mario

This is a very strange situation that requires further clarification from the OP. It is really inconvenient to offload checked baggage that is already onboard. I have seen ground staff around passport control shouting for any missing passengers on flights that are due to depart. It's not out of the goodness of their hearts, its more that it is what is the least cumbersome.

They were allowed to check bags, so I assume they were there before the check-in deadline (1 hour before departure). Is that the case?
How much time did they leave before arriving at passport control?
What time did they actually arrive at the gate?
Were there any other passengers affected?

I'm in the camp that if you arrive at the airport before check-in closes and don't do anything odd, it is the airline responsibility to ensure that their chosen airport operates as it should. You can't ask passengers bear the burden of airports failing at providing the services they are meant to provide: that is a problem for the airline. You have a contract with the airline, if the airport is not working as it should, the airline should take it up with the airport and recoup any additional costs that it may incur in rebooking passengers and IDB compensation.

Ladyfliestheredwhiteandblues

We had something similar in Verona in 2019, although we and the many others did catch the flight. It was just chaos at passport control with about 3 UK bound flights’ worth of passengers all crammed in trying to get through. The e gates were switched off until things reached absolute boiling point and there was simply no making any progress. Staff were pulling people forward for flights that were due to depart before ours even though ours was boarding. It was very stressful because there was nothing we could do. We were certainly there in plenty of time and our bags were on the flight. We decided Milan only for a return from that region in future. Then we had the Covid situation and have travelled nowhere outside the UK since.
Unless OP’s friend has form I doubt this was their fault.

AJA_

Passport control at Lisbon airport is not great. Despite having e-gates the queues for both them and the manned desks are quite lengthy. It is also a long way from there to the gate that BA usually uses - a good 10 minute brisk walk as BA invariably uses almost the last gate in the terminal and you still have a bus ride to actually get to the aircraft which is usually parked on the other side of the runway. As a result they tend to start board the plane very quickly and quite a long time before the scheduled departure time. I tend to leave the lounge as the inbound plane is due to land but even then it is cutting it fine.

I am sorry for OP's friends, it must be very annoying to miss the flight like that.

mmogdan

They are now stuck at LHR. They’ve spent an hour with a BA agent (who needs to call BA since no ticketing) who can’t amend their old ticket or sell them a new ticket.

EZY from LGW also sold out until the weekend.

BA2778 is almost empty tonight.

I guess they should consider Blue Islands or something from SOU-JER?

Flying Yazata

If I would be affected, I would try the BA route first and then look at any alternative flights to JER from England. If the non BA flights are all zeroed out for several days to come and BA can't help with a rebooking, I would just look at doing Condor Ferries to St. Helier, since they obviously live on Jersey and just want to get home soon. Waiting for a flight for days is rather pointless at that stage, taken a ferry will at least get you back home. Flying via mainland Europe won't most likely be as plausible, taken we are in high season.

mario

BA2778 is fully booked tonight but tomorrow morning there's availability. I would book a night at the Sofitel and get on tomorrow morning's flight.

Depending on the circumstances (see my post above) I would then be claiming the expenses and IDB.

braiden9

The issue is that BA won't sell any new short haul tickets out of LHR at the moment, so unless they get rebooked, they won't be able to book tomorrow mornings flight?

mmogdan

From what I gather, they spent a long time trying to rebook the original ticket and got told it wasn’t possible. LHR also won’t sell them a ticket (regardless of availability) due to the LHR blockade.

mmogdan

BA2778 seat-map LHR-JER (departing in 20 minutes)

bisonrav

could also look at Aurigny via Guernsey from LGW

mmogdan

The sorry conclusion to all this is they paid £800 for new tickets to fly BA from LGW to JER tomorrow. Overnighting at LGW.

PUCCI GALORE

One is at a loss for words at the stupidity of the whole situation. The flight was missed by the family for reasons that we do not know - and I wonder how many others were in the same boar, Then to add insult to injury the ticket will not be rebooked but no alternative is on sale. You could not make this up.

Now to practicalities - they need to get to Jersey - there are at least 4 seats on BlueIsland from Southampton at about £133 each on the evening flight. I suggest that you get that sorted ASAP and let the insurance or whoever sort it out if they indeed have insurance.

BA6501

Hmm, I'd definitely put some responsibility on the airline (indirectly) here. Yes, queues are bad, but they could mitigate that by enforcing an earlier check-in deadline. Which, they already do in LIS (and MAD, and a few other places) by setting the cutoff at 60 minutes instead of 45 as is the case in most European airports. If it's known that 1 hour is just not enough at LIS in many cases, then that should be increased.

scottishpoet

Having missed the flight from LIS to LHR the onward connection was cancelled.

Several threads at the moment showing the problems associated with no ticket sales for lhr flights till after aug 15th

i think this is one for their insurer to sort out.

If a lot of people.were missingbat LIS i woukd gave thought the flight would be held for a while rather than offload everyone, but i do not know the set up at LIS nor other ops challenges BA may have had such as the potential for the crew going out of hours had the flught been delayed.

Here at KRK I have often heard a 'they have until we locate their bags till we offload and shut the doors'.

It usually means around an extra 10 minutes.

would love to know if they were the only family affected or if many others also missed the flight

Tafflyer

I think BA is being ludicrous with their policy. If passengers are booked to fly today, then rebooking them to fly later today is no burden on the system, the airline or the airport. Indeed, the reverse is true, since otherwise they are looking for alternative transportation or airlines.

Failure to make a flight due to immigration delays despite presenting themselves in plenty of time and in any case before published deadlines makes it the responsibility of the travel provider and their contracted parties, including the airport, to transport them to their destination. LIS can be bad, but last time I had a long queue, agents were patrolling the queue for passengers about to miss flights.

This, for me, is a kind of IDB. I would not let BA pass the buck to ANZ (Portuguese Airport Authority) or anybody else as it is their responsibility to manage their contract partners. I would claim the replacement flights, all additional expenses plus IDB compensation. Compound this with the ridiculous block in IRROP rebooking due to the short-haul restrictions and BA deserve to be on the hook for this.