[neil reid]

BA1342 - Diverted to MAN - I smell a rat!

Pretty disappointed with BA. I could have taken the train - instead I took the flight up to Yorkshire for 10 pounds more. It took 7 hours! 1 hour to the airport, 1 hour checkin etc, 1 hour flight and four hours diversion to MAN and a coach to LBA!!!

Heres the thing :
1. it wasn't that bumpy (Im a private pilot - 150 hours - ok not a jet pilot with 10,000 hours but I can discern excessive turbulence)
2. nobody else was diverted - just check the LBA arrivals before and after !!! - everyone LANDED except us
3. the pilot was too high and fast on approach (obviously high on speed to compensate for gusts) .. well then he has to be spot on with glide slope and he wasn't - ie too high
4. so he bangs on the power and tells us - "obviously folks its to bumpy to land we are off to Manchester"
5. no go-around - instead, .. direct to the diversion airport

Well I'm calling bull**** - here's what I think really happened : yes conditions were bumpy but not excessive as evidenced by all the other arrivals of the day landing just fine .. I suspect our plane was low on fuel and there just wasn't enough in the tank for a 2nd go-around/miss and then diversion .. so our captain played it safe and diverted immediately to MAN

How else , ...BA ... do you guys explain this bizarre behaviour ? a diversion to the alternate without a 2nd attempt while all other arrivals land at LBA ? You guys suck - why? Because you lied to the passengers claiming it's weather. You can claim weather and you will get away with it - but I call bull****.