BA gone to pot?
Join Date: Mar 2004
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I think BA staff should be commended for their continued battle against all odds, although I don't see why they still put up with such bad management! The whole country now looks at BA employees (ground staff, pilots, cabin crew...) and genuinely feels sorry for them!
Unfortunately, I do see why the BBC are pushing for a new, less shameful national carrier!
Unfortunately, I do see why the BBC are pushing for a new, less shameful national carrier!
Join Date: Sep 1999
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Mrs Scannon and I will be flying BA next Tuesday. Can anyone tell me why, when things go wrong, that we can't expect a whole bunch of the Waterside management to descend on the terminals to help out?
Even if their skills are only limited to manual work, they could back up the check in staff with some bag handling. Ones that are paid at a rate that would suggest some communication skills could be used to placate passengers.
BA managements present policy of cowering behind locked doors at Waterside, leaving their incompetence to be explained away by junior staff in the terminal is remarkable.
Even if their skills are only limited to manual work, they could back up the check in staff with some bag handling. Ones that are paid at a rate that would suggest some communication skills could be used to placate passengers.
BA managements present policy of cowering behind locked doors at Waterside, leaving their incompetence to be explained away by junior staff in the terminal is remarkable.
Join Date: Jul 2003
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Having said all that, its not just the management who have to get their act together. The staff have to abandon a host of restrictive working and rostering practices so that the resources are where they need to be when they need to be. The infamous " breakfast breaks" which remove droves of checkin staff from being available in the morning peak are just one. 3 man flight crews on sectors which demand only 2 is another as is the inability to serve meals mid flight during long sector operations .The list is lengthy and hugely undermines effective productivity and the quality of service. BA is a very inward looking organisation. Its attitudes towards customers, particularly foreign ones and those travelling in the rear cabins are patchy. All of its people must refocus on the customer. It doesnt take a large percentage of these to walk before profit becomes loss ( airline profits are mainly wafer thin at best and the traditional carriers simply cant afford their costs). Management and staff at all levels have a role to play, must mutually recognise each others value, stop bitching and get on with giving the customers more than they ever expected.
Join Date: Jan 2002
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Radio news states there where 8 flights cancelled today.
cancellations.I see the mismanagement are blaming the length of time it takes for security checks for the present staff shotages (nothing to do with them getting their figures wrong
) - do none of the other airlines have to put their staff through these checks?
Join Date: Aug 2004
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They're begging for volunteers to help out over the bank holiday weekend... On the intranet theres a phone number and an email address for people to contact...
I'll be going in on Friday and Monday (for what good it'll do) to sit on a check-in desk.
I'll be going in on Friday and Monday (for what good it'll do) to sit on a check-in desk.
Join Date: Aug 2001
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And to add my ten penny worth as a loyal BA Gold Card holder.
The service has deteriorated across the board, not just at the back of the aircraft but up front and in the exec lounges too.
I have been forced because BA has withdrawn so many domestic services to use Easy to commute out of NCL to many UK destinations, and I have to say that the punctuality and attitude of the Easy staff puts BA to shame.
A great friend of ours is an ex-BOAC director and he is shocked by how far standards in BA have fallen
With regards to bags, I have not returned from the USA to NCL in my last 6 trips with my bags arriving at the same time, so this is not just a one off weather related problem, and when it occurs the customer support is diabolical, blocked telephone lines etc.
Senior management at BA must take personal responsibility for the atrocious performance and poor morale of its workforce. It is difficult to see how BA can mend so much damage, particualrly to longsuffering and loyal customers like myself, who have persevered, only to see matters detriorate further and further, to a point where I have no confidencee in the airline.
I have decided not to bother even trying to get to London this week because of the chaos.
The service has deteriorated across the board, not just at the back of the aircraft but up front and in the exec lounges too.
I have been forced because BA has withdrawn so many domestic services to use Easy to commute out of NCL to many UK destinations, and I have to say that the punctuality and attitude of the Easy staff puts BA to shame.
A great friend of ours is an ex-BOAC director and he is shocked by how far standards in BA have fallen
With regards to bags, I have not returned from the USA to NCL in my last 6 trips with my bags arriving at the same time, so this is not just a one off weather related problem, and when it occurs the customer support is diabolical, blocked telephone lines etc.
Senior management at BA must take personal responsibility for the atrocious performance and poor morale of its workforce. It is difficult to see how BA can mend so much damage, particualrly to longsuffering and loyal customers like myself, who have persevered, only to see matters detriorate further and further, to a point where I have no confidencee in the airline.
I have decided not to bother even trying to get to London this week because of the chaos.
Join Date: Jan 2004
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I hope martindoc and others who've posted above that this has finally woken a few people up to the fact that BA can no longer justify it's position. I think things can change.
