Coming from Copenhagen 3 March on a late BA flight, it shocked me that a modern airline - the World's favourite, you know! - could be so inept in resolving a fairly simple problem, with so little communication as was the case.
Certain events were clearly beyond BA's responsibility, e.g. that police helicopters over a runway caused Heathrow to close down briefly - but the way it was mishandled by the crew of our circling plane and by BAA was shocking.
It started with an hour's delay in Copenhagen, which was announced as just 20 min on the screens. 2035 instead of 2015. As usual "due to the late incoming plane" - the rubbish reason always given.
When we finally boarded, an apparent engineering defect with the flaps took a further 25 min to correct - not a pleasant thought, but you put your trust in the fact that the BA crew wouldn't like to take risks either.
20 miles from LHR around 22.30 our A320 started to circle. After several circles we were told that there was a police helicopter incident over the runway and we couldn't land.
More seriously, though, the captain was unable to continue the waiting position, as the plane had too little fuel (SIC!) - what? Too little fuel?
The Captain was unable to give us more information at this point, as he had to concentrate on the fuel problem and where to take us.
So we were redirected to Stansted.
Here we were not allowed to disembark neither in full nor partly (because of security). Fair enough.
But Stansted was unfamiliar with the flap issue, which now - together with all the other security procedures - had to be repeated.
Result: we started towards LHR over an hour later at 0000 - arriving at 0020.
The matter was made worse, as the Cabin Crew limited themselves to issue apologies and refrain from providing proper information.
Landing 3 hours late at T5 - the flagship terminal of British Airways - I found a closed underground.
If you have ever been there at night, you can imagine the panic - stuck at T5 at 0035 is not pleasant, I can assure you.
It's dead, closed, abandoned!
It appeared later that the LHR police helicopter incident had lasted appx 15 min. - but why was it that
passengers using mobiles were able to get more info from family and waiting friends than we received from the staff in the plane?
We had been promised help with onward transport if we needed it from T5 (who wouldn't need this?)
But to my amazement there was no one there to help and nothing had been arranged.
It was apparently all hot air to keep us quiet.
We were also promised help from the Ground Staff.
But no Ground Staff was available at all.
NONE.
T5 had essential closed down at 0000 with only maintenance staff (cleaners) and booked cab drivers waiting.
QUESTIONS:
Why was the A320 plane so short of fuel, that we couldn't circle 20 minutes (like so often at LHR)?
If we had been tanked up, we would have been in time, as a bit of circling in a parking position would have resolved the time-issue.
Why did the Cabin Crew not organise the promised transport - mostly taxis? They just ran away from all responsibility.
Why did the Cabin Crew not contact BAA, who could have liaised with the Taxi Management at T5?
The result was a totally empty taxi rank, something BAA should have foreseen.
Unbelievable.
Where was the BA Ground Staff? (Probably home in bed).
Why did BAA ignore the consequences of closing down Heathrow for 15 min.? There must have been several planes going through this diversion.
Why should it take an hour waiting for a taxi in a 100 people queue.
Is this a world class airport ?
How could a world class airline (!) abandon its passengers so blatantly when this incident happened?
Has BA no procedures in place for such a small matter?
I dread thinking about a big incident.
It cost me £65 for a night taxi from the taxi rank to go to Hammersmith - a mere 12 miles - arriving home at appx 0200. There were still around 50-100 people in queue by then. The Taxi driver was angry as well, saying that NO ONE had informed him, neither the Taxi Management nor BAA.
BA actually promised to compensate £50 of the £65.
But why £50?
Because their Customer Agent maintained that I was lying about the £65, which were the metered costs in a black cab ride at 0135 at night!!
It beggars belief that The World's Favourite Airline finds it useful to add rudeness and stingyness to incompetence - but of course: it might just be a one off and a training problem..
That's what I think, as someone intervened, apologised - and paid the remaining £15.
There's hope and BA gets another chance.
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
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