Consumerist
-
too good to be true
British Airways Sells Cheap Flight, Says It Was A Mistake And Cancels Reservation
Akshay thought he'd found a great deal on a Thanksgiving weekend flight from San Francisco to Mumbai — $554 for a round trip — and booked it excitedly at ba.com, getting a confirmation number. More » -
fees
British Airways Adds Seat-Selection Fee
With baggage fees, $3 ramen noodles and even fees to let you cut the line, we thought the airline industry had gone about as far as it could to separate passengers from their money while preserving the illusion of selling cheap tickets. But British Airways has one-upped the yanks with a new fee that gives passengers the privilege of selecting their seats more than 24 hours in advance, for a mere £10 to £60. More » -
perks on a plane
Consumerist Poll: Is First-Class Travel Really Necessary?
Faced with a 20% drop in 'premium' travel as compared to a year ago, some airlines (Qantas, BA) have started cutting back on their first-class fanciness. Some (Emirates, Air France, Lufthansa) find the idea "unthinkable". Yet those airlines who continue to invest in first-class travel might be making the smarter move: they're hoping these passengers will stay loyal when the economy bounces back. Which is not such a bad idea, considering the fact that first-class passengers are the ones keeping the airlines afloat. (Uh, aloft?) More » -
class action settlements
Settlement In BA-VA Price-Fixing Class Action
You're entitled to a small refund if you bought tickets for a long haul flight on British Airways or Virgin Atlantic between August 11, 2004 and March 23, 2006. The amount is $7-$34 per flight taken. This is the settlement in a class action lawsuit contending the two airlines colluded to fix the price of fuel surcharges. More info at airpassengerrefund.com. [via RickSeaney] -
american express
The 43.5% APR Credit Card
Perhaps this British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card's interest rate is in "metric" APR, but if not, no matter what side of the pond you're on on, or road you drive on, you must agree that a 43.5% variable interest rate is bollocks. Who cares how many bonus miles you get, they're just going to get devalued anyway.
UPDATE: The 43.5% APR is the effective APR after you include the £150 annual fee. Like commenter Hanke wrote, "It's just like those payday loan places, where although the actual interest rate is low, the fees associated with the service give you a 300%APR." Makes you wonder, though, what about all those American credit cards with annual fees? Their effective APR is also higher then, and as far as I know, they don't have to include the fee in the stated APR (big print or no).
British Airways American Express [Official Site] (Thanks to Kerwin!)
-
British Airways yanks beef from the menu because
"We can only serve two options and beef and pork obviously have religious restrictions. "We have to try to use two meals which appeal to as many customers as possible."
BA says that cost has (cough) nothing to do with it. [Daily Mail] MORE » -
travel
British Airways' New Hi-Tech Baggage System Routes All Luggage To A Big Pile
British Airways is having trouble with its new baggage system—namely, that it doesn't actually sort and route the baggage to the correct flight. On Sunday they claimed that 15,000 bags had missed their flights and were now being stored at Heathrow. However, the UK's Aviation Minister said yesterday that the number was closer to 28,000. More » -
taking it seriously
British Airways Flight Attendant Suspended For Eating Passenger's Leftover Muffin?
The Daily Mail is reporting that a flight attendant for British Airways has been suspended for eating a leftover muffin that was headed to the trash. More » -
-
travel
Quantas Guilty Of Price Fixing
Quantas became the third foreign airline to admit to price-fixing and agree to pay a fine to the U.S. government, joining British Airways PLC and Korean Air Lines Co. Ltd, says the Associated Press. More » -
British Airways had the ability to sell this passenger's lost folding chiropractic table, but not the inclination to Google "Dr. Marta Callotta, Sports Chiropractic" imprinted on the front of it it to return it to it's rightful owner. [Elliot via Rick Seany]
-
complaints
British Airways Leaves Luggage To Rot Outside Heathrow
I was flying [British Airways] from Amsterdam to London Heathrow to Denver on July 28th. When I landed I waited by the luggage carousel for my bag, well as you can sure guess, it never turned up. I was told by BA, that they found my bag they apologized and assured me it would be delivered to my home the following day. Seven days later the luggage finally showed up.
More »When I finally did receive my luggage I pulled it inside my house and was overwhelmed by the smell emanating from my luggage. It smelled like BA had thrown my luggage in a swamp of poo for the past 7 days. I then opened up my luggage to discover that everything in my luggage was soaked with water and penetrated with mold and mildew. I attempter to wash the clothes but everything is ruined.
-
travel
Airline Complaints Up 47.2% In First Half
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics complaints about airlines were up 47.2% in the first six months of 2007. More » -
class actions
Virgin Atlantic, British Airways Admit To Collusion, Prepare To Issue Vouchers
Virgin Atlantic and British Airways admitted last week to the Department of Justice that they colluded to levy excess fuel surcharges ranging from $10 to $100. Despite the admission, both airlines claim that passengers weren't really overcharged. More » -
greenwashing
What Good Is A Carbon Offset Program If British Airways Doesn't Tell You About It?
British Airways has come under fire for not informing customers of its carbon-offsetting program, possibly for fear that people will fly less if they knew the real environmental impact, according to the Times of London. More » -
airlines
9 Airline's CEO Email Addresses, And Other Useful Complaint Resolution Contact Info
Travler's friend site Elliot.org has these great customer service "cheat sheets" to help you if you have a dispute with your airline. CEO contact info, how to hack their phone trees, email addresses, phone numbers, mailing addresses, it's all there. More » -
executive customer service
All US Airline CEO's Contact Infos
This appears to be a giant list of all US airlines' CEO contact info (for instance, the phone number for US Airways corresponds with the information listed on their SEC filing) Shoot your complaints to the top of the totem pole with this information. — BEN POPKEN More » -
bad consumer
Calm Down, British Airways Looking To Hire "Air Rage Investigator"
Sir, we need you to sit down for this post. Thank you. British Airways is advertising for an "air rage investigator" to join their "asset protection group," according to the Telegraph: More » -
advertising
British Airways Edits Virgin Atlantic Logo And CEO Out of Casino Royale
British Airways will show Casino Royale on their airplanes, but not if Richard Branson is in it. According to the BBC, they've cut him out of the movie. From the BBC: More »
british airways
New York, 12:46 PM
Sat Nov 14
20 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip Your Editors:
tips@consumerist.com
tipline: 347-42C-ON95
Co-Managing Editor:
Ben Popken
Email | AIM | Twitter
Co-Managing Editor:
Meghann Marco
Email | Twitter
Senior Editor:
Chris Walters
Email | Twitter
Weekend Editor:
Laura Northrup
Email | AIM | Twitter
Associate Editor:
Alex Chasick | Email
Associate Editor:
Phil Villarreal
Email
