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Wow, Sean Doyle has just sent out a long apology email for the state of BA call centres and general crapness! Promising they will do better in the future. 🤔
Some positives in there such as keeping the water and snack in short haul economy and the at table ordering in lounges.
Bag tracing could be good but there are other IT issues they shouks have sorted out first.
Not sure a new phone system will help if there aren’t the people to answer the calls. They need an over haul their IT to allow more self-serve options.
I really shouldn’t have had to spend an hour on the phone on Tuesday to get a BA holiday flight rescheduled after a cancellation for example. I should have been able to do that online myself or been able to sent them a message saying “book me on this other flight instead”
Bremen will deal with such issues via email but not the UK office.
Personally I really dislike the lounge ordering and much prefer self service. He did mention they are recruiting more people to answer the phones. I won’t hold my breath re seeing any noticeable changes this year.
Definitely agree re the IT, so much better if we were able to do more online.He needed to write. It is evident that they are really struggling operationally getting back up to speed. I have only taken one long haul and two short haul flights in the last three months but the list of issues I experienced is long and they include waiting over an hour on tarmac for a gate, over an hour and a half for bags to arrive yesterday, no amenity bags loaded in Club, 70 days and counting for BAH double TP points to post and no response from customer services. Lots of first world problems I know, but for the fares we pay I expect more and he needs to sort it fast.
Seems he genuinely wants to improve BA – it’s a shame he inherited a burnt-out shell, and then straight into the pandemic, otherwise things would have turned around quicker probably.
Personally I really dislike the lounge ordering and much prefer self service.
I’d like as many options as possible to make as many people happy as possible.
I continue to struggle to understand how Ryanair and easyJet can do all these things that Doyle is apologising for and saying that BA still needs time to implement the improvements. I moved a EZ flight online to a different date and destination at no extra cost because I no longer wanted to make the original trip. This wouldn’t have been possible on ba.com, but, moreover, there was an issue with the changes which couldn’t be amended and EJ responded to an online form submission and resolved it within 12 hours!
Good luck recruiting into contact centres. Contact centre providers are having to offer 10%+ increases to salaries and offer WFH options. The former BA will be resistant to, the latter their IT probably won’t support.
There used to online cancellation/changes options right until May 2020. (albeit March-May via workaround published here). Just remove the piece of IT code that blocks the online options or add it back whatever is easier. I am sure it wouldn’t take long given that they turned it off almost overnight.
- This reply was modified 55 years, 4 months ago by .
Apparently I like the crap crisps and water that crew throw at me on my flights to Glasgow. Really I don’t!
Nor do like the lounge table service. I understand it but I want to go back to self service when normality returns. Table service strikes me as a cost saving by the back door.
Oh, please bring back cognac (baron otard) it’s been gone for a while!
Here’s the full text for those who didn’t get it (mine was in spam):
To our loyal customers,
I’m writing to you directly today in the spirit of transparency, which is the ethos we’re striving to promote at British Airways in 2022 as we emerge from the worst crisis in our 102-year history.
We know that for many months now we’ve been asking you to be patient with us. Patient while we bring multiple aircraft back from airfields around the world. Patient while we rebuild our network, retrain and recruit people to serve you better, and patient while we deal with the thousands of customers that need our help.
To be frank, we’ve been moving from one set of restrictions to another and the amount of change we’ve been dealing with over the past couple of years from week to week has been relentless. I’m not seeking to make excuses for things that should have gone better. What I am doing is making a personal commitment to you that we will build a better British Airways. An airline you can trust and rely on and that offers great customer service, with someone always available to help. Most importantly, an airline that you are proud to fly with – an airline that you are proud is your British flag-carrier. For me, 2022 is the year we’re finally able to rebuild and re-energise our airline. After the recent news from the UK Government around the removal of restrictions, it’s time to get Britain moving again.
My number one priority is to address the customer call centre issues many of you have experienced and may still be experiencing. In the face of constantly changing and complicated travel restrictions the length of time it’s taking us to take calls has naturally been longer, which has pushed up our waiting times. We are mid-way through replacing our phone systems to create a better customer experience and are also already recruiting more people to ensure your calls are answered, social media messages are responded to and problems are solved in the moment, wherever possible.
