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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

British Airways discrimination against cellists

181 replies

londonmummy1966 · 31/05/2016 18:16

Before I start I will admit that this is very much a first world problem but it is still really annoying.

My Dds are going on a music tour in Europe this summer and they are flying with British Airways. Dd1 needs to take her cello with her which is not an immensely valuable instrument but as is the way with cellos it is still worth more than the £1000 maximum compensation BA would pay if it went in the baggage hold and got damaged. There are so many horror stories about what happens to cellos on flights. So the only option is to book an extra seat for the cello.

I thought this would be fine as DH has loads of airmiles so we could add Mr Cello to our family account with the BA and use the airmiles to pay for the extra seat. Apparently not - you can't use airmiles to buy a seat for a cello. So then I thought that we could use the airmiles to buy the seat for Dd and pay for the cello. Apparently also not. IF Dd was travelling minus cello that would be fine but apparently BA have a rule that a cellist travelling with their cello cannot book a flight with airmiles . I asked why not and was told it was because it is a faff for the airline to allocate two seats together. However, if Dd was just really fat and needed an extra seat for that reason she could have used airmiles.

AIBU or is BA just taking the proverbial with this? Its not as if dd is a professional cellist or anything - just a school kid who was really excited about being able to play abroad. Also what jobsworth at BA has so little to do they have had time to dream up all these complex rules for the fairly small number of people wanting to travel on airmiles with a cello?

OP posts:
SpaceUnicorn · 31/05/2016 19:07

Last I checked, playing the cello wasn't a protected characteristic under the equality act

It's not??!! Fucking outrage!! The terrorists have won Angry

SwearyInn · 31/05/2016 19:08

Now Holst on a minuet - I think it's a bit much that we're all Wagner fingers at the OP.

ToxicBits · 31/05/2016 19:08

In all seriousness sometimes you just have to take a stand

ToxicBits · 31/05/2016 19:09

Be careful or she may have to resort to violin-ce

Fiddlerontheroof · 31/05/2016 19:09

And OP you might find the MU a bit more helpful

www.musiciansunion.org.uk/Home/Advice/Playing-Live/Touring/Travelling-with-an-Instrument

(Used to fly regularly with a double bass)

SpaceUnicorn · 31/05/2016 19:09

It's a shame the cello won't fit in the overhead rack(maninov) Sad

PandasRock · 31/05/2016 19:09

I feel your pain, OP.

It is a policy which would (and will, when dd2 is old enough to do a similar tour) hack me off. Yes, I get it might be a bit complicated for BA to book the seats together, and it may not be something that online booking can cope with, but I'd expect to be able to sort it out once I spoke to an actual person.

Mind you, it was BA who kept repeatedly moving my (then 3 year old) disabled child away from her pre booked seat to sit on her own, because we'd booked seats upstairs in business, and the computer could not allow a disabled booking in an upstairs seat (dd1 is fully able bodied and well capable of walking upstairs, even at 3) - their solution was to have a non verbal disabled child travel alone away from the rest of her family rather than move all of us, so clear thinking is not exactly their strongest suit.

Still, at least I know what lies ahead. Time to dissuade dd2 from continuing with the cello Grin

OhSoggyBiscuit · 31/05/2016 19:10

If an entire orchestra travelled together, would they get money off the in flight entertainment?

Andrewofgg · 31/05/2016 19:10

Start a movement.

Thatrabbittrickedme · 31/05/2016 19:11

The cellos wanting to travel on air miles must be a massive issue affecting thousands, I just can't believe there isn't a special interest support group for you OP. Have you considered starting a petition? With 100k signatures you could get this discussed in parliament.

ToxicBits · 31/05/2016 19:11

Look come on guys give it a rest now

nuttymango · 31/05/2016 19:12

You should grab a group of musicians and make a concerted effort to get BA to change their policy, perhaps you could pull a few influential strings?

Originalfoogirl · 31/05/2016 19:12

Queenbean she'd be sitting between me and my 6ft4 very able bodied husband who is more than capable of opening the emergency exit. He'd be sitting next to it.

SwearyInn · 31/05/2016 19:12

Got to go - Bach in 5 mins. Offenbach sooner.

nuttymango - your post made me think of this far side cartoon

Ginslinger · 31/05/2016 19:13

are you just trying to orchestrate a problem here OP?

HidingUnderARock · 31/05/2016 19:14

The airmiles decision seems very jobsworth and ridiculous.

I think renting a cello for her arrival sounds like the best plan.

OhSoggyBiscuit · 31/05/2016 19:14

If the OP is, I doubt they'll garner much symphony.

ToxicBits · 31/05/2016 19:14

Are you 100% Schubert their policy on this?

ToxicBits · 31/05/2016 19:16

Look we aren't calling you a Lyre on this by the way

ToxicBits · 31/05/2016 19:16

And I don't mean to harp on but you are orchestrating it so you have diminished responsibility here

nuttymango · 31/05/2016 19:18

There would be a chorus of applause if she got it in the overhead locker, a veritable choral symphony in fact.

OooLookShoes · 31/05/2016 19:18

Oh stop harping on you lot

SwearyInn · 31/05/2016 19:18

What a bunch of punts we are!

OooLookShoes · 31/05/2016 19:19

Bum.xpost with toxic

ToxicBits · 31/05/2016 19:19

But she must make sure she meets the re-choir-ments for transportation