When will Cunard "bin" British Airways

[Kindlychap]

For a day flight even economy is acceptable.

 

I beg to disagree. At least when you carry as much lard as I do, Economy is unpleasant flying to Cork!

 

Matthew

[lexxity]

I beg to disagree. At least when you carry as much lard as I do, Economy is unpleasant flying to Cork!

 

 

HA HA HA! Fair Enough Matthew. :D We honestly found Virgin's economy to be ok. Granted there were only about 40pax on the whole aircraft so there was lots of spread out room. I much prefer to fly premium or up the front, but when travelling on concessions you take what you are given.

[craigh]

Thank you all for your help and advise. I will definately call Cunard on Monday to sort this out.

Does anyone has any experience with the air department and change of flights?

Kevin

[craigh]

Hi everyone.

I thought you like to be informed.

I just called Cunard. The lady was very friendly and rebooked my flight immediately. So we will leave LHR at 11:55 on the 29th.

This is such a wonderfull day.

Thank you all for your advice and help.

Kevin

[BrianI]

Hi everyone.

I thought you like to be informed.

I just called Cunard. The lady was very friendly and rebooked my flight immediately. So we will leave LHR at 11:55 on the 29th.

This is such a wonderfull day.

Thank you all for your advice and help.

Kevin

Glad you got it sorted. You are now on the same flight as us. BA283 presumably. Assume you have the overnight hotel in LA included.

Brian

[Wadadli1]

Hi everyone.

I thought you like to be informed.

I just called Cunard. The lady was very friendly and rebooked my flight immediately. So we will leave LHR at 11:55 on the 29th.

This is such a wonderfull day.

Thank you all for your advice and help.

Kevin

 

Kevin,

 

Are you sleeping over with us on the Queen Mary on the 29th?

[craigh]

Kevin,

 

Are you sleeping over with us on the Queen Mary on the 29th?

 

Angela,

the hotel is provided by Cunard, so the answer is No, unfortunately not.

BUT I talk this through with my wife, maybe we drop the included hotel and do Queen Mary instead, but to be honest, I doubt it.

Kevin

[Kindlychap]

Angela,

the hotel is provided by Cunard, so the answer is No, unfortunately not.

BUT I talk this through with my wife, maybe we drop the included hotel and do Queen Mary instead, but to be honest, I doubt it.

Kevin

 

The Queen Mary isn't as expensive as you'd think. And surely worth doing, after you've gone all that way?

 

Matthew

[ikelmay]

I cannot imagine getting to the airport for the flight to meet the ship, and getting told that I cannot check any luggage in!

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7254455.stm

 

 

Thanks for the hyperlink to the news story. Now I'm trying to figure out why your bile is directed at BA when it's a problem originating with the British Airports Authority and their continued incompetence. I would love to see this company broken up and their assets placed in the hands of some organisation that cares about the travelling public. Having experienced the woeful heathrow experience with another carrier, I can attest to the generally held belief that this is the worst international airport anywhere. My sympathies lie with the chief carrier that has to operate from LHR and try to make a profit!!

[smithcvs]

Hi,

In January we did the Caribbean on QM2 having flown BA from Manchester UK. Had a great time. HOWEVER........

Took the Cunard coach trip around New York on the way back to the airport and was told by the check in girl at the BA desk at Kennedy that they didn't have two seats together. After a meaningful discussion and a few phone calls two seats were found (how does that happen?). Quite a few Cunard customers behind us suffered the same fate but were not so lucky and had to sit all over the place on the plane. One lady was quite nervous and being seperated from her nearest and dearest didn't help.

One passenger complained at the BA service desk to be told that nothing can be done and that 60% of the plane had been booked over the internet within the previous 24 hours.

The question I ask is..............why couldn't Cunard have done a block booking for its passengers ????? I find it a very poor service. I don't want to have an advantage over anyone else, however it would be very easy for a block of seats to be allocated when the booking was confirmed. My package like most others was a fly/cruise and any booking of seats was beyond my control.

Cunard/BA........you had some unhappy passengers who's holiday was spoiled as a result of this......A lesson to be learned ? I doubt it.

[lexxity]

Cunard will do a block booking, but the seat allocation is done by the airline.

 

Our beef with BA is that they seem to have no idea how to run an airline. When the belt system goes down you do not then deny passengers travel! The belt system is out at Manchester 8/10 times and we still manage to operate. BA are shambolic and treat their customers and staff appallingly, ask the regional staff. Oh, except you can't because they've all been laid off.

[Brit and proud]

When we booked our Carribean crusie some 18mths ago, one of our party had a medical concern which needed to be sat next to their partner, ratehr than being seperated by an aisle or seat.. we submitted a letter from the Dr confirming this.

 

Couple of months later having heard nowt, i contacted the travel agent who informed me that pre booked seating was unavailable....red rag to a bull!!!

 

I contact British Airways who informed me that as Cunard "block book" seating these would not be giving out untill the day, unless of a medical condition etc. When i informed him of the condition and a Dr's letter, he said that this could be done !!! but at Cunards end

 

With this information i contacted Cunard for the person at the other end of the phone to say they where unable to do this.....red rag to bull again !!!

 

I informed them of my conversation with BA and gave the name, tel number etc and 10 mins later a request was placed on the system for both routes. why they couldnt have achieved this some 2 mths previous is beyond me

 

Why cant BA & Cunard issue a customer number to each booking to allow you to book in on line etc rather than wait untill check in

 

 

Brian

[lexxity]

Brian, you should have an eticket I would have though, in which case you will have on it your PNR locator.

