BA flight (op WDL Aviation) lands in Edinburgh instead of Dusseldorf by mistake
#76
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: London
Programs: BAEC 1991
Posts: 45
A long time ago (pre 9/11) I was flying VA LHR-LAX almost at the pointy end.
Deeply into my spreadsheet when I noticed that the sunlight kept on interfering with my screen on a regular but infrequent basis. Turned out we were circling Iceland dumping fuel prior to ejecting a miscreant. Took me at least 15 mins to press the call button.....
Deeply into my spreadsheet when I noticed that the sunlight kept on interfering with my screen on a regular but infrequent basis. Turned out we were circling Iceland dumping fuel prior to ejecting a miscreant. Took me at least 15 mins to press the call button.....
#77
Join Date: Sep 2011
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,074
The WDL lease is going to be a expensive one for BACF. The same aircraft was scheduled to operate another 3 flights for BACF today before returning to WDLs CGN base.
Passengers booked on all 3 of these flightsare now also going to be entitled to compensation. The flights affected are:
#78
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: BA GGL, A3*G, Mucci de l'expertise des Apps
Posts: 3,362
While I cannot speak for the days when BA had actual BAe146s, the ARJ100s they operated for many years from LCY were certainly 3-3 seating, which is why everyone used to say only BA had RJ110s
#79
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: London Stratford, E7
Programs: BAEC Gold! Thanks to FT
Posts: 3,338
Further quotes on Beeb:
"The pilot then asked passengers to raise their hands if they wanted to go to Dusseldorf."
"Everyone raised their hands."
"The pilot said he had no idea how it had happened. He said it had never happened before and that the crew was trying to work out what we could do."
The fact that he had to ask if the passengers still wanted to go to Dusseldorf.....
"The pilot then asked passengers to raise their hands if they wanted to go to Dusseldorf."
"Everyone raised their hands."
"The pilot said he had no idea how it had happened. He said it had never happened before and that the crew was trying to work out what we could do."
The fact that he had to ask if the passengers still wanted to go to Dusseldorf.....
interestingly the next LCY-DUS rotations due to be operated by the same aircraft also delayed 3+ hours. Interestingly BA says it will contact affected customers but in cases such as these the airlines should automatically provide EU261 compensation rather than rely on the fact that a lot might nott know about it and or wont claim.
#83
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: LON
Programs: BA Gold; LH FTL; IHG Diamond; Marriott Gold; ALL Gold
Posts: 1,758
From the report I heard, it sounded like the flight plan had been filed by WDL Aviation, so I'd have thought BA would pass any losses on to them, unless they've been careless with their contracting...
#84
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Tees Valley, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 68
I ended up on a WDL 146 during a daft weekend trip across France, they'd been brought in to operate a Strasbourg to Toulouse for Hop! - they'd already sent the scheduled Jota ARJ sub out on another flight as they're stupidly short of crew. I found them to be perfectly professional despite the obviously elderly 146 (I had D-AWUE).
This is amusing given that it all ended safely - however if airlines (BA are indeed part of this group) checked boarding passes at the door upon boarding they'd pick up on any mistakes like this surely. It would be interesting to know whether the screw up was in BA ops or WDL ops but I suspect we'll never find out.
If you look at what they covered yesterday it was a DUS-LCY-EDI-LCY-DUS shift, so it's entirely possible that they'd been given a similar schedule for today, or maybe assumed that was what they were operating? Like I say I doubt we'll ever find out.
This is amusing given that it all ended safely - however if airlines (BA are indeed part of this group) checked boarding passes at the door upon boarding they'd pick up on any mistakes like this surely. It would be interesting to know whether the screw up was in BA ops or WDL ops but I suspect we'll never find out.
If you look at what they covered yesterday it was a DUS-LCY-EDI-LCY-DUS shift, so it's entirely possible that they'd been given a similar schedule for today, or maybe assumed that was what they were operating? Like I say I doubt we'll ever find out.
#85
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Executive Club Blue
Posts: 959
At LCY the crew - flight and cabin - typically don't board from the passenger gate, and certainly not in a case where the aircraft started in DUS before going to LCY. At LHR and LGW it would be more normal for the crew to board at the gate, but in many cases the overhead signs would not at that point give the destination.
Still however you look at it, this was one big boo-boo.
Still however you look at it, this was one big boo-boo.
#86
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 2,015
There was a similar incident last year. Nextjet had two flights from Sundsvall (SDL), one to Gothenburg (GOT) and one to Lule (LLE), but they had to cancel one of the flights. The passengers going to GOT boarded the flight and the flight went to LLE, where they ended up stuck over the night. https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/va...amnade-i-lulea
#87
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: UK
Programs: BA Blue, IC Spire Ambassador
Posts: 5,210
Were boarding passes and bags tagged to DUS? Would BA produce a passenger information list / cargo manifest for the crew and if so would that state the destination or just the flight number?
Does catering state the destination on those stickers?
Who handles WDL in Edi? Were ground staff expecting the flight?
So many questions!
Does catering state the destination on those stickers?
Who handles WDL in Edi? Were ground staff expecting the flight?
So many questions!
#88
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: YYZ
Programs: FOTSG Tangerine Ex E35k (AC)
Posts: 5,612
Isn't there normally an announcement on board about how how flight to XXX today will take X hours/minutes?
Granted the two are a similar time but presumably there were some frequent flyers on board and I certainly (have) know(n) the expected flight time on a couple of routes. Even if they didn't say "our expected flight time to Edinburgh today will be" ...
My first thought on hearing this was EC261 as mentioned upthread. The question is how many of the pax know to claim for it , on this and the other affected flights as a result of this. Extraordinary circumstances doesn't cover BA filing the wrong flight plan, or whatever the reason turns out to be. Grounding of an entire jet type or a Icelanic volcano perhaps, flying to the wrong city for no good reason? Nope.
If BA tries to say no, I can see a class action.
Granted the two are a similar time but presumably there were some frequent flyers on board and I certainly (have) know(n) the expected flight time on a couple of routes. Even if they didn't say "our expected flight time to Edinburgh today will be" ...
My first thought on hearing this was EC261 as mentioned upthread. The question is how many of the pax know to claim for it , on this and the other affected flights as a result of this. Extraordinary circumstances doesn't cover BA filing the wrong flight plan, or whatever the reason turns out to be. Grounding of an entire jet type or a Icelanic volcano perhaps, flying to the wrong city for no good reason? Nope.
If BA tries to say no, I can see a class action.
#89
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: NYC/LAX/ATL
Programs: JAL Diamond, BAEC Gold, AS 75K, VS Gold, AC 50K, WoH Globalist, HHonors Diamond, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 237
Somewhat surprised that the passengers would only have realised on landing. Turning right instead of left or vice versa after takeoff might have been a giveaway. As would imagine would be the moving map if there was one.
Also would BA operations not have spotted the plane going completely the wrong way and attempted to contact the pilot.
Also would BA operations not have spotted the plane going completely the wrong way and attempted to contact the pilot.
#90
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: BA Silver, VS Silver
Posts: 756
My bolding
I was wondering about this too. Has anyone been on these WDL operated BA flights before and if so is it the SOP for the Captain/FO to chat to the passengers about weather etc at destination before takeoff like every BA operated flight I've been on? I'm sure the error would have been picked up then if it was the case.
I was wondering about this too. Has anyone been on these WDL operated BA flights before and if so is it the SOP for the Captain/FO to chat to the passengers about weather etc at destination before takeoff like every BA operated flight I've been on? I'm sure the error would have been picked up then if it was the case.