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. For example, our operations teams are working on a new baggage tracing system, allowing you to track your bag via your phone throughout your journey. We know you’ve enjoyed the table ordering service we began to offer in our lounges during the pandemic, and so we’re continuing with this initiative. You’ve also told us you appreciate the complimentary water and snacks we’ve been offering on short-haul flights in our Euro Traveller cabin, so we’ll be continuing with these too. In addition, we’re working hard to improve the quality of the meals and choices we serve across all cabins and rolling out our Club Suite on as many aircraft as we can, as quickly as we can.
We know change starts from within. Our teams across the airline have been through a lot, and I am looking at what we need to do to recognise and reward the people we know make a difference to your journey, and ensure they have everything they need to feel empowered to do the right thing by you every single day.
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 AirwaysThere appears to be a typo. Under:
“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”
…. he missed out ‘without spending any money’.
On the same day I get an email from a reader complaining that, on his First Class flight last week, we told that if he wanted a hot breakfast he had to agree to be woken up 90 minutes before landing, or otherwise they wouldn’t do it.
Seems he genuinely wants to improve BA – it’s a shame he inherited a burnt-out shell, and then straight into the pandemic, otherwise things would have turned around quicker probably.
Personally I think the burnt-out shell was when BA completed its long held aim to get rid of the few remaining experienced longserving cabin crew with decent contracts and force any new hires onto rock bottom contracts and poor benefits That was when BA became a burnt out shell.
There appears to be a typo. Under:
“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”
…. he missed out ‘without spending any money’.
That got the biggest laugh ever from me Rob!
I continue to struggle to understand how Ryanair and easyJet can do all these things that Doyle is apologising for and saying that BA still needs time to implement the improvements. I moved a EZ flight online to a different date and destination at no extra cost because I no longer wanted to make the original trip. This wouldn’t have been possible on ba.com, but, moreover, there was an issue with the changes which couldn’t be amended and EJ responded to an online form submission and resolved it within 12 hours!
Similar with Virgin. Online form to rebook a different route after the JFK flight times were changed. Completed within 12 hours.
Only issue was paying the £1.10…. yes 110 pence which took over a week to get sorted after they rebooted their SMS contact system in the middle of my conversation and it could no longer understand my responses. Had to spend 85 mins on hold to get that sorted.
3 days after this very similar mail from Finnair, however the Fin one, i feel is more specific about the actions:
I am Ole Orvér, Finnair chief commercial officer, and I am writing to you to apologise for the heavy congestion in our customer service channels during the past couple of months. You may have had to wait a long time to get through to our customer service agents, and also our online Manage Booking service has not worked as it should have due to technical issues. I am sorry about that and all the inconvenience and frustration it may have caused you.
As the pandemic situation has evolved and travel restrictions have continued to change, contacts to our customer service have doubled over the past two months. We naturally expected an increase in customer contacts once travel started to recover but were not able to forecast the impacts of the omicron variant: before the pandemic some 12% of customers typically contacted our customer service at some point of their journey, and now the number has been around 50%, with booking changes being the most frequent reason for contacting us. Unfortunately, we were not able to scale up resources as fast as we should have, and omicron has also caused sick leaves in customer service.
Solving this situation and delivering better customer service to you is our priority:
• We have recruited new customer service agents together with our partners, and some 50 new agents are joining our teams in January ready to serve you with your travel needs. All new agents undergo a two-month training before they start working in our customer service.
• We have tripled the number of developers working with our online service channels. Already now, more than 6 out of 10 customers can make changes to their booking online, and that share will soon increase.
• We have established a fast track in our phone and chat services for customers whose flight is within the next three days, to be able to prioritise the most urgent questions.
• We have trained our Sisu chatbot to handle many new types of contacts, and it is often the fastest way to get information on Finnair products, services and other necessary travel information. Through Sisu you can now also cancel your reservation and then continue to apply for a refund online.
