southsquare

Chaos both in the main T5 terminal and in the Flounge this morning. Misconnect (following a late transatlantic arrival) to LHR/BHD. In normal times, a simple rebooking on the next available BHD (EI or BA) would have been done without question. I stood first in the line in the main terminal and then at the customer service desk in the Flounge from around 7.25 to 11.10am, throughout which time staff refused to rebook me on EI, alleging that wasn't possible, and also refused to rebook me on the only other LHR/BHD that day (roughly 11 hours later), on the basis that it's not available for public sale. They seemed to be quite unable to distinguish involuntary and voluntary rebooking. With a (temporary) injury that (temporarily) limits my capacity, I requested assistance, which was denied. Beside me, in tears, was an elderly lady in a wheelchair who had been asked to wait "over there" by Flounge staff for someone to take her to the Glasgow aircraft, no one did so and no one checked that it had been done, she missed her domestic flight as a result, and who was rebooked around 10 hours later. Also beside me was a couple who had been asked to wait "over there" for a few minutes while something was sorted out. They checked back at the Flounge desk at hourly intervals for the 3 + hours I was there, and on each occasion was directed to "over there" with no substantive assistance offered. Nothwithstanding that there are plenty of seats available on three EI LHR/BHD flights and also on the only other BA LHR/BHD flight today, I was directed from LHR to City Airport by train to take a LCY/BHD flight- with reduced mobility - because no BA LHR staff member could be bothered to rebook or offer any other assistance.

mikeyfly

Bonkers. Was this all on one ticket ?

mmogdan

Do we think there's a serious issue with the Heathrow Blockade (cap) and rebooking in IRROPS? It seems like an insane situation at the moment that they can't rebook IRROPS onto BA flights (I thought this was why the cap was introduced in the first place?)

Most of the seat-maps seem very empty

ThatT1Feeling

Yes there have been other threads today in a similar vein. It looks like an unintended consequence of the "no new bookings" block for LHR is that even existing passengers can't rebook or get rebooked on BA from LHR at the moment.

KARFA

There is a serious issue with BA staff. Unfortunately there are some very stupid ignorant BA ground staff. As was rightly noted, the OP was not looking for publicly available seats, and was were in an invol rebooking situation so rebooking on the late BA flight should have been straightforward.

If I sound rather blunt and rude, it is because I am fed up with people like this at BA. Sadly it seems they managed to somehow remain over the last few years when really they should have been booted out a long time ago.

South London Bon Viveur

This is ridiculous and it's on BA. Surely the new booking block does not apply to IRROPS and surely there ought to be a fairly simple system override possible?

mmogdan

Is it a case of “computer says no” though or some sort of individual staffer decision (possibly work to rule?)

corporate-wage-slave

OK, well if nothing else BA have assuredly given the traveller relief via EC261 as a result of this, though of course the original mis-connect may have done this too. There were originally 5 BA flights to BHD today, two middle ones cancelled, leaviing 1 morning service (which presumably was the OP's original booking) and two evening flights. The first is at 17:40 and has for sure one seat left in CE and another in ET, plus several blocked seats (though that can be complex to unravel).





And the later flight BA1426 has plenty of spare seats.

If BA refused to rebook in Aer Lingus (if there were seats) then as per the CJEU case LE v. Transportes Aéreos Portugueses SA then they are on the hook for EC261, regardless of LHR and LCY options.

sigma421

Because the pay and conditions are grim enough that those who can get work elsewhere leave, leaving only those who can't (or at least not a similar job at the same wage). I feel this is why you end up with such extremities among BA staff. You're either there because you love the job (at least in terms of what you do, who you work with etc.) or because you couldn't get another one. Normal people who are competent don't stick around.

KARFA

I suspect a lot of what you said is bang on.

Sorry for the rant, I feel for the OP here and am rather annoyed on their behalf

surryson

I’d venture that it’s the complete opposite. A massive intake of newbies over the past 5-7 years, woefully inexperienced in the art of applying common sense, challenging or drawing down on experience, to problem solve or having anything other than the most basic of training in FLY.
Specifically when it comes to even basic ticketing, the downright bloody minded and belligerent way that the ‘Ticket Desk’ was gotten rid off, combined with the d/grade of ticketing staff has left BA woefully exposed to dealing with even the most simple of transactions at their main base. All done in the name of making a financial target at the height of billions worth of profit.
and that’s before we start talking about telling Swissport/Menzies etc in AN Other station just to pick up the phone and call a back office in another country to sort out a ticketing issue.

surryson

bang on the money

xxxxx

The main issue is that ALL ticketing staff have been removed from the terminal. There used to be a ticket agent in the First lounge. The person sat there now would have no knowledge of ticketing at all.

KARFA

they don’t need a knowledge of ticketing. A miss-connect can be rebooked via FLY quite easily and doesn’t require a ticketing agent.

surryson

I’ll join Karfa’s rant.

The overwhelming odds on why the OP wasn’t booked on EI would have been because the agent didn’t know how to reissue an etkt onto another carrier. Because it’s no longer part of the training. The only people who knew how to do it were those who are ex T4/T1 Ticket Desk or Flight Connections, all of whom would have staffed Zone E in the early T5 world, plus a few who started off in T1 from the BMI merger.
Most left when the ticketing role was done away with and they were d/graded to a lower grade.
A few remain but are either so hacked off that BA made the decision to do away with the function that they no longer regularly practice the skills, or they rarely get the chance to because they are too busy combing queues landside or boarding flights.