Bits: 2000 free Avios if you fly BA over Christmas, 80% bonus buying Hilton points

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• George says:

  11 Dec11 December 15:39

  OT: With regard to Miles&More, is there any value in continuing to maintain a small balance using the now dead MBNA credit card? I assume the offer will be pulled for customers and there no obvious way it will return, which means preventing expiry is no longer possible?

  • Rob says:

    11 Dec11 December 16:11

    I would keep it going for now …. there is a chance the card keeps going for a year or so if no new card is announced. Best to do what you can to keep them alive.

    • George says:

      11 Dec11 December 16:39

      Thanks, appreciated!

• Mutley says:

  11 Dec11 December 16:21

  BA can shove their Avios up their collective corporate arses. Speaking as one of several thousand customers currently stranded abroad I can honestly say that I will avoid BA where ever and whenever I can. To put it into context I went to Stuttgart with wife and two sons (one disabled) for the weekend, due to fly back Sunday evening. Adverse weather in UK (5cm of snow at LHR) flight cancelled so re booked for this morning, no help with hotels transport etc, from BA. No rep from BA. Called helpline, predictably no answer!

  Rocked up at airport this morning, flight cancelled again, no BA staff, just locals dealing with angry punters. The flights are full today so now booked on for Tuesday evening 48 hours late, two nights hotel, for four, countless meals and several cab journeys later…..This is the reality of 2017 BA customer service,they seem unable to communicate to customers when things go wrong. Walsh and Cruz are so preoccupied with the IAG share price at the expense of ordinary customers, that soon they won’t have any.

  • Rob says:

    11 Dec11 December 16:46

    Just had a regular reader email me – he has told he won’t be leaving Amsterdam until at least Wednesday.

    • the real harry1 says:

      11 Dec11 December 17:15

      LHR is so hopeless when there is a light dusting of snow, that I am more than slightly concerned about Saturday’s flight out

      yes I do know that just clearing the runway of 5cm snow takes enough time to throw out tightly scheduled flights

      fingers crossed

      empathetic thoughts going out to regulars here hit by delays! 🙂

      • The Original Nick says:

        11 Dec11 December 19:53

        Thanks Harry. I am the one stuck in Amsterdam. I’m currently sat at the bar at the CP Hoofdorp. Thanks to Rob too for giving me advice for alternative options and all the years of advice since he started his site.
        I’m running out of clean boxer shorts which is concerning.

      • the real harry1 says:

        11 Dec11 December 19:56

        mine were clean on this morning but now looking somewhat dodgy! 🙂

  • Cate says:

    11 Dec11 December 17:07

    We are at Gatwick – no problems and that includes catering for diverted flights.

    • Stu N says:

      11 Dec11 December 18:07

      Yes, extremely glad to be on Gatwick flights this weekend (from Edinburgh). I came down yesterday, was 3 mins late, back tonight showing 10 mins delay on arrival. In the circumstances, not bad.

      Overhead the gate agent at EDI yesterday rebooking someone on a flight from Glasgow the following evening, it’s a complete mess.

• Jonny says:

  11 Dec11 December 17:06

  Re Shop Small – has anyone had any luck with shop small credits when calling up and making a payment over the phone?
  Would like to buy a gift voucher for somewhere too far away to get to this week…

  thanks
  Jonny

  • drt247 says:

    11 Dec11 December 17:23

    Yes, this afternoon. I had forgotten about the shop small credit and ordered two items by phone from the same retailer. Immediately got the email to say I would receive the credit. Should have made my purchases in two transactions and I guess I would have received two credits but as I had forgotten about the offer still pleased.

• the real harry1 says:

  11 Dec11 December 18:01

  BA cancelled 170 flights on Sunday, meaning many planes and crew were out of position on Monday. More than 100 flights BA were cancelled by Monday afternoon.

  Heathrow said it was operating three-quarters of its schedule on Monday, although many flights were also delayed.

