“We’re sorry but your flight has been cancelled”.
What? Cancelled? Like totally gone? Accompanying email says they’ve rebooked me on the next available flight, which wasn’t for another 24 hours, from Heathrow. And going to Miami.
So my wife and I headed over to the terminal to find out what the hell was going on. Gatwick was incredibly busy, people and queues everywhere. Pandemonium. Went to the desk in the corner and finally spoke to somebody, nothing else available that day. Some other people were booked onto Virgin LHR-MCO that day and getting taxis over but we couldn’t make it as they still held our bags, the lady told us to come back to the desk at 10.30am and we can collect them. They could sort us out with a hotel at Gatwick but didn’t have any contracts at Heathrow (and here was me thinking British Airways was the one company). So it was down to me to arrange transport and a hotel for the night.
Went back to the hotel, had a decent breakfast and decided rather than sit in a hotel all day might as well make the most of it and have a day sightseeing in London. Went back to the desk at 10.30 as instructed and waited, and waited and waited. Finally caught a glimpse of the same lady who then denied ever talking to us and claimed that the desk hasn’t been manned for 3 months.
Remember that BA ad from the early 2000s when they were worried about the rise of low cost airlines? “Everybody wants to fly low cost these days. How about an airline that has people around when things go wrong”? Here we have an airline that has been so stripped of personnel and automated, that when things do go wrong, there is simply nobody around who can be there for passengers who are at their most vulnerable. Nobody wearing the badge who is willing to step up and own it. Too many staff for whom it’s not their problem, they didn’t cancel my flight.
After grabbing random passing BA staff, finally found one who had enough sympathy to agree to get our bags. I had to leave all personal belongings behind and they took airside me via the staff route to the baggage reclaim, where our bags were sitting. Then had to walk through the customs red channel.
“do you have anything to declare?”
“no”
“where have you been?”
“nowhere”
By now it was 1pm. 4.5 hours to get our bags. Rather than bus to Heathrow decided to get the train (£70) and buy an underground/bus pass (£55). Got to the Marriott (£210), had a bite of lunch (£110) then headed out. I haven’t been in London proper since 2002 so showed the kids Big Ben, Tower Bridge etc. It’s not Disney World.
Back to the hotel as we had an early rise the next day for a flight to Miami.
