Anyone flying British Airways

[MOSagain]

Over the next few days please double check before you go to the airport.
We were due to fly to Florida this morning with 4 DC. Just as we were getting ready to leave to go to the airport DH got a text from BA saying our flight was going tomorrow morning!
We tried for ages to get hold of someone on phone and eventually spoke to someone who didn't know what was happening and told us to go to the airport. Flight was still showing on systems as departing as planned.

As we are not too far from LGW DH and I jumped in car and rushed to airport only to find chaos at BA's check in area. The first two members of staff we spoke to had no knowledge of any problems with our flight but one said that 'we've been having operational difficulties with our longhaul fleet for a few days'. As we were there, the flight due to go to Orlando yesterday was just being called.

There has been an appalling breakdown in customer service in that staff on helplines and at airport had no idea what was happening. I would imagine many people have a long journey to get to the airport for their flights and a text message an hour or so before check in opens is not particularly helpful.

So just a warning, if you are flying longhaul over the next few days please try to find out as much as possible before you leave for the airport.

Right, now to console devestaged 3 and 5 year olds who don't understand

How did you miss the flight if you were there when it was being called?

Ok I've re-read. So are you flying tomorrow now?

Fingers crossed, they said they will 'try' to get us on the flight tomorrow!
Try explaining that to two very small children who thought they were going to see mickey mouse tomorrow

Cripes. Fingers crossed they sort you out tomorrow, and that you contact them when you get back and seek some answers, or money back for being messed around.

We're flying BA on Monday from Singapore to Heathrow, so fhoping they'll have sorted it by then

So you didn't go to the airport at the right time because of a text.

fluffy do you not read properly? Despite the text we got basically telling us our flight which was today (which we'd already checked in online for) was going to be tomorrow morning, DH and I drove to the airport 4 HOURS BEFORE our flight was due to leave to find out what the fuck was going on as the 'customer services' department on the phone at BA had no bloody idea and didn't know what was happening so told us to go to the airport.

So, we went to the airport, as no doubt did hundreds of other passengers only to be told that our flight that was this morning is now tomorrow due to their 'operational difficulties'. We didn't not bother going or turn up late, we turned up well in advance (hoping I suppose that we might be able to get on the Orlando flight instead of Tampa flight as knew that was due to go a few hours earlier but that was delayed too).

I didn't start this thread to whinge about me missing my flight, I started it so that hopefully other people due to fly will double check before they start a potentially long journey to the airport. The BA flights have apparently (according to BA ground staff at LGW) been running up to a day late for the past few days. There were families with very small children who had turned up for flights only to be told they were 'delayed' by up to 24 hours.

longdistance I do hope it all sorts itself out before your flight and will keep my fingers crossed for you.

Hope you get on flight tomorrow. Is it just long-haul do you know? We're flying BA within Europe in a few days time.

Thanks Wendeville, their exact words were that there were operational difficulties with their longhaul fleet and that it had been going on for a few days and would probably still be going on for a few days. Other than that, all we know is the Tampa flight didn't go today and the Orlando flight had 'problems' and also a number of fights that were due to go yesterday were going today and ones from today are (hopefully!) going tomorrow!

The queues at the various check in and customer service/ticketing desks were ridiculous so clearly they are having major problems. Having looked at their flight departures short haul appear to be going ok so will keep my fingers crossed for you

Thanks.