I would like to see a chairman and CEO who gets off their @rses and does something useful, like bang heads together, while taking their salary. Senior managers who behave like leaders, by example and not like either slave masters or cowering whimps in Waterworld.
If they spend some of this profit they supposedly made in the last quarter on making sure there is enough staff to do the job and enough facilities to get the pax and a/c off the ground and to their destinations properly then the company can turn a profit because if we treat people properly they will work for you and customers will buy your goods. That's all we have to do.
I'm not saying we can spend our way out of this problem but BA's reputation is in tatters and that is going to affect the bottom line for years to come (if we're lucky). The reputation is gone and I'm not sure how long it will take to get it back but it's going to need a lot of work and it's also going to need spokespeople and a PR department which doesn't belittle peoples plight when things go wrong and come out with the mealy mouthed words MS came out with the other day. Passengers and staff want results not apologies.
We currently have a board and senior management who need to wake up and quick.
I would like to see a chairman and CEO who gets off their @rses and does something useful, like bang heads together, while taking their salary. Senior managers who behave like leaders, by example and not like either slave masters or cowering whimps in Waterworld.
If they spend some of this profit they supposedly made in the last quarter on making sure there is enough staff to do the job and enough facilities to get the pax and a/c off the ground and to their destinations properly then the company can turn a profit because if we treat people properly they will work for you and customers will buy your goods. That's all we have to do.
I'm not saying we can spend our way out of this problem but BA's reputation is in tatters and that is going to affect the bottom line for years to come (if we're lucky). The reputation is gone and I'm not sure how long it will take to get it back but it's going to need a lot of work and it's also going to need spokespeople and a PR department which doesn't belittle peoples plight when things go wrong and come out with the mealy mouthed words MS came out with the other day. Passengers and staff want results not apologies.
We currently have a board and senior management who need to wake up and quick.
Join Date: Jan 2002
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I see that BA's latest 'cunning plan' to avoid chaos over the Bank Holiday weekend is to 'merge flights'
Is this any way to run an airline 
A BA spokesman said the flight programme would be subject to " constant review" over the next few days.
She said: "We may merge some flights to ease the stress on the system.
"We will contact passengers in advance to explain what we are doing."
BA is bringing in managersand other staff to try and avert yet more cancellations over the holiday break but it is now quite clear the company fears this emergency measure will not be enough to keep all scheduled services operating.
She said: "We may merge some flights to ease the stress on the system.
"We will contact passengers in advance to explain what we are doing."
BA is bringing in managersand other staff to try and avert yet more cancellations over the holiday break but it is now quite clear the company fears this emergency measure will not be enough to keep all scheduled services operating.
Join Date: Feb 1999
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There is a total lack of leadership in B.A.
No one I know feels valued or the worlds favorite.
Pity, as I have more than the hours, type, etc. but have no intention of even applying in responce to their recent advert.
No one I know feels valued or the worlds favorite.
Pity, as I have more than the hours, type, etc. but have no intention of even applying in responce to their recent advert.
Join Date: Jan 2004
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Jet II, I do hope when the dust settles after this weekend that this company has a major shakeup. We're not actually running an airline any more we're just staggering from one crisis to another.
Join Date: Aug 2004
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With any luck someone will wake up one morning, have a lucid moment and think "perhaps we'll scrap EWS and sue SAP to try and recoup some of the financial losses incurred due to their system being CR@P.
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I wish I could agree with ABird747 that this whole thing is about EWS to see the engineers work frustrated because of a computer system is depressing.
It's also about staff shortage, lack of forsite on the part of management, lack of investment in the company, lack of leadership, support, business acumen.
I wish I could see a way around these problems. There are enough flightcrew, engineers, ground staff, office staff and cabin crew who can see what's wrong, we can all see what is wrong with our departments but the staff at the 'coal face' are never listened to.
When the ' hits the fan we are made to feel guilty for not helping out in the company's time of need. I don't mind helping out if we've had violent storms,(like 1987, or October 2000), I don't mind going in to help out if the place is flooded or in times of tragedy like on 11/9/2001, these are things nobody could see coming, these times are when people pull together.
I feel very uneasy about helping the company out because it cannot have the foresite to see that it might be a bit busy on a bank holiday in August.
The only comfort I can take from all this is that at least Cathay survived the helming of Capt.Skippy. Just hope we can.
I'm going to stop posting now, I just find it too frustrating
No More Excuses lets do it all properly.
It's also about staff shortage, lack of forsite on the part of management, lack of investment in the company, lack of leadership, support, business acumen.
I wish I could see a way around these problems. There are enough flightcrew, engineers, ground staff, office staff and cabin crew who can see what's wrong, we can all see what is wrong with our departments but the staff at the 'coal face' are never listened to.