• Due to the omicron related sick leaves at Finnair and in our partners’ teams and to avoid last minute cancellations as much as possible, we have taken action to cut approximately 20% of our flights in February, mostly on routes where we have several daily services and can offer you a new flight option. If the new flight is not suitable for you or no option is available, you can apply for a refund. Our average refund handling time is currently 14–21 days, and we work hard to shorten it. Once we have handled your request, you will receive an email confirmation on it.The pandemic has brought many challenges for air travel, but we are determined to solve them one by one. I want to thank you of your patience in this challenging situation and can assure you that we are determined to provide a better service to you in the future.
With kind regards,
Ole OrvérI continue to struggle to understand how Ryanair and easyJet can do all these things that Doyle is apologising for and saying that BA still needs time to implement the improvements. I moved a EZ flight online to a different date and destination at no extra cost because I no longer wanted to make the original trip. This wouldn’t have been possible on ba.com, but, moreover, there was an issue with the changes which couldn’t be amended and EJ responded to an online form submission and resolved it within 12 hours!
Anna, Ryanair and Easyjet were nasty in the early months of Covid and were playing dirty with refunds (and in the case of Easyjet) including taking away the ability to request refunds online.
It took me over six months to get a refund from Easyjet on one occasion, and I had to s75 them and also Ryanair on another.I’m glad you are happy with them at this time, but please don’t think they’ve always been good.
My take on this email is that it is a step in the right direction if indeed improvements do start to filter through (whether that involves spending money or not). At least he does seem to be admitting things have not been great (the first step in recovery is to admit there is a problem). Even if it is pretty much a carbon copy of the Finnair email it does, at first glance, show that Sean wants things to improve regardless of the fact that many of the improvements are continuation of previous initiatives. Of course if BA refunds FTVs containing 2-4-1s without extending them then that is a retrograde step.
3 days after this very similar mail from Finnair, however the Fin one, i feel is more specific about the actions:
I am Ole Orvér, Finnair chief commercial officer, and I am writing to you to apologise for the heavy congestion in our customer service channels during the past couple of months. You may have had to wait a long time to get through to our customer service agents, and also our online Manage Booking service has not worked as it should have due to technical issues. I am sorry about that and all the inconvenience and frustration it may have caused you.
As the pandemic situation has evolved and travel restrictions have continued to change, contacts to our customer service have doubled over the past two months. We naturally expected an increase in customer contacts once travel started to recover but were not able to forecast the impacts of the omicron variant: before the pandemic some 12% of customers typically contacted our customer service at some point of their journey, and now the number has been around 50%, with booking changes being the most frequent reason for contacting us. Unfortunately, we were not able to scale up resources as fast as we should have, and omicron has also caused sick leaves in customer service.
Solving this situation and delivering better customer service to you is our priority:
• We have recruited new customer service agents together with our partners, and some 50 new agents are joining our teams in January ready to serve you with your travel needs. All new agents undergo a two-month training before they start working in our customer service.
• We have tripled the number of developers working with our online service channels. Already now, more than 6 out of 10 customers can make changes to their booking online, and that share will soon increase.
• We have established a fast track in our phone and chat services for customers whose flight is within the next three days, to be able to prioritise the most urgent questions.
• We have trained our Sisu chatbot to handle many new types of contacts, and it is often the fastest way to get information on Finnair products, services and other necessary travel information. Through Sisu you can now also cancel your reservation and then continue to apply for a refund online.
• Due to the omicron related sick leaves at Finnair and in our partners’ teams and to avoid last minute cancellations as much as possible, we have taken action to cut approximately 20% of our flights in February, mostly on routes where we have several daily services and can offer you a new flight option. If the new flight is not suitable for you or no option is available, you can apply for a refund. Our average refund handling time is currently 14–21 days, and we work hard to shorten it. Once we have handled your request, you will receive an email confirmation on it.The pandemic has brought many challenges for air travel, but we are determined to solve them one by one. I want to thank you of your patience in this challenging situation and can assure you that we are determined to provide a better service to you in the future.
With kind regards,
Ole OrvérDon’t you think this Finnair email is so elegantly done? We know both airlines are facing similar issues but Sean Doyle’s one from BA looks a bit like “the dog ate our homework”.
I’m gonna take a little bet that Sean Doyle didn’t want to send that email, as he knew it was trite and “jam tomorrow” and it’s clear BA has caused many of their own issues to customers whilst protecting shareholders, but I think someone told Sean to send it.
