Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Why are British Airways cancelling so many flights?

125 replies

cathyj77 · 24/08/2023 21:33

I’m honestly at the point of swearing off them for life. Just back from holiday (no thanks to them) and on the way out, our flight was cancelled when we were at the airport with no apology, explanation or decent alternative given. Had to spend loads on replacement flights or lose the holiday. Will now start the fight for compensation which I’m sure won’t even touch the sides of the extra flights we had to pay for.

this is the third BA flight I’ve had cancelled this year at very short notice. Others were for work so mattered less and I got replacement flights easily at no cost.

What is going on with BA? From social media, I can see I’m not alone and they seem to just be regularly cancelling several flights a day with zero notice. Why??

OP posts:
Original poster
cathyj77 · 26/08/2023 18:15

Sorry to hear that so many others have had bad experiences too.

I agree that long haul should in theory be more protected. My flights that got messed up earlier this year were very short-haul business trips - to a destination where there are so many flights a day, I promptly and easily made other plans.

A long-haul trip, whether holiday (as mine was) or business, or family visit is likely to be much more high-stakes to cancel and high-cost to rebook an alternative. It just shouldn't be able to happen except in the case of genuine circumstances beyond control - natural weather disaster, for example. And when it happens, compensation should be adequate. I don't understand how I can be thousands of pounds out of pocket for replacement flights while BA are turning a massive profit, and this is why I'll avoid them for the time being.

I do take the poster's point who says that we don't need to fly. You're right, we don't. But presumably BA aren't being intentionally crap for the sake of saving the planet? Would be odd behaviour from an airline.

OP posts:
notimagain · 26/08/2023 18:55

@cathyj77

A long-haul trip, whether holiday (as mine was) or business, or family visit is likely to be much more high-stakes to cancel and high-cost to rebook an alternative. It just shouldn't be able to happen except in the case of genuine circumstances beyond control - natural weather disaster, for example.

Problem is doesn't need weather phenomena on the scale of a "natural weather disaster " to make it sensible to stop flights..

I don't think many people would think of fog as a natural weather disaster but there are very strict rules set by the regulators, not the airlines, on minimum visibilities on even attempting take-offs or landings....

Strong winds (and we're not necessarily talking hurricane force) from an inconvenient direction can put an airport outside of limits/guidelines...

I could probably chuck in a few technical reasons that might be stoppers as well but to prevent boredom I'll simply say, since eyebrows have been raised at the mention of bird strikes, that yes they do happen, and if there's a decent dent it's a delay at the very least.

Cancellations, most especially on long Haul, can really screw up an airline's scheduling, get aircraft out of position and crews off roster for days on end...it's in nobody's interest to casually cancel services but OTOH there really are occasions when you simply should not go flying.

Original poster
cathyj77 · 26/08/2023 19:17

Yep @notimagain, sorry, I should clarify that I totally understand there are circumstances when planes shouldn’t fly but this wasn’t the reason why any of my BA flights were cancelled this year. Or, rather, I assume it wasn’t the reason as we were given no reason at all.

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Flying Holidays
notimagain · 26/08/2023 19:23

cathyj77 · 26/08/2023 19:17

Yep @notimagain, sorry, I should clarify that I totally understand there are circumstances when planes shouldn’t fly but this wasn’t the reason why any of my BA flights were cancelled this year. Or, rather, I assume it wasn’t the reason as we were given no reason at all.

Yep, understand you now and I do accept it's completely different if/when you get hit with a cancellation weeks ahead, rather than on the day.

JustFrustrated · 26/08/2023 19:37

Ozgirl75 · 24/08/2023 23:41

We just flew to Edinburgh with BA today and I noticed on the board that there were three to four cancelled flights, including the one I nearly booked to Edinburgh (an hour later than the one we did take)

As it was, we had to put cabin baggage in the hold as it was so full so I assumed they’d amalgamated two flights into one.

It was good though - took 50 minutes from Heathrow instead of 1.5 hours! Pilot must have had his foot to the floor (or whatever the pilot equivalent is) the whole way.

Used to be balls to the wall I believe.

