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I’m a pretty low maintenance person, definitely not a foodie, or overly concerned with brands of drink. But my last long haul on BA was a very poor experience, was over 3 hours late landing, of course BA refused E261 with dubious reasoning, then had a 2 hour wait for the first bag to appear. Every schedule change since then I’ve used as an opportunity to rebook with AA. AA may not be perfect, but recent experiences are better than BA.
Over the weekend FT forums have a great deal of baggage chaos, delay mayhem types posts. Now the weather has been exceptional, but that has just exposed how operationally exposed BA has become, they’re incapable of handling any sort of irops now it seems. One of the recovery actions as been to fill the middle seats in CE to quicker get people where they want to be. I think most people would understand and tolerate this as the situation with cancellations has been very poor. But this is BA and we know they’ll argue this is not a downgrade, they’ll maybe throw a few Avios at those that really complain, but nothing proactive will happen.
I understand from regular FT posters that the situation at T5 most Sunday’s is again very poor regarding ground operations, and long baggage delays are fairly normal.
From a distance it seems that BA have cut too many staff, and now struggle to both staff flights and ground operations.
Their strength at Heathrow, and particularly the LHR-JFK route has long protected them financially, but with the lack of business travel, and their inability to wow the aspirational/premium leisure market in more normal times, never mind these far more testing ones, have they made a colossal mistake in their scale of cuts, and their alienation of staff they did retain.
My ‘loyalty’ is rather built around BAEC, and I don’t see myself dumping BA whilst they remain the best option for me, albeit a more flawed option than previously. I know other airlines have problems too, but it seems BA have inflicted greater problems than were perhaps necessary, and long term it’ll be very hard to reverse the growing perception that they’re a bad airline in very many aspects of the travel experience.
If you lived in Manchester you’d have a far lower opinion of BA than you do already.
What they’ve done in terms of the MAN T1-T3 gate debacle and slashing the shuttle frequency this year makes them the worst option for any traveller from up here. The fact they dont offer any service from MAN-LGW (nor do any other airlines) means that a chunk of their schedule is effectively off limits to us as well.
Then there’s the shambles that T5 LHR has become and again BA are the worst possible choice.
Far easier to transit DUB/CDG/AMS/FRA/MUN these days.
Last week we had some really bad weeather as you know – including yesterday. Many airlines were affected not just BA.
BA would have had as many handlers on duty as they could but at times it was simply too dangerous for cargo hold doors to be opened to allow bags to be removed promptly. Damage to planes (resulting in it having to be taken out of service) or injury to staff were a real risk.
I’m sure those people who were able to occupy the middle seat on a CE flight were grateful to be able to get home earlier. One day that could have been us. Is it ideal? Of course not but needs must. One comment on FT was on the lines of ‘they should have sent a bigger plane’ which isn’t as easy as it sounds.
@ChrisC. But my point is that yes the weather was a factor, but that it simply exposed that BA are too fragile operationally. Yes weather restricted ground operations, but that doesn’t come close to explaining the level of delays and cancellations. Having as many handlers on duty as they could, again misses my point, which is that the maximum available is not enough as they’ve chosen short term finances over a robust operation.
As for filling the middle seat in CE I thought my post was supportive of that, but critical of the absolute expectation that BA will do everything possible to avoid compensating the CE passengers that have been offered an economy service.
I don’t think BA have a robust operation, and the broader point is have they took themselves so far down a cost cutting path that they risk terminal meltdown.
My ‘loyalty’ is rather built around BAEC, and I don’t see myself dumping BA whilst they remain the best option for me, albeit a more flawed option than previously.
That sums up my view of things with BA. As things stand BAEC makes the most sense for me due to the relative simplicity of collecting from various sources and redeeming ex UK. That said, if I could achieve the same outcome with another carrier it’s likely that I would switch my ‘allegiances” with very little regret.
- This reply was modified 55 years, 5 months ago by .
I think Covid gave BA an incredible opportunity to dump the legacy staff with decent contracts that they’d tried to get rid of, and failed to get rid of, for so long. So BA went in an orgy of costcutting and staff cutting -as they finally had a chance to get rid. I’ll guess they were able to dump and ratchet down commercial contracts they had as well.
Did BA know while their blade slashed and slashed, a bit like the hand slashing that you see behind the shower curtain in the Hitchcock film “Psycho”, that they were cutting far more than necessary? Of course they did. But in today’s world of short term protect shareholders above all, even if this means destroying loyalty and heritage of customer service, who cares? Tomorrow is another day, for BA.
If you lived in Manchester you’d have a far lower opinion of BA than you do already.
