My much delayed flight to Stockholm finally took off at 18:00 (almost 4 hours late).
I finally got to the bottom of the reason for the delay. It seems that a combination of heavy snowfall and a lack of de-icing equipment in Frankfurt caused the delay.
Whilst BA cannot be held responsible for the weather or probably the lack of de-icing equipment, BA should have communicated the reasons for the delay to their customers.
On board, despite that fact that it was well past "teatime", afternoon tea was served.
The reason?
Catering is now provided by DHL who, so I am advised, aren't very good at "customer care".
The two finger sandwiches were an inadequate repast, and were of poor quality (total lack of taste and frozen bread).
That is what you get when you hire a logistics company to provide the catering!
www.baisshite.com the latest news and views on British Airways, the world's "favourite" airline. This site contains updates on the ongoing strike action, and dispute between BA and Unite.
A further delay in the departure of my flight to Stockholm has just been announced, it will now depart (unless this estimate is wrong as well) at 17:02 (almost 3 hours late).
BA staff still have no explanation for the delay.
www.baisshite.com the latest news and views on British Airways, the world's "favourite" airline. This site contains updates on the ongoing strike action, and dispute between BA and Unite.
It seems that today is going to be a tedious travel day, courtesy of BA.
My flight to Stockholm, originally scheduled to depart at 14:15, is now scheduled to depart at 16:15 (a further delay of 30 mins from the earlier delay notice posted by BA).
I have asked BA staff here as to why there is a delay, they do not know.
Well done BA!
www.baisshite.com the latest news and views on British Airways, the world's "favourite" airline. This site contains updates on the ongoing strike action, and dispute between BA and Unite.
BA has the pleasure of my custom today on a flight to Stockholm
In keeping with tradition, the flight is delayed by 1.5 hours.
www.baisshite.com the latest news and views on British Airways, the world's "favourite" airline. This site contains updates on the ongoing strike action, and dispute between BA and Unite.
BA's time keeping remains at its normal lamentable standard, as my girlfriend and her fellow passengers waiting on board their 13:50 London to Stockholm flight on Wednesday can attest to.
The passengers waited in the plane for around 45 minutes or so, as there seemed to be some confusion on the flight deck as to how much fuel the plane was carrying.
"Chris Bell, the chief executive of Ladbrokes, is refusing to allow any of his 14,000 staff to fly with British Airways after the airline tried to force his teenage daughter and her friend off a flight back from Barbados.
The private dispute, which has ratcheted up into a corporate row, could cost BA £2 million in business and has forced Willie Walsh, BA's chief executive, to intervene personally in an effort to defuse the situation."
It is interesting because airlines (not just BA) regularly overbook their flights (see my own experience of flying to Stockholm). The difference being that if you are not big/strong enough to argue with them they will walk all over you.
Reuters report that British Airways (BA) is seeking to fill a new role of chief operations officer to replace two executives who "quit" in the wake of the Heathrow Terminal 5 fiasco.
Reuters note that the BA spokeswoman "declined to confirm reports in the Observer and Independent newspaper that a headhunter instructed by BA had been told to find a recruit who could be groomed to take over from BA Chief Executive Willie Walsh.
'It would be premature to say that,' the spokeswoman said".
In other news, to cheer up the long suffering passengers waiting at departure gates for their delayed BA flights, asap reports that according to the Association of European Airlines, British Airways has accumulated a record 43% of all its short and medium haul flights as delayed.
In 2007, the percentage of delayed BA flights was 29%.
This year's results place BA bottom in comparison with the 29 European carriers which have submitted statistics. As you can see from this site, I have certainly experienced quite a number of delays myself with BA.
BA's long haul flights were also showing the same level of delay, a decrease in efficiency from the same period last year.
Allitalia, Air France and Iberia manage to maintain 80% efficiency.
Why such a lousy performance by BA?
Seemingly T5 Heathrow has had a lot to do with it!
Given that Mark Bullock (Managing Director of BAA Heathrow) is leaving, following the T5 shambles (last week, MPs said the T5 fiasco had "made a fool out of the country" and called for an explanation), why does Willie Walsh still remain in his post?
Here I am at Arlanda airport, Stockholm, allegedly waiting for my 18:40 flight to London Thiefrow T5.
I have arrived and checked in, at the correct time, yet there is one small fly in my oinkment...BA (the alleged "world's favourite airline") is not ready for me.
Seemingly, for reasons that I am not privileged to learn, the plane is not ready for the departure (to remind you, this departure is scheduled for 18:40).
What time will it depart?
A mere 1 hours 20 minutes later...at 20:00, or there abouts...so they say!
You will of course recall that my flight to Stockholm was late as well...by a mere 70 minutes!
Does this represent quality service?
Errrrm...
No, it does not!
Do I recommend that people fly BA?
Of course I don't!
As I have said before:
For all the good that Walsh and his failed sycophantic board have done for "customer care", it is better that they have done nothing at all.
My advice to Walsh, and the board, is simple:
In the name of God...go now!
The board is not fit to run a whore house, let alone an airline.
Those of you who, like me, thought that when I was called to board the 16:30 flight to Stockholm yesterday that my troubles were over could not have been more wrong.
My, and my fellow travellers', troubles were only just beginning.
We duly assembled at gate 43, on time and ready to board the plane. Unfortunately, BA was not quite so ready for the passengers.
After some delay, passengers sitting in the back of the plane were called to board first. Having gotten them on board, there was a further delay.
I and my fellow passengers, yet to board, knew the problem.
BA had of course oversold the flight.
Well done BA!
The harassed looking "gatekeepers" asked if anyone was prepared to give up their seat for a paltry 150 Euros, they needed two people to volunteer.
No one seemed very keen, and a further delay occurred as BA played its version of a "Columbian stand off".
I entertained myself by discussing this latest cock up with my fellow passengers, they now all know about this site and will be visiting it; they all had been booked on the cancelled 14:15, and were not best pleased to be still standing at the boarding gate at 16:55.
As we all agreed, if there was going to be this sort of delay why did the flight status board not show it?
Another rather obvious question is why did BA oversell the flight, and put their customers to such inconvenience?
Given that I had nothing better to do, I rang BA Customer Relations at 17:00.
Guess what?
They close at 17:00; there was no one there to talk to.
Great customer care BA, well done!
After further delays, and appeals for people not to board, we finally took our seats at 17:20.
Now here's the rather odd thing, guess who was sitting in the seat directly in front of me?
Yes, that's right, a BA employee.
Why was BA looking to find two paying passengers to give up their seats, when there was at least one BA employee on board taking up much needed room?
Do you think that our troubles were over?
Don't be ridiculous!
BA, through their own fault, having delayed the boarding of the 16:30 to 17:20 had of course lost their take off slot.
We finally took off at 18:30, two hours late! This of course ignores the fact that I was meant to have taken off at 14:15!
Doubtless BA will try to blame BAA. However, a large part of this is clearly down to BA.
I will of course be writing to Willie Walsh about this, he is already well aware of this site. However, unlike other CEOs of major plcs, he does not answer customer letters. Therefore I do not expect any response.
