In February our family holiday took us to Florida. This was to be a special holiday because it was probably the last time we would all be together on holiday - both my children are grown up and really don't want to accompany us anymore. However this time my mum was also coming. At the time she was 75 and it was her first visit to America so it really was an extra special occasion. Because of the terrible September 11th tragedies there were fewer flights to America. We had booked our flydrive well in advance and before the sad events of September 11th. As on previous occasions, we had booked to leave from our local airport. Around Christmastime 2001 I heard on the radio that all flights to America from our local airport had been cancelled by way of economy measures.
We had paid the deposit months ago and the final payment was due. My husband called into the travel agents to ask if they knew anymore but they told him they had not heard of the cancelled flights but would contact us as soon as they had more information. They did say however that the final payment was due but my husband told them he wanted to make sure we had the flight before paying for it.
The next day the travel agent telephoned to say the flight had been cancelled and could we call in to make alternative arrangements. After much work on their part we eventually ended up with BA flights from Gatwick and connecting flights from our local airport. Our original flights had been chartered so the BA flights were considerably more expensive but we had been left with no other alternative than to accept as our villa etc had all been booked and paid for. Our original booking had been made with First Choice and we were never informed by First Choice that the flight had been cancelled or given any apology.
I looked up BA online and discovered the Executive Club, anyone can join free of charge. Some of the benefits are BA airmiles for each journey, you can view your allocated seats online, and change them (depending on availability). However, each time we attempted to use this facility the site refused to accept our membership number.
The day finally arrived and when we got to the airport check in desk we explained we had tried to use the BA site to book particular seats but had not been able to so we asked if we could book our seats on the flight to the USA there but we were told they were unable to do that from our local airport but when we got to Gatwick we would be able to.
Our flight to Gatwick left at 6.30am and our flight to the USA left Gatwick at 11.45am so we had quite a wait at Gatwick. We were fortunate because we were able to through-check our luggage from our local airport so did not have to go through the procedure again at Gatwick. The assistant at our local airport had used my mother's passport to check us all in and when my husband told her the booking had been made in his name, she assured him, this made no difference.
This was the first time we had flown with BA and we were looking forward to it. At Gatwick however we were told we had already been allocated seats and could not change them, as the flight was full. When we eventually boarded we found three of the seats were directly in front of a toilet so our seats could not recline. When I took off my shoes I discovered the floor beneath my feet was saturated. This soaked carpet stretched right across the three seats and into the aisle. We reported this to a steward and he said not to worry if it was coming from the toilet it would be clean water. 'Well that was alright then, we were supposed to feel happy in the knowledge that our feet were wet but the water in which they were standing was clean'. He told us we could not change seats because the flight was full and that was all the assistance he rendered. We used plastic bags to put on the floor beneath our feet so we could put them down. The smell which came up from the floor did not appear to be coming from clean water their was a definite smell of urine. FIRST IMPRESSIONS of BA not too good.
On arrival at Orlando International we experienced the after effects of September 11th, security had been stepped up 1 million per cent. We had got through immigration reasonably quickly and made our way to the carousels to claim our luggage. Officers with dogs were patrolling and the increased measures had meant queues everywhere for everything. Despite being one of the first to arrive at the carousels we were the last to leave- without one of our suitcases. In order to keep luggage to a minimum, my husband and son usually share a suitcase and myself and daughter and of course my mum has her own. The missing suitcase was that shared by my daughter and myself.
We took the two we had to the next checkpoint and from there the luggage is sent over to the main terminal. There were a couple of security checks to go through before we were reunited with our cases. A BA rep told us they had been informed that a case had been left behind at Gatwick but they could not verify the name on the label against the flight list - we presumed because the original booking and check in at our local airport were in different names.
This assistant was helpful and said our case should arrive the following day and would be delivered to our villa but she could not give us a time. She gave us a voucher in order to buy a couple of essential items to tide us over. This had taken a very very long time to sort out and consequently we arrived at our villa well after dark and feeling totally exhausted.
Baring in mind we were travelling in February from the North of England we were dressed accordingly and not exactly for the Floridian weather. The following day it was in the high 70's and my daughter and I had sweat pants, jumpers etc. We couldn't leave the villa because we did not know when our case would be delivered. We had been given a number to ring but this was just a recorded service that told us our luggage was in transit. The case arrived at 11.45pm so we had wasted one day because of the lost case. The case was split and had many puncture marks. Inside was lots of little pieces of gravel. However it had arrived and we were not going to let this setback spoil our holiday.
On the day we were due to return, we arrived early at the airport to book our seats so we would not be in front of the leaking toilet again. We were first in the queue and were allocated, what the assistant told us, were excellent seats. We checked in at 2.00pm and were due to fly out at 6.00pm.
