StingWest

And I would like to add that BA was flexible when it came to my wife's serious illness last year. No proof required at the time - full ticket value held for a year, and no change fees etc. When ready to travel please send a doctor's certificate to get a new ticket issued.

People probably try to scam companies like BA all the time, and it seems that they've decided on err on the correct side for once!

DominicB

I think there is a human side to BA at times like this. I had a friend whose mother died rather unexpectedly, and the body needed repatriating to GND for the funeral. My friend was upgraded to Club in both directions out of the kindness of BA staff's hearts - a very lovely gesture.

TWCLAM

Mirroring others I am sorry to hear about your relative and hope that things turned around. BA's staff indeed make BA what it is and imho make or break a flight for us most the time. On a trip home back in the summer I had was reduced to tears by an infection in my gum exasperated by the pressure of flying and had to nearly demand we continued to LGW as the flightdeck had been informed by CC and they wanted me to get medical help asap ( something I wished to avoid as it meant delaying others) and the 1st officer took the time to come out & explain that they had already discussed options for getting me home if they landed in France and had selected an airport where BA had a presence so it would be as easy as possible even obtaining the station managers name for me and giving his own name and staff ID number for reference. When it counts BA staff seem to instinctively go the extra mile without prompt or request. Of course other airlines will have similar stories but it just seems a 'go-to' when it counts for BA.

For all the things they do wrong the staff really do make the airline and like the OP they're a reason they continue to get my custom even if I do have reason to gripe at times the good staff fortunately, in our experience anyway, far outweigh the bad.

squiddz

On a much, much smaller scale, BA employees were heroes to me because I left my Bose headphones on one of their planes a few years ago, when I contacted them (which was very easy) they had them and held them for me, I was able to retrieve them at Heathrow. I'm glad to read the OP's story and other positive stories!

777 global mile hound

Good to hear
BA has a good side to them on occasion no doubt
After 20 plus years they have rarely responded to an email with concerns/ issues to canceled flights lost or damaged bags
or even legal matters where they overcharged customers and been sued in a class action suit and not followed through
Phone or email you are screwed
Typically to get anything done it takes pulling teeth and having a lawyer present
Overall customer service D minus
Buying something like a revenue ticket ? C plus
Its a corporate management thing not unlike American Airlines who is also sketchy at best with trust and brand assurance

raquelle

The BA team - both air crew and ground staff - have always been amazing. A nice change of pace to see a positive thread (except for grumpy Hyatt hound) !

FlyingScientist

KLM lost a customer in similar circumstances.

Kids To London

Yes, BA screws up at times. But they really came through for me a while back when I experienced a medical issue before flying through London. Assigned a staff person to follow my situation, provided car from hospital to airport, rebooked flights, even a free hotel room.

picturegal

I had the opposite experience some years ago. After driving all night from Edinburgh to London to catch a flight back to Atlanta for a family emergency, my husband and I found that BA would not put us on a flight unless we paid an extra $2000 per person for the First Class section, because that was the only area that had open seats. We went over to the Delta counter to try to get an emergency fare and they took the BA economy tickets and put us in Business Elite for no extra charge. When an airline does something like that, you do feel a great loyalty. I wrote a letter to the editor of our newspaper bragging on Delta.

Dr. HFH

Wow. Talk about above and beyond!

It's really quite easy to earn customer loyalty; and I'm always amazed that so many airlines seem to eschew it.

777 global mile hound

I agree that BA has many outstanding and exceptional team members the world over to a large degree ^
Feel fortunate to have met and have been served by them for many decades
However I can say that all customers when interacting with BA call centers and their email channels
deserve the same respect, kindness and customer relationship management standards just the way
the dedicated team perform on the ground and in their premium lounges
Its when things go wrong that shows a carriers excellence or failure
One of the reasons I am a big fan of Alaska Airlines a BA partner.They are brilliant and keep me smiling year round ^
Not just when a loved family member has sadly passed.
Delighted to see they have compassion and empowerment to help a customer in their time of need.Its also simply the right thing to do

Signed the Hyatt Grumpy Hound
Many Cheers

Big Bad D

Lefly

Three years ago a BA agent helped me & husband in a tricky, difficult situation. I would have bought her flowers and dinner for the result she was able to achieve... and surely she helped BA in gaining a lot of brownie points by us.

CharlotteC

RoyalSwazi