British Airways to passengers for the next month, “You’re on your own”

After a strike in March that resulted in countless delayed and stranded passengers, not to mention a lot of worn out travel agents, and then the volcanic ash problems, everyone was hoping for a calm late spring and summer. Instead, it’s time to brace for more nightmares.

Anyone who watched Saturday Night Live (or who has seen the clips) when the great Gilda Radner portrayed Roseanne Roseannadanna, will no doubt remember the line “It just goes to show, it’s always something.”

These days, that is the way travel agents and passengers alike are thinking about British Airways.

UNITE, the airline’s cabin crew union has called a 20-day strike, spread over 23 days, starting May 18 all the way through June 9.

While British Airways is allowing passengers a certain amount of flexibility in terms of rebooking, the onus is on the passengers, and, if they have them, their travel agents.

The airline will be announcing which flights will operate approximately 7-11 days before each round of strikes. That’s ALL they’re doing.

Translation, travel agents, and presumably clients who have booked online, are getting messages of flight cancellation without any rebooking options.

And this complete “it’s not our problem” attitude seems to apply to occasional frequent travelers and the airline’s elite fliers alike.

Personally, I saw seven such messages on the first day of the announced strike schedule. Not only is our agency “preferred” with British Airways, three clients are British Airways Gold members, almost the highest status. None of them were protected.

Moreover, in the San Francisco-London market, where British Airways has canceled one daily flight and intends to fly the other on strike days, not only were clients not put on the operating flight, but it shows completely full in all four classes.

The airline did send a message to agents indicating our options. Basically, “Book whatever you can find in the same class of service to the same or closest airport you can find.”

As with the first round of strikes, if the closest airport requires a flight to get there — say, Los Angeles instead of San Francisco — the passenger is responsible for their own expenses getting there.

The airline did tell agents and passengers alike that they MIGHT be able to book on some unspecified other airlines but they won’t say which ones, and the ONLY way to get that sort of rebooking is by phone. Which will mean a very long time on hold.

(Curiously enough, during the volcano ash crisis, many travelers reported to British papers that some of their biggest expenses were cellphone bills from being on hold long-distance to airline call centers.)

Understandably, British Airways is no doubt being inundated with calls at this point, but not even attempting to find backup flights for unlucky clients doesn’t exactly set a shining example of customer service.

In addition, whether it’s a computer problem or a conscious decision, waitlists do not clear. In three instances, however, I waitlisted clients, the waitlists remained, but a day or so later I was able to book a seat that showed available just by rechecking the flight.

Moreover, perhaps because the airline has no idea how long this will last, there have been no incentives or bonuses for either travelers or agents for sticking with them through all of the problems.

It is possible British Airways is working on some future plan to salvage their reputation. Or it’s possible they figure, since they’re the biggest or only major European airline to many destinations they serve, passengers will come back because they have no choice.

And for anyone who thinks, “No worries, I never need to fly British Airways,” this situation doesn’t exactly bode well for U.S travelers with the increasing consolidation of OUR major carriers.