Joshm300

flyandeat

Hi again all,
this morning received email from BA saying my flight (which was changed from the direct LHR-LED after they dropped the route) to LHR-FRA-LED and now they have cancelled my LHR-FRA at 1410 and booked me onto the morning one at 0820 giving me a 7 hour wait in FRA😣🙄

I really feel quite annoyed with all this, but I guess I just have to suck it up, right? (Incidentally despite thei NO attempt to contact me at all, no missed calls)

KARFA

flyandeat

Haha @KARFA I guess so, but it's the same as they said before, we have tried to contact you to discuss (we haven't actually, so we have just changed it without your input)

I do have a feeling there is an earlier connection at Frankfurt from my previous research so why they didn't just go the whole hog and change both baffles me. It's just such a faff to call them and be held in a queue for ages to sort it out yet again.

I feel like I must be setting a record for the number of cancellations on one trip 😁

flyslow

Consider yourself lucky My FRA-LHR was cancelled on KBP-FRA-LHR return and rebooked to one that leaves almost 4 hours before KBP-FRA lands, despite there being several departures later in the evening. Haven't managed to get hold of them yet.

flyandeat

Sympathies @flyslow and good luck

Called them and after some discussion managed to agree to Lufthansa LHR-FRA and Lufthansa FRA-LED, then the call disconnects 🙄😣

I call back, of course different agent, and then am told NO, to the above, and that I must now take the BA flight via Moscow or HELINSKI

Still holding, 30 minutes in 😪

IAN-UK

Not so sucky for non-London based UK travellers to Ukraine

The timings meant BA never worked for us. My Manchester trips have been Lufthansa, with a useful Ryanair option at £30 or so each way (booked far enough out).

craigdthomas

Off to Kiev for the weekend with my dad, but flying EDI-LHR (21:10) on Thursday and overnight at the Sofitel for the 08:20 to Kiev on Friday morning.
Booked on the one ticket, so will my luggage need to be collected on Thursday night or will it be kept for the Kiev flight at LHR?

Cheers

The _Banking_Scot

Hi.

On one ticket it can be checked through with the overnight stop at lhr or you can ask the check in agent just to check it to lhr

Regards

Tbs

craigdthomas

That what I thought, but the last time I was on an overnight stop at Heathrow on the same ticket, we had to collect our luggage.
Cheers

chipster

You can def send it through to Kiev if it si one ticket. I did exactly the same thing a fortnight ago. Some agents got it wrong sometimes though

TWCLAM

If anyone would prefer my routing I am happy to provide evidence that it CAN be done.

LHR-HEL( AY) HEL-LED ( N7) DME-LHR ( BA)

I of course very much appreciate the published rules as provided by @KARFA ( someone whose knowledge has provided invaluable assistance to me since joining FT and to whom's expertise I genuinely defer to) and that said rules are what BA has decided it wants to impose on affected customers but my own routing at least provides a data point for it being possible. Naturally my success in obtaining the routing I wanted rather than that dictated by them doesn't guarantee anyone else will be but at least with a data point demonstrating it has been done may provide you with some ammunition in your own negotiations.

Further Data Points: I was offered the reverse journey however as my trip is two centre, St Petersburg then Moscow, the DME return worked better for me so I opted for/ advised that was the routing I would accept. I am but a lowly Silver & while I think my CIV file shows a decent enough net worth to them due to consistent high spend in a reasonably short time I am going to be well down their list compared to the consistent Gold's & GGL's amongst you.

Most importantly: Whilst I had to be somewhat forceful and escalate the issue please don't be rude to the poor person answering the phone. They, as with all large corporations, can only do what they are empowered to do by their higher ups. It is not an agents fault if they cannot fulfill a request outside of their power to do so.
Their managers are there for that, polite but firm, discussion.

Lastly this post is not here to cause agro or issues for staff at BA simply to highlight that if you aren't happy with options as dictated that alternatives are out there. Of course if you have accepted then the "one change" rule would apply BUT imo if you did this and they are then altering that then all bets are off and you would have good case to pick something that, may, suit you better.

flyandeat

I also managed, after 4 calls being either disconnected mid the agent speaking or being put on hold, redirected to the main menu and then told by automated recording that they were too busy to deal with me, finally, literally the whole morning and half of the afternoon, calling, holding, being called back (will call in 15 minutes, it was 3 hours later..) explaining the same thing over and over, will be saying my security questions in my sleep tonight, was rerouted LHR-HEL-LED, their first suggestion being one that arrived in LED at 0155, considering that my initial BA booking was for a less than 4 hour direct flight leaving around 9am! Was also offered via Moscow, but eventually after asking to please tell me ALL the options, agreed on the 1020 BA flight operated by Finnair to HEL, and onward with Nordic Regional to LED.

A point blank refusal from agents 2, 3 and 4 to consider the Lufthansa LHR-FRA despite the first agent offering me that to replace the cancelled BA leg.. because my first part MUST apparently be with BA, and yet when I asked where I check in for this 'BA flight to Helsinki' it turns out to be T3, not BA's own T5. How so?

I feel so ashamed at the customer service of our national carrier! But similar to M and S and John Lewis, I guess, outsourcing is cheap, and if we don't like it we can go elsewhere..😥😭

tuonopepper

Nothing on Finnair?

Edit - apparently so now I've read all the posts, lol

fruitcage

Not to defend BA's poor customer service in any way at all, but BA does indeed fly a whole bunch of routes, including Helsinki, from T3.