Apologies to BA passengers using LGW

[bealine]

To any British Airways clients who have recently passed through London Gatwick and been delayed or inconvenienced by staff shortages, I apologise on the airline's behalf unreservedly.

It's easy to lay the blame at the management's door, but I have to tell you it's not their fault!

Before 11th September 2001, staffing levels at LGW were already being reduced as plans were afoot to transform BA's operation into a short-haul and regional hub, transferring the long-haul traffic to LHR.

Just after 11th September 2001, it was impossible to say just what the full effects of the terrorist activity would be on the business. We all expected the results to be similar to that experienced after the Gulf War (it took 3 years to win our passengers back). Plans were put in place to immediately reduce staffing levels by:

1. Cutting routes and services
2. Offering 12 months unpaid leave
3. Terminating temporary contracts
4. "Mothballing" aircraft in the Arizona desert

Unfortunately, the 2 Aircraft Types "inherited" from City Flyer, the Avro RJ-100 and ATR-72 are labour intensive and stretch the Customer Services & Operations staff. Additionally, younger staff have opted to transfer to LHR as it is patently obvious that there will be few career development opportunities at LGW in the short term.

Regrettably, the end result is a lack of staff, resulting in delays at check-in and delays to flights and stress and pressure on the staff.

Please rest assured that the management are trying their best to address the difficulties, however in the short term with busy flights, please accept our apologies.

[knobbygb]

Thanks. It has been a bit difficult passing through LGW recently, and it IS appreciated when people take time out to post a message like that. I only used to pass through there a couple of times a week, but it sounds like you spend every working day there - it must be demoralising at times.

On a positive note, the BA staff I have come into contact with have been most helpful under stressful conditions. I always use the self service check in machines and uniformed staff have been helping reduce check in queues by aiding passengers who perhaps wouldn't normally use the machines to do so. You could do with a few more of these machines if possible.

There have been huge queues at security, but at least they seem to have all (7 I think) of the checkpoints operating when busy - unlike certain other London airports.

[flt_lt_w_mitty]

A friend of mine tried to travel out of Gatwick with BA the other day, and found themselves queing hundreds of yards down the terminal approach road in the check-in queue, dodging taxis, busses and cars! When they eventually arrived at the aircraft (no gate staff to let them on for a while!), they found the crew had been delayed by the shambles (rhymes with Hamble's) and the baggage etc etc....... and there were not enough push-back tugs. Poor old cabin crew and flight deck - left to pick up the pieces again (luckily not too literally!). Well done to the real managers!

Pub chat (loose but angry toungues!) reaches me that BA Gatwick handled as many passengers that day as Terminal 4 at Heathrow, with......... one quarter of the number of passenger service staff.

This can only mean one of two things, either Gatwick is irresponsibly under-personned or Heathrow.......

What is DOES mean is that there has been a major failing by senior management to manage. I see that it has fallen to a brave (apparent) lowly passenger agent to take on here the mantle of apologising to the poor passengers. Where are the chiefs? My friend has been told by a captain that the ?responsible? BA Gatwick manager is someone called Martin ?Wyatt? She is actually tempted to write to the great Rod himself, except the message from crews is that Rod may not know where Gatwick really is, having only visited it in the company of a hoard of be-suited left-over Ayling sycophants who had been found 'spare' at HQ. He will have to do better in his new job with Rupert.

What a shame this all is! There cannot be many business class passengers left who are prepared to be treated like this, let alone the economy passengers that Bob said he didn't actually want...... Looks like BA intends Gatwick to revert to the 'cheap-and-cheerful' airfield it grew up as in the 60's and 70's and to hand the runway over to those who can make it work. Just glad I never joined them when they offered me a seat. Mind you, I'd have been out on the picket line with them now quick as a flash!

Walt

WHY didn't I sell my shares..............:mad:

[Land ASAP]

Bealine - Resourcing issues are a management domain. LGW is under resourced. Blame rests firmly with management. Get with the picture.

[bealine]

Sorry to disagree - yes, management are to blame in a way, but the crisis at LGW and indeed at BA has arisen due to the abysmal way BA was privatised by "that awful woman" and her party.

