Misappropriated CW bedding
Jan 3, 2020, 2:36 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 847
Misappropriated CW bedding
No, this is not another thread about stealing on-board items from BA - this time I was the victim!
On BA28 last night (Hong Kong to Heathrow) which was in most respects an uneventful flight. After dinner, a movie and a few drinks I went to the washroom before turning in, leaving my White Company bedding unused but unwrapped on the floor, and the pillow (used) and other personal items around the seat. On returning after about 5 minutes, I was surprised to find that all of the bedding was gone! I went to the galley to ask the crew if they had removed it for any reason - to which they answered no (and why would they, at 3am HK time) and a crew member came back with a torch to check the nearby lockers to see if anyone had put it in there. No traces were found, so despite a full flight the crew kindly managed to find me a spare duvet and pillow, with a WTP blanket as mattress pad (at this point I discovered that my seat would not electrically recline flat...that's a different story but the excellent crew sorted that out too).
Nothing more was said, until about 20 minutes to landing a different crew member came over to me with a CW pillow and said that he heard I was missing one. Turns out it had been found in use with the bedding by a passenger 'half way down the back'. I was pretty shocked by this - do passengers really prowl around during the night looking to snaffle better bedding from the premium cabins? My seat was clearly in use with items on it, and the pillow was clearly used! I've never heard of anything like this before so I thought I would post here and see what people think.
The crew, by the way, could not have been more helpful and the crew member who returned the pillow in the morning was truly apologetic about what had happened.
On BA28 last night (Hong Kong to Heathrow) which was in most respects an uneventful flight. After dinner, a movie and a few drinks I went to the washroom before turning in, leaving my White Company bedding unused but unwrapped on the floor, and the pillow (used) and other personal items around the seat. On returning after about 5 minutes, I was surprised to find that all of the bedding was gone! I went to the galley to ask the crew if they had removed it for any reason - to which they answered no (and why would they, at 3am HK time) and a crew member came back with a torch to check the nearby lockers to see if anyone had put it in there. No traces were found, so despite a full flight the crew kindly managed to find me a spare duvet and pillow, with a WTP blanket as mattress pad (at this point I discovered that my seat would not electrically recline flat...that's a different story but the excellent crew sorted that out too).
Nothing more was said, until about 20 minutes to landing a different crew member came over to me with a CW pillow and said that he heard I was missing one. Turns out it had been found in use with the bedding by a passenger 'half way down the back'. I was pretty shocked by this - do passengers really prowl around during the night looking to snaffle better bedding from the premium cabins? My seat was clearly in use with items on it, and the pillow was clearly used! I've never heard of anything like this before so I thought I would post here and see what people think.
The crew, by the way, could not have been more helpful and the crew member who returned the pillow in the morning was truly apologetic about what had happened.
Jan 3, 2020, 3:53 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Programs: Mucci des Hommes Magiques et Magnifiques
Posts: 19,097
Other customers taking extra bedding from occupied seats isn’t unusual, if you see a crew member going through every overhead lockers looking for something it is most likely they are looking for missing bedding.
Jan 3, 2020, 4:10 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 847
Interesting if slightly shocking! The crew did go back with a torch to take a quick look but obviously didn’t want to disturb people in the middle of the night. They didn’t seem too surprised about it all.
Jan 3, 2020, 5:04 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,262
Jan 3, 2020, 5:17 am
#9
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges and Environmentally Friendly Travel
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 22,212
The BA28 may be co-incidental but I also experienced bedding snaffling on this route, although not nearly as dramatic as volar described.
In my case, I was moved from a WT+ seat (faulty IFE) to an unoccupied CW seat downstairs. There wasn't a trace of bedding or a pillow. The cabin crew foraged downstairs and upstairs for spare bedding but none could be found - it was a nearly full flight, but she was kind enough to retrieve the pillow and blanket I left behind upstairs. Still, I was as a happy as Larry but this will bring little comfort to volar. It is quite shocking that a passenger would deprive another so shamelessly.
In my case, I was moved from a WT+ seat (faulty IFE) to an unoccupied CW seat downstairs. There wasn't a trace of bedding or a pillow. The cabin crew foraged downstairs and upstairs for spare bedding but none could be found - it was a nearly full flight, but she was kind enough to retrieve the pillow and blanket I left behind upstairs. Still, I was as a happy as Larry but this will bring little comfort to volar. It is quite shocking that a passenger would deprive another so shamelessly.
