navylad

Good evening to you all and wishing you all a happy new year (first time on since so appreciate it’s a few days late).

Flew-MAN-LHR today as I’m going in for surgery this week. Arrived at the airport in good time 2 hours before departure of the BA1399 due to depart 1445. I usually travel HBO, but I had liquids so went to check in. When greeted with a check in line that snaked around the check in beyond the barriers and across the Jet2 barriers too with only 2 desks open. Still no priority lane- still don’t understand why they can blame COVID for that one in my head but hey maybe it has something to do with social distancing. Except there was no social distancing in the line at all, lots of people frustrated it seams, not wanting to queue for hours and given the speed it was going, I didn’t he’d much liquids and changed to HBO.

No security at Terminal 1b so have to use 1A, but wasn’t a queue. Standard MAN security- bag pulled nothing wrong actually found.

To the gate at 1400. No announcements made until 1500 when a delay was announced for ‘operational reasons’. Apparently, people still queuing for check in. Last pax boards at 1615. Turns out PIA cancelled their flight and so everyone was rebooked via LHR.

Flight pleasant, nice sunset views above the clouds. Lovely to meet the guy in 1C. 3 in CE travelling on the connecting flight to IAD, except with the delay they wouldn’t make it. The pleasant guy in 1C was travelling HBO, but couldn’t check in tor the Washington flight, had seen the queue at check in and with no lounge couldn’t do his document check in MAN without standing in the queue for hours.

Upon arrival, 30 minutes to connect lovely lady in 1A, also connecting to IAD, was met by guest services- hopefully they managed to get her into the flight. The other two connecting on the same flight directed to flight connections and the inevitable hotel to take the flight 24 hours later.

An interesting question arose, as they would then be out of time on their COVID test, would BA arrange/pay for another given their delay?

corporate-wage-slave

Yes, we also had a knock-on effect, for presumably a different flight here:
BA 139 LHR-BOM 10th Jan Delay

My understanding is that BA are only paying for 2 / 3 staff from the ground agency Menzies, and yet the composition of BA's passengers has changed massively to include many longhaul passengers, those with complex documentation requirements, and people with huge checked luggage (who need to pay extra). Plus BA aren't paying for earlier check-in timings. Result: BA are seemingly happier to pay the consequential problems with late flights and connections. Both flights today were around 90 minutes late. BA can't even insist on an ontime departure, at the risk of bouncing the last passengers, since 2 of the paid-for gate agents are also paid-for check-in agents. They can't get away from check-in until the queue is dealt with, then they have to clear security and go the long way round too to become gate agents.

At some point, someone somewhere will do the maths, but I can save them a few brain cells: it's no way to run an airline.

Best wishes for the surgery. Not sure if that is the polite way to put it but it's the best I could think of, old bean!

navylad

Thanks @corporate-wage-slave. Out of interest, what are your thoughts on delays causing to go out of time on a COVID test?

corporate-wage-slave

I imagine BA will argue this is a consequential loss, but if someone writes into Customer Relations they may get a hearing. It may be that BA have either an understanding with local CBP based in T5 (for USA services), and/or an arrangement with Collinson in T5 arrivals. Some people may still be inside their 72 hours.

madfish

Had exactly this a couple of weeks ago. I was meeting somebody airside, and told them I’d be there in 15 minutes. Ended up taking around 90 minutes in total.

And as CWS says, the make up of the passengers has changed, and there were lots of luggage to be checked in, as well as other issues.

It really is a shambles, and makes MAN even more of a PITA than it normally is.

macdrew

I have always found BA MCR check-in one of the worst in UK. Staff are generally unhelpful and totally disinterested in customers. I do however find their multi-tasking skills amazing in that they can label a bag, check the computer, chat with the operator on the next desk and totally ignore the customer all at the same time.

1P

For many years I have found it frustrating that BA check-in desks only open a couple of hours (if that) before flights, especially in European airports, leading to lengthy queues and (these days) difficulty in maintaining social distance. With North American airlines you can check in 4 hours before your first flight, and often earlier still.

Dr Dave

This is a part of creating a consistent customer experience at Manchester - arrive on an ancient train 30 minutes late, broken escalator from the platform, broken travelators to the terminal, a miserable check in experience, a long queue at security, then a long wait whilst your bag is hand searched for no reason at all by someone grumpy and rude, followed by a long queue to board. Manchester is entirely predictable at least.

SpeedbirdLHR

It all depends on the station and the number of flights. From memory, Paris and Madrid for example tended to have at least one desk open throughout the day based on number of flights. Lisbon with fewer flights would open based on departure time. North American carriers also do similar based on location. AA for example currently open to match what flights they have at LHR. Last month when they had one service ex LHR, they would only open 3-4 hours before departure time.

PGberkshire

Welcome to Manchester - The crapest UK outstation in the BA network.

Never Stansted

No better today. They’re running a priority check in desk at least which I was grateful for as the Y queue was about 5 rows deep. Security was ludicrous as there were so few desks operating, no fast track and absolutely no attempt at distancing. I’m not at all pro-lockdown but I’m baffled by the inability of MAN to do even the basic cost-free stuff right. There’s plenty of space (only 2-3 flights all afternoon and T1 is large) but they’re deliberately cramming people together which seems odd.

All lounges closed, though given how long security took wouldn’t have had time to visit anyway.

DYKWIA

As was pointed out in another thread, it's BA that is choosing to only have 2 people on check-in (edit - it was actually this thread!). Those same 2 staff then have to go from check-in to board the flight, which is why the flights are often delayed.

Which security is currently being used - upstairs or downstairs? If downstairs, then they usually leave the upstairs Fastrack security open for those who have paid for it (or whose ticket allows access).

Never Stansted

I think there were 3 check in agents on - 1 priority and 2 standard. Security was upstairs and fast track (at least using the route I’ve taken) looked closed. I noticed some other J pax enquire and they were directed to the Y queue too.

Today we’ve been delayed by some very considerate passengers who didn’t show up until 20 mins after departure time though they clearly had time to pop into duty free from their bags!