Our lines are currently busy ... goodbye
Jun 28, 2018, 7:10 am
#16
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAGGL, A3G, Accor Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond, LHW Sterling
Posts: 1,308
Or maybe they didn’t invest in a new system for donkeys years and it’s now falling apart?
Jun 28, 2018, 9:49 am
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: London, UK
Programs: bmi DC, BAEC
Posts: 1,104
definitely feels like there's something going wrong with the phone system.
i've tried 14 times today ... on the two occasions that they didn't hang up on me, i got to speak to a person straight away !
both times the person was very good.
i've tried 14 times today ... on the two occasions that they didn't hang up on me, i got to speak to a person straight away !
both times the person was very good.
Jun 28, 2018, 11:33 am
#20
Join Date: May 2012
Programs: BA Gold, HHonors Diamond, IHG Platinum, Senior Railcard & Bus Pass
Posts: 983
Just about to deliver two elderly Australian friends to T5 for their flight home this evening. They have been declining my offers to check them in on-online and now can’t even find their booking ref and e-ticket. Let’s hope we don’t encounter any problems checking them in.
(Do say hello if you spot a frazzled WickedStepMother pushing a wheelchair T5 airside during the next hour or so!)
(Do say hello if you spot a frazzled WickedStepMother pushing a wheelchair T5 airside during the next hour or so!)
Jun 28, 2018, 6:34 pm
#21
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: VPS
Programs: IHG Diamond, Delta PM, Hilton Gold, Accor Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 7,264
Six times so in my case. I live in an area where the town council keeps changing the name of my local airport, and said local airport is insignificant enough that the name change never populates correctly to the airlines and in a timely fashion. Which any flyer in the area knows well, and the airport authority also knows well, and the general workaround and airport marketing campaign involves 'Fly VPS'. Which works well for pretty much any airline web site except for BA, where you can't just enter VPS as your home airport and actually have to remember they're using a names file that identifies the airport as 'Valparaiso, Florida', which I think was used as an official name for only a brief period in 1957.
Jun 29, 2018, 2:17 am
#23
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, Eurostar Carte Blanche
Posts: 712
I noticed this recently too -
Also, notice an ever increasing proportion of my itineraries require calling up at some point due to the website not working as needed.
Not ideal trends!
Also, notice an ever increasing proportion of my itineraries require calling up at some point due to the website not working as needed.
Not ideal trends!
Jun 29, 2018, 2:44 am
#24
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAGGL, A3G, Accor Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond, LHW Sterling
Posts: 1,308
Just about to deliver two elderly Australian friends to T5 for their flight home this evening. They have been declining my offers to check them in on-online and now can’t even find their booking ref and e-ticket. Let’s hope we don’t encounter any problems checking them in.
(Do say hello if you spot a frazzled WickedStepMother pushing a wheelchair T5 airside during the next hour or so!)
(Do say hello if you spot a frazzled WickedStepMother pushing a wheelchair T5 airside during the next hour or so!)
Jun 29, 2018, 12:22 pm
#26
Join Date: May 2012
Programs: BA Gold, HHonors Diamond, IHG Platinum, Senior Railcard & Bus Pass
Posts: 983
@WickedStepMother - did everything turn out ok?
I assume they got away OK thank you. After getting them checked in Mr WSM and I left them at the Assistance waiting area opposite H, with an estimated wait of 20+ minutes for someone to come along and take them through.
I feel so very sorry for whoever eventually went through security behind them. They turned out to have hand luggage full of various liquids and potions, plus an asthma inhaler in every pocket, stubbornly refusing the plastic bags I suggested they start decanting stuff into while they waited. ”We didn’t have to do that when we left Sydney.”
If they didn’t get stopped for trying to smuggle through a large bottle of chilled water I bought them for the wait, I suspect they drank it all (“Throw it away before security?!? We hate wasting water!”) and then had to make several toilet stops each on the way to the lounge/gate.
