25 Hrs TLS-DUB, Wheelchairs and G-NEOR Missing Crew
Dec 16, 2018, 3:36 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Dublin
Programs: EI AC Silver, BAEC Gold
Posts: 369
25 Hrs TLS-DUB, Wheelchairs and G-NEOR Missing Crew
On Friday 14th Dec I should have had a simple TLS-LHR-DUB trip leaving TLS at 5.05pm and arriving into DUB at 10.40pm on BA379/BA824. So that’s a 6hr 35 min journey. Things did not transpire that way and eventually I arrived back in DUB on Saturday 15th Dec at 5.40pm with a delay of 19 hrs.So what went wrong.
Part 1- After finishing work in downtown Toulouse I headed to the airport early arriving at around 3.00pm. Arrived at the departure gate after a leisurely lunch at around 4.15 and checked to see if the outbound flight was on-time and was happy to see that BA378 was indeed en-route and on time and descending towards TLS.
Next an announcement on the PA advising that due to a yellow vest motorised wheelchair protest the airport was closed. (You couldn’t make this up!) As time went on I watched BA378 firstly in a hold pattern in TLS and then heading back up the North West coast of France as it returned to LHR.
The airport reopened after about 1-1.5 hrs and I waited for the official cancellation on the app so that I could proceed to rebook. After this happened I rang BA and was efficiently rebooked on the Saturday 15th BA377 at 8.00am and BA834 to Dublin.
Ok so these things happen and booked in to the NH hotel next to the airport and was happy that I was rebooked due to arrive back in Dublin 12.20 on Sat. I checked that evening to see if the incoming flight BA376(A321) was indeed on time so I went to bed happy that my plane home was parked at the departure gate for the morning.
Part 2- So part one is an unusual (Wheelchairs) but not an uncommon event so what else could go wrong.I arrived back at the departure gate at around 7.15 the next morning to see all the expected normal activity. While I sat down and waited I watched the flight and cabin crew arrive and board the plane. Through the window I could see the cabin crew taking their seats and as daylight arrived noticed the winglets which meant that I was due to fly home on G-NEOR which was a nice surprise.
Again time went by and by around 8.30am I started to get the feeling that something was not quite right. Looked at the app and again and noticed that the new delayed departure time was 11.20? Aircraft tech, More protests, ATC limitation, LHR Weather?No! Shortly after an announcement by the GA and then by one of the BA flight crew who had come back up to the gate. There were not enough cabin crew to allow the flight to depart and extra cabin crew were being flown out on BA372 so that the minimum legal crew levels could be met. (You couldn’t make this up either!)
How could this happen and not be noticed until boarding time? Totally bizarre and in explicable! Has the NEO different crewing levels to the CEO and somebody in planning hadn’t noticed? Very hard to understand how this could arise.Rang BA and changed my LHR-DUB connection to BA826 which was the earliest I could get based on the revised arrival time which was then of course delayed also to cap off a frustrating day.
On aside the NEO was a very quiet plane with cabin noise levels significantly lower than the 320/321 CEO’s. I had no problem with the seat hardness and found the front exit row very comfortable for the TLS-LHR sector despite being sat on it for around 2.5 hrs.
Part 1- After finishing work in downtown Toulouse I headed to the airport early arriving at around 3.00pm. Arrived at the departure gate after a leisurely lunch at around 4.15 and checked to see if the outbound flight was on-time and was happy to see that BA378 was indeed en-route and on time and descending towards TLS.
Next an announcement on the PA advising that due to a yellow vest motorised wheelchair protest the airport was closed. (You couldn’t make this up!) As time went on I watched BA378 firstly in a hold pattern in TLS and then heading back up the North West coast of France as it returned to LHR.
The airport reopened after about 1-1.5 hrs and I waited for the official cancellation on the app so that I could proceed to rebook. After this happened I rang BA and was efficiently rebooked on the Saturday 15th BA377 at 8.00am and BA834 to Dublin.