  Passengers shared pictures on social media showing long queues and chaotic scenes in parts of Heathrow airport on Sunday night, with some complaining of a lack of information and compensation from BA. Some arrival flights were diverted, and those that did land delayed due to a lack of available stands.
  https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/dec/11/british-airways-cancels-100-flights-snow-ice-delayed

  • the real harry1 says:

    11 Dec11 December 18:06

    ‘Beth Kanter, 60, a non-profit and charities consultant from San Francisco, said her BA flight was cancelled on Sunday after passengers had boarded and spent six hours on the tarmac, waiting for de-icing. She said she was told by crew that as the weather was “an act of God”, the airline could not pay for a hotel as a result. ‘

    this is wrong, folks

    let all HFP readers understand the duty of care basics – if you flight is cancelled or delayed – caused by weather or extraordinary circumstances or not – indeed, caused by anything – the airline has a duty of care towards you

    this means paying for your food & drink (not alcohol) and your hotel accommodation – £200 per night is fine, more is also fine if you can’t find it cheaper – until you get re-ticketed

• the real harry1 says:

  11 Dec11 December 18:16

  2 out of 3 not wearing ties

  disgraceful

  no wonder the globe isn’t a patchwork of British red any longer

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFd_UwvtCxg

  • Mutley says:

    11 Dec11 December 18:54

    Absolutely, bring back compulsory cross country running in schools , red telephone boxes etc etc. In all seriousness I get that planes and crews will be out of position, but it’s the lack of communication that’s unacceptable from BA. Interestingly despite telling me there were no spaces on tomorrow mornings flight, I saw that there are still two in business at 500 Euro , shouldn’t these be offered to passengers who have been waiting 24 hours plus for a flight????

    Never mind the free gluewein for guests and stollen cake at the Hilton garden inn in Stuttgart eases the pain

    • Cate says:

      11 Dec11 December 19:01

      I hope this doesn’t last too long. I’ve got reservations at some of the Bath Rd hotels starting end of this week.

    • Mutley says:

      11 Dec11 December 19:01

      I might add that to rebook I had to show up in person at the airport ,as BA’s antiquated booking system could not cope as well as no answer from telephone helplines…Prost!

      • the real harry1 says:

        11 Dec11 December 19:03

        I hope nobody misses out on the HFP party as they are stuck in Stuttgart!

      • The Original Nick says:

        11 Dec11 December 20:04

        I’ve been onto BAEC Gold line 3 times today (I’m only Silver) and they’ve been very helpful. Answered within 4 minutes. I’m stuck in Amsterdam but can be re-rooted from any airport back to London for no extra charge as long as it’s within 300 miles from AMS.
        Rotterdam have availability for LCY tomorrow. I need to take a look at what’s going on tomorrow morning with the trains as it’s heavy snow here.

• Charlie says:

  11 Dec11 December 21:23

  Anyone else still getting the Sunday Times Travel magazine?! I originally subscribed in August 2016 via direct debit and for the life of me cannot find any evidence of me having paid for another year on or around August 2017.

  • Denis says:

    11 Dec11 December 22:34

    Yes, I am. Very weird.

    • Laineyling says:

      11 Dec11 December 22:49

      I was receiving the magazine despite having cancelled. I called up to today to check it had been cancelled (which it has) and that they hadn’t taken additional payment. Don’t think they would have noticed otherwise….

      • Rob says:

        11 Dec11 December 23:24

        The subscription numbers sell the ads. Copies sent to newsagents are difficult to track, as many get returned and pulped months later. Subscriptions are ‘hard’ sales and valuable.

        If they keep you on the list, they can probably make more money than it costs from posting your mags from the inflated ad rates they charge.

        (Oddly, for us, email subscribers are lower value. Advertisers value page views, because that involves a person viewing a page, but irrespective of what data you provide on email ‘open rates’ etc an email subscriber is never as valuable.)

      • Pete says:

        12 Dec12 December 16:55

        I’m getting the Sunday Times Literary Supplement since the Travel magazine subscription expired. I’d rather be sent something with more pictures and less text.

• SR says:

  12 Dec12 December 11:58

  I’ve received this month’s Sunday Times Travel magazine despite cancelling several months ago, and not having received it since the end of the first year – I’ve since also closed the bank account so I’d be very surprised if they have taken a new payment! Very strange…

• HappyHarry says:

  12 Dec12 December 12:42

  Depends on the definition of “Christmas period” I guess.

  With having 8 BA sectors booked between 27/12 and 02/01 there’s a pntential 16K Avios on the table 🙂

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