Odds n Sods

[PAXboy]

Asking here, rather than int he BA forum:

We had booked a straightforward round trip from LHR T5. As it was a voucher, I paid for the seats in C that I wanted - out and back.
We had to postpone the trip, which I did and there was no indication that the seat reservations would / would not be carried forward.
Trip approaching and no sign of reserved seats - i am invited to select and pay.

Any suggestions for when we get to checkin agent?

[Tocsin]

BA regard their part fulfilled, you paid for a seat reservation on the original flight and that was provided. They don't refund the reservation fee on a cancellation, either. The options are find a friendly customer agent, or take them to MCOL.

[PAXboy]

Wow. Thank you for letting me know about the IAG scam! When we had to postpone the flight (it's the same Locator) was there something I should have done to move the seat reservations? When I had to postpone a flight in VS some while back, the seat reservation went with it.

[rog747]

Originally Posted by PAXboy

Wow. Thank you for letting me know about the IAG scam! When we had to postpone the flight (it's the same Locator) was there something I should have done to move the seat reservations? When I had to postpone a flight in VS some while back, the seat reservation went with it.

IIRC ''paid''seats on BA are not refundable - nor do they get transferred over, however when you changed the booking (online I assume) you should have called BA Exec Club and got your seats moved over to the new flights - suggest you call them today and try that....usually they are pretty helpful on the phone.

[PAXboy]

Thanks for info rog747 and confirming the worst. I have just checked in online and had been allocated seats three rows behind where I had paid. Not ideal but at least still slightly forward of the wing. I am going to ask at the counter t'row about the return leg as the system won't tell me what it has done. Seat Guru did not know what aircraft it is, so could not show me any warnings.

The checkin page did not offer to send me the boarding cards by email. Said I could print them online but no option. Half an hour later, I checked my App to see that the boarding pass was there. It invited me to checkin. It also invited me to add my FF number. Given that it haws been there since before the App I was surprised but checked it was correct - it then said, 'FF number already entered for this flight! After another 10 minutes it agreed that I was checked in and had the boarding pass. Their IT systems are down to their usual standard. Which match their mgmt.

[PAXboy]

The flights worked out OK and we had resonable seats. The BA T5 South Lounge was good and both flights on time. On the return, the Saga lounge in KEF that (I think) most C class pax go, was one of the all time best I have ever been in. Space, comfortable, food and drink all good.

Overall, KEF is good, much expansion going on as their tourism continues to expand.

I won't bore you with the numerous glitches in the IT systems of BA. Sometimes, on their App - they cannot even log you in ...

[TimGriff6]

BA Policy

Paid for seats are refundable when BA cancel your flight and that happened automatically to me last September. Fortunately the credit card used to pay for them was still valid because they didn't ask or tell me what was done.
Putting me in economy seats for a two leg replacement journey instead of the business seats on the cancelled direct flight did not generate a refund of the difference between business and economy. Apparently it is not BA policy to refund in this situation because 'we got you there, didn't we?'
I'm glad I didn't pay for first class seats!

[PAXboy]

Self Screening USA

An American airport has begun testing a security system that could change the way we fly forever, and wave goodbye to being patted down.

Security officials unveiled passenger self-screening lanes on Wednesday at busy Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.

There are now plans to test it for use in other cities around the country.

The Transportation Security Administration checkpoint — initially only in Las Vegas, only for TSA PreCheck customers and only using the English language — incorporates a screen with do-it-yourself instructions telling people how to smoothly pass themselves and their carry-on luggage through pre-flight screening with little or no help from uniformed TSA officers.

The Independent

[Asturias56]

" with little or no help from uniformed TSA officers."

no change there then ......................

[Xray4277]

Originally Posted by PAXboy

Nice one Asturias56. My best was a backpack that I used for work in my days in telecomms. I decided to use it for a long weekend around 2006. At LTN, I was pulled smartly and asked if there was anything dangerous in it?

The X-ray found a pair of small wire side-cutters that had got between the lining and I thought were lost. They were not happy that I was so pleased and thanked them for finding them! They wanted to confiscate but I went back out, bought a padded envelope and posted them home. Good side-cutters are expensive.

