ozzie

I have a Concorde booking for Friday 4 April (returning 6 April) for a weekend in NY.

I've just had a call from BA - no concordes are running on Friday 4 April or Friday 11 April. This is due to the birds having their cockpit doors replaced.

I booked these tickets using Qantas miles (not the insideflyer deal, but hard earned !).

They have offered only to change flights or provide a full refund. Of course, availability on the surrounding weekends (I'm not sure if they are looking into the award booking class only, but I guess they are) is non-existent. The closest they can do is 21 March. And I'm not sure how they can refund Qantas miles....

Of course, on other dates, I also cannot reserve a seat in the forward cabin. As this will be my first (and probably only) Concorde experience, I'd like to at least get a view.

I guess I can book for another weekend. I'm not a "compensation junkie", but I will be quite inconvenienced by this as some friends in the US are travelling to JFK to meet me. I could of course go in First, but that is just not the same !

Any ideas about what I should do ?

[This message has been edited by ozzie (edited 02-17-2003).]

CountinPlaces

If it means that much to you, then take some extra time off and come earlier in the week. Flights are unlikely to be full and you can keep your return flight.

You will spend more on hotels and various other expenses but this is the Concorde we are talking about.

ScottC

I'd get in touch with Qantas and tell them to sort it out, they are issuing the ticket, it's their miles so let them get a revenue seat released for you.

pegasus8228

what about asking them to re-route via CDG on AF ? if it means so much for you -- not sure if they would do this for an award tkt, but you have a pretty good case.

of course i have no idea how AF concord service compares, but it is only 3 hours.....

if i were you, i would reschedule for a few months/a year later. (should be able to convince them to do that if there is no availability within the month as you said)

frankly, what do you expect as an answer?
if i were mr eddington, i would not have all my birds 'fixed' during the same time.
the cost saving of scheduling the door change cannot compensate for the revenue lost (to AF or no flying, or a cheaper F titket). well.....at least now you know why BA is getting less profitable.

[This message has been edited by pegasus8228 (edited 02-17-2003).]

CTEASDEL

Actually aren't they now making a profit......

ozzie

I think the issue is that the don't have enough planes t offer full service even if ONE is taken out. They need a spare plane at Heathrow to standby in case one does not go. One plane is still out of service due to the tail rudder problem (or, rather, loss of a large part of a tail rudder). One has been retired. Is there enough Concordes ? I don't think so ...

I've decided to take it on the chin and go on Mar 21 .... bad seats and a schedule change, but at least I get to go sooner :-) Luckily my friends in LAX who are meeting me in JFK have changeable tickets (what would BA do there), and lucky I hadn't paid an up-front rate for a hotel room (I'm guessing BA would have covered this).

Result for BA though. I checked, and it turns out they were offering revenue seats. So the plane is full Friday 28 March, and nearly full when I am going. Probably mostly awards and free upgrades from J though :-)

I don't want to schedule for too much later (like a year later), as I always wonder how much longer they will be flying for .... could be my only chance to go supersonic :-)

Merry

Ozzie: In a way you are lucky, I was booked on the outbound of Friday 4th. First they called me and said departure had been re-scheduled for 6.30pm. Then that it was cancelled. Now they are telling me the flight has been rescheduled for 6.30pm but that there is a bar on availability...

ozzie

Oh no !! So I missed my chance of meeting Merry ? And to think our paths very nearly crossed :-)

Toxa

Now THAT'S a case for compensation

ozzie

BA has come through on the seating for me too - now have 4A & 4B reserved :-) So I am now quite happy :-)

[This message has been edited by ozzie (edited 02-21-2003).]

ozzie

[Double post]



[This message has been edited by ozzie (edited 02-21-2003).]

PUCCI GALORE

You, Dear, can join the queue. He is one of the people I am most terrified to meet as I fear that it will be like the Phantom of the Opera. When he sees me, he will be pleased to sit in WT - in fact he'll probably beg.

My immediate response to your most reasonable question was to say - well, from what I read here.

