British Airways Incompetance

[®îçhå®?]

Just to fill you all in, i have literally just got back from my holiday in Greece. Flying with BA was the worst mistake. At Heathrow airport, we arrived at 5am for a 8:20am flight. BA kepteveryone outside so as not to clog up the terminal and you could only go in when the flight is called. At 7:00, not called 7:30, still not called. At 8:00, we went up to ask why it hadnt been called and they just ushered us away. So we then preceded to barge into the terminal and found out that the flight had been close!!!! Serious anguish now. So, after we go and harass a person, he says that he will try to sort it out. After that, he went to other families and was sorting them out and not us. More harassment. finally he tells us that the flight is delayed and we had to run to get the plane. OK, skipping all of the queues was awesome but when we get onto the plane, we are told that the bags didnt make it and they would be on the next flight. That is fine, we will wait at Athens airport. 4 hours wait and nothing.

12 days later, we get the bags. They had been sitting outside the terminal getting soaking wet. When they got to us, all of the clothes were covered in mould and the two powerbooks are kinda wrecked. Not sure what they are going to do but but they have a helofa making up to do to get us going back.

Advice: DO NOT FLY BA!!!!!!!

 

[EGT]

That sounds dreadful. 12 days!? If you haven't already sorted your suitcases out etc, you should take pictures/make a note of everything that was damaged then think about sending BA a letter demanding compensation.

Two Powerbooks!? *cries*

 

[Abstract]

Yeah, I would demand compensation.

 

[kretzy]

Yeah, I would demand compensation.

Absolutely. Does travel insurance cover stuff like this?

 

[®îçhå®?]

At the moment, the insurance companies are hiding behind 'an act of terrorism' so that they wont have to pay. The two powerbooks are also along with 4 ipods, 5 mobile phones, 2 cameras and a camcorder.
I do have a list of everything that was in the suitcase so i will send it off. If they dont pay, it will be going to court. It wasnt an act of terrorism, it was prevented and that does not count.

 

[dops7107]

That's a pretty awful experience - and I'm sorry to hear it. In terms of the luggage and compensation, surely it can be argued that the baggage handler (BAA?) was grossly negligent in that leaving it in the rain would do irreparable damage? I mean they could have covered it with a tarpaulin. I wouldn't be surprised if there's some crazy rule that covers their ass if necessary though.

 

[leekohler]

Just to fill you all in, i have literally just got back from my holiday in Greece. Flying with BA was the worst mistake. At Heathrow airport, we arrived at 5am for a 8:20am flight. BA kepteveryone outside so as not to clog up the terminal and you could only go in when the flight is called. At 7:00, not called 7:30, still not called. At *:00, we went up to ask why it hadnt been called and they just ushered us away. So we then preceded to barge into the terminal and found out that the flight had been close!!!! Serious anguish now. So, after we go and harass a person, he says that he will try to sort it out. After that, he went to other families and was sorting them out and not us. More harassment. finally he tells us that the flight is delayed and we had to run to get the plane. OK, skipping all of the queues was awesome but when we get onto the plane, we are told that the bags didnt make it and they would be on the next flight. That is fine, we will wait at Athens airport. 4 hours wait and nothing.

12 days later, we get the bags. They had been sitting outside the terminal getting soaking wet. When they got to us, all of the clothes were covered in mould and the two powerbooks are kinda wrecked. Not sure what they are going to do but but they have a helofa making up to do to get us going back.

Advice: DO NOT FLY BA!!!!!!!

I have said this before many times. British Airways employees are *******s! When they stop here in Chicago, they think their s*** doesn't stink.

They are some of the rudest human beings I've ever met. Even though they know US customs, they refuse to tip to our standards in restaurants, even when the standards are stated on menus for large groups. (BTW- I used to be a restaurant manager)

I am not surprised in the least by your experience. We won our independence for a reason.

And hell no, I would NEVER fly BA.

