emma69

Up until last month I hadn't flown BA for a while, and I was positively impressed to find a leaflet explaining EC261 at the check in counter (I picked one up, in fact). It's the only airline I have flown recently which has had that information available in leaflet form, that I have noticed.

Sam Bee

What data can be used to analyse if EU261 has changed / improved BA's behaviour and reduced delays / cancellations that they are reponsible for? Have they left more slack in schedules? Improved maintainence? Added an extra spare plane lying around LGW/LHR?

Or is the financial disincentive of customers claiming EU261 still not worth them changing existing practises?

Just wondering if things have actually improved for us poor punters since EU261 was created?

philthegreek

Try QR and then you will have something to really complain about

V10

Was snooker invented by a peasant in Worksop? We may never know.

I'm not sure establishing fairness in this debate adds anything to it. Others may indeed operate in a similar manner, but that doesn't amount to a justification for an individual or a collective entity. It merely marks them all out as being equally crap.

orbitmic

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tobias-UK

I can't think of a single airline that does!

I actually agree that BA is far from alone in not following what I personally suspect to be the 'spirit of the reg' when it comes to EC261. I have notably had very poor experiences with KL, SU, and LX as well as BA (including after claiming). That said, I have also had much better experiences of late.

A recent delayed AF flight from NCE: a photocopied note on EC261 rights was handed out together with the refreshment vouchers upon disembarkation (great way to spend the wasted airport time, and notable contrast with the KL experience I have had!) and exactly the same process on - brace yourself for it - a U2 flight from VCE. In my view, this should be considered best practice and is the way airlines should really handle EC261 cases. Incidentally, I am not certain that AF or U2 always follow their own best practice (and it is perfectly possible BA does from some airports and individual experiences would be most welcome - this was from LHR). I very much suspect that it might be down to station managers, but those two cases of handling the issue were actually noteworthy for being, in my view, as they should be, and I have no doubt that the airlines' behaviour on both occasions generated a lot of goodwill.

On a less recent case, I also had the onboard announcement about the length of a delay on an AZ flight mentioning EC261 compensation. It is ironic that the announcement also mentioned that drink vouchers would be handed out at the gate where there was, in fact, no one to hand anything out, but given my experience of AZ I suspect it was incompetence rather than deception, and at least the onboard people did the right thing with their announcement.

Thanks c-w-s for the info about the gates. I must say that I did not see it (it was indeed B gates for the second departure) and I was looking for it, which is not very encouraging, though admittedly, in such cases, the reembarkation process is invariably chaotic as everyone rushes to try and get in regardless of boarding procedures.

orbitmic

Thanks everyone for their answers! That's exactly the sort of discussion I was hoping for. And again, the specific point of this thread is what could/should I have done given the lack of obvious information. I would have asked myself the same question had I been flying Lufthansa, Air France, or Tarom and had they not told people about their EC261 entitlements, but as it happens, I was flying BA, which is why I am posting on the BA forum and there isn't much I can do to redact that particular fact however ethical it would be to pretend the experience had occurred with someone else!

What I am particularly interested in here is that it seems that quite a few others say they would have done more or less the same as me. In a way, I suppose it is not a very 'logical' choice (I suppose that "all or nothing" would seem more obvious) but it probably means that it is an intuitive reaction to try and help specific individuals either because it seems that they particularly need support (the "vulnerable" category) or because we somehow relate to them (delays, like all adverse experiences including far worse ones tend to create some sort of bond between some of the people who may experience it together).

strichener

Let's look at the official BA submission to the CAA for their compliance report(Publication Details):

Now how many people on here have had this?

T8191

My only eligible IRROPS was a 24-hour delay at LGW. Nothing said after we disembarked, but apparently there were some printouts at the Sofitel Reception ... I never saw them, but a fellow pax did, and passed me one. It was so subliminally handled that anyone could have missed it, as far as the J pax were concerned.

No idea what happened (if anything) to the couple of hundred in Y. IMO they, more than anyone else, deserved to know. Most of them must have saved for ages to afford the flight.

Full story here (amidst the fluff of the TR) >>> An “Interesting” Journey to Jamaica with BA (JER-LGW-KIN) >>> footnote to Post #3 and subsequent discussion.

Flexible preferences

You're welcome! Glad to have helped open up the debate.

My own view is that there is a responsibility for any airline to meet claims fairly and promptly, including BA. However, as passengers we have responsibility too - to make ourselves aware of our rights, and claim. It takes two to tango, as the saying goes.

JMcGP

Having stood the stand up at Athens I asked if they had the leaflets - they scrabbled around and found them so handed out if asked rather than handed out when relevant. I have kept two in my travel wallet for reference / sharing.

T8191

The challenge for less-experienced pax is, however, even knowing that such “rights” exist. Denizens of BAFT have a priceless source of knowledge, from the Dashboard and experienced posters (no names, but you know who you are!).

Where do Fred and Doris Scruggs, on their first ever longhaul holiday (with car hire and hotel) start finding their ‘rights’? I guess many hours of reading the legalese fine print in their T&C on tickets/vouchers would help, but who has the determination and patience (and, dare I say, intellectual skill) to do all that? Afer a couple of days, and a dozen or more web-links, they might understand some things, but I suspect not all. Despite best efforts by many companies, even the simplified terminology can be challenging, as I found when reviewing my travel insurance recently.

Just look at the number of recent posts about Avis/BA car rental here on BAFT. It’s all horribly complex, and possibly beyond the comprehension of Fred and Doris.

stewaran

But could potentially see reduced service level due to reduced profits?

subject2load

Ancient Observer

T81,
fair point.
As Strich points out, BA should do what it told the CAA it would do.
My experience of Easyjet was awful for 261. Malaysian were much better, with leaflets given to all.

And, er, wasn't it Fred Bloggs, rather than Scruggs?

Kgmm77

Can those who confidently claim a clear and direct link between an increase in EU261 claims and a consequent increase in flight prices please substantiate this. Ideally illustrating price taker vs price maker arguments and evidencing through normalised flight price data since EU261 was introduced.

Otherwise stop spouting economics 101 guff that is in no way supportable by actual data.