After spending 4 hours in the airport, 1 hour before we were due to leave, we were tannoyed and asked to go to the BA desk. We were told that there was a problem with the seats we were due to occupy on the return flight because passengers on the incoming flight had vomited over 2 of the seats, not reported it and just covered it with a blanket. The cleaners had only just discovered it and unfortunately the flight was full and we could not be offered alternative seats. There was insufficient time to clean the seats properly and neither the seat pads nor the covers could be changed, as there were no spares.It was unbelievable that a company the size of BA could not provide spare seats or covers. We were told that they only had a small depot at Orlando airport which contained very few extras. We couldn't believe what we were hearing. We were asked if we wanted to travel or take a flight the following day and that BA would pay for all our expenses. We had to make our decision quickly as our bags would have to be off loaded. Travelling the following day was not an option because we had work commitments but I said I would board the plane to see just how bad the seats were.
In order to board I had to go through the whole security procedure and was singled out for the extra checks, shoes, bag etc. None of the BA assistants accompanied me on board and as only the First and Business passengers were boarding I had to explain why I was going on board. I must admit I did feel very much a second class passenger as the cabin crew fussed over the First and Business class passengers. The cabin crew knew nothing about the incident and I had to explain to them. When I got to the seats the smell was awful. I asked if they had any polythene to cover them and extra blankets and I was told they would provide them. I said in that case we would travel, as we really couldn't do anything else.
Once we took off and the heat in the aircraft rose, the smell was unbearable. The sour smell of vomit filled our noses every way we turned. We had not been given the polythene or extra blankets. We could not sleep but spent most of the flight standing in the emergency exit opening. The head steward, eventually brought us extra blankets to sit on and told us to ask for compensation and provided us with a copy of his report sheet to back up our claim. He also thanked us for agreeing to travel and said it would have caused huge problems if we had decided not to.
We got into Gatwick at 7.00am and our connecting flight was scheduled to leave at 12.45pm but this was delayed. We were totally and absolutely exhausted and had to sit and wait for hours before we were on the final leg home. We were dying to change our clothes and wash that stench away. We didn't get home until 4.00pm and discovered my husband and son's case was split up one side. IMPRESSION OF BA - it stinks.
We decided to contact their Customer Relations Department and tell them of our experience. We received a reply saying they would offer us £50 voucher to be spent on board a BA flight, or £100 voucher to use against BA holiday, or BA airmiles. All of which are reliant on our travelling with BA again. We wrote again to say it would have cost them much more if we had stayed in Orlando for an extra day but they remained adamant with the offer. We telephoned, wrote and emailed to no avail. Despite our BA contact saying she could sympathise with the situation, she firmly insisted BA had fulfilled their contract by providing the requested flight.
We did take legal advise but were told these sort of cases are very complex and can take forever to sort out and the outcome is not always favourable. We were left with no other option than to accept one of BA's offers - we took the £100 voucher against a future flight but it's still pinned to our notice board in my kitchen.
In comparing this flight to America to other airlines, I would say, if the circumstances had been different overall it was probably better. The seats were more comfortable and had more body and legroom than charter planes although this depended on where you sat.
The use of individual tv monitors was an advantage and did help to pass away the time as you could choose what you wanted to watch and your view of the screen was never impaired. It can be so annoying on charter flights, when you're watching the overhead screen and passengers are constantly out of their seats rummaging in the overhead lockers. The entertainment was average, although the films were very good. On the return journey there was very little visual entertainment as I presume it was thought passengers would be sleeping.
The food was average, verging on slightly better than the usual airline quality and you could have free wine with you meal. All drinks were free but only offered once. A pack containing socks, eyemask (to black out the light and so aid sleep), and the usual toothbrush, toothpaste, wet wipe etc, was placed on each seat together with a blanket and pillow. Headphones were also provided.
The cabin crew varied in their degree of helpfulness. Some were really nice and others appeared to be annoyed if they were asked anything. The head steward on our return flight, was particularly nice despite the fact he had many incidents to deal with. Apparently one passenger at the rear of the plane had struck another passenger and this caused much fantic tooing and froing. One family with a baby were extremely annoyed to find the seats they had booked had been allocated to a passenger who had been in a wheelchair and they just would not accept that nothing could be done about it. All the problems which arose on that flight were not the fault of the cabin crew but they had to face the wrath of the passengers and some dealt with it better than others.
The BA check-in staff in the UK were pleasant and in America were extremely helpful but unfortunatley the Company itself does not deliver when it comes to customer complaints. The tv advert showing how BA care for their passengers and that they attempt to make the journey as comfortable as possible didn't compare to the flight conditions BA afforded us.
What does the abbreviation BA stand for - well we've thought of many connotations from Beastie Award to Bloody Awful but we've decided on Bad Arbitrator.
More details
Class flown most frequently
Economy
How often do you travel with this airline
First time
Where did you book
Travel Agent/Tour Operator
Safety
Satisfactory
How well does it cater for disabled people
Don't know
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