What they’ve done in terms of the MAN T1-T3 gate debacle and slashing the shuttle frequency this year makes them the worst option for any traveller from up here. The fact they dont offer any service from MAN-LGW (nor do any other airlines) means that a chunk of their schedule is effectively off limits to us as well.
Then there’s the shambles that T5 LHR has become and again BA are the worst possible choice.
Far easier to transit DUB/CDG/AMS/FRA/MUN these days.
At least you have some flights, and I experienced the T3 debacle the week.
LBA went from 4 to 2, and then dropped at the first opportunity.Looks like they’re in the news.
I live in Devon and the DUB morning flight means that’s my option for going west. For Europe it’s BRS.
Going anywhere else I’d probably schlep to London unless Qatar can ticket through which seems unlikely.
Lufthansa still has sloping business class seats on some aircraft …. things could be worse.
BA’s problem in general is that it will spend money on capex but not opex. You get shiny new things but there is no maintenance budget to keep them in good shape (because that comes directly out of current year profit) or properly trained staff.
‘Things could be worse’
Maybe that should be BA’s new tag line.
‘Things could be worse’
..as a tagline / motto for British Airways
Hilarious, @dougzz99! You know, that’s just so British humour! As a tagline it has a sort of Monte Python feel about it.
Trouble is, I’m guessing Germans might take it literally. They might think we really meant it. 🙂
‘Things could be worse’
..as a tagline / motto for British Airways
Hilarious, @dougzz99! You know, that’s just so British humour! As a tagline it has a sort of Monte Python feel about it.
Trouble is, I’m guessing Germans might take it literally. They might think we really meant it. 🙂
Reminds me of the CAA motto “We’re not happy until you’re not happy!”
I love bashing BA as much as the next man, but surely the weekend issues at Heathrow are BAAs or even Border Force’s doing, not BA’s?
The staff to attach the walkway and load/unload the baggage at T5 is all BAA?
And the immigration queues are caused by Border Force staff shortages?
I know T5 is BA’s home airport, so they get the brunt of it, but doesn’t seem like the correct place to be directing the ire in this instance?
BAA hasn’t existed for years, Heathrow is run by HAL. The T5 services failing at the weekend and last week, and in truth many previous weekends are all BA’s responsibility.
BAA hasn’t existed for years, Heathrow is run by HAL. The T5 services failing at the weekend and last week, and in truth many previous weekends are all BA’s responsibility.
OK stand corrected re BAA vs HAL, but still not getting how luggage handling isn’t the airport operator’s responsibility, not the airline’s?
BAA hasn’t existed for years, Heathrow is run by HAL. The T5 services failing at the weekend and last week, and in truth many previous weekends are all BA’s responsibility.
I love bashing BA as much as the next man, but surely the weekend issues at Heathrow are BAAs or even Border Force’s doing, not BA’s?
The staff to attach the walkway and load/unload the baggage at T5 is all BAA?
And the immigration queues are caused by Border Force staff shortages?
I know T5 is BA’s home airport, so they get the brunt of it, but doesn’t seem like the correct place to be directing the ire in this instance?
BA is responsible for all its own baggage handling and ground operations at LHR. They pay the airport for use of the infrastructure which for baggage is, by all accounts, world class but it is entirely staffed by BA.
Well every day is a school day! I stand corrected.
I guess this is why the difference in baggage handling between T5 as BA’s Terminal, and the other Terminals at Heathrow.
T5 seems to be known as a black hole for luggage. I’ve never had baggage successfully connect there, even in some cases with 12 hour connections.
Is baggage handling, like IT, another area where BA has cheaped out?
Yes, I believe so. When I fly from other terminals and my bags are tagged as priority, they always arrive in the first batch. With BA, no matter if you fly in CW or F, they seem to arrive almost in the last batch, especially when I have a larger suitcase. It’s as if they do that deliberately. And 2-3 times pre-pandemic, the bags didn’t arrive because they were left at the back and never loaded on the baggage belt. 🙄
- This reply was modified 55 years, 5 months ago by .
Yes, I believe so. When I fly from other terminals and my bags are tagged as priority, they always arrive in the first batch. With BA, no matter if you fly in CW or F, they seem to arrive almost in the last batch, especially when I have a larger suitcase. It’s as if they do that deliberately. And 2-3 times pre-pandemic, the bags didn’t arrive because they were left at the back and never loaded on the baggage belt. 🙄
Someone on here mentioned that BA are saving a few quid per bag for the priority luggage to be treated as standard luggage, yet they still apply the label.
On Star Alliance airlines in particular, when my baggage was tagged Priority it always came out first.
So there must be a deliberate difference, why that does not happen with British Airways.
I think the only time my Priority luggage ever came out first with BA, was landing at London City Airport.
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