Discrimination (Coronavirus?) on British Airways
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 6
Discrimination (Coronavirus?) on British Airways
I am a long time reader and very thankful for all that I have learned from this forum. I just wanted to share this story that has me both frustrated and perplexed.
To give some background, my wife and I are of East Asian descent and had our Canadian passports to fly on BA from Geneva to London last week. We got business class seats (Club Europe) as my wife hurt her lower back. We both had hand carries so we waited at the very front of the line for boarding to guarantee space in the overhead bin.
Once boarding started, we were told to step aside and not block the way of other passengers as our business class row would be downgraded to economy. We were not given any other explanation but listened to instructions and promptly moved out of the way and waited while everyone else went onboard (including all the other downgraded customers). We were specifically called out to not go on board until every passenger got on board. The reason the gate agent presented was that our names weren’t in the system. However, 10 minutes after all the passenger boarded besides us (including the standby passengers), the gate agent didn’t even check the computer and scanned our tickets then let us board the flight. While waiting I asked to speak to a manager and was told the manager was too busy. We felt like we were specifically profiled and held back as the only two people of Asian descent on the plane.
I’ve flown on other flights with BA and never faced anything like this so I feel that this is an isolated incident from that specific gate agent. I called BA’s customer service hotline today to mention this incident and got a response back of “what do you expect us to do about it.” This is very frustrating and it seems this Coronavirus paranoia is not that limited. Does BA have a policy against discrimination?
To give some background, my wife and I are of East Asian descent and had our Canadian passports to fly on BA from Geneva to London last week. We got business class seats (Club Europe) as my wife hurt her lower back. We both had hand carries so we waited at the very front of the line for boarding to guarantee space in the overhead bin.
Once boarding started, we were told to step aside and not block the way of other passengers as our business class row would be downgraded to economy. We were not given any other explanation but listened to instructions and promptly moved out of the way and waited while everyone else went onboard (including all the other downgraded customers). We were specifically called out to not go on board until every passenger got on board. The reason the gate agent presented was that our names weren’t in the system. However, 10 minutes after all the passenger boarded besides us (including the standby passengers), the gate agent didn’t even check the computer and scanned our tickets then let us board the flight. While waiting I asked to speak to a manager and was told the manager was too busy. We felt like we were specifically profiled and held back as the only two people of Asian descent on the plane.
I’ve flown on other flights with BA and never faced anything like this so I feel that this is an isolated incident from that specific gate agent. I called BA’s customer service hotline today to mention this incident and got a response back of “what do you expect us to do about it.” This is very frustrating and it seems this Coronavirus paranoia is not that limited. Does BA have a policy against discrimination?
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Programs: Mucci des Hommes Magiques et Magnifiques
Posts: 19,104
It sounds like a very confusing situation and I cannot explain why you were held back but I do know that BA is not a racist company.
The only thought is that due to the change of the configuration some seat changes were being actioned which needed to be updated before you could board.
The only thought is that due to the change of the configuration some seat changes were being actioned which needed to be updated before you could board.
#3
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Glasgow
Programs: BAEC Silver, Sixt Platinum, HHons Diamond
Posts: 927
It must have been very disappointing to have been downgraded, I feel lucky it has never happened to me. When it does it is for operational reasons, and I suspect they may have been moving the cabin divider forward perhaps, hence why you could not board.
Whatever, the reason, BA is a very culturally diverse carrier, with staff and crew from just about every creed, colour and persuasion possible, so I feel you can be confident you were not singled out unfairly.
Whatever, the reason, BA is a very culturally diverse carrier, with staff and crew from just about every creed, colour and persuasion possible, so I feel you can be confident you were not singled out unfairly.
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 6
It must have been very disappointing to have been downgraded, I feel lucky it has never happened to me. When it does it is for operational reasons, and I suspect they may have been moving the cabin divider forward perhaps, hence why you could not board.
Whatever, the reason, BA is a very culturally diverse carrier, with staff and crew from just about every creed, colour and persuasion possible, so I feel you can be confident you were not singled out unfairly.
Whatever, the reason, BA is a very culturally diverse carrier, with staff and crew from just about every creed, colour and persuasion possible, so I feel you can be confident you were not singled out unfairly.
Last edited by orange1; Feb 24, 2020 at 11:57 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,203
You need to contact BA - if you haven't already done so- and request the appropriate reimbursement for the downgrade.
