[Guylrc]

Just returned from travelling through Europe using Emirates, Easyjet, Ryan Air and British Airways. BA warned me before I left of the fact they had now moved my flight 5th April from Barcelona to Gatwick forward by over an hour. I immediately phoned the call centre to check as was concerned with the connection time to my return flight with Emirates was only now 1.45 hours and not the 3 I felt comfortable with. I was told there was sufficient time by the call centre (a UK number). Whilst travelling, collecting luggage and going thru security I learnt takes a lot longer in Europe than in SA and so I asked Emirates at Gatwick whether I had enough time to change. They were concerned as they close the flight 1 hour before and if I had to check my luggage with them this was too tight. However they did have an agreement with BA to forward check any BA passengers luggage I should ask BA to have the same done to mine, here is where the poor experience started:

I went to the BA counter to inquire whether then could forward check my luggage from Bacelona to Cape Town despite being two seperate tickets. I was told they would not do this. I then asked for a supervisor to see if there was someone else who could do more than a standard answer. Judy arrived and despite a smile at first was more than happy to repeat herself four times that:

These were seperate contracts and BA was not able to forward book and despite what Emirates told me there is not agreement between the airlines. (Not very customer friendly as many other airlines I learnt afterwards do allow).

The reason given not to forward check the luggage was that BA would incur costs (why not share in the saving that they had made in consolidating the flight in the first place and putting me in this situation?). I would respect the policy if it was to do with security but not to simply save money at the expense of losing a customer, I presume the cost is not much.

BA has the right to change the schedule as they please, did I not read the terms and conditions of the contract?

No solution was sort by Judy whose reaction was to repeat herself. I was told off by her when I interrupted her the fourth time she started her explanation and was told that she did not have to talk to me (those were her words).

Eventually I asked whether they was another flight leaving a day earlier, Judy then suggested that at an extra cost (the difference between the fares) she could return me via Heathrow and perhaps Emirates could take me from there. Please remember it was BA that put me in this situation, but I was at their disposal and would pay more to get me and my son home, I even offered to pay for the luggage to be forward checked but this was refused.

I went to Emirates who told me their Heathrow flight was full that day. I had run out of time and left for Barcelona on my outward leg. In Barcelona I called the BA call centre, who instantly understood my situation and who had caused it and offered a free ticket transfer to Heathrow, they did not once try to force me to understand their policies just regretfully told me that they cannot forward luggage to other airlines. Iberia under contract not BA did the ticket swop for me and I had to pay 38.50 GBP to bus ourselves to Gatwick and add 6 hours to our trip to Cape Town to ensure we did not miss our connection.

My irritation is that Judy was well trained in saying no to a customer and giving the legal reasons why she could. She was incorrect in trying to charge me for the flight to Heathrow as it was BA who had made the change in flight time. No attempt by any of the ground staff was made to find a solution, something that the Barcelona Iberia (on contract for BA) did immediately. Also if BA knew they were going to change the flight time / frequencies (apparently due to seasonal changes) why did they sell me the ticket with that time already? Surely they know these things in advance each year? This was very misleading and I would have booked on another airline who offered better connection times.

I fly COM air here in SA who run a local BA operation, much better than the UK Gatwick ground staff can even understand. BA the World's favourite airline? Not with Judy's approach.