Effectively, the shareholders can't oust the board because the biggest majority shareholder owns less than 5% of the total issue. Little guys like me with a meagre shareholding don't even get their questions or concerns aired at the AGM!

Unfortunately, the present Board consists of a large number of part-time loafers who drink BA's champagne and eat BA's sumptuous lunches, receive First Class travel and complimentary top hotel rooms for their two hours a week when they do nine tenths of naff all for the company! Skippy Eddington has achieved absolute zilch during his time in office and Colin Marshall was jointly responsible for Ayling's failings!

Little wonder then, that we're in the state we're in! These are the guys who are instructing our managers and the message keeps getting rammed home - "Absolutely no recruiting - Keep cutting costs!!!"

No - leave Martin Wyatt alone.

Without his influence, BA would have left LGW shortly after the B Cal and Dan Air acquisitions!

[Recover]

Have to agree with your opinion of the board, however, cannot take the same stance with Mr Wyatt. He's the boss, so it's him who sanctions the changes and him who takes the blame. It's why he gets paid so much (far too much in my opinion to make the mess of LGW we currently see).

There's no rocket science involved here. They got rid of far, far too many people. They're blaming the mix of transfer and point-point pax and their (not at all a mistake) in providing the appropriate manpower. Let's get this clear. If you get rid of longhaul services and increase the shorthaul services (by moving them from the South Terminal) then you will reduce the number of transfer pax and increase the number of point-point pax respectively. It's very, very simple and not a good enough reason for the muck ups they've made. By the time things are sorted out, summer will have gone and people will not be coming back to BA. Martin & his cronies should be hung out to dry for such apalling mismanagement. But we know BA. They'll be promoted to another job and continue to contribute to spoiling a once decent compnay.

[mainfrog2]

Bealine

Can you clarify in what way RJ100 and ATR 72 are labour intensive.


Used to use less people to turn around the A/C at the south terminal with Aviance.

If we're under staffed it's managements fault. They'll take the glory when it's going right so make them take the **** when it's going wrong.

In a few years time when BA at Gatwick is a mere shadow of it's former self the management will probably all decamp to Waterside and sod the rest of us.

Basically it seems that they allowed too many to go on their BRS and none of them want to come back. This was all done for short term financial gain and took no account of the fact that we are a service industry and our success or failure is totally dependant on how we provide that service. At the moment we are not providing any service that I could honestly be proud of as an employee.

[Harry G]

The RJ100's at the South Terminal always parked on an airbridge.

At the North Terminal the airbridges don't fit.

So you need twice as many ground staff to guide the pax about.

[bealine]

Very succinctly put, Harry G! Spot on! When coaching, the ATR's also involve a Customer Service Agent travelling out on the coach to make sure the first 6 rows of passengers board first - else the rear of the aircraft could tip backwards due to the positioning of the main undercarriage.

Now whilst I agree in principle with Recover's opinion, (a) Martin Wyatt's salary is not that large in comparison with Mike Street, the former General Manager now elevated to the board with a 200% pay rise and (b) it is the said Board that have exerted the pressure to continue cost-cutting and have achieved very little else!

It is this cost-cutting that meant First-Class passengers even had to request nuts or a drink or the complimentary wash kit. If they didn't ask, these clients who had paid upwards of £3000 for a ticket didn't get their full entitlement!

This Board of Comedians have started a roller-coaster - now there's no stopping it!

(By the Way, even though we're losing £2.000,000 per day and in serious trouble, we can still manage "grace and favour" upgrades to minor celebrities and minor members of the Royal Family!!! Camilla Parker-Bowles recently travelled to Mauritius in seat 01A each way (First Class) having only paid a "V" class excursion fare!!! (Now I don't think she's currently losing £2m per day!)

Note that the Shareholder's Report doesn't mention that!!!

[DistantRumble]

Congrats to all at Gatwick...

a good job is usually in evidence.


Remember

"As ye sow, so shall ye reap"

[bealine]

Hi Distant Rumble

Thank you for those gracious comments! (From now on, I'll be listening for your "distant rumble" approaching and trying to guess which Irish business traveller fits your description!)

To all of our BA customers who have responded to this thread - Thank You for your support!