Jan 3, 2020, 5:22 am
#10
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,237
Over the years I've seen or heard of passengers nicking light appliances from the lounges (yes, there is a budget to change bulbs and lights 'pilfered' by passengers), liberating toilet paper and towels from the loos, meal trays and crockery, other passengers' belongings... yeah, not surprised.
Jan 3, 2020, 6:14 am
#11
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: EVA Air , * G, QR Privilege Club S
Posts: 5,187
I was flying on Sri Lankan UL from CMB to PVG in business class. Suddenly on the TV screen popped up a warning to be careful of your personal belongings. First time I have seen it on an airline.
I asked the crew and they told me on that route passengers steal lot of stuff. I said even in business class? They said yes. They even change shirts so they don't look as before.
I have seen passengers try to take pillows from others while the passenger is out of his seat and I have stopped it every time it happened near me by pointing out that there was a passenger sitting in that particular seat.
I asked the crew and they told me on that route passengers steal lot of stuff. I said even in business class? They said yes. They even change shirts so they don't look as before.
I have seen passengers try to take pillows from others while the passenger is out of his seat and I have stopped it every time it happened near me by pointing out that there was a passenger sitting in that particular seat.
Jan 3, 2020, 6:16 am
#12
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,237
I was flying on Sri Lankan UL from CMB to PVG in business class. Suddenly on the TV screen popped up a warning to be careful of your personal belongings. First time I have seen it on an airline.
I asked the crew and they told me on that route passengers steal lot of stuff. I said even in business class? They said yes. They even change shirts so they don't look as before.
I have seen passengers try to take pillows from others while the passenger is out of his seat and I have stopped it every time it happened near me by pointing out that there was a passenger sitting in that particular seat.
I asked the crew and they told me on that route passengers steal lot of stuff. I said even in business class? They said yes. They even change shirts so they don't look as before.
I have seen passengers try to take pillows from others while the passenger is out of his seat and I have stopped it every time it happened near me by pointing out that there was a passenger sitting in that particular seat.
Jan 3, 2020, 6:25 am
#13
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Gloucestershire
Programs: BA Gold (ex-GGL, maybe future Silver), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,201
I've had my bedding nicked when seated in the front row of CW and the entire plane entered between CW and F. It was the late flight from LHR-DXB and I didn't notice until I woke up, cold, about 3 hours into the flight. Amazingly, when I asked if there was any spare bedding, I was basically shooed away by the crew member in the galley who said it was my fault, somehow. (However, his colleague overheard this and immediately got me a spare blanket from F). So yes, it does happen - but at least your crew did what they could to help.
Jan 3, 2020, 8:40 am
#14
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Mexico
Programs: BAEC Gold / Marriott Platinum
Posts: 3,547
That's curious. When we took BA242 from MEX in June, my stepson had left his stuff ready to go to bed. Went to the toilet and it had gone when he came back. I thought it had just been stashed in the overhead or something. They couldn't find it. The phantom bedding nicker strikes again!
Someone call Shaggy, Velma, Fred, Daphne and Scooby, Mystery Incoporated have got a case to solve.
(Removes mask) Ahhhhhhhhhh.... All this time it was Mr Cruz trying to save more pennies. If it wasn't for those meddling FTs. he would have got away with it.
Someone call Shaggy, Velma, Fred, Daphne and Scooby, Mystery Incoporated have got a case to solve.
(Removes mask) Ahhhhhhhhhh.... All this time it was Mr Cruz trying to save more pennies. If it wasn't for those meddling FTs. he would have got away with it.
Jan 3, 2020, 8:54 am
#15
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London
Programs: Qantas, BA gold, SPG gold
Posts: 131
I sympathise with the OP. I am not shocked, however. I don't know if the OP's "personal items" were of high value but it's lucky that they were not taken. I'm always aware that on longhaul flights overnight others may move around the premium cabins on an aircraft so I ensure that my valuables (passport, expensive jewellery) are in my pockets. I think the extensive thefts from Japanese passengers in business class on one flight about a year ago were only reported because so many were robbed. Similar thefts have occurred on US airlines.