It is if the carrier allows the agent to do so. I think BA doesn’t. Even at T5 very few people are able to ticket for BA. Another reason BA call centres are swamped.

"obody (and I mean NOBODY) at Thai understood the difference between "booked" and "paid" class they just looked at the booked class on the later flight and refused to understand that I had paid for business. BA are by no means the first people to do away with ticketing staff at airports."

Sadly we had exactly the same experience 30 months ago at Changi with Singapore on a n ANZ ticket paid for business but booked in Premium Economy - "no we can't change it"

BA is considering opening a temporary crew base in Madrid with staff being away from base for 5-6 days at a time operating short haul Airbus flights out of LHR. The staff would be employed by Randstad.

https://forms.office.com/pages/respo...FTUEM2WDhVUS4u

Employed by Randstad ??

Yes. BA will use agency staff if the plan goes ahead.

So the idea is recruit staff for a MAD base to actually operate (as presumably cabin crew) on BA Short Haul flights ex-LHR?

Interesting idea on many levels....

Yes. Apparently it would be limited until the end of October.

Thanks for clarifying that it's cabin crew being discussed here - that wasn't clear from the original post nor from the form that you linked to.

Imho it’s a very sensible and very very temporary solution to the current labour issues exacerbated by post Brexit immigration rules on entry and work VISAs . These crew’s can fly some Spanish registered 320s and the Gatwick cheap fleet routes over the summer and then be released.

Come the winter I predict the UK will be in full scale recession and the current blip in air travel demand (fuelled by vouchers holders) in the leisure markets to have fizzled out.

If anything I can see unemployment rates ( artificially low at the moment) rise exponentially and the wage pressure ( currently upwards) to both change trajectories.

A significant period of economic adjustment to take place over several quarters as the UK PLC GDP retracts within the new realities.

In my own company I am having to project a drop in work post July based on current enquiries domestically ( remain low in many sectors) and indeed within the EU to a lesser extent.

Construction is struggling in many markets ( here and across the EU) and a specialist fire product manufacturer ( where lead periods are three plus months for deliveries ) often sees these trends quite early on .

Materials: metals glass timber and electronics are in short supply globally with delivery delays and ever rising prices extending our finished product dispatches from The UK, Spain, and Poland and impacting in Portugal as well.

Taking “ permanent staff” on at the moment is not such a good deal for employers or shareholder value , more rather managing the situation is the goal even it that impacts some revenues ( over yield) with cancellation some compensation payment risk, and a little customer disappointment in the process.

.....we all have different circumstances and perspectives, and whilst I agree with some of what you say, that seems like an overly pessimistic view to me

Ok I'll get out there and catch the bait..is this not really odd? I mean why be based at Barajas but really for operating flights out of LHR? Are they looking for IB express people to fill the roles? What is the rationale? Don't they have enough interest from London based staff?

Maybe maybe not however as you say we all have our own views on events .

The recession is a given through, just look at the figures and economic conditions on peoples own buying power and that of many sectors .
I don’t see it’s as pessimistic just a reality to be managed

The UK economy is forecast to retract by many at several % without COVID19 impacts and it’s pull over the last 6 quarters.

Ld
 

The UK market is currently squeezed of those willing to take marginal salaries barely at minimum wage and those that want limited time contracts.

One thing I would say don’t be surprised if there are some union reactions to these posts in the coming weeks.

Contract workers on foreign term contracts working out of Heathrow ain’t going to go down well is it ?

Its not what people expected in “controlling immigration” policies is it - This and P&O together yet I can’t work in Nantes or Badajoz for more than a few days at a time ( on my Uk passport anyway) !
Only people inflicted by ending of freedom of movement are UK passport holders .

That's was the sort of thing I was hinting at with my comment about this supposed plan being interesting on so many levels.

I don't know how much leverage UNITE/BASSA have anymore at BA but maybe it's a case of the company not having to care about the plan not going down well... (and yes, agree with your comment about the loss of FoM for work purposes)

Rutan 16
I would tend to agree with you regards to the economy in the UK looking forward, as the costs are rising very steeply in the construction sector, which is my own sector, with double digit price rises coming through in all sectors as you say. I have also heard from people in the retail industry in the “hobby” sector who said that things were ok in March but have “fallen off a cliff in April “ due to peoples worries with regards energy bills , tax rises etc. That is what I hear in the UK, in Europe where I spend most of my working time there are similar worries especially with regards to energy costs.


Cheers
Mr Mac

Rutan 16 Yes, the UK is headed for a very sticky five years - possibly more. The country had not fully recovered from the 2008 crash when Covid and Brext arrived, with Putin ensuring a bad outcome. The USA have not realised what is coming down the track as the USD loses it's status and the massive financial upheaval they face. I am expecting civil unrest.

nivsy Money!

Well ! It was fun while it lasted :-)
El G.

Well ! It was fun while it lasted :-)
1965- 2005
El G.

We have two BA flights booked for the next couple of weeks. Outbound from LHR to BCN, returning from ATH. There have been ongoing cancellations on both routes. Can anyone give some idea as to how much notice BA are giving when flights are going to be cancelled.

Between 3 months and 3 hours at the moment..