Ok so these things happen and booked in to the NH hotel next to the airport and was happy that I was rebooked due to arrive back in Dublin 12.20 on Sat. I checked that evening to see if the incoming flight BA376(A321) was indeed on time so I went to bed happy that my plane home was parked at the departure gate for the morning.
Part 2- So part one is an unusual (Wheelchairs) but not an uncommon event so what else could go wrong.I arrived back at the departure gate at around 7.15 the next morning to see all the expected normal activity. While I sat down and waited I watched the flight and cabin crew arrive and board the plane. Through the window I could see the cabin crew taking their seats and as daylight arrived noticed the winglets which meant that I was due to fly home on G-NEOR which was a nice surprise.
Again time went by and by around 8.30am I started to get the feeling that something was not quite right. Looked at the app and again and noticed that the new delayed departure time was 11.20? Aircraft tech, More protests, ATC limitation, LHR Weather?No! Shortly after an announcement by the GA and then by one of the BA flight crew who had come back up to the gate. There were not enough cabin crew to allow the flight to depart and extra cabin crew were being flown out on BA372 so that the minimum legal crew levels could be met. (You couldn’t make this up either!)
How could this happen and not be noticed until boarding time? Totally bizarre and in explicable! Has the NEO different crewing levels to the CEO and somebody in planning hadn’t noticed? Very hard to understand how this could arise.Rang BA and changed my LHR-DUB connection to BA826 which was the earliest I could get based on the revised arrival time which was then of course delayed also to cap off a frustrating day.
On aside the NEO was a very quiet plane with cabin noise levels significantly lower than the 320/321 CEO’s. I had no problem with the seat hardness and found the front exit row very comfortable for the TLS-LHR sector despite being sat on it for around 2.5 hrs.
Dec 16, 2018, 3:58 am
#2
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,596
This is what happens when BA operate same aircraft with differant number of seats. I presume the densified A321 requires more crew than the normal. BA sent the number of crew required for the nightstop, then did an aircraft swap and were caught with there trousers down with not enough at TLS.
I am surprised we have not seen more of this on here.
I am surprised we have not seen more of this on here.
Dec 16, 2018, 6:17 am
#4
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,575
https://www.flightstats.com/v2/fligh...htId=983256465
suggests there was a last minute change from a A319 to an A321, either to facilitate the rebookings required from the cancellation or perhaps to cover a tech aircraft. Seems though that no one then thought about the impact of the morning rotation as there would only have been 3 or 4 cabin crew downroute rested to bring the flight back.
Bit surprising as this must be a common consideration when upgrading an Airbus flight at the last minute
suggests there was a last minute change from a A319 to an A321, either to facilitate the rebookings required from the cancellation or perhaps to cover a tech aircraft. Seems though that no one then thought about the impact of the morning rotation as there would only have been 3 or 4 cabin crew downroute rested to bring the flight back.
Bit surprising as this must be a common consideration when upgrading an Airbus flight at the last minute
Dec 16, 2018, 8:47 am
#6
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: London Stratford, E7
Programs: BAEC Gold! Thanks to FT
Posts: 3,378
Dec 16, 2018, 1:05 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Dublin
Programs: EI AC Silver, BAEC Gold
Posts: 369
https://www.flightstats.com/v2/fligh...htId=983256465
suggests there was a last minute change from a A319 to an A321, either to facilitate the rebookings required from the cancellation or perhaps to cover a tech aircraft. Seems though that no one then thought about the impact of the morning rotation as there would only have been 3 or 4 cabin crew downroute rested to bring the flight back.
Bit surprising as this must be a common consideration when upgrading an Airbus flight at the last minute
suggests there was a last minute change from a A319 to an A321, either to facilitate the rebookings required from the cancellation or perhaps to cover a tech aircraft. Seems though that no one then thought about the impact of the morning rotation as there would only have been 3 or 4 cabin crew downroute rested to bring the flight back.
Bit surprising as this must be a common consideration when upgrading an Airbus flight at the last minute
Dec 16, 2018, 1:07 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Dublin
Programs: EI AC Silver, BAEC Gold
Posts: 369