During these troubled times of ours, your custom IS highly valued by the staff, even though it may not appear so! WE want to make BA at LGW a success, although we feel our superiors may have other plans!

Please, please, please continue to grit your teeth as you stand in line, smile at the check-in staff and above all, KEEP FLYING THE FLAG!!!

Thanks!!!

[bealine]

Mein Gott!!! It get's worse!!!

For two days now, the air conditioning in the North Terminal has packed up!! (it still works, though, where the GAL (BAA) security posts are though - funny that!)

We've been told by GAL that it got too hot outside and that the air-conditioning won't work once the outside temperature hits 30 Celsius.................of course, we don't need air conditioning hen it gets really hot, do we!!!

So - in addition to apologising for BA's follies, I'll now apologise for the lack of airport facilities too!

[bealine]

Just when I thought we'd plumbed the very depths, we had all sorts of disruption to our UK Domestic and Channel Islands services last night. There were very few staff on duty to sort out the mess and ensure passengers were kept informed.

The information was sketchy, but that was no fault of the company - our Operations Centre (known to us as Gatwick Centre) was really working flat out to try to obtain information and plan accordingly.

To the pax I encountered at Gate 55 and Gate 57 - thank you for your patience and support - your words of encouragement were greatly appreciated!

I hope you're now reading this from the comfort of your own home or office!

[luoto]

(By the Way, even though we're losing £2.000,000 per day and in serious trouble, we can still manage "grace and favour" upgrades to minor celebrities and minor members of the Royal Family!!! Camilla Parker-Bowles recently travelled to Mauritius in seat 01A each way (First Class) having only paid a "V" class excursion fare!!! (Now I don't think she's currently losing £2m per day!)
Out of interest; who would have approved the ug? Would it have been done behind the scenes? Would she have asked for it or a 'secretary' phoning Roddy's office..?

[Boss Raptor]

No one can deny that all carriers suffer their own problems...and it isn't always the fault of the staff...

However as a paying customer I am fed up with excuses from the likes of BA and the then SABENA...and avoid flying with them at all times...

Next Monday I will be on Air Europa to LGW-Madrid as always even though they are £30 more expensive than BA out of LGW...

AE are a funny but friendly company and I enjoy flying with them...much better legroom than BA...hadn't got my frequent flyer card 'Fidelitas' after a few months so I e-mailed them...replied in 4 minutes 'had not received my application please e-mail back my details'...2 days later got a DHL package from AE in Palma with my new Fidelitas card...

Now that is a level of personalised service that is so lacking in todays majors...

[bealine]

luoto - the aforementioned ug was approved by our Director of Marketing, a Board Member responsible for the most disastrous round of advertising BA has ever seen! Whether the request came from C.P.B. herself or via a secretary isn't known but:

1. Upgrades across 2 classes (World Traveller to Club, then to First) does not happen except in extremely special circumstances.

2. The Fare Basis is usually taken into consideration if we need to upgrade - a "V" class excursion ticket would not normally be considered unless the bearer also held a "Gold" or "Silver" BA card.

3. Upgrading isn't normally done unless the Economy cabin is likely to go full (through oversales). When her Ladyship flew, both outward and return flights were less than three quarters full.


Boss Raptor - Good Luck with Air Europa. A friend of ours has just started flying with them as Cabin Crew and I know they're a good outfit! Look out for Nuria (and please don't give her a hard time if she spills your coffee - she's new!) Unfortunately, BA's Executive Club is handled by an outside agency - probably at enormous expense - and the administration is improving, but still very unwieldy. However, as the full benefits of BA's new Reservations system roll out (the same syatem that caused chaos last year!), we should be able to offer the same personal touch within a year or two!

What I'd give to be based in Palma right now
:cool:

[PAXboy]

I'd say that BA know which side their bread is butttered!:rolleyes:

Whatever adverse publicity they may get from this news, will be outweighed by the people buying the tickets. The top knobs will continue to buy tickets and have them upgraded. Whether it is a full Row 99 to Row 1, cannot be said.

Imagine the headline, "CPB photographed in econo sitting with the normal people" etc. etc. If the top knobs thought that BA was not going to look after them, then they would not buy so much as an econo ticket.

