to want to stamp repeatedly on this woman's head? (a bit long, sorry)

[scampadoodle]

Ok, backstory: We booked flights 3 months ago, at eminently suitable times to transport our young DSs (5.5 & 2.9). 3 weeks before departure BA inform us that the times have been changed & we now arrive at both destinations late at night. After much hassle they deign to re-book us - on our return leg only - on a better flight, though not the original one. Right. Fast forward to that return flight. We arrive at the airport 2 hours before departure to find huge queues at our check-in desks. We had tried to book on-line the previous day but the website wouldn't let us. DH & I join a queue each. After half an hour a computer breaks down so all the queues have to shuffle over one. After ONE HOUR waiting (with DSs cavorting like crazy - as usual the worst behaved
children in the place) I get to the head of my queue to discover that they have had A TRAINEE CHECKING PEOPLE IN ON A FULL FLIGHT DURING THE EASTER HOLIDAYS... WTF??? Of course, by this time all the seats have gone & they cannot seat us together, just 2 together & 2 singles, meaning that my 5yo DS has to sit by himself. When we complain we are told that we should have checked in on-line. When we say we tried but the site wouldn't let us, they say 'Well, everyone else managed' (Okay, so we're LYING, are we?)

Anyway, this woman behind me in the queue goes, ''You are supposed to be here 2 hours before the flight''. I turn around, & keeping very very calm (amazing for me) say, 'We were. We've been queueing for an hour. We've already been bumped off one flight & tried unsuccessfully to check-in beforehand. So, please do not contribute without knowing the full details. Thank you'. She just looked at me, impassive, as though I were absolute scum. As I pushed the trolley back I said, 'do apologise whenever you like'. 'I'm not going to' she replied, giving me another filthy look.

It just really upset me at a time when I was very stressed & worried about DS1 sitting for 3 hours with strangers. And it was NONE OF HER BUSINESS!!!!

What a cow. I should have clocked her one.

Wotzsaname - you really need to do something about the dry skin on your feet

That's a pain. We flew BA -GB airways last summer & they were fine although did change the flight times several times (only by 5 minutes in each instance).

I guess it's just bad luck, but one case of bad luck means potential loss of business for them!

So who is going to mention carbon footprints first

Can I please (I haven't flown for three years now!)

Here goes: (ahem)

This would never have happened on a train

LOL whomovedmychocolate.
I love your name.

Went from Paddington to Cornwall on a train (without booking seats)
Was ready to buy my own plane after that really I was.

It's karmic justice on you, OP, for not taking a nice organic caravan holiday picking the bugs off sheep somewhere.

I'll ge me organic yoghurt and F off.

trainees, work , stress - just forget it.

Dwelling and posting and putting together letters will just make you think about it and feel worse.

I don't think she sounds like a very nice person but the last thing you want to let her do is ruin your holiday.

Fuck her, forget about it.

If I stamped on everyone that pissed e off I would not have time for anything else ok I 'm a bad tempered cow know

never never fly. it's a mug's game.
holiday at pontins, that's the way forward

I thought airlines weren't allowed to seat children by themselves I thought they legally had to be sat with an accompanying adult.

I hate BA, whenever we fly with them something always goes wrong. Last year was the worst when the flight was delayed and they made us run for our connecting flight, with two children in tow and our bags didn't make the flight. We landed in 95F temperatures with only the clothes we stood up in. No suntan lotions, no bug spray, hats etc which I was more bothered about not having as opposed to toothbruses etc. Usually I would have these things in our hand luggage but because of the terrorist threats 3 weeks before we weren't allowed to take anything non-essential on the flight with us.

I always finish my flights with them saying never again but sadly always seem to find that wherever we're going BA flights seem to work out the cheapest

I would definitely write and complain to them.

And well done on keeping your cool with the lady in the queue, I would have stamped on her head

Never mind stamping repeatedly on her head, reading your post I was hoping after "As I pushed the trolley back..." you were going to add "straight into her" as quite frankly that's what she deserved. Why do people have to stick their oar in when it's none of their business? Hope she ended up with a child sitting behind her on the flight who kicked the back of her seat all the way

I think scamp may have kicked her seat the whole flight

kimi - [blushes] why thank you - I just changed it today.

madamez - I do hope you don't mean a touring caravan, dragged by one of those big mom-trucks?

I don't think you can do online check-in with a child. It's v annoying but I belive it is the rule. (I normally fly with KLM so not a BA-only issue).

Tribpot is right, you can't.

But you can put a handle on each ear and leave them at the fast bag drop

It'd be very useful & would avoid having to be at LHR at 5am with an 8 yr old! Still hopefully she'll sleep on the plane

I can't stand badly behaved children on the plane. Some you accept ... like young children, but it's the older children/teenagers who act like toddlers that are annoying.

I would have gone spare. I would write in and complain big time. 5 year old seated alone? Trainee? Rudeness? Flights cancelled? Threaten to contact all the broadsheet travel sections and the industry body. It's completely unacceptable.

As for the rude woman I would have spontaneously combusted if somebody had said that to me. I'm feeling rageful just thinking about it.

You did incredibly well maintaining your composure.

Go with Ryanair next time. They don't let people bag the best seats in advance and they always let families with young children board the plane first so you always get your pick. We flew with BA last year and we weren't allowed to check in online because we were travelling with children. You'd think the staff would know this.

stamp away

Arfishy - when they originally changed our flights DH spent hours just trying to get through to BA on the phone. We both used to work in newspapers & the travel ed of the Indy offered to stick his oar in but the airline just didn't give a toss.
We managed to check-in online on the outward journey okay so I don't know what happened coming back.
&, in response to all you environmentalists out there: I hate flying, for many reasons, & particularly with our DCs. I avoid it like the plague - we took the ferry to Normandy last year - but DH was desperate for some sun & I didn't have the heart to say no. (Bet he's learnt his lesson now though! )

get stamping!!