stevebintley

To spread some good vibes I thought I’d share a positive story from last week at Heathrow, and I also have a question for the regular travellers who pass through there…

I was making my way to SYD on the late evening departure to SIN. As I left the F lounge my wheelie case decided to develop a most annoying squeaky wheel. I walked through the tunnel to my B gate and not only was it very annoying I also found it rather embarrassing! Dreading having to put up with it for another 11-odd thousand miles I popped into the B lounge and at the enquiries desk asked, almost tongue in cheek, if anyone had some WD40 there. The chap unsurprisingly looked baffled by the request but shouted a colleague over for me to explain the situation.

“No sorry, we don’t have any here, but come with me” and we wandered towards the kitchen. He went in to find some form of vegetable oil, got it into a squirty container and on a table proceeded to effectively oil each of the four wheels. He even ensured the excess was nicely wiped off and the table clean. Problem solved and it’s still gliding silently!

He was so modest about the whole thing but I thought it was a great example of the fabulous staff BA have, certainly going above and beyond. He’d no doubt done a full shift by that point and was looking forward to going home and what a ridiculous ask from a passenger. I’d like to submit a formal thank you and I’m pretty sure he said his name was Len but he rushed off too quickly for me to get a surname – does anyone know of him so I can make sure the submission gets to the right person?

PETER01

I'd do this. There can't be many Len's re this

https://www.britishairways.com/trave...er_compliments

Yeoman5

You faced putting up with a squeaky wheel for 11,000 miles? Glad to hear it was resolved but I'd suggest you fly next time, rather than walk.

dagohh

He knew that WD40 is not a lubricant The vegetable oil is probably better but in the long run it might go rancid or polymerize.

tjcxx

Thank you, you've reminded me my case's wheels need some oil. I'm at home so I can use the 3-in-1.

BertieBadger

You'd better let the manufacturer know, as they are under the impression it is

WD-40 Myths & Fun Facts | Facts About WD-40 Products | WD-40 (wd40.com)

strowger

They will say whatever they like short of legally actionable falsehoods to increase sales.

It's essentially a little bit of mineral oil dissolved in a lot of petrol. It does lubricate, but the petrol evaporates quickly to leave a sticky, dirt-and-dust attracting mess.

The more you use it, the more grime and foreign matter you accumulate inside the thing you wanted to lubricate, making it need more lubricant...so you reach for your WD-40 again...

BertieBadger

I didn't say it was necessarily a good choice of lubricant did I?

(I'm well aware of why people don't recommend it for many applications, and was just poking some gentle fun...)

HIDDY

Well done Len.
Probably a good job they didn't have WD40. My missus sprayed some on the lock of the car boot and it left a mark on the paintwork we can't get off.

PUCCI GALORE

I had this once. It was driving me insane and so I put Olive Oil on it.

Schwann

Well I sprayed some in my eye as a kid and I turned out okay.

strowger

I drink it when there's no LPGS.

Greenpen

I’ve never oiled or lubricated luggage wheels! I think this must be the equivalent of the “How often do you wash your pillows?” threads that occasionally appeared on Paid to Shop in the glory years of Tesco ClubCard!

I hope I’ve not invalidated the guarantee!

BearX220

Did she not object? 😉

adrianlondon

Cheap BA as usual. Olive oil would smell nicer as you walk through the airport.