First ever time I flew was back in the early 80s, BA from MAN to ABZ with a colleague. When they x-rayed his carry-on bag they found a very bent and battered kitchen knife...explanation (true) - he'd had it in his bag for a court appearance in his ongoing and messy divorce, apparently his soon-to-be ex had tried to attack him with said knife but only succeeded in stabbing the wall. Needless to say the security guys told him they'd have to confiscate the knife, to which his cheerful reply was 'no problem, I don't need it any longer'. I imagine they laughed their socks off later and added the knife to their 'black museum'

[Mr Mac]

I came up from Kenya to LHR and when changing planes for the shuttle and going through X Ray machine a group of school kids from a private school who had been doing some charity work in Kenya were in front of me . One of the group were pulled as they had knife with 6in blade in their carry on by accident. This was around 2012 and they would have been X Rayed 3 times in Nairobi !

I am currently in Lagos having flown down to Luanda with EK then up to Kinshasa after a few days, a day in Kinshasa, back to Luanda and then up to Lagos, all with Angolan carrier on Props and 737 and I have to say the Angolan carrier and Luanda were fine .

I have not been there before or used the carrier but ok. Kinshasa needs nothing more to be said and Lagos is Lagos. I haven’t been to either place in a number of years and nothing seems to change especially in Kinshasa apart from the skyline ! .

I fly to Morocco tomorrow at 05.00 with Moroccan Airways on another 737 which is another new carrier for me. Can’t say I am looking forward to Lagos airport at that time of night though 🙄🙄

Cheers
Mr Mac

[Asturias56]

Ye Gods!!

What terrible crime did you commit to be sentenced to that journey????

[Mr Mac]

Asturias
No crime but South African client doing work in Luanda and she is a very good client and pays her bills promptly and in full. Earlier this year I was in Cape Town and she mentioned Luanda and possible other jobs in Lagos and Kinchasa and asked if I could look at those as well.

In the meantime we have another client who is going to near shore some factories to Morocco from China and again asked me to kick the tyres so to speak.

I brought my replacement down from Munich as her French is excellent so we have been here a few days then she flies to Dubai from Casablanca and my wife arrives for some winter sun for Easter so I do get a break and staying in a very nice hotel but unfortunately the weather is not so good unfortunately for her.

I have never been here surprisingly but would recommend it. As for Lagos and Kinchasa not ones for us !

Cheers
Mr Mac

[Asturias56]

"very good client and pays her bills promptly and in full."

now that is NOT common

I'd agree tho' Luanda isn't too bad (apart from the traffic) whereas Lagos & Kinshasa are... an aquired taste - tho' I have a mate who spent years in the later quite happliy

[Mr Mac]

Asturias 56
I agree Luanda was ok, and yes there is a traffic issue. Also slightly more expensive than Kinshasa and Lagos I think, or it maybe just the hotels I was in down there.

Lagos is Lagos with the usual Nigerian issues of graft amongst other things. It maybe improving I was told but it’s from a very low base. As for Kinchasa I think they are still trying to find who stole the base !

Morocco is very different and almost European, and you can even use Euros rather than local currency which is surprisingly a closed currency.

Anyway I have a young French female PM who needs to spread her wings a little , who is coming off a project in the Netherlands who speaks French / English/ Arabic as she was brought up in Provence with Arab mother a French Father and this set of projects in Morocco would ideal to start her long haul career.

Cheers
Mr Mac

[Asturias56]

Morocco is rapidly becoming the Mexico of the EU - reasonable education system, good people, and you can cut your costs without hitting quality. A cousin of mine was involved in relocating some rag trade production from the UK & Germany to there and he raved about the place

[PAXboy]

Checking in for a BA flight, I see that they have still not updated this information. Comair has been gone three years? Sun-Air? The South African version must be more than 15? Not April 1st as I've seen this many times.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Mr Mac]

Asturias56
We built a large factory complex in Istanbul for a German clothing manufacturer doing the same thing. As for Morocco there does seem to be quite a bit of near shoring going on. The sites I looked at in Tangiers were in Exportation Free Zone which is a special area close to the port 45 km East of Tangiers and there are a large number of companies coming out of China and moving there. It’s only 15km from Spain as the Crow flies.

Cheers
Mr Mac

[Asturias56]

Yeah - my cousin also finished up opening factories in Turkey - and Romania and Israel.................. Egypt & Tunisia he thought was too disorganised

[MAC 40612]

Originally Posted by PAXboy

Checking in for a BA flight, I see that they have still not updated this information. Comair has been gone three years? Sun-Air? The South African version must be more than 15? Not April 1st as I've seen this many times.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Sun-Air Franchise they are referring to is Sun-Air of Denmark, so still current. No idea why they haven't removed the mention of Comair though.