BA denied boarding Debit Card

SW17

Now the debit card usage has been cleared up, must say I'm a bit surprised that anyone who averages over 100 flights per year doesn't have Internet access in Europe or doesn't know how to get it cheap/free. That would have most likely meant someone else getting IDB instead of the OP.

As frustrating as it is, if I put someone's head on a stick for every flight I took that had a 2 hour delay (which this effectively what this was), I'd need a bigger garden...I'm guessing the people who were stuck at LHR overnight on a Friday due to the cancelled flight the previous evening have a little more to be upset about (regardless of any compensation).

Ballard

I wish that every flight I took was delayed a couple of hours in exchange for €250.

leylandsunaddict

First world problem!

Judwin

SW17 wrote: »

Now the debit card usage has been cleared up, must say I'm a bit surprised that anyone who averages over 100 flights per year doesn't have Internet access in Europe or doesn't know how to get it cheap/free. That would have most likely meant someone else getting IDB instead of the OP.

As frustrating as it is, if I put someone's head on a stick for every flight I took that had a 2 hour delay (which this effectively what this was), I'd need a bigger garden...I'm guessing the people who were stuck at LHR overnight on a Friday due to the cancelled flight the previous evening have a little more to be upset about (regardless of any compensation).

Not that I really need to explain, but...


I don't own a mobile phone, and refuse point blank to have one. I do usually have remote internet access in locations with WIFI, but...


On Friday I was on EZY8869 from LGW->AMS at 06:10, returning on EZY8884 at 21:15. When I checked in for these on Thursday I tried to check in for the BA flights, but failed because of the 24 hour 'rule'. Last time I flew BA was probably 5 years ago from LGW->BOD, and I could've sworn that back then you could check in earlier than 24 hours, but since I use BA so infrequently perhaps not.


On arrival in AMS I was in a hurry to get to Leeuwarden Air Base for the air-show Air power demo. Got there fine, but for some reason WIFI isn't generally available in the middle of a military airfield in northern Holland. Then in the evening back to AMS for EZY8884 which of course ended up 100+ minutes delayed. In hindsight I should have tried to check in at AMS either at the BA desk, or using the airport WIFI, but hindsight is always 20-20. Got back to LGW around 23:10, and they parked on South terminal whilst my car was in Long stay north. Anyway, 00:30 before I finally got to bed in the LHR Travelodge.


Up 4 hours later for Saturday's plan; go to the German Air force open day at Neuberg, which is about an hour's drive north of Munich airport, and open from 10:00 to 16:00. The 06:55 flight should have got me there by perhaps 11:30. But no, and having been 'bumped' from the 06:55 they couldn't initially guarantee me a seat on the 09:05 either because that was overbooked too. The 09:05 might (and did) allow me to get to Neuberg for 14:00, but I'd miss half the show. However, something happened and all of a sudden a couple of free seat rows magically appeared and I got 4A out, 10C back, and £200 of compo. Of course, BA950 was then 20 minutes late, and remote parked at Munich, and it was piddling down with rain.


At Neuberg I met fellow spotters who were on the cancelled Friday night flight and who had stolen my seat :-) But that's their story.


If I hadn't got on the 09:10 then I would've had to scrub the trip all together. Am I right they would have had to refund the ticket price too then?


Next weekend is Skrydstrup (Denmark) and Kuopio (Finland). Not with BA.

peachyprice

Judwin wrote: »

On arrival in AMS I was in a hurry to get to Leeuwarden Air Base for the air-show Air power demo. Got there fine, but for some reason WIFI isn't generally available in the middle of a military airfield in northern Holland. Then in the evening back to AMS for EZY8884 which of course ended up 100+ minutes delayed. Opportunity No.1 In hindsight I should have tried to check in at AMS either at the BA desk, or using the airport WIFI, but hindsight is always 20-20. Got back to LGW around 23:10, and they parked on South terminal whilst my car was in Long stay north. Anyway, 00:30 before I finally got to bed in the LHR Travelodge Opportunity 2.