And just remember BA flight attendants- 25 year old yanks are your 35 year old tourists. If you're lucky.

I for one will NEVER visit the UK. Berlin has been a far better place to visit. Nice people, no attitude.

 

[Nickygoat]

That's a pretty awful experience - and I'm sorry to hear it. In terms of the luggage and compensation, surely it can be argued that the baggage handler (BAA?) was grossly negligent in that leaving it in the rain would do irreparable damage? I mean they could have covered it with a tarpaulin. I wouldn't be surprised if there's some crazy rule that covers their ass if necessary though.

Actually I've just looked at the BAA page and that states that it's the airlines responsibility. I thought the same as you and was looking for a link.
Link

 

[®îçhå®?]

I for one will NEVER visit the UK. Berlin has been a far better place.

The Uk is great, just dont fly BA.

And compensation, BA only refund £1000 per bag. 3 bags = £3000, about as much as only the 2 laptops. It is ridiculous. They turned off terminal 1's lost luggage phone line because they couldnt be assed to deal with it. 15 emails and not 1 reply, £100 in phone bills trying to trace it, on hold for an hour.
Lawyers have said that you cant sue for the luggage but for the grief caused. My mum was prescribed anti depressants it was that bad on holiday.

 

[leekohler]

The Uk is great, just dont fly BA.

And you know what? I agree with you. I've met so many wonderful people here from the UK. But you all really need to get your embassadors to act a bit nicer. To be quite honest, the ONLY nice Brits I've met have been on this website. I've been treated like crap by Brits overseas for just saying I was an American.

Literally, that was it. No other words out of my mouth. Maybe I got crap because of the way I look, I don't know. But by and large, British people have been nasty to me for no reason overseas. Why? Because I fit an American stereotype physically? Trust me, I'm intelligent. I wouldn't go to Europe were I not. That's why I went in the first place. If I wanted to remain stupid, I'd never leave the US.

 

[YS2003]

BA is not known for competent cargo handling. Even though they are a major international carrier with the big fleet of planes, their service is not up to the standards many passengers (and freight forwarders) come to expect. I think they allocate their resources to the important routes/customers while neglecting others. In this age of airlines cutting back on routes and the number of flights, it is likely you would have no other choice than using the airlines you want to avoid.
I am not here to bad-mouth BA. At least for my customers, they are moving the freights well (so far). The trick is to avoid Heathrow for BA service; BA's Heathrow will be the black hole and once it gets there things tend to disappear (mostly only cargoes for now, knock on wood).

 

[crazycat]

I flew a few times with BA and i really liked there service, i have had no problems with them at all. If i were in your shoes i would send them a letter demanding they pay the damages, its juts not right.

 

[YS2003]

I flew a few times with BA and i really liked there service, i have had no problems with them at all. If i were in your shoes i would send them a letter demanding they pay the damages, its juts not right.

I believe the airline is only liable for up to the IATA liability coverage. $20 per 1 kg. So, for a Mac notebook, it should be round 2 kg or 3 kg tops, which makes the liability coverage of 3 kg X $20 = $60.
If you look at the ticket, there is the liability clause and I doubt the airline will do anything on those damages other than paying you for the IATA liability amount.
That's the reason I don't want to check my bag with my high end notebook/digital camera with airlines; I simply cannot trust their handling. Trust their handling at your own peril.

 

[Dr.Gargoyle]