The wiki in this post outlines what you are entitled to and advises how to claim it
The 2020 BA compensation thread: Your guide to Regulation EC261/2004
The wiki in this post outlines what you are entitled to and advises how to claim it
The 2020 BA compensation thread: Your guide to Regulation EC261/2004
#6
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,841
Welcome to Flyertalk and welcome to the BA forum orange1, but I'm really sorry to hear of your experience here. I am particularly disappointed that you were not given a clear explanation as to what was going on.
I very much doubt it was an act of discrimination for the simple reason that GVA is a big station for BA and they will be well used to handling Asian passengers, indeed passengers from many other parts of the world. BA's handling agency at GVA has a large number of Asians working for them too, you may have come across some in the lounge, it's the same company that deals with the gate. They are fairly brusque at the gate, they do enforce priority boarding there, whereas at many other places they are far more relaxed. GVA isn't a place that I can see getting too worked up about COVID-19 either, it's not in the spotlight by any stretch of the imagination.
Not many flights had their CE configurations amended today, I suspect only a handful, and it rarely happens. It has become a feature of the recent 3 weeks of winter storms, the last time it happened was in August 2109 on 6 flights. So you were particularly unlucky there. The need to shuffle people in FLY, the main gate application from 4 across to 6 across seating would take a few minutes, but normally it is done in advance. It's possible they had to do some last minute rejigging that led to your delay.
As to Customer Relations' response, it does sound a bit inept, I doubt it was intended to sound like that, but in a sense perhaps you do want to reflect on what they could do to put it right. I wouldn't focus on discrimination unless you have clear evidence of this, but you can certainly explain you didn't have a business class experience and therefore would like the difference between EuroTraveller and Club Europe to be refunded to you. You could do some sums to be even more clear what you are looking for. This is best handled by the webform, by all means reach out if you need help with working this out.
Welcome again to the forum, you had a bad experience but I can say with absolute certainty that this isn't typical or normal for BA, and I will raise it with the airport manager - who I know well - when I next get an opportunity, if that in any way reassures you.
I very much doubt it was an act of discrimination for the simple reason that GVA is a big station for BA and they will be well used to handling Asian passengers, indeed passengers from many other parts of the world. BA's handling agency at GVA has a large number of Asians working for them too, you may have come across some in the lounge, it's the same company that deals with the gate. They are fairly brusque at the gate, they do enforce priority boarding there, whereas at many other places they are far more relaxed. GVA isn't a place that I can see getting too worked up about COVID-19 either, it's not in the spotlight by any stretch of the imagination.
Not many flights had their CE configurations amended today, I suspect only a handful, and it rarely happens. It has become a feature of the recent 3 weeks of winter storms, the last time it happened was in August 2109 on 6 flights. So you were particularly unlucky there. The need to shuffle people in FLY, the main gate application from 4 across to 6 across seating would take a few minutes, but normally it is done in advance. It's possible they had to do some last minute rejigging that led to your delay.
As to Customer Relations' response, it does sound a bit inept, I doubt it was intended to sound like that, but in a sense perhaps you do want to reflect on what they could do to put it right. I wouldn't focus on discrimination unless you have clear evidence of this, but you can certainly explain you didn't have a business class experience and therefore would like the difference between EuroTraveller and Club Europe to be refunded to you. You could do some sums to be even more clear what you are looking for. This is best handled by the webform, by all means reach out if you need help with working this out.
Welcome again to the forum, you had a bad experience but I can say with absolute certainty that this isn't typical or normal for BA, and I will raise it with the airport manager - who I know well - when I next get an opportunity, if that in any way reassures you.
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Programs: Mucci des Hommes Magiques et Magnifiques
Posts: 19,104
I am at a loss to understand why you think BA staff would hold you back unnecessarily, there was a reason I’m sure but I believe this would have been for operational reasons, as said above BA are a multi cultural company with many being from a East Asian decent.
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 6
Thank you for sharing this link. I also got a number and will call them but am not too concerned as I know this happens to many others.
#11
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,841
BA cancelled a flight yesterday, and as you can imagine at this time of the year, the flights were fairly full. So what I suspect happened was the opposite: they seated everyone 6 a side, including CE, in order to get as many people on to the aircraft. Flights were also running rather late this morning - typically 1 hour or so - so they may have wanted to put people on late running but technically earlier services, so they could make their longhaul connections.
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,262
OP was “last week” corporate-wage-slave so think same scenario, but after storm Ciara
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,203