BA Exec Club - contact details

[Pax Vobiscum]

BA ask Exec Club members to provide mobile phone numbers and email addresses, (in part, at least) so that they can keep members updated of last minute changes to flight details.

Now, my brother was coming back from BKK on Monday, only to find (when he tried to check-in online) that the flight was cancelled - the outbound leg having been disrupted by wet weather at LHR. No big deal, BA got him on the flight the following day and no doubt compensation for hotac will be forthcoming.

His question to me (and therefore mine to the experts on this forum) was, why not send him an SMS text or email, since BA must have known at least 24 hrs in advance that this flight would not be operating? Does one need to do something extra to tweak the membership details in order for this to happen? Has anyone received such a text/email?

Any advice gratefully received!

[Haven't a clue]

During the protracted foggy period last December I got a text message from BA at around 0430 advising that my BA Connect flight at 1230 that day had been cancelled and giving me the BA contact number. So the system does work.

Incidently flight was booked on BA.com - maybe they don't message pax who book through agents?

[PAXboy]

Add VS to this list. I booked directly with them (as it was part paid in FFMs) on their regular LHR~JNB.

About six weeks before the trip I discovered by chance, when amending a small detail of the booking, that the departure time had been put back and this compromised my arrangements for the morning of arrival.

Since there was time in hand, I waited to see how long it would be until they notified me. Two and a half weeks is the answer. Although they had the decency to ring me, an automated e-mail could have done the trick, with the phone call to ensure that I knew.

When I wrote an email to their customer service to ask why they had not emailed me ... their reply took more than six weeks to arrive. Having been a steady (but not too frequent) pax with them since 1986, I was slightly disappointed. :*

[Pax Vobiscum]

Thanks for the prompt replies (PAXboy, you really ought to get to sleep earlier:D).

It may well be that not booking through BA.com has something to do with it. OTOH the booking will always have the Exec Club number associated with it, so it ought to be possible to get BA's creaking computers to match them up!

[Flame]

Also add EI to the list...but for a different reason.

Recently, Aer Lingus have been using mobile numbers supplied by passengers when booking online, to send SMS messages to passengers who are travelling to the USA, to go immediately to the US Pre-clearance facility and not be late for the boarding of their flights

IMHO..This amounts to an abuse of passengers mobile phones

If, like me, you turn the phone off as soon as you check in and if you fly long haul on a regular basis..will EI pick up the roaming charges for these messages while you are abroad. Because, if your phone is off when the messge is sent...you will receive it when you turn your phone on no matter which country you are in..and pay the roaming fee

I may seem very picky, but when EI started charging me for bags, pre-booking my seat so I can sit with my family and other assorted charges, I reserve the right to highlight, where I view that they are wasting my money:ugh:

If a passenger cannot get themselves to the boarding gate on time...they deserve to miss their flight

This type of SMS messaging should be used only when really required:ok:

[G-BPED]

Hello P.V.

B.A. asks for Mobile phone and email details to be entered in your Exec Club profile.

However, when I review my booking on BA.com I am always be asked to enter a mobile number in case of delays etc. Despite the fact that I am an Exec Club member

If you have not entered a phone number in the "manage my booking" section you are unlikely to get any messages even if you are an Exec Club member.

I had 2 cancellations in December last year and on both occasions I had an SMS to advise of them and, I had entered my number in the manage booking section.

Seems odd that despite having you phone number on record you will not get a message unless you enter the number yourself on the booking page.

B.A. should review their systems so that phone numbers are automatically entered into a booking from an Exec Club profile.

Regards

G-BPED

[Pax Vobiscum]

Thanks G-BPED (I assume that name implies you're a 757 fan :ok:)

I'll bear that in mind and pass on to my brother (who has confirmed to me that the affected flights were booked through BA.com).

[G-BPED]

Yes, I am an avid B757 fan ;) and I have flown on G-BPED more times than I can remember. She did let me down once going tech in Manchester but that was a few years ago.

With regard to BA and SMS to mobiles I have again emailed them (BA)asking if the mobile numbers can be automatically entered.

My guess is that they do not do this in case your number has changed so, this way you manually enter your current number.

Regards

[PAXboy]

G-BPED B.A. should review their systems so that phone numbers are automatically entered into a booking from an Exec Club profile.You are asking for joined-up IT systems??? :hmm:

One of the greatest problems for large companies is to inter-connect disparate systems. Some of them have roots in mainframe systems 20 years ago and others have just entered production and are running on the latest software. They are usually specified by different parts of the organisation and, whilst linking them seems straight forward, the practicalities can be awesome.

I do not want to be seen to making apologies for BA but, after being in telecomms and IT for 27 years, I have seen folks do their best and still not make it happen. This kind of silly missed opportunity irritates me just as much as you. A couple of years ago I went through the new terminal at MUC, which was only being constructed when I was working there. LH managed to SMS the revised Gate Number (same departure time) before I heard it on the speaker system and I thought, "Why can't everyone do that?"

One of the reasons that the large IT projects of central (British) govt fail is because they are trying to make them do everything and link to everyone. Small systems work best but folks now want the big all-interconnected 'do everything in one place' system that science fiction shows us. Well, not just yet!

[chippy63]

I completely agree with Paxboy. There is often weak disciplne at both the planning stage, when getting users to "freeze" their requirements is often very difficult, and also the implementation stage, where IT people are trying to keep up with a business environment which has changed from the original conditions. Another bugbear is high turnover of user and IT staff, and poor training of user staff.
Seems to affect just about every industry.:ugh: