Airline passenger news and views

Poor old Graham. I bet he wishes that he had sat next to someone else! Seriously though, this is a real problem. I do not know what the airline can sensibly (or probably legally) do about it, but I see the danger that any immobile passengers might create.I, for one, would be interested to hear the views of other readers and am grateful that this has been raised.

Rating  1

My husband and I had a restaurant which suffered really badly after 9/11. Prior to that we had had lots of American tourists eating with us and they were great. I mean that, not just good for business but mostly really appreciative and nice customers.
Then suddenly it stopped. None of them came over and they seemed to have rediscovered traveling in America. We very nearly went under. Our great little business went from successful to a basket case overnight. We deserved compensation but none offered us any.
With the ash problem, it will just have been a week of pain, ours was probably nine months. So, no I do not think we should bail out these companies.

Rating  1

BA should be really pleased to have pulled this off. Iberia actually need a partner and so, despite the problems that BA have with the unions, I do not see Iberia walking away from this one.

I just read Mr Wilson's comment and I do not, with respect, think that joining the Euro would have helped us at all. We have seen from Greece that single currency membership does not guarantee financial or monetary stability. Being bailed out by the other community countries (actually contrary to the Treaty obligations) is no better than being bailed out by the IMF.
The Pound is weak because we spend more than we earn. Moving our 'account' to another bank would not change that fact.

I do use my mobile for business and social. I am not one of those that hold it in my hand all the time, but I do use it a lot. In, fact, I cannot really imagine being without it. But, do I want to sit on a low-cost, packed, limited seat-space aircraft and try to fit in my conversations in the gaps between those of the neighbouring passengers? I think, n balance, I would opt for the no-phone section of the plane

Yes, mandatory insurance is a good idea. It works for cars and motoring and so should work for air travel. Getting stuck overseas after a problem is no fun. I would be in favour of a properly controlled and regulated (I know you probably cannot trust the regulators to get it right) policy.

What is the point of having a flight booked if it is likely to be cancelled at short notice? It would be ok if you could just take a quick trip to the airport but that is not how it works. It takes me a minimum of one hour to get to the airport, probably half an hour to park and then you have to be there 45 minutes before the advertised time. If the article is right, the flight could have been cancelled at any time during that process.
Yes, I can see that it is better than no flights at all, but it is not better for me !

I only just read this and I had not seen or read anything about it in the papers. I am embarrassed that anyone could think doing something like this was acceptable. I am not saying that it was a terrorist offence but it was certainly something that was stupid and showed a complete disregard for his fellow citizens and the reality of the terrorist threat.

Catriona Wells has hit the nail on the head. We now live in an overcrowed island where manners and respect for others has been lost. We used to know how to behave and be responsible - now we see people putting themselves first, pushing and shoving, being rude and uncaring. It happens in all walks of life but travel seems to bring out the worst.

I am so sorry for BA passengers and for the loyal BA staff. Something is very wrong and the power battle between BA management and the Union is frightening in its intensity.
Neither side is going to back down and the government has shown itself to be unwilling to act decisively. I just do not know where we go from here but I fear that it signals the end for BA as an airline. I think the damage is just too deep.

I would hate to think that every strike would need to be settled by the courts. That would make things much harder for the employees and unions in 'small' disputes. But, in this case where there is a big company and a big union, they are doing too much damage and I think it is right that courts should restrain them.

It seems to me that the strikers have lost this battle and should recognise it. I am not saying who is right or wrong, simply that BA have been able to get a replacement crew structure together and will now be able to operate despite the strikers.
I am sorry for the cabin crew because I think they have been misled by their union. Whilst I probably accept that BA are not without blame, it is a fact that the airline industry is very competitive and BA had to curb its high levels of costs.
My father used to tell me that no-one wins in a strike and I think he was right.

I agree with John Daniels above that tis is not going to work but it is, nevertheless, a good idea. As passengers, we ought to have a forum where ideas could be suggested and at least considered by airlines. Good on Kayte for running the article and I, for one, am always happy to discuss ideas like this.

I am not sure if this is still topical but I saw another example of this at Gatwick a couple of weekends.
There is a lift that goes up to the airport executive lounges and a man and a woman approached from different directions. I was behind the pair of them when the lift arrived and the man stood back, put his hand into the door space and ushered the woman into the lift. It was a very simple and natural gesture.
She turned to him and said "what are you then, the lift operator?"
Absolutely bizarre. I wondered if it was a set up job but I just think she was a very rude woman with a bad problem.

I see that this discussion thread is still running live and well. There are a lot of people that want to have access to communications and, unfortunately, that means disturbance to other passengers.
I really do not want to listen to other people's conversations or to have my peace and quite destroyed by people shouting into their mobiles. I said before that I would want to be in the no-telephone area but i hope it is the phone users that are charged the extra fee and not those like me seeking a quiet life.

Years ago, I used to love long-weekend breaks. I would nip up to Stanstead and get a flight with short-checkin times, low-cost parking and easy transit.
What a difference ten or twelve years makes. Stanstead is now a very busy airport, too many people, too little parking. The weekend get away is spoilt by too much airport hassle.
I never thought that I would say this, but I have started to enjoy weekend breaks in the UK. I had forgotten that we owned Wales and Scotland !!

I really do hate this rip-off mentality. It starts with "we can save you 30% on your insurance". Well, if you take out 30% of the cover then that is not unsurprising.
I think people have become less educated as buyers.Looking for good deals is one thing but just buying the cheapest on offer does not equate to value for money.
Insurance is a minefield. If you want to be safe, you either need to read the policy yourself or get a broker to help you. If you do not do this, you can find yourself paying a nice low price but not getting the cover when you need it.

This whole area does need more coverage. The airlines get away with treating the disabled badly because there are no easy solutions.
I agree that no single airline can suddenly make on-board toilets bigger. But, unless there is pressure, aircraft manufacturers will not do anything about it and the problems will continue.
So, if Kayte wants to bang the drum, I am all for supporting her.

I am glad to read that Quantas are flying their grounded A380s again. That should help boost confidence.

And about time too. We have had business trips cancelled, holidays put on hold and the constant threat of stupid industrial action - and for what?
An absolute disgrace and waste of time for all involved.

Fantastic video. Interesting that it was here in London. I did not think that we got weather as well defined as that.
I was in Florida last July and they have the most amazing thunder and lightening displays.