[AJF]

This is a warning to all potential BA passengers about how badly they treat their most loyal long-term customers.

I was booked on BA196, departing Houston at 20.25 on 28th April. That morning I received a text telling me that my flight had been cancelled and that I should phone BA to make alternative arrangements. After nearly an hour on the phone to the UK (their US number was unobtainable) having surreal conversations with two customers services reps who kept telling me that my flight had not been cancelled I determined that BA196 had indeed been cancelled and that BA had rebooked me onto BA194, scheduled to depart at 16.15. BA would no allow me to find a later alternative so I was forced to cancel an important meeting and go to the airport earlier than planned. I was shocked when I checked in at 13.30 to be told that BA194 would be delayed until 19.00.

After a very long wait in the airport when I was offered no food vouchers (other passengers received them) the flight departed and the captain announced that the flight had been deliberately delayed to accommodate as many passengers as possible from the cancelled flight.

I wrote to BA to complain about (1) my original flight being cancelled and me being rebooked onto another with no choice; (2) the fact that I had to cancel a very important meeting in Houston to catch the earlier flight; (3) the fact that the earlier flight was then delayed, and it arrived at LHR just under four hours after its scheduled arrival time; and (4) the lack of food vouchers at Houston. They sent a boilerplate response offering no compensation and saying they will raise my concerns with Houston airport. My issues were not with Houston airport but with BA.

I tried again and received another lame response which offered me 50% of the compensation that I am entitled to under EU law, which also contradicts their own website. Several more attempts to reason with BA have got me nowhere so I have now engaged a solicitor to pursue the matter. BA Customer Services are a disgrace and they just add insult to injury.

BA is an absolute shambles of a company that doesn't value its customers. I have flown with BA for many years and have been an Executive Club Silver of Gold member for a long time. This counts for nothing. I have been very disappointed with many of my BA flights this year, including First Class, where the in flight attendants were far from attentive and the food was almost inedible. I now avoid BA and use other airlines. Asian airlines are so much better.