BA is a commercial airline and only it's shareholders can say of they approve of this kind of upgrade.

[chippy63]

Took my family on holiday on a BA flight from Gatwick N on 16/7 and both outward and inward (26/7) handling was fine. Inflight was excellent, too. Thanks BA staff at LGW!:cool:

[radeng]

I haven't flown BA from LGW recently, but have flown BA LHR to ARN and back a lot in recent months. Always very good service, friendly helpful CC, early on practically on time arrivals as a norm - just what one expects.

Add to that, the security at Arlanda Terminal 2, who are unfailingly pleasant, polite and efficient make the business trip almost a pleasure. Just a pity the Finnair lounge is a bit basic, compared with the usual BA ones, and the special meals menus need changing occasionally!

[flt_lt_w_mitty]

Well, it seems someone has noticed the shambles at Gatwick - outside BA, that is. My drinking mates tell me that BA have an ultimatum from BAA to sort it out PDQ or else! Seems the Sussex Police are going to charge BA for crowd control when the poor pax start lining up down the approach ramp behind the traffic cones.

Bealine - you say it is not Mr Wyatt's fault - whose do YOU say it is, then? Maybe they should have quit Gatwick, and let a professional airline in? Someone is sure as hell responsible for it, it ain't the staff - and shareholders should be asking. Maybe the press should be taking pictures of the queues too? Hint - try Fridays and Saturdays, scoops.

Could BA maybe move the ol' London Eye down to the ramp to keep the people entertained? Once round and they may even get to check in!

Walt

[bealine]

Walt - Martin Wyatt is NOT responsible. It is the Jokers of the Board, Lord Marshall of Knightsbridge, Rod Eddington & Co who haven't a clue about the real issues of running an airline but run around like headless Don Quixotes pursuing fruitless quests like partnerships with failing airlines (AA and KLM), continually wittering on about "cost-cutting".

How much more "cost-cutting" can be done? LGW has lost 50 % of the staff we had two years ago in order to service more customers, yet Eddington is still demanding more jobs go.

Shareholders may be interested to learn that, since taking control 2 years ago, Rod the Clod has visited LGW only three times so hasn't a clue about the type of clientele we serve.

[luoto]

Bealine - thanks for your incisive thoughts. It is a shame when any airline goes down but are there REALLY that many good ones out there now. Sure, they have dedicated staff but they are shackled by government panic (9/11 et al), thick tosser passengers who just see it as a booze cruise and suchlike. Bring back the halcyon days where travel was a pleasure.

Luoto
In a grumpy mood today

[mainfrog2]

I think two of Rods visits were because his flight got diverted from Heathrow.

[Boss Raptor]

Morning of Monday 5th August - my colleague travelled BA, LGW North to MAD - called me on his mobile he was standing in the pouring rain outside LGW North along with many other angry BA pax. waiting to get inside and check in...was outside for over 20 minutes...

I travelled Air Europa from LGW South, no delays, no probs...and certainly no left outside in the rain!

:confused:

[strake]

bealine

You're a nice person and it really does mean a lot to tired, fed-up SLF who try to Fly the Flag that someone cares....

I'm normally ex-LHR but LGW on hollys (thank you BA Miles) next week.

Y'know, I'm gonna try and track you down....yes I am....:D

[Egg Mayo]

The problem is bealine, LHR isn't much better!!

Terminal One is an absolute disgrace. Anyone arriving into LHR T1. will note the poor decor, (dark green!) lack of air-conditioning in baggage reclaim, the odd lift, escalator being out of order, inbound and outbound passengers 'clashing' along the piers and the horrenduous ques if your a non EC foreign national at immigration. Not a very nice impression to give to foreign nats. visiting Great (!) Britain.

However, its not necessarily BA's fault and I'm no doubt treading over old ground. Big Rod E. has noted that the infra-structure at LHR needs improving but Gatwick on the face of it, seemed like (until the relevations on this thread) a pleasant alternative!

[Hand Solo]

Its not BAs fault at all. The poor state of LHR T1 is entirely due to BAA.

[Egg Mayo]

Hand Solo

I agree - BA staff do a great job in difficult circumstances. Sadly, I suspect that I'll be old and grey before T5 is completed!