Up 4 hours later Opportunity 3 for Saturday's plan; go to the German Air force open day at Neuberg,

So you had 3 opportunities to check in online before going to the airport, you chose not to.

Anyone who doesn't bother checking in online before rolling up a the airport stands a higher risk of being bumped as you're more likely to be a no-show.

adindas

elsien wrote: »

Oh I don't know - as a non-morning person if I'd had to be up early to be at the airport for stupid o'clock only to find I'd been bumped off the flight I'd probably be a tad miffed as well.

Travel early in the morning or late evening is not stupid o'clock for many people. A lot of are people more than happy to travel very early in the morning or late evening in exchange of heavily discounted price.

Look at Budget Airlines such as Ryan Air, Easy jet early morning or late evening flight. Most of the time they are fully booked.
Unless you are very lucky, I doubt you will get £80 ticket for traveling to Munich with BA for convenience time slot.

Not to mention the possibility to earn EUR250 compensation for paying the tickec of sometimes EUR 20 ....

SW17

Judwin wrote: »

Not that I really need to explain, but...


I don't own a mobile phone, and refuse point blank to have one. I do usually have remote internet access in locations with WIFI, but...


On Friday I was on EZY8869 from LGW->AMS at 06:10, returning on EZY8884 at 21:15. When I checked in for these on Thursday I tried to check in for the BA flights, but failed because of the 24 hour 'rule'. Last time I flew BA was probably 5 years ago from LGW->BOD, and I could've sworn that back then you could check in earlier than 24 hours, but since I use BA so infrequently perhaps not.


On arrival in AMS I was in a hurry to get to Leeuwarden Air Base for the air-show Air power demo. Got there fine, but for some reason WIFI isn't generally available in the middle of a military airfield in northern Holland. Then in the evening back to AMS for EZY8884 which of course ended up 100+ minutes delayed. In hindsight I should have tried to check in at AMS either at the BA desk, or using the airport WIFI, but hindsight is always 20-20. Got back to LGW around 23:10, and they parked on South terminal whilst my car was in Long stay north. Anyway, 00:30 before I finally got to bed in the LHR Travelodge.


Up 4 hours later for Saturday's plan; go to the German Air force open day at Neuberg, which is about an hour's drive north of Munich airport, and open from 10:00 to 16:00. The 06:55 flight should have got me there by perhaps 11:30. But no, and having been 'bumped' from the 06:55 they couldn't initially guarantee me a seat on the 09:05 either because that was overbooked too. The 09:05 might (and did) allow me to get to Neuberg for 14:00, but I'd miss half the show. However, something happened and all of a sudden a couple of free seat rows magically appeared and I got 4A out, 10C back, and £200 of compo. Of course, BA950 was then 20 minutes late, and remote parked at Munich, and it was piddling down with rain.


At Neuberg I met fellow spotters who were on the cancelled Friday night flight and who had stolen my seat :-) But that's their story.


If I hadn't got on the 09:10 then I would've had to scrub the trip all together. Am I right they would have had to refund the ticket price too then?


Next weekend is Skrydstrup (Denmark) and Kuopio (Finland). Not with BA.

Cheers for responding. Hindsight is indeed 20-20, and I didn't anticipate the lack of a mobile.

BA on average cancels 3-5 flights a day (not a huge number against their schedule), and while yours wasn't cancelled you did feel the effect. Probably still not head on spike stuff though

If you were in 4A on the way out, were you upgraded? It would be a rare BA flight from LHR that had less than 4 rows of Club Europe, though possible they converted some rows back to ET to make more seats available.

I'm not enough of an expert on EC261 to know what your rights would have been if the flight had become no longer worth taking.

The_Groat_Counter

Judwin wrote: »

[...]
I want every single penny I'm owed.

(Text removed by MSE Forum Team)

I won't be travelling BA again anytime soon.
[...]

photome wrote: »

Seems like an over reaction to me.

Just a little bit, yeah!

The OP would do well to chill out somewhat!