I'm screaming into the wind, so forgive me, but the minor inconveniences of the BA website and app which I've put up with for too long, seem to have multiplied recently into being just a huge pile of absolute...

The most recent example of which was changing the time on a flexible ticket that I'd booked online, not being able to do so online (just got a message that I had to phone BA), so had to call them and it took about 40 minutes to sort out.

Is this a huge deal in the grand scheme of life? Of course not, but still frustrating.

But my question is...does anyone at BA in whatever department covers this actually care? Are they aware how rubbish both the website and app are? Is anything being done?

If anyone from BA is reading this you have to know how frustrating both are these days...the glitches, the crashes, the messages to phone the call centre for something you should be able to do online, leaving aside all the things you can't do on the app that you can with (some) other airlines.

I'm Gold and it's getting to the point I would consider switching allegiance just because I want to be able to easily control my bookings, and can't anymore, plus the feeling that no one at BA cares.

Here endeth the rant. I'm just hoping someone at BA sees this...I can't be the only frequent BA user who is royally cheesed off with them over this.

I’ve fixed most issues related to the app and website by flying other airlines, so far it has worked a treat

In theory yes. That is why they're spending a lot of money on various IT initiatives in order to fix it. However, the project is suffering from the common problem that most management within British Airways is very poor and the incentives often lead to bad outcomes - so things have been rushed, new bugs have been introduced and the fixes are running months, possibly years behind schedule.

The other side of that coin is that one has to bear in mind that BA no longer has any serious internal IT function, they gradually and then made a final big-bang outsource a few years back.

Given what we know about BA's penchant to cost-cutting, one can only surmise the same is applied to both their choice of IT outsourcer and the amount of money they choose to spend on projects with said outsourcer.

But looking at it from their point of view, wouldn't a significant capital expenditure in IT pay off in the long run in terms of fewer customer interactions with customer service agents (not to mention happier customers)? I know they don't think long term very often, but surely they do in terms of purchases of aircraft for example, and refurbishments!

In relation to your core question, you might perhaps take some comfort from the fact that none other than the CEO is giving his undivided attention to improving the passenger experience at every stage of the travel process, from initial booking to ultimate arrival at destination. Indeed he made that very commitment in a heartfelt email as recently as January - key extracts of which are attached below, for ease of reference.

Oops �.. sorry, my bad ! The email IS dated January ���but January 2022.





�We�ve been working hard to create a more premium experience for you, putting you at our heart and doing it in a way that�s sustainable. Every aspect of this strategy is to help make your journey more seamless and enjoyable �����

I know that change won�t happen overnight, but this week I have briefed teams across the airline to do all they need to, to tackle the issues we know you�re facing so we don�t let you down. In the meantime, I want to thank you for staying with us. I know your loyalty has been tested and I want to assure you that we don�t ever take it for granted.

I hope that in the coming months you�ll notice a significant move towards a better BA, driven by our people to deliver a better experience for you, our most loyal customers.
All the best,

Sean Doyle
Chairman and CEO, British Airways�


Well that was exactly four years ago.

So ��.. perhaps a �work in progress� ����

In theory yes StingWest . But in BA style they appear to have chosen the easier path to the desired management statistic ... reduce customer service agents thus forcing reduced customer interactions down.

I suspect the reality is BA Ops gets priority on IT capex. If it doesn't directly impact ops, and in particular if the impact on ops does not have a heavy cost impact, then it most likely ventures very very low down the priority and budget list, i.e. where most customer-facing things lurk at BA.

My guess as to what's inevitably coming next on the customer-facing side : BA putting an AI-bot on the end of the phone line and making it almost impossible to reach a human.

I'm pretty sure the new app is being developed by a team in South America. Make of that what you will.

Your regular reminder that this email called out the upcoming ability to track bags from check-in to carousel like you can on most US carriers. This has never materialised.

Of course they care. They are very sorry you were disappointed by your experience of the it system and the app. This is not the sort of service they pride themselves on offering and they have shared your comments with the relevant services. They look forward to seeing you again soon on a BA flight.

You think you know someone, and then they turn out to be just an AI agent...

Doesn't it just. I had a recent schedule change with KQ (Kenya Airways). I approached their website with some trepidation, but was astonished to find that I could rebook from a choice of itineraries, in about 3 clicks, without any IT hassle AND then have the ticket reissued within the hour.

KLM's app isn't perfect, but is light years ahead of BA. Etc. etc.

But again, that would just point to a management that can't see past the end of its nose? How many call centre agents are they employing because the website can't perform basic tasks? How many hotel nights do they pay for that could be avoided if IRROPS handling was slicker? How many bookings do they lose either to paying travel agent commission or other airlines because the website barfs and falls over?

and TBH there ain’t a whole lot of evidence that the other promised improvements are close to fruition.

Rather than our own regular reminders referencing an email which now goes back four long years, perhaps Mr Doyle could himself update us as to how he feels he’s doing in terms of those personal commitments to his customers …….. ?

Or indeed like to can on various EU carriers.