First of all, I feel your pain. Going by air can be a very frustrating experience.
I myself fly more than I want and I lose my luggage at least 3-4 times per year. (yeah, I fly a lot...) In most cases you will get it back within a day or two, but it happens that it gets lost for much longer time than that. Once I lost my luggage for two weeks. I finally found it abandoned on a transport car at the lost luggage in Kastrup, Copenhagen on my way back from New York. My luggage had apparently been flown from Marseille via New York to Amsterdam and then to Kastrup. The luggage basically never caught up with me as I flew.
The suitcases had been forced open and were now transformed into two pieces of plastic garbage. The cases where kept "close" by yellow tape. Clothes were lost and other pieces was hanging outside the suitcases. In other words, a complete mess.
Long story short, I got about €500 in a settlement. That was thanks to the credit card I had then (AMEX green). The airline offered me €50 until they found out that AMEX was giving me €500. I didn’t get a dime from the airline company.
After this incident, I decided to investigate how I could make my flying less hazardous. I found out that the airline companies at the time were obligated to pay you $10 for each lbs of luggage they lost! It might be slightly higher today, but that is the compensation you get. Note that ALL airlines had/have the same policy.
When I called my insurance company trying to get a better coverage, they told me that my coverage was as high as I could get unless I was willing to buy a custom made insurance (very expensive).
After some investigation, I found that the cheapest and best solution for my needs was to get upgrade my AMEX to a gold card. The insurance they provide you with when you pay your airline tickets with that card is actually quite good. Ok, it is better with the platinum card, but it also costs much more (four times as much per year).
Up to this date, I have received more money from AMEX than I have paid totally for my AMEX card. They pay me for nice hotels when airlines suddenly cancel a flight or pay me to get another ticket with another airline company.
Bottom line: If I were you I would look into getting a credit card with a beefed up travel insurance. Flying today is a complete mess: cancelled flights, lost luggage, strikes, and overbooking. I think we better accept that airline companies today aren’t what they use to be and protect ourselves accordingly with insurances.

 

[ZoomZoomZoom]

So, for a Mac notebook, it should be round 2 kg or 3 kg tops, which makes the liability coverage of 3 kg X $20 = $60.

Ah ha! Here is where Dell notebooks beat Apple notebooks. Because you can get a 5kg hulking beast of plastic, your liability coverage would be $100 instead of $60 should you go with the Apple.

 

[Abstract]

"Didn't you have travel insurance?"™

I have said this before many times. British Airways employees are *******s! When they stop here in Chicago, they think their s*** doesn't stink.

I'm sorry, but they're just being British.


Actually, I love the British. If you tell them you're Canadian, they think you'll do something funny. When I told them I didn't know what they were talking about or expected from me, they said "Brilliant!!" or something to that effect, then laughed some more. Then one guy wrapped his arm around my shoulder and yelled something, spilling beer on my shirt. He apologised and bought me a Kronenbourg and tried to pass it off as the good s***.

Actually, I made all that up. I never had that happen while I was living in London. They'd never apologize for spilling their drink.

That's the reason I don't want to check my bag with my high end notebook/digital camera with airlines; I simply cannot trust their handling. Trust their handling at your own peril.

I don't know what the rules are now, but maybe he didn't have a choice other than to check his bag?

 

[YS2003]

Ah ha! Here is where Dell notebooks beat Apple notebooks. Because you can get a 5kg hulking beast of plastic, your liability coverage would be $100 instead of $60 should you go with the Apple.

Kudo to Dell by making their notebooks heavy (more liability payment because of weight), bulky (possibly more volume weight for the liability payment) and unattractive (theft deterrent while being lost and being ransacked by the people at the airport terminals). Well, at least there should be some good things about Dell; as you pointed out, this is THE main selling point for Dell. I think they should put it in their advertisement.

 

[Glen Quagmire]

I've flown on BA three times - twice from Heathrow to Vienna (and back) and once from Heathrow to Stockholm (and back). Of the total six flights I've been on, five have been delayed, for anything up to 90 minutes.

Other things to hate are the awful food, poor choice of newspapers, appalling queues and general poor organisation. I flew with BA from Heathrow on the day after the "terror" alerts, which was not fun at all.

The only good thing I can think of is the fast check-in kiosk: put a credit card in and it prints your boarding pass for you. Drop your bag off at the dedicated desk and you're ready to pass through the security checks to wait for your (delayed) flight.

 

[Sesshi]

I have said this before many times. British Airways employees are *******s! When they stop here in Chicago, they think their s*** doesn't stink.

