BA Strike - Your Thoughts & Questions
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Confoederatio Helvetica
Age: 69
Posts: 2,847
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I happen to like the airlines that I fly with, and freely comment if I think things need tweaking (defective IFE, defective seats, defective CC <heh>). I find by replying I see two things:
(1) It often gets something done about it, and
(2) It often gets rewarded by the airline.
(1) It often gets something done about it, and
(2) It often gets rewarded by the airline.
Deep inside, I suppose, I keep hoping that BA will return to the former standards but reality kicks in - they have gone past the point of no return. I no longer see them returning to past glory (or whatever). I was gold, now silver and heading for blue. Their loss.
Guest
Posts: n/a
I'm no longer the eternal optimist. With BA you either get a boiler-plate reply and insincere apology or silence.
And my point is that a service provider should have a better mechanism to deal with what sounds to be problem (2 posters in swift succession) than relying on complaint cards.
Were I WW and given some of the comments on the other thread, I woul dhave had a few 'mystery shoppers' on board flights, post strike.
No union rