to Cheltenham Monday, have dinner with another friend and spend the night in a hotel, before travelling home by train today, Tuesday.
Standing in the long queue at A7 to get out of T5, I decided to reject the LHR-MAN re-booking offered for Monday (which would have arrived after my train departed for Cheltenham). Instead I took the Heathrow Express to Paddington, booked an extra hotel night in Cheltenham and travelled there by train on Sunday evening.
Earlier in the day while waiting in GF for my delayed (later cancelled) flight, I posted a rather flippant and insensitive comment on Flyertalk about being so warm that I could de-ice a plane with my face (I have since deleted it).
I got of off the train at Cheltenham to find Karma waiting for me. Rushing to the taxi queue, I tripped on steps, cut my cheekbone and broke my glasses. I spent the rest of the evening with an ice-pack on my face and I am now sporting a black eye!
Last edited by WickedStepMother; Dec 12, 2017 at 2:57 pm
Dec 12, 2017, 2:21 pm
#13
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 5
I helped a few transit passengers book local hotels in London whilst in the 1st Lounge at T5 - typically those who had arrived from Japan, Pensacola, etc who had connecting flights to Oslo, Paris, etc which were cancelled. One guest actually thought I worked for BA and thanked me for the great customer service....she didn’t know what to say when I said I was also an impacted customer impacted by the late cancelled BA197 to IAH...which continued to show a delayed take-off at 15:30 right up until 17:30, then a revised departure time of 19:00 (when clearly this would not be feasible for a late landing at IAH International terminal) - flight eventually showed as cancelled at 19:30...
My bags were lost and as of this evening, I still haven’t had the bag returned...it was due to be sent to Houston on this mornings flight - unbelievable...I’m Gold and was travelling CW.
My bags were lost and as of this evening, I still haven’t had the bag returned...it was due to be sent to Houston on this mornings flight - unbelievable...I’m Gold and was travelling CW.
Dec 12, 2017, 3:21 pm
#14
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: Hhonors Diamond, IHG Platinum, BA Silver
Posts: 260
Useful fallback option. Is this one of the National Express coaches that runs from London via Dover? Were you able to buy a walk-up ticket on the bus?
Dec 12, 2017, 3:24 pm
#15
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: BRS
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 4,993
A question.. can I claim ORC for the cancelled flight if I have chosen not to travel?