They are some of the rudest human beings I've ever met. Even though they know US customs, they refuse to tip to our standards in restaurants, even when the standards are stated on menus for large groups. (BTW- I used to be a restaurant manager)

I am not surprised in the least by your experience. We won our independence for a reason.

And hell no, I would NEVER fly BA.

And just remember BA flight attendants- 25 year old yanks are your 35 year old tourists. If you're lucky.

I for one will NEVER visit the UK. Berlin has been a far better place to visit. Nice people, no attitude.

Sounds exactly like the typical American demanding his rights at the BA counter I'll leave it at that. And no I'm not British. Not doing the prima donna can have it's advantages, especially with a British crew.

I've never had trouble which couldn't be solved. I'm also fully insured. Sometimes I can end up flying short-haul twice a week over a period of a month, coupled with medium-haul once a week. After experiences with other airlines (my biggest disasters have been with American and Portuguese airlines - well, not counting the crashes with various regional airlines in dodgy countries) I always fly BA whenever I can. No-one's perfect, but BA are better than many.

To the OP, this is clearly a claim borne of baggage handler incompetence and they can't hide behind the terror catch-all card. Pursue it as far as you can. You may not get everything, but you are definitely entitled to compensation.

 

[skubish]

I believe the airline is only liable for up to the IATA liability coverage. $20 per 1 kg. So, for a Mac notebook, it should be round 2 kg or 3 kg tops, which makes the liability coverage of 3 kg X $20 = $60.
If you look at the ticket, there is the liability clause and I doubt the airline will do anything on those damages other than paying you for the IATA liability amount.
That's the reason I don't want to check my bag with my high end notebook/digital camera with airlines; I simply cannot trust their handling. Trust their handling at your own peril.

Due to the recent security restrictions, you can't carry on anything in the UK. I think you could sue based on (1) the airline was negligent in changing their luggage handling procedures after the security changes, (2) you would have carried on the PBs had you not been forced to check it.

 

[®îçhå®?]

I don't know what the rules are now, but maybe he didn't have a choice other than to check his bag?

Yup. At that time, you could only take on a clear plastic bag with your passport, boarding pass and prescribed medication. That was it so i had no choice.

When i was in Greece, a lot of people had had problems with BA and recommended Olympic. They said that if you reported it with proof at the desk, they just pull out the money and hand it to you.

BA is no longer a luxury, last year, i had better service on an easyjet flight. And to make matters worse, due to a prblem with the caterers, BA could only supply half meals. It was ridiculous.

 

[iGav]

I luv BA, quality business class...

As for insurance... never, ever trust travel insurance for possesions, always get fully comprehensive cover from whoever covers your home/buildings/contents.... especially for stuff like PowerBooks, camcorders etc get expensive items insured separately, arranging replacement mobiles is seldom a problem (unless you're pay-as-you-go) in which case arrange suitable insurance for those too.

In the current climate, if you've got even vaguely half decent insurance, you'll find that you're covered for what has happened, as long as you took reasonable precautions to protect you possessions, e.g. a safe and secure suitcase/trolley, that is padlocked (and I don't mean with the the crap that comes with the suitcase).

I was supposed to be flying out to both New York and Austria in the last couple of weeks, but with everything that's happened I've postponed it until next month... sometimes it just isn't worth the hassle.

 

[iGav]

Maybe I got crap because of the way I look, I don't know.

But you look European...

 

[®îçhå®?]

We are fully covered, travel and home.

If you look European, put on a french accent and go, i an Franch, then you get completely ignored.

 

[Abstract]

Yeah, I was gonna say the same thing. You look so Euro. And if you want to be french, you need to put some hair on your back and wear lots of toilet water.......um...."Eau de Toilette".

Bald, white, rather slim, and if I remember correctly, you're above average height as well. The only place you're gonna stand out like a sore thumb is in the most remote parts of Africa, or Iraq, but definitely not England.