Urgent Help request: BA58 CPT -> LHR 26 Feb : oversold
Feb 26, 2024, 11:38 am
#31
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Join Date: May 2000
Location: أمريكا
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As an American, I'm not an expert on faffing, but getting sent home from the gate to try again another day (after having traveled to the airport, gone through security and immigration, etc) seems like more faffing than making a single connection that is very close to the final destination.
Feb 26, 2024, 11:43 am
#32
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL/CR; Hilton Diamond; Mucci des Puccis
Posts: 5,697
For those following along, bad news for my friends, they haven’t got a seat on the BA42. (they originally checked in 3 hrs before the 58 btw)
It is apparently chaos at CPT check in.
Additional advice requested: what are their rights regarding accommodation etc? I seem to recall they can book anything “reasonable” but what does that mean in practice?
Furthermore, given the high loads involved, how can then guarantee a seat back tomorrow? Should they be pro active? They don’t want to gamble at check in again. Thanks
It is apparently chaos at CPT check in.
Additional advice requested: what are their rights regarding accommodation etc? I seem to recall they can book anything “reasonable” but what does that mean in practice?
Furthermore, given the high loads involved, how can then guarantee a seat back tomorrow? Should they be pro active? They don’t want to gamble at check in again. Thanks
Reasonable means ~200 a night, or whatever is showing locally as a sort of sensible price. So you wouldn't book a 600 a night hotel when 350 is showing as available elsewhere but 350 would be ok. And food without booze and keep the receipts.
There will be a chunk of compensation too, but that's additional.
I would amplify the advice to try to check in as soon as possible to grab a seat. A free night is ok but a couple of free nights and my sense of humour would start glitching and I'd be looking for re-routing. On no account cancel the flights to rebook, that lets BA off the hook.
Feb 26, 2024, 11:57 am
#33
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 64
As an American, I'm not an expert on faffing, but getting sent home from the gate to try again another day (after having traveled to the airport, gone through security and immigration, etc) seems like more faffing than making a single connection that is very close to the final destination.
For them, they essentially trusted what they were told by the check in staff, that they were promised a seat on the 42.
That rang alarm bells for me because of the load and unfortunately turned out to be correct.
Feb 26, 2024, 12:04 pm
#34
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,813
BA is still selling at least two seats in economy on tomorrow's BA58 on BA.com, so they should at least be able to get a confirmed booking on that if they can speak to someone quickly.
Whether that translates into actual seats onboard is of course a different question.
Whether that translates into actual seats onboard is of course a different question.
Feb 26, 2024, 12:27 pm
#37
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 1,290
Maybe, maybe not. If they sold a ticket for 1k one way yesterday, then after paying the OP's friend 520 plus the accommodation, they're still making perhaps 250 pure profit.
Feb 26, 2024, 12:34 pm
#38
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: NCL
Programs: FB Plat; BAEC Gold
Posts: 930
Hopefully they get sorted, not a nice situation especially for non frequent flyers.
I really hope there is no problem with their employers, understanding it might be inconvenient. Any employer who has a problem with this situation is not worth working for, but I realise not everyone is in a privileged position to make that choice.
Lighthearted question, is there any job worth 12 hours on Condor. I saw 5 colleagues come off FRA-LAS in Y a few years ago and I’m not sure they’ve ever recovered. Not helped by the fact me and another colleague were ungraded to the upper deck of the 747. I wrote performance reviews on that flight, a definite correlation to better performance that year!
I really hope there is no problem with their employers, understanding it might be inconvenient. Any employer who has a problem with this situation is not worth working for, but I realise not everyone is in a privileged position to make that choice.
Lighthearted question, is there any job worth 12 hours on Condor. I saw 5 colleagues come off FRA-LAS in Y a few years ago and I’m not sure they’ve ever recovered. Not helped by the fact me and another colleague were ungraded to the upper deck of the 747. I wrote performance reviews on that flight, a definite correlation to better performance that year!
Feb 26, 2024, 12:37 pm
#39
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 105
Visitors to SA have four weeks left to renew visas (thesouthafrican.com) Flights departing SA likely to be busy until end of month
Feb 26, 2024, 12:37 pm
#40
Join Date: Dec 2022
Posts: 804
Hypothetically speaking and purely because I find this such an interesting subject (although easy to say when Im not the one experiencing the stress of this) but should BA find themselves in this position tomorrow would they then take people of off tomorrows flight to accommodate those bumped from todays?
Feb 26, 2024, 12:40 pm
#41
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Posts: 64,095
I am afraid I see no guarantees here, but if check-in tomorrow does not give a seat number on the boarding pass, then you invite them, or call up, to rebook via another route. ET indeed looks good, I guess there's a big advantage in planning to be at check-in the moment it opens, purely to allow more flights. MMB should give the time of that opening. Also make sure they have some sort of VOIP access on their phones (such as Skype) and the BA telephone numbers. But otherwise, it's probably important for them to enjoy one evening and a morning in Cape Town, it doesn't do to get too worked up about this.
Feb 26, 2024, 12:40 pm
#42
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,266
Hypothetically speaking and purely because I find this such an interesting subject (although easy to say when Im not the one experiencing the stress of this) but should BA find themselves in this position tomorrow would they then take people of off tomorrows flight to accommodate those bumped from todays?
Feb 26, 2024, 12:43 pm
#43
Join Date: Nov 2018
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 892
I had a quick look for tomorrow, just out of interest and a one way in Economy is 570. The next day (Wed) was nearly double that so maybe Wednesday is very very busy? I don't know if it works like that?
Feb 26, 2024, 1:26 pm
#44
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: LHR, LGW
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,459
With respect its rather uncomfortable talking about a stressful, agonising situation like this and boiling it down to how its lining BAs pocket. It might well be the case but I think the focus should remain on helping the passengers rather than being armchair shareholders and seeing how much money can be made out of someones misery. There could be all sorts of repercussions to the people involved including work, family commitments etc and clearly they are not out of the woods.
Feb 26, 2024, 1:43 pm
#45
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Bronze
Posts: 1,090
Staff at CPT should have checked in customers onto tomorrows flights or flight management team may have transferred them over. When I was at LHR, customers were moved to next day, wed usually give then their boarding pass along with hotel accommodation.