Sorry - my original post didn't make it clear. I realise that as I had said much the same thing on Flyertalk and I realised later. What I meant was:
I'm not going to speak too harshly, because it's often difficult to speak to anyone at BA - particularly at times of disruption. Sometimes our telephones ring for ages before they're answered or sometimes , if someone's stuck in the middle of the M25, it's not practical to phone (I don't want anyone getting fined or jailed for using a mobile whilst driving on my account!)
My post is just intended to make people aware of the implications of being OLCI'd and then not showing up - your seat may have been very valuable to get some luckless stranded guy home! (Even when there's no disruption to speak of, we may have a "Missed Connection" passenger standing by for a spare seat!)
All I would like to say is if it is possible to let us know in advance that you can't make your flight, it would be really appreciated!
Thank you - and Happy Christmas - it's not far away now!