citiflyerUK

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This happens far too often now. No one seems to have a grip.

fransknorge

Real question for those in the know: how can the pilot be unaware ? Would not the final weight and balance sheet show the expected discrepancy due to bags missing ?

JessicaB

Based on my recent experience, I'd say the crews are equally sick and tired of BA now, so I presume even if they did know they wouldn't walk themselves and their crew into a potentially more challenging situation.

I swear though, if I knew my bag wasn't going to be loaded, I would rather not fly.

corporate-wage-slave

Superficially that sounds reasonable, but unfortunately once the bag is in the system, if you decided not to fly then you wouldn't get the bags back any sooner, whereever you ended up. You would be re-united with the bag in a few days, regardless of where you were. So I would always work on the assumption that checked bags sometimes don't travel as planned, a bit like the passengers.

JessicaB

I understand. I just think that being anywhere without nice clothes, make-up, shoes, for 3 days would be hell. So I'd rather not fly and return to my flat where at least I would have all of those things. I know some people who can live out of a carry-on for a week but I'm not one of them.

Jumbodriver

The final load sheet doesn’t arrive until after departure from the gate, and doesn’t have bag numbers on anyway.

Misco60

I wonder how many of the affected passengers had been persuaded to check in their hand luggage because the flight was full? If I had done that and was only planning to be away for a few days I would also be asking to be offloaded.

I hope everyone affected claims for everything they're entitled to, including replacement clothes and toiletries. Money is the only language that BA understands.

JessicaB

This week I cancelled all my BA flights that don't involve Amex vouchers and rebooked on another airline. I've been loyal to BA for years and years but it is so bad now they have lost me.

Jackanory

This. I really wish another airline would introduce something like the companion ticket arrangement with AMEX and I wouldn’t hesitate at exploring a new airline alliance. BA are just an embarrassment right now.

londonba2014

Yet again I’m astounded at the silence from senior management on this - not a peep, it’s utterly shocking.

lost_in_translation

To me, it seems that morning flights are largely fine but by the late afternoon BA / T5 has often descended into total chaos due to several hours of cumulatively not having enough staff - I would avoid travelling through T5 in an afternoon / evening with checked baggage right now.

KARFA

I would add, weekends seem to be worse as well.

lost_in_translation

Oh also, should have added short haul to that, I’d mostly be comfortable that long haul baggage would be loaded unless there is another meltdown, but short haul is bearing the brunt of it.

BOH

How does that work then? Isn't the final load sheet what gets given to the flight deck by a ground crew member just before the doors are closed? Therefore the plane is still at the gate with the doors open?

corporate-wage-slave

This isn't anything new though. It's been going on for a month or two where if ground handling cannot cope, bags either don't get loaded or don't get fully offloaded off incoming aircraft. See multiple threads in this forum, notably the Sunday threads when staff shortage is the most acute. BA management has issued 3 sets of apologies for this, on a more general basis for the resource shortages. This has actually improved more recently due to cancellations and removing inventory, both of which also cause problems of their own.

It's also not unique to BA or LHR, I can see that elsewhere in the news that AMS, DUB, MAN, SYD and some USA airports are having similar problems at the moment. With COVID infections falling in the UK hopefully this will help matters but at the moment I would guess BA has more people off on sick leave than at any time in last 2 years.