 

Go to this site http://www.britishairways.com/travel/mmbhome/public/en_gb?source=TOP_MMB and away you go. You will also need to enter all your API data too. The site has help clicks all over it to help you along.

 

When are you flying? email with your details and the passengers details and names, dates yadda and I will pass it along to BA at MAN. When I say BA I mean their handling agent. :rolleyes:

 

lexxity @ btinternet.com

[Brit and proud]

Brian, you should have an eticket I would have though, in which case you will have on it your PNR locator.

 

Go to this site http://www.britishairways.com/travel/mmbhome/public/en_gb?source=TOP_MMB and away you go. You will also need to enter all your API data too. The site has help clicks all over it to help you along.

 

When are you flying? email with your details and the passengers details and names, dates yadda and I will pass it along to BA at MAN. When I say BA I mean their handling agent. :rolleyes:

 

lexxity @ btinternet.com

 

 

Hi Tried to log on to the BA site last night, but it stated as it was a block booking we where unable to use the site...just wanted to confirm the seat request for the medical condition

 

 

Brian

[Cruiser765]

Just wondering if the poor service and particularly the seating applies to all classes.

 

We are booked in economy from Man to NYC in Oct to join QM.

 

Thinking now we should consider upgrading to Premium as l really do not wish to be seperated from hubby on a long flight, or indeed have to endure any hassle at check-in.:eek:

 

 

It's good that these points are being raised on here, one would have thought, as previously stated! that Cunard and BA would get their damn act together!

 

Jackie

[smithcvs]

On the outward journey, i.e. from Manchester you can pre select your seats within the 24 hrs before your flight by going to BA.com. but cannot do it for the return. I am fiercly supportive of my national airline and always travel BA unless they do not service my destination. However, on this occasion I think that it is just a matter of two big companies working together, i.e. Cunard and BA and as such not keeping their finger on the pulse regarding the little things that matter to the paying customer.

On my de-brief with my travel agent I made mention of this issue. They have passed it onto BA who in turn have sent me a letter of confirmation that they are looking into it. I will update if I get an answer from them.

[Kindlychap]

Why cant BA & Cunard issue a customer number to each booking to allow you to book in on line etc rather than wait untill check in

 

I believe that cattle class on BA does not allow anyone to pre-book.

 

One good reason not to fly with them!

 

Matthew

[Kindlychap]

I am fiercly supportive of my national airline and always travel BA unless they do not service my destination.

 

I'm not sure that a private company can be a national airline. Surely post privatisation this has disappeared?

 

Matthew

[Cruiser765]

So the answer is then, not to book your flights through Cunard?

 

We would much prefer to fly Virgin, but were not given an option, albeit in fairness we opted for a Man departure!

 

Having said that, is it still possible for us to make our own flight arrangements and cancel the flight that Cunard have put us on, and to what cost please.

 

Many Thanks

Jackie:)

[smithcvs]

I don't want to be too alarmist here.

If you cancel your Cunard arranged flights you will get in the region of about £150 reduction which will be considerably less than the cost of a flight arranged by yourself. So your holiday becomes more expensive.

However, the answer appears to be to put more pressure on BA and Cunard to get their act together or ask your agent to book you an alternative operator. (But would the same happen here ?????)

Having said all that I have just booked the P&O Artemis Panama Canal in January 2009 and we fly from Manchester to Acapulco on a Charter Flight so that could open another can of worms.

Let's see......

[smithcvs]

Sorry about the National Airline statement Matthew, but I think you get my drift.

[jgsmuzzy]

Smithcvs.

 

Not really. BA have proved time and time again that they value neither their staff or their customers.

 

We have two flag carriers in the UK. British Midland (carry the flag on the tail) and Virgin.

 

BA do not carry the flag, but have some stylised thing on their tails that someone was paid £5m for.

 

Virgin (flag on wingtips)

 

BMI (Flag on tail)

 

BA (nowt)

[Freckles67]

In December I saw on my Cunard voyage personalizer page that we are booked on British Air for our return flight to Florida from London, a week after arriving in Southampton on QE2. I called BA customer service, asked for our booking reference number, went to the BA website, pulled up our reservation, and chose our seats. I just checked again this evening and it is showing that we have the seats that I chose..... We are flying home on April 24th.

 

Am I mistaken in thinking that we have seats reserved ?

 

And one other question... I read online that the BA pilots' strike is off now. Is that correct?

 

Cheers,

Freckles

[Brit and proud]

I believe that cattle class on BA does not allow anyone to pre-book.

 

One good reason not to fly with them!

 

Matthew

 

 

Strange

 

we flew economy from Manchester to Gatwick for a flight to the Maldives in December 07 and we where able to pre book on line, is this something that has changed or where we lucky on this occasion

 

Brian.

[yorky]

On the outward journey, i.e. from Manchester you can pre select your seats within the 24 hrs before your flight by going to BA.com. but cannot do it for the return. I am fiercly supportive of my national airline and always travel BA unless they do not service my destination. However, on this occasion I think that it is just a matter of two big companies working together, i.e. Cunard and BA and as such not keeping their finger on the pulse regarding the little things that matter to the paying customer.

On my de-brief with my travel agent I made mention of this issue. They have passed it onto BA who in turn have sent me a letter of confirmation that they are looking into it. I will update if I get an answer from them.

 

If you worked for them you may feel slightly differently. My understanding is many of their staff have never felt so undervalued.