MaidOfSteel · 26/08/2023 19:49

We're due to fly with BA a week today. We've never had any problems with them in the past but I see today's equivalent flight was cancelled, so I'll keep my fingers crossed there are no issues next week.

BeagleMum1 · 26/08/2023 21:12

I travel with BA in a couple of days...I've just been onto their flight status tracker and looked up their flights scheduled for tomorrow morning; they have already cancelled the first three due to depart in the morning Confused

What do you do if your flight gets cancelled? This has never happened to me before. I feel like I need to prepare for their shiteness, esp as I'm travelling with an autistic child.

I used to get excited about going to the airport and getting on the plane. Different times......

SuiGeneris · 27/08/2023 07:30

@notimagain
"O'Leary/Walsh are taking the industry line, but to some extent (IMHO) there's some tweaking to be done.

If a company actually does the decent thing (which we tried to do where I worked) in the event of a delay on the day, basically feed and water passengers, possibly somewhere comfortable off the aircraft and then gets them to destination 3 hours 5 minutes late should each passenger also be entitled, automatically, to at least 250 euro??"

Yes, they should because as many have pointed out above, people choose flights for a reason and there often costs that are incurred to fit with those flights. Example in point: we were returning from holiday a couple of weeks ago and had booked a flight due to arrive just before 8am at an airport that is very close to my office. Normally I would have expected to be sat at my desk well before 9, and DH and DCs would have been home (in DH's case to work remotely) before 9 as well. 36 hours before the flight, we are told it is cancelled and 24 hours before we are we are rescheduled on one that leaves and arrives 5 hours later.
Consequences:

  1. two adults very late for work. We are lucky to be senior enough to be able to work remotely at the drop of a hat, but we still had to grovel to respective bosses and work until midnight on the day of arrival.
  2. two kids missed the (paid for) activities planned for that day.
  3. the pre-booked hotel stay to catch the early flight was now not needed but it was impossible to find alternative travel to the airport at short notice that would fit the new schedule.
  4. most importantly, we had two additional meals out. One of the children has very severe allergies that cannot safely be catered for in an airport so ended up eating just bananas while the airline delayed us to save money.

We still have not received the compensation due, despite filing for it within 24 hours of arriving. And 250 euros a head won't fix the stress etc that we incurred solely because ITA decided our flight was not full enough to warrant taking off.

Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky · 27/08/2023 07:34

Based on this thread I have just looked at the status of flights for my upcoming holiday to the US in 2 months. Going out the flight has had a couple of cancellations but is delayed about 50%of the time. Coming home it's been cancelled for the last 3 days.

Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky · 27/08/2023 07:36

Actually cancelled for 3 days and then not even showing since...maybe I need to see if will actually be operating....

BeagleMum1 · 27/08/2023 07:54

What are you meant to do if you get to the airport and they have cancelled your flight? Go home? I'm going to be travelling with an autistic child.

What happens if you are at your destination and they cancel your flight? Do you just camp out at the airport?

How can they get away with doing this to people?

BeagleMum1 · 27/08/2023 08:32

Just phoned BA customer service and asked how they will support me at the airport if we get there and the flight is cancelled? Considering I am travelling with a disabled child? I was told they will try and get us on an alternative flight or we can get a refund? Apparently a lot of customers choose the refund option?!! I've paid £££ for this holiday, inc hotel so I'm not going to opt for refund and drive home!

The sense I got from the customer service agent was that they were embarrassed to work for them.

LIZS · 27/08/2023 08:40

How do you see past flights status. We fly BA in just over two weeks.

floribunda18 · 27/08/2023 08:50

I think there should be a lot more severe penalties for airlines canceling flights to make them sharpen up their practice and customer service.

grass321 · 27/08/2023 08:54

The challenge with BA is getting hold of them (unless you're a gold or silver card member).

I had a quick query about a flight I'd booked recently. I was on hold for over two hours at which point the call was cut and I had to start again. Aagh. (And I'd booked business class flights so not cheap).

Even the Twitter team has stopped being a useful resource (they were a good option for a few years).