There used to online cancellation/changes options right until May 2020. (albeit March-May via workaround published here). Just remove the piece of IT code that blocks the online options or add it back whatever is easier. I am sure it wouldn’t take long given that they turned it off almost overnight.
Exactly, some of these problems are self-inflicted.
I helped to clog up the call centre queue for far too long last week because I wanted to do a free cancellation within 24 hours of booking. This was possible online before the pandemic, and would have taken less than a minute.
In the end, I actually couldn’t get through, so gave up and ended up taking the flight rather than a more convenient option that had become available. I could have got a FTV but I didn’t want 1) the hassle of having to call to redeem it in the future since it was an Avios booking and/or 2) BA holding onto my Avios and cash for months/years. Plus, just on principle BA advertise free refunds for 24 hours, so I am entitled to a full refund.
Surely allowing people to do more things online, including things that were possible for many years pre-2020, is the answer rather than hiring more call centre staff and continuing forcing people to call (presumably to avoid paying out refunds etc)?
- This reply was modified 55 years, 4 months ago by .
and are also already recruiting more people to ensure your calls are answered
TWO YEARS!
I completely understand being reluctant to recruit into the call centres during most of 2020, but the phone lines have been an absolute bin fire throughout all of last year too. Recruiting people to them should have been a much earlier play.
The call centre thing is frustrating as they are invariably extremely helpful and very pleasant to deal with once you actually do get through.
My biggest problem with BA’s call staff is not that they don’t pick up the phone, but that when they do, they are downright lying to your face when it comes to any questions regarding duty of care, EU/UK261 and general compensation. Three separate situations during the past two years involved inbound flights cancelled with additional costs incurred at the destination, and all three times BA said that it does not need to pay a penny (one agent was downright rude, saying that apparently there were things going on in my life now that made me want to claim for compensation… I should have made my own assumptions about her too, I guess).
This is in stark contrast with the treatment as early as the 2019 union strikes, where duty of care was paid without a quibble, and of course other times before then when agents would even make sure you’re aware of the duty of care element when faced with disruption. And yes, this goes against even what the BA website says.
I think what Mr Doyle needs to realise is that the best PR comes out of doing well during irregular operations and when you sort your customers’ problems out and you leave them with a smile, as opposed to leaving them in the lurch. This is, as far as I’m concerned, what sets a full-service airline apart from a low-cost one.
I look forward to being able to have a conversation with an agent when I no longer know for an absolute fact that their first priority is to shaft me.
@Aston100, I can’t speak about the start of the pandemic, but I had a Ryanair flight booked to Carcassonne in October 2020 which was cancelled a few weeks before travel – all I had to do was email to request a refund and it was done. Agree this is slightly more complicated than doing it online but it’s still way above what BA is making possible even now!
Easyjet also moved one of my flights by 4 hours meaning that I would lose half a day of a short trip – again all it took was an email and they cancelled and refunded me without a quibble.
Maybe I’ve just been lucky!Nothing but a load of hot air from Doyle.
Prior to Aer Lingus, he was a senior leader at BA. He’s been involved in this car crash (which started before COVID).
If he’s only decided to recruit additional contact centre staff, then things will get much worse before it gets better. Throw in a new IT system and I can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.
Cheery stuff.
I continue to struggle to understand how Ryanair and easyJet can do all these things that Doyle is apologising for and saying that BA still needs time to implement the improvements. I moved a EZ flight online to a different date and destination at no extra cost because I no longer wanted to make the original trip. This wouldn’t have been possible on ba.com, but, moreover, there was an issue with the changes which couldn’t be amended and EJ responded to an online form submission and resolved it within 12 hours!
Anna, Ryanair and Easyjet were nasty in the early months of Covid and were playing dirty with refunds (and in the case of Easyjet) including taking away the ability to request refunds online.
It took me over six months to get a refund from Easyjet on one occasion, and I had to s75 them and also Ryanair on another.I’m glad you are happy with them at this time, but please don’t think they’ve always been good.
+1 … their tactics at the start of the pandemic were far worse than anything BA have done – including their imaginary refund queuing system and their lies and deceit
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