BA flight (op WDL Aviation) lands in Edinburgh instead of Dusseldorf by mistake
Mar 26, 2019, 2:20 am
#106
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 140
Just thinking about whether any passengers noticed!
A few years ago we were on a package ski holiday and it was clear to me that the coach taking us to Innsbruck airport was heading on a motorway going west when we should have been going east.
I tried 3 times to tell the rep and even as we went past signs showing Innsbruck in the other direction getting further and further away I kept getting told the driver will know a shortcut. Eventually I persuaded her to let me show her where we were on google maps on my phone and she went to talk to the driver at which point we did a rapid u turn at the next exit. No one else noticed a thing (this was on a coach with road signed clearly visible) so not entirely surprised no one notice anything on a plane especially if there was cloud cover. And I think if they had noticed the FA would have said something similar!
A few years ago we were on a package ski holiday and it was clear to me that the coach taking us to Innsbruck airport was heading on a motorway going west when we should have been going east.
I tried 3 times to tell the rep and even as we went past signs showing Innsbruck in the other direction getting further and further away I kept getting told the driver will know a shortcut. Eventually I persuaded her to let me show her where we were on google maps on my phone and she went to talk to the driver at which point we did a rapid u turn at the next exit. No one else noticed a thing (this was on a coach with road signed clearly visible) so not entirely surprised no one notice anything on a plane especially if there was cloud cover. And I think if they had noticed the FA would have said something similar!
Mar 26, 2019, 2:33 am
#107
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: UK
Programs: BA Blue, IC Spire Ambassador
Posts: 5,228
This mistake wouldn't happen if either:
(1) Pilots had to walk out to the gate and would've seen the signage.
(2) Flight attendant announcements (presumably DUS) can be heard by pilots.
(3) UK had outbound immigration checkpoints and gates would be different between domestic and international.
(4) UK required pilots to clear immigration like USCBP. Even US crew arriving LHR can skip UKBF and ride vans nonstop from gate to hotel. Apparently they deem crew manifest, API and US passports sufficient to skip inspection, which means it would be OK too for a EU pilot coming in from Schengen.
(1) Pilots had to walk out to the gate and would've seen the signage.
(2) Flight attendant announcements (presumably DUS) can be heard by pilots.
(3) UK had outbound immigration checkpoints and gates would be different between domestic and international.
(4) UK required pilots to clear immigration like USCBP. Even US crew arriving LHR can skip UKBF and ride vans nonstop from gate to hotel. Apparently they deem crew manifest, API and US passports sufficient to skip inspection, which means it would be OK too for a EU pilot coming in from Schengen.
I think the FAs and flight crew BOTH thought they were going to EDI. Presumably nobody listens to announcements and those that thought they heard Edinburgh would have either put it down to mis-hearing or an innocent error. “They couldn’t POSSIBLY be going to Edinburgh”.
Outbound checkpoints - would have made no difference as these passengers were checked in as going to Dusseldorf.
As far as BA ground staff, presumably including the dispatcher / TRM/C, were concerned the aircraft was going to Dusseldorf so I suspect it would have been handled as such. Also, it arrived inbound from DUS which would have added to confusion. Easy to overlook EDI on one piece of paper out of 10 in the real world.
Mar 26, 2019, 4:37 am
#108
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Executive Club Blue
Posts: 969
In response to a couple of points above, from a cabin crew perspective:
- Passengers generally don’t listen to announcements
- Cabin crew are too busy with service to look out of the windows, which are hard to see out of anyway when standing up
Mar 26, 2019, 5:54 am
#109
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: BA, SW, IAG
Posts: 143
Do CC actually look at Boarding passes? They certainly seem to when I board.
Surely all the pax had boarding passes clearly stating it was DUS? The crew should have noticed this i think, even if it was ground crew's fault and not the aircrew.
Surely all the pax had boarding passes clearly stating it was DUS? The crew should have noticed this i think, even if it was ground crew's fault and not the aircrew.
Mar 26, 2019, 6:02 am
#110
Join Date: Dec 2007
Programs: M&M, BA Silver, Accor LeClub Gold
Posts: 490
You obviously don't fly with BA very often as there is no need to show a boarding pass on BA short haul on board the aircraft and hasn't been for some time.
Mar 26, 2019, 6:12 am
#111
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,964
I think the change for BA happened at least 3-4 years ago.
Mar 26, 2019, 6:13 am
#112
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: BA, SW, IAG
Posts: 143
I fly BA a lot, but mainly LH as they stopped flying from where i live aprt from one or 2 flights to LCY- and they check my BP when I board at lcy.. LCY is a bear to get to a LH airport. When BA last served my home AP, they always looked at boarding passes.
Mar 26, 2019, 6:17 am
#113
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold 1MM, BA Gold, UA Peon
Posts: 6,111
Easy only checks boarding passes in board from certain high risk destinations (i.e. high risk of someone attempting to evade border controls) or in situations that may have ambiguity (two flights boarding from adjacent gates with a shared path from the gates to the aircraft and similar situations). I seem to remember that's also true for BA, though I can't remember where I read that.
In situations where there is little ambiguity, little motivation to board the wrong aircraft, and little chance of confusion then most carriers don't check boarding passes at the aircraft door any more. An intra-EU flight from LCY definitely meets all these criteria.
In situations where there is little ambiguity, little motivation to board the wrong aircraft, and little chance of confusion then most carriers don't check boarding passes at the aircraft door any more. An intra-EU flight from LCY definitely meets all these criteria.
Mar 26, 2019, 6:34 am
#114
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: YYZ
Programs: FOTSG Tangerine Ex E35k (AC)
Posts: 5,612
Easy only checks boarding passes in board from certain high risk destinations (i.e. high risk of someone attempting to evade border controls) or in situations that may have ambiguity (two flights boarding from adjacent gates with a shared path from the gates to the aircraft and similar situations). I seem to remember that's also true for BA, though I can't remember where I read that.
In situations where there is little ambiguity, little motivation to board the wrong aircraft, and little chance of confusion then most carriers don't check boarding passes at the aircraft door any more. An intra-EU flight from LCY definitely meets all these criteria.
In situations where there is little ambiguity, little motivation to board the wrong aircraft, and little chance of confusion then most carriers don't check boarding passes at the aircraft door any more. An intra-EU flight from LCY definitely meets all these criteria.
Mar 26, 2019, 6:38 am
#116
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: BAEC "I'm blue Da ba dee da ba di", Skywards Blue, Miles & More (very passive)
Posts: 82
Well, it's unlikely that they have to direct any passenger anywhere else than right on the A320 family.
I have only flown short haul on the 767 a few times and don't remember, did you get directions there?
I have only flown short haul on the 767 a few times and don't remember, did you get directions there?
Mar 26, 2019, 7:01 am
#118
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
Strictly speaking I'm pretty sure it was narrowbody aircraft on which the BP was not checked, but I'm pretty sure they were checked on widebody aircraft on short haul flights (e.g. 767 to/from ATH, IST etc.).
Mar 26, 2019, 7:58 am
#119
Join Date: May 2014
Location: GLA
Programs: I'm not that important
Posts: 84
My memory isn't what it used to be, but i'm sure in the late 80's, BA used to offer flights for ?£40 return, at weekends, but you didn't know the destination until you checked in at LHR - mind at least you knew the destination before you took off 
Mar 26, 2019, 8:07 am
#120
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Englandshire
Programs: SPG LT Plat, BA G, BD*LG, MG Blue+ ...
Posts: 16,032
There's many more firmly in the camp who think there must have been someone in a window seat who wasn't dull enough not to notice that the scenery hadn't gone from green to blue to green again ….