1) Tell them who you are - they cannot possibly know

2) Tell them that your Company, your Travel Agent, your Spiritual Advisor, your Mother, your Outlaws, your interior hygene specialist, and anyone-else-who-knows-you will never ever fly British Airways again (until you begrudgingly accept free First Class Travel with miles points and Premier membership thrown in for good measure as well as thousands of Euros for your pain...and this is all working up to


3) Lie on your back, scream, and kick your legs in the air (never fails, but don't try it on with that Cow CSD as she'll probably burst her roll-on laughing).

(I'm only being weekendish, but I had someone the other day who stopped me whilst I was watzing through CW to ask if he could trouble me for more Champagne. I looked straight at him and said "What if I said "No"?"

He said "I'll scream"

I said "I can scream louder"

The man next to him turned round and said "Do you want to put that to the test?"

Guess who were Pucci's Pets all the way home across Russia. And (eat your hearts out, Girls) I got a big kiss from them both as they disembarked. Now that I am not used to! One of our more colourful stewards retorted "Just Good Friends, Dear?"

Sorry, nothing to do with cancelled Concordes - hope that you get a just reward, even I love flying that one.

ozzie

1) Tell them who you are - they cannot possibly know


I am, unfortunately, nobody to most people. Problem with saying this also is the possible response in front of many other passengers "This man does not know who is. Does anyone else here know ?"


2) Tell them that your Company, your Travel Agent, your Spiritual Advisor, your Mother, your Outlaws, your interior hygene specialist, and anyone-else-who-knows-you will never ever fly British Airways again (until you begrudgingly accept free First Class Travel with miles points and Premier membership thrown in for good measure as well as thousands of Euros for your pain...and this is all working up to


Again, I think I am the only person at my company who flies even semi-regularly. Mostly BA J long-haul, but not enough to get any notice, I wouldn't expect. I could of course pretend to have been greatly inconienced and try to get a palm tree out of BA for my troubles though ?


3) Lie on your back, scream, and kick your legs in the air (never fails, but don't try it on with that Cow CSD as she'll probably burst her roll-on laughing).


Not worth it. I tried it once in Selfridges trying to return something that wasn't returnable. All it earnt me was great embarrassment due to the looks of other shoppers.



[This message has been edited by ozzie (edited 02-21-2003).]

PUCCI GALORE

Ozzie, My Love....What can I say. There are those that refer to them selves as Pucci's Muccis (don't ask, no one asked me in the first place).

Anyone, and I mean anyone who can pull that off in Selfridges has earned his place with all other Muccis. I hereby create a new award that will be mine and mine alone to give. The Golden Palmtree.

I nominate you for Golden Palmtree of the year, and it is almost yours, but I think that I would like to know what it was that you had bought. Was an item of intimate apparel? You need not worry about sparing my blushes or my blusher I'm a big girl now you can tell me.

The only other slight loss of marks was your reference to yourself as a nobody. Nobody is a nobody. Least of all you. Shall I tell you something totally against myself? On one occasion at check-in, I was with Him Indoors who is far nicer a human being than I. The stand in for Bette Davis as Blanche Hudson who was manning Club check in made a big deal over the carry on. I refused to check it in the hold and wait for ages on arrival - the reason given was a full flight. I asked for my ticket back and was treated to "Madam, you are not going to throw a tantrum over this surely?" Madam replied that when she threw a tantrum, the airport would stop to watch and did she want to be the centre of the exhibition this would cause. (She had no idea that I worked for the same organisation). I got the Boarding Passes and a very hissy husband (bloody show me up in public again), my dignity, and left.

It was not my finest hour, but if you can be so honest, so can I.


XX

ozzie

I made the scdene at Selfridges when trying to return a rather expensive pillow. It was the most uncomfortable lump of lead I've ever had the pleasure of placing my head on. I'd have rather slept with a WT pillow !

And yes - I know I am not a nobody, but to most people on this earth, I am merely "somebody". Somebody kicking and screaming because he's inconvenienced. But at least I know who I am.

[This message has been edited by ozzie (edited 02-22-2003).]