Raffles

Is that really an issue? If it were me, I would turn up at the airport in time for the next scheduled flight and have myself put on it. BA is hardly going to refuse unless it is 100% full.

It would be bad enough having to stay at a Meridien, yet alone share a bed (!)

richie_ja

All Delhi flights are full at the moment
At 3:30am, nobody was in a position to find another hotel, and we hadn't got much of an idea about what might happen
The Meridien is pretty good, unless you are used to a Shangri-La, etc.

Phil the Flyer

You just KNOW VC10 Boy is cursing his luck at not being on that flight.

erik123

Though in this case it would've been diffcult to make your own arrangements in general this is what I would do. When I missed a connection at LHR due to a delayed VS flight they were going to bus me to a 3 star hotel 30 minutes from the airport. Instead, I checked myself in to the Hilton (at $400) and sent the bill to customer service. I received a check about 14 days later.

flyclub

Well in a humorus way I see your point however alternatively that could be viewed as rather scarey! Can you imagine?

The whole scenario sounds like a nightmare....especially in Delhi of all places.

Words fail me.....

ediYank

surprised the Capt never heard of ear plugs ! How about splitting up the Capt and the FO into serparte hotels so at least one is rested. This sounds like a poor reason to cancel a flight and inconvience this many people. Can understand why the Capt would not want to fly for saftey reasons, but there has to be a back up plan as this could theoretically happen quite often. I am suspiscious and knowing how pampered BA crew are and how much they ..... about hotel quality all the time I think the Cpt was trying to make a point to management.

BackOfTheBus

This incident supports my attempts to look my very best when travelling.
Dress nicely and travel well groomed and you may end up with a presentable bed-mate

etch5895

I have to say that it was pretty poor taste of BA to ask pax to share a room (and a bed is unthinkable - what if someone were sexually assaulted by a stranger?)

The right thing to do would have been to bite the bullet and provide a hotel room for ALL passengers, regardless of the cost. There is no shortage of hotel rooms in Delhi and Gurgaon.

BackOfTheBus

This incident also makes the following ad from the Bearded One quite relevant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meWnr8rA5Uw

Purserette

Your post is so naive, it beggars belief!!

Can I help you

Exactly what I was thinking Purserette.
CIHY

koksy

I can sort of see his point though Purserette... Obviously I wasn't there but it must have been obvious when the crew got to bed that things were noisy surely? Assuming that the crew must have gone to bed in the afternoon for a flight at stupid o'clock- in which case the noise had probably been going on for a while- why did the Capt. not get straight on the phone to London and ask to be moved to a different hotel? (maybe he did, who knows?!).

I dont blame people though for thinking that this is maybe a regular problem in Delhi which has been complained about frequently but the complaints have fallen on deaf ears... and this Capt. finally decided to do precisely what he is entitled to do given the circumstances and took this action as a last resort. Still at least it should hopefully mean that it never happens again!

Can I help you

[QUOTE=ediYank;7604187]How about splitting up the Capt and the FO into serparte hotels so at least one is rested.
This is the naive bit, no crew can operate unless they are fully rested.The Captain is legally in command of the aircraft and if he/she does not feel they are in a fit condition to operate, then the flight would have to be delayed until they are.
CIHY

NotGoingBackToSteerage

I commend the pilot for doing what he did - having been in mock evacuations during the day, you sure as heck need the crew to be alert when thing are needed.

I suppose my only question is that crew report at the hotel would have been a couple of hours before the flight - so I assume they would have had to start making preparations an hour before that - so in theory 3 hours before the flight. There must have been some indication at that time that the crew had not slept and the safety of the flight was in doubt and the need to postpone departure - could a call not have been made at this time? To make the decision 10 minutes before boarding - I wasn't there, I do not know if it was 10 mins before boarding or 2 hours - seems a little late. An early delay would have given more time for ground staff to prepare so hotels may have been found.

At the end of the day when things go pear shaped, it all happens so quick and time evaporates - lack of communication to customers is probabyl because the people to do the communication are trying to find hotels - you can't communicate what is happening if you yourself don't know!

NGBTS

flyclub

Indeed I agree. I feel more for those in Economy having to traverse the nightmare which is Delhi airport.

Don't forget not everyone has the Club/FIRST escort through immigration, security, etc that BA offers. Those in WT+ and WT would have had to endure it all then only to be told there was a delay!

To be honest I wouldn't have minded sleeping in Economy. On the aircraft for the 12 hours whilst the crew were rested rather than going through it all again.....grrrrr