BA and airport staff gave us a rather disappointing run-around when we arrived at T5 to be honest. We were first sent to the Assistance check-in desk at A, where I transferred the frail friend into an airport wheelchair while we queued. Then, when it was discovered that the pair were travelling in CW, we were sent to check in at H. So I had to push the frail friend in an airport wheelchair plus our now empty borrowed wheelchair the whole length of departures while his wife pushed the luggage trolley. (Mr WSM had been parking the car and was by this time waiting at H. He didn’t know where we were because he doesn’t ever know his mobile is ringing unless I pick it up and throw it at him.)
En route to H a passing BA member of staff said that they might even do the checking in at the Business Class Assistance desk. “I can’t check you in! I am nothing to do with BA!” was the response we got there. So over to H to join a long queue. When I asked if there was any way to avoid having to queue, we were directed to a dedicated assistance check-in desk at G16. That would have been good had it actually been manned. We were finally taken to the First Wing check-in desks but that experience was lost on my friends who were by now getting quite fed up.
They encountered none of the disappearing bookings problems I had feared earlier in the day. Checking in was only slightly delayed because only one of the pair had a visa for getting back into Australia - she is a citizen and he isn’t, but she forgot to offer her Australian passport instead of the British one.
After a long day Mr WSM and I were glad to head back to the Hilton T5 (after a small detour to get a bottle of wine and nibbles from M&S) then spent the rest of the evening sitting outside sipping wine and plane spotting.
Jun 29, 2018, 2:22 pm
#27
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: England
Programs: Mucci des Epices Exotiques, BAEC Gold,EK Gold,SPG,Marriott,Club Carlson
Posts: 918
It’s not a new thing! See this thread...We are busy, goodbye
Jun 29, 2018, 4:46 pm
#28
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAGGL, A3G, Accor Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond, LHW Sterling
Posts: 1,308
Totally OT for this thread now, but since you asked....
I assume they got away OK thank you. After getting them checked in Mr WSM and I left them at the Assistance waiting area opposite H, with an estimated wait of 20+ minutes for someone to come along and take them through.
I feel so very sorry for whoever eventually went through security behind them. They turned out to have hand luggage full of various liquids and potions, plus an asthma inhaler in every pocket, stubbornly refusing the plastic bags I suggested they start decanting stuff into while they waited. ”We didn’t have to do that when we left Sydney.”
If they didn’t get stopped for trying to smuggle through a large bottle of chilled water I bought them for the wait, I suspect they drank it all (“Throw it away before security?!? We hate wasting water!”) and then had to make several toilet stops each on the way to the lounge/gate.
BA and airport staff gave us a rather disappointing run-around when we arrived at T5 to be honest. We were first sent to the Assistance check-in desk at A, where I transferred the frail friend into an airport wheelchair while we queued. Then, when it was discovered that the pair were travelling in CW, we were sent to check in at H. So I had to push the frail friend in an airport wheelchair plus our now empty borrowed wheelchair the whole length of departures while his wife pushed the luggage trolley. (Mr WSM had been parking the car and was by this time waiting at H. He didn’t know where we were because he doesn’t ever know his mobile is ringing unless I pick it up and throw it at him.)
En route to H a passing BA member of staff said that they might even do the checking in at the Business Class Assistance desk. “I can’t check you in! I am nothing to do with BA!” was the response we got there. So over to H to join a long queue. When I asked if there was any way to avoid having to queue, we were directed to a dedicated assistance check-in desk at G16. That would have been good had it actually been manned. We were finally taken to the First Wing check-in desks but that experience was lost on my friends who were by now getting quite fed up.
They encountered none of the disappearing bookings problems I had feared earlier in the day. Checking in was only slightly delayed because only one of the pair had a visa for getting back into Australia - she is a citizen and he isn’t, but she forgot to offer her Australian passport instead of the British one.
After a long day Mr WSM and I were glad to head back to the Hilton T5 (after a small detour to get a bottle of wine and nibbles from M&S) then spent the rest of the evening sitting outside sipping wine and plane spotting.