BA Again!!

[teddybeardiver]

Terminal 5/ BA on Watchdog now

[Tim Ingmire]

Having just been messed around by American, then forced to switch flights from BA to AA back over the pond - I can tell you - BA are not as bad as you might imagine

I work with people that travel far far more extensively than I do (and I hold a BA Gold Card!) and the general feeling is that BA ain't that bad.

Unfortunately it's a little like banks - the one you are with might not be great, but in the end, they are all the same when it comes to problem resolution.

[Marc T]

Originally Posted by Tim Ingmire

Having just been messed around by American, then forced to switch flights from BA to AA back over the pond - I can tell you - BA are not as bad as you might imagine

I work with people that travel far far more extensively than I do (and I hold a BA Gold Card!) and the general feeling is that BA ain't that bad.

Unfortunately it's a little like banks - the one you are with might not be great, but in the end, they are all the same when it comes to problem resolution.

Couldn't agree more,I fly regularly with BA to Greece with 2 sets of full dive kit (my missus is Greek).
The main reason I choose BA, is for the free extra 23 Kg baggage allowance they give you for dive kit.
So for that alone I guess I'll keep flying with them...

[JasonP]

Originally Posted by Tim Ingmire

Having just been messed around by American, then forced to switch flights from BA to AA back over the pond - I can tell you - BA are not as bad as you might imagine

Agreed. Their planes are reasonable, their flight crew is normally alright, their ground staff are crap, but they're nowhere near as bad as AA.

Jason

[Chardy]

Try flying 150,000 miles a year, delays, cancellations, no food, TSA, and all the other good stuff. They all screw up eventually, I'm now loyal to Continental here but they screw up too, the only thing is they try and fix it quickly due to the number of flights I take as I'm averaging 5 flights a week at the moment.

I do avoid BA like the plague!

[Stesh]

I'll have such wonderful customer service off BA in the past that I would rather shove a industrial rocket up my arse and try and fly, than use BA again.

[Phil O]

Originally Posted by chrisch

BAA too, as pointed out above, are a shower and have tried to use their connections to override the environmental and social issues of airport expansion while at the same time clinging to their privileged position with a lack of real competition.

How true! I work for a Property company and have been looking at the governments proposals for an Emissions Trading Scheme - the Carbon Reduction Commitment. My personal view is that this has been badly thought through especially for those organisations that buy energy and pass through costs for tenants. These companies beng Property Companies, Property Management companies and BAA.

I was at a meeting with DEFRA and several members of similar companies .. and BAA. Our view was that the proposals will impose a massive administration burden on us. BAA's view was .. bring it on we will comply.

I came away thinking - "was that for Terminal 6 or Runway 3?"

[DiveBuddy2]

Anyone tried playing the T5 willie walsh game, to see if you could make a better job of handling luggage.

It's the 'Wee Willie Walsh' T5 game | Metro.co.uk

[Allan Carr]

Having just experienced 21 flights in the last 4 and a half months has shown a marked difference between airlines and airports and not what I expected either. We were travelling Business Class so expected better than average service. My wife is disabled and unable to walk the long distances involved at most airports so needs a wheelchair.

However, some airlines such as Thai and Singapore on a couple of the legs did not live up to their reputation. Air New Zealand were without doubt the best organised and the flight to Los Angeles was superb. They don't have 1st class so we were right up in the nose of the 747 in seats which converted to fully flat beds. The flights over the Pacific only had standard Business Class seats but were very comfortable with excellent food and Service.

The Singapore overnight flight from Brisbane to Singapore was awful, with uncomfortable seats and badly organised service. The other SIA flights were OK but not brilliant. The Thai flight to Delhi was badly organised - we were the very last off the plane. They gave economy passengers priority on the wheelchairs and we had to wait until they came back after seeing them through customs! As a result, we missed our pick-up to the hotel and had to get a taxi.

I recounted the problems I had with hand baggage at Singapore in another post - a thorough search which almost delayed the plane because I had a contact lens solution bottle of 120ml (the smallest size they make) even though it only had about 10ml in it.

At Sulawesi, we had problems with Immigration who issued the wrong visa and demanded a substantial amount of palm-greasing to correct it.

At Bali, about £60 in Indonesian and Singapore currency went missing from my wife's handbag going through security.

Delhi airport makes T5 look like a model of efficiency. Our flight to Vienna left at 2.30AM and we arrived at 10.00PM. It took TWO HOURS to get through the first security checks to get to check-in. Once through security, it was wall to wall baggage trolleys which were being used as weapons - I've still got the bruises! It was so bad that passengers were walking across the top of other passengers baggage trolleys to get to the check-ins. Then the wheelchair service took my wife as far as the second security gate and then said you have to walk from here because he didn't have the appropriate security clearance. Half an hour later we eventually made the plane with my wife in great pain.

At Cairo, they refused to believe that we were on the US Baggage rules, in spite of our documentation confirming it and tried to charge us over £700 in excess baggage.

Having said that, Changi Terminal 3, Hong Kong and Bangkok airports were a far cry from the crumbling old terminals at Heathrow.

The joys of international travel - it taught us that problems with airlines and airports were not limited to the UK but the hassles were worth it for a real trip of a lifetime which allowed us to see many things that we had only dreamed about.

[Mike Ward]

I despise airlines. If there is ever a choice between flying and travelling any other way I travel any other way if it's at all possible.

Come the revolution, comrades......