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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:
enchantedsquirrelwood · 27/08/2023 12:21

This week my son got a text when about to leave for the airport at 4.30 am canceling his London Heathrow flight to Berlin

They did the same to someone yesterday morning who was flying to Jersey. They also managed to rebook from London City!

Quartz2208 · 27/08/2023 12:49

Cancelled my flight out at 6:30pm the night before having checked in that afternoon! Rang them and got changed to an early morn8ng Heathrow flight (just they wanted us to go via Marseille) and we got the last seats, Thankfully saw the email as it came through.

chnaged the return to Heathrow as well (had to tell the person on the phone the exact flight I wanted)

hired a villa and thankfully she was v accommodating about an earlier arrival and later departure but the return flight was delayed 90 minutes as well which wasn’t great

the flight we had out looks to be cancelled at the moment 20% of the time

now just trying to get back the extra parking we paid for Heathrow when we also had gatwick

the whole thing has put me off flying to be honest

Original poster
cathyj77 · 27/08/2023 14:24

Same @Quartz2208 - the amount of money this has ended up costing me and the stress it brought to the first 24 hours of my holiday has really made me question flying. Maybe that's not a bad thing for the world!

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Flying Holidays
prepastyrously · 27/08/2023 16:15

Just back from a work trip with BA here and I told DH how much it’s changed in recent memory. It was such a shambles at the gate: telling people they couldn’t take carry on bags, bumping some people off, some people hanging about waiting for standby, people double booked in seat numbers and the ‘business class’ bit arranged wrong so some people didn’t have their assigned seat. Honestly. And then the pilot came on and wanged on about missing their take off slot. I just have lost all faith in their abilities. They’re just not the ever reliable, ever trustworthy market leaders that they once were, are they?

Quartz2208 · 27/08/2023 16:29

cathyj77 · 27/08/2023 14:24

Same @Quartz2208 - the amount of money this has ended up costing me and the stress it brought to the first 24 hours of my holiday has really made me question flying. Maybe that's not a bad thing for the world!

Yes I agree

and had we been coming back today the flight back was cancelled.

larlypops · 27/08/2023 16:38

The aviation industry has suffered since Covid and its still not got the staffing levels back, it’s affecting multiple airlines

LlynTegid · 27/08/2023 16:40

@larlypops that I am sure is the case. So airlines should cut their cloth accordingly and not offer flights when they cannot staff them all. Instead reduce number of flights well in advance. Or have the slots taken away from them, which would not be the ones they would reduce I'd guess.

notimagain · 27/08/2023 16:50

So airlines should cut their cloth accordingly and not offer flights when they cannot staff them all. Instead reduce number of flights well in advance.

How far ahead do you mean by well in advance?

Or have the slots taken away from them, which would not be the ones they would reduce I'd guess.

Been mentioned before, such a rule exits, has done for a while (it's sometimes known as the 80-20 rule).

Taylorscat · 27/08/2023 18:01

I’ve looked into this a bit and concluded that all airlines are now shit. I’ve also looked into travelling by train but it just takes too long and requires 3 trains. So I’m going to have to book BA, as it has the best priced flights at the right times. Hope all the airlines sort themselves out soon or the Eurostar goes to more destinations !

notimagain · 27/08/2023 18:10

There’s no doubt there are some problems at BA with the medium /long term planning.

OTOH as far as the very recent on the day cancellations go due to weather they’ve been in much the same boat as everybody else…..the arrivals board at our local European airport was a sea of red last night (cancellations and big delays) and only one flight was a BA one (delayed) the rest were other national carriers and LoCos. Several delayed flights belonged to a carrier who according to some on MN never ever runs late…

(looks like a bad day today as well with problems due to Thunderstorms in the Balearics and Western Med).

Original poster
cathyj77 · 27/08/2023 19:20

Yes it might well be that all airlines now experience difficulties, and I've just been very unlucky on BA this year.

But that is no excuse (and there is no excuse) for such appalling customer service and not an even an 'I'm so sorry' or a reason given when your holiday of a lifetime is potentially ruined... I did wonder if they've been told to say the words 'I'm sorry' in case it is construed legally as an acceptance of fault, but there has to be a form of words they can find that doesn't accept fault but still shows care and a willingness to help find solutions.

OP posts:
BeagleMum1 · 28/08/2023 14:48

At Heathrow now, it's chaos. Lots of flights with major delays and cancellations Confused

BeagleMum1 · 28/08/2023 14:49

My flight is up on the board and it's just blank, all the others say delayed.

FrenchandSaunders · 28/08/2023 14:50

That’s not BA though it’s air traffic control

notimagain · 28/08/2023 14:52

BeagleMum1 · 28/08/2023 14:48

At Heathrow now, it's chaos. Lots of flights with major delays and cancellations Confused

UK National ATC system is "down"/highly degraded....delays not BA's fault for once...

WasThereAnotherTroyforHertoBurn · 28/08/2023 15:15

I recently received a customer satisfaction survey from BA re the overall product, I slated them. I found it in my junk mail, maybe BA flyers have a quick look and see if it is in your junk folder.

They cancelled us for our return from Malaga forty eight hours before the flight last year. We are retired and comfortable and rebooked immediately and waited for our refund and payment for a hotel at the airport and taxi into Malaga for dinner.

We stuck it on a card until we got home and I could sort it.

We haven't always been comfortable, and I was outraged on behalf of families who had budgeted down to the last penny and may or may not have had space on a credit card.

I certainly know that when we used to go when the kids were small, that the last two days of meals were eaten in the apartment, then a walk on the beach to tire the kids out and an ice cream on the way back.

BeagleMum1 · 28/08/2023 15:22

WasThereAnotherTroyforHertoBurn · 28/08/2023 15:15

I recently received a customer satisfaction survey from BA re the overall product, I slated them. I found it in my junk mail, maybe BA flyers have a quick look and see if it is in your junk folder.

They cancelled us for our return from Malaga forty eight hours before the flight last year. We are retired and comfortable and rebooked immediately and waited for our refund and payment for a hotel at the airport and taxi into Malaga for dinner.

We stuck it on a card until we got home and I could sort it.

We haven't always been comfortable, and I was outraged on behalf of families who had budgeted down to the last penny and may or may not have had space on a credit card.

I certainly know that when we used to go when the kids were small, that the last two days of meals were eaten in the apartment, then a walk on the beach to tire the kids out and an ice cream on the way back.

That's us, family on a tight budget Sad saved hard for this trip.

WasThereAnotherTroyforHertoBurn · 28/08/2023 16:04

😡

BeagleMum1 · 28/08/2023 16:38

Flight now cancelled, they do not give a fuck

BeagleMum1 · 28/08/2023 16:38

Been given a £10 fucking voucher

BeagleMum1 · 28/08/2023 16:42

Not even told us how we get our bags back

BeagleMum1 · 28/08/2023 16:42

Just want us out of the airport

Ozgirl75 · 28/08/2023 18:04

I’m flying home from Edinburgh to Heathrow tomorrow with two kids, not looking forward to it!

BeagleMum1 · 28/08/2023 18:16

They are telling people to leave the airport without their bags as they will not be ready to reclaim today. The skeleton staff on the ground, are directing people to the CLOSED BA customer service desk.

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