On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:00:02 -0700 'NotABushSupporter'
posted this onto rec.travel.air:
>hummingbird wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:50:12 -0700 'NotABushSupporter'
>> posted this onto rec.travel.air:
>>
>>
>>>hummingbird wrote:
>>>
>>>>The pilot claimed that the excess passenger problem was caused by
>>>>the previous night's flight being cancelled, but BA's check-in staff
>>>>and bossman said it was due to overbooking. Who was telling the truth?
>>>>
>>
>>
>>>You aren't making sense. If they boarded passengers from the previous
>>>night's flight, then of course that was the cause of the plane being
>>>overbooked.
>>
>>
>> I was describing the two different stories given to us:
>>
>> 1.that the additional passengers were from a previous flight which
>> had been cancelled (as per pilot) -or-
>>
>> 2.if it was simply a case of BA overbooking the flight (as per BA
>> airport manager).
>>
>> If the first explanation was true, it would have been very much in
>> the BA airport manager's interests to say so and the angry situation
>> which developed might have been avoided, but he didn't.
>>
>> There's a subtle distinction...
>You said you SAW the passengers from the previous flight.
I did not say that.
My only knowledge of these extra passengers arose when I asked an
FA if I could change seats because I'd been seated next to a large
passenger who was overflowing my own seat, and he said "that's not
possible because the flight will be 100% full tonight when some other
passengers board that we're waiting for".
Obviously there was much speculation among other passengers as to
what had happened.
>Yes, overbooking meant they didn't have enough seats to handle all of
>those passengers and those that had booked for the current flight.
>In other words, overbooking would not have been a problem had their not
>been a flight cancelation. In any case, you were offered a VOLUNTARY
>bump. You gave no indication that their were involuntary bumps
Yes that's pretty much true. But as I said previously, the truth as to
what caused the overbooking delay is not entirely known, given the two
different stories we were told.
I have no knowledge if there were any involuntary bumps.
It was the excessive check-in hassle and take-off delays plus the fact
that I was unable to change seats which caused me the annoyance.
Think about it: I was delayed by 3.5 hours checking in. Another 1.5
hours on board w/o aircon (temps over 30C) before take-off. Seated
next to a large person overflowing my own seat. Then a 12.5 hour
flight to London. I'd call that an unpleasant experience.
YMMV. |