BeagleMum1 · 27/08/2023 08:55

I got through and I'm not a silver or gold card member.

grass321 · 27/08/2023 08:58

BeagleMum1 · 27/08/2023 08:55

I got through and I'm not a silver or gold card member.

I'd say my average wait time is at least an hour and, in quite a few cases, the call mysteriously drops halfway through the conversation (particularly when it's a more complicated question).

If you got through quickly, I'd count your blessings. I only fly with BA and their customer service is shockingly bad.

trying29 · 27/08/2023 09:00

They cancelled our return flight home from holiday last week with 24 hours notice. They tried to reroute us on two indirect flights the following day and like many others I couldn’t get through to them at all on the phone. Not sure how they expected us to find a hotel room last minute jn august in Mallorca. We ended up finding an alternative and now are waiting compensation

GreenwichOrTwicks · 27/08/2023 09:09

Ryanair is more reliabke than BA but people still have a romantic idea of it being good old British quality when it isn't at all and if it changed its name no-one would use it because of the appealing (lack of) customer service.
They could offer an alternative but don't due to cost. This week my son got a text when about to leave for the airport at 4.30 am canceling his Lonfon Heathrow flight to Berlin. He found they was another BA flight leaving soon after from London City but BA had not booked him on it because the passenger tax is higher from there. So he booked it himself and awaits compensation.

BeagleMum1 · 27/08/2023 09:29

GreenwichOrTwicks · 27/08/2023 09:09

Ryanair is more reliabke than BA but people still have a romantic idea of it being good old British quality when it isn't at all and if it changed its name no-one would use it because of the appealing (lack of) customer service.
They could offer an alternative but don't due to cost. This week my son got a text when about to leave for the airport at 4.30 am canceling his Lonfon Heathrow flight to Berlin. He found they was another BA flight leaving soon after from London City but BA had not booked him on it because the passenger tax is higher from there. So he booked it himself and awaits compensation.

That's awful for your son. We are driving to Heathrow and have paid for airport parking, which makes us less portable. We are stuck with Heathrow.

Original poster
cathyj77 · 27/08/2023 10:45

@BeagleMum1 to answer your question, what they do is offer you either an alternative flight or a refund. In our case, the ‘alternative flight’ they offered us was not viable - went via a different city and involved hours of waiting, which sounds like it wouldn’t be feasible for you either. So we ‘chose’ to book different flights with another airline. We can theoretically afford to do this but the amount of money I’ve spent still make me feel a bit sick when I think about the other things I could have spent it on.

we did get a refund for our original flight but it nowhere near covered the cost of the new one, and nor will the additional compensation from BA, if it ever emerges.

OP posts:
BeagleMum1 · 27/08/2023 10:58

cathyj77 · 27/08/2023 10:45

@BeagleMum1 to answer your question, what they do is offer you either an alternative flight or a refund. In our case, the ‘alternative flight’ they offered us was not viable - went via a different city and involved hours of waiting, which sounds like it wouldn’t be feasible for you either. So we ‘chose’ to book different flights with another airline. We can theoretically afford to do this but the amount of money I’ve spent still make me feel a bit sick when I think about the other things I could have spent it on.

we did get a refund for our original flight but it nowhere near covered the cost of the new one, and nor will the additional compensation from BA, if it ever emerges.

The alternative flight option is not really an option is it? What a nightmare

Ozgirl75 · 27/08/2023 12:05

Anyone else getting Vueling adverts on this page now?!
I have actually flown with Vueling and they were great.

LIZS · 27/08/2023 12:07

Our outward flight is Vueling , so hopefully unaffected. Both flights are currently still on the schedule this week.

enchantedsquirrelwood · 27/08/2023 12:19

BeagleMum1 · 27/08/2023 08:55

I got through and I'm not a silver or gold card member.

Yes to be fair when I called them to change my cancelled flight I got through very quickly. I still had to wait for ages while the lady on the other end sorted it out though. Goodness knows why it took so long, maybe their IT systems were having a moment. But I wasn't on the phone more than 30 minutes max. I was thinking I'd be there all afternoon.