This thread is for the myriad news stories involving BA that will inevitably be brought before the public’s eye during the year ahead. So if you’d like to share a gripping article published by the Daily Mail or a Z celebrity rant on Twitter this the thread for you.

Previous editions:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...ia-2019-a.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...ia-2018-a.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...ia-2017-a.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...16-thread.html

Not the best start to the new year. 3 BA cabin crew died in a car accident near Heathrow on new year's eve.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-50964798

I just read the update, an absolute tragedy. Three young lives lost. Thoughts for all of those involved including the young woman still in hospital.

I also offer my condolences to all involved, their families, friends and colleagues at BA and the driver of the Dnata truck and their friends and colleagues too. Absolutely terrible.

Bad news indeed.

Separate thread here:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...g-ba-crew.html

Hunter Davies in today’s Sunday Times - discuss!

BA can foxtrot oscar after charging me sky-high rates for changing my tickets

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/h...b16bbf9807fbb2

I'd flown so much they gave me Bronze? This belongs in another thread.

Quite, I think Mr Davies is being more than economical with the truth.

They're loyal until they don't get something for nothing.

There doesn�t seem to be many Sunday Mirror readers amongst FTers.

Had to stop reading halfway through and sigh before I could go back to it. Jumping on the bandwagon of bemoaning a decline in BA customer service (which is partly true, partly rose-tinted nostalgia, but entirely successful in selling newspapers), but doing so not on the basis of genuine issues but rather business practices common to virtually all airlines and nothing to do with BA.

The author has been asked to pay a fare difference when changing his ticket, and is moaning about not being able to transfer tickets to someone else. Complaining about the former is incredibly silly. Taking issue with the latter practice is more understandable, although if anyone stopped to think about why this is not allowed it would not take long to figure out why almost no airline does this.

Surprised he didn�t finish off with a paragraph about a ticket out of sequence to get the full hat trick.

I like proudly boasting about checking in his travel companion even though she will no show for the flight, presumably smugly sitting on board the aircraft while announcements were being made in the terminal and manifests checked to ensure her baggage hadn�t been loaded.

I used to see him and his late wife on the NCL service quite frequently. I was amused once that the crew were all butterflies about a boy band singer in the same row, when the authorised biographer of The Beatles was duly ignored. I don't think he was happy about that.

I suspect he is not short of a bob or two, he has a few expensive hobbies. And as a writer paid by the word, I would indeed suggest we read his column "in the round" rather than for precision. I doubt his boycott of BA will last more than a few weeks.

New story from the DM - Captain had to take over control from FO who was overcome by fumes in the cockpit on ATH-LHR flight 2nd January - MAYDAY called prior to landing -

1. Flight BA633 was four miles from Heathrow when pilot at controls fell ill
2. Captain took charge, raised the alarm and put on an oxygen mask
3. A320 aircraft landed two minutes later and was grounded for 48 hours
4. Ill pilot was seen by medical staff and allowed home after a check up
5. BA said passengers disembarked as normal and were unaware of the drama
6. Almost 300 'fume events' were reported on BA flights last year and almost 100 cases of alleged 'aerotoxicity' have been brought against the airline
7. The incident is being investigated by Air Accident Investigation Board (AAIB)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ome-fumes.html

Fortunately, FT is much quicker off the mark. It's certainly not a new story here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...l#post31910620

I wonder how many time it will happened before crush.....its too often