Context for this trip; previously British Airways lost my bags for 3 weeks in 2022 in a trip report detailed and lost in the Great Server Crash. They also delayed my bags on a 2023 adults only trip to New York. The only reason I’m giving BA one last chance this time is because they’d issued me with flight vouchers that were soon going to expire.
So here’s the plan - as BA only operate one flight per day to Gatwick, at 7.30am, and I didn’t really fancy it, we would fly to Heathrow the day before and get the Oxford bus over to Gatters and stay at the Premier Inn. First issue came up, a work trip meant I was out of the country for 7 days, only arriving back at 2am on the day we flew out. And we were due at Glasgow Airport at 11am. However it all went well! We made it. As Glasgow Airport now charge an exorbitant amount to get a taxi, we took the local bus (changing behaviours by taxation works…) Checked in the bags, now fitted with AirTags I’ve learned that lesson, and everything strangely normal.
Sat on the plane for what should be a boring run-of-the-mill flight, pushed back, got to the end of the runway, sat there. And sat there. For 15 minutes. Then drove down the runway and pulled back into the gate. The plane, which was jam packed full, had a loading/balancing issue. Baggage handlers jumped underneath and started moving things about, and a refuelling truck added more fuel to bring the centre of gravity back in. We pushed back again 90 minutes later and after an uneventful flight landed at Heathrow just before 3.30pm. Then we were told to stay put. The seat belt signs remained on an we had to remain sitting until the plane had all bags off-loaded as there was a possibility it would tip. Fellow passengers missed their connections and we were finally released 2 hours late on a 1 hour flight. However not to worry, the cases turned up and we got the Oxford bus to Gatwick. I stumbled across this gem in 2022, £40 for the family and nice quick busses, USB chargers. They’re a great service.
Arrived at Gatwick 6pm and made our way to the South Terminal, dropped off our bags with BA twilight check-in and then off to the Premier Inn at the north for a bite to eat and a pint. We survived it. Two potential spanners in the works avoided. It’ll be all good from here….