When the ' hits the fan we are made to feel guilty for not helping out in the company's time of need. I don't mind helping out if we've had violent storms,(like 1987, or October 2000), I don't mind going in to help out if the place is flooded or in times of tragedy like on 11/9/2001, these are things nobody could see coming, these times are when people pull together.
I feel very uneasy about helping the company out because it cannot have the foresite to see that it might be a bit busy on a bank holiday in August.
The only comfort I can take from all this is that at least Cathay survived the helming of Capt.Skippy. Just hope we can.
I'm going to stop posting now, I just find it too frustrating
No More Excuses lets do it all properly.
Paxing All Over The World
Whilst I agree that BA now offers a varied and unpredictable service, this shoul dnot be a surprise.
Firstly, because BA is now a very old company. It claims it's roots to The Empire Flying Boats and onwards through BOAC and the politically inspired muck up of the merger with BEA. ANY company has a finite time at the top before it fails. Look at Marks & Spencer, they are also in their end game and will not exist in anything like their present form within ten years.
Secondly, modern management is about cutting cost, eventually you have cut so much (so called) fat that there is nothing left. That is fine when it runs 'ok' but when it does not, there is no fat to fall back on. BA has just fallen on the moment - and not for the first time!
Lastly, look outside the airline world and realise that almost all modern 'management' operates this way and that companies are in a similar jam. Blair is trying to run the country on modern mgmt and has the same problem.
BA rise again? No. Not in this form. Not because it is BA but bcause humans don't work that way! In fact, the sooner the downfall the better, then we can get on to the next iteration of the company.
--------------------
"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Firstly, because BA is now a very old company. It claims it's roots to The Empire Flying Boats and onwards through BOAC and the politically inspired muck up of the merger with BEA. ANY company has a finite time at the top before it fails. Look at Marks & Spencer, they are also in their end game and will not exist in anything like their present form within ten years.
Secondly, modern management is about cutting cost, eventually you have cut so much (so called) fat that there is nothing left. That is fine when it runs 'ok' but when it does not, there is no fat to fall back on. BA has just fallen on the moment - and not for the first time!
Lastly, look outside the airline world and realise that almost all modern 'management' operates this way and that companies are in a similar jam. Blair is trying to run the country on modern mgmt and has the same problem.
BA rise again? No. Not in this form. Not because it is BA but bcause humans don't work that way! In fact, the sooner the downfall the better, then we can get on to the next iteration of the company.
--------------------
"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Join Date: Apr 1999
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No point trying to sue SAP, they washed their hands of the project some time ago because BAs programmers were messing about with the software too much. Another triumph for the third rate programmers known as IM?
Join Date: Nov 1999
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Latest from BBC includes the following gem:
'BA office staff have been asked to volunteer to work in the terminals over the weekend, including Mr Eddington and 11 other directors. '
Directors working check-in?
Short of staff, low morale, aircraft going tech, 'merged' flights, bank holiday, *and* a media circus reporting on Eddington & co. totally fubaring the check-in desks...
My deepest sympathies. You're doomed. Doomed!
R1
'BA office staff have been asked to volunteer to work in the terminals over the weekend, including Mr Eddington and 11 other directors. '
Directors working check-in?
Short of staff, low morale, aircraft going tech, 'merged' flights, bank holiday, *and* a media circus reporting on Eddington & co. totally fubaring the check-in desks...
My deepest sympathies. You're doomed. Doomed!
R1
Join Date: Aug 2004
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He'd better be careful the terminal staff don't lock the doors and give him a good kicking that he won't forget.
I did a few hours on a desk this morning (and it all came flooding back to me why it was that I turned down promotion and left!) and the staff are so fed up that giving him and those other bell-ends that sit with him in Waterside a whippin' might be the only thing to put a smile on their faces.
I did a few hours on a desk this morning (and it all came flooding back to me why it was that I turned down promotion and left!) and the staff are so fed up that giving him and those other bell-ends that sit with him in Waterside a whippin' might be the only thing to put a smile on their faces.
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In defence of IM
I was going to stay lurking until Carnage Matey tried to blame EWS on IM.
IM Engineering were thown out by the same Director of Engineering who wanted the SAP system because he didn't understand the existing (now known as Legacy) system.
The original EWS project was insigated and managed by Engineering people who brought in a large number of external contractors.
These contractors had the original plan of unloading an IMS database which needs a heafty mainframe to support it into an Access database on a PC.
IM might not be the best respected department, but I think it very unfair to lay the blame for EWS on IM.
IM Engineering were thown out by the same Director of Engineering who wanted the SAP system because he didn't understand the existing (now known as Legacy) system.
The original EWS project was insigated and managed by Engineering people who brought in a large number of external contractors.
These contractors had the original plan of unloading an IMS database which needs a heafty mainframe to support it into an Access database on a PC.
IM might not be the best respected department, but I think it very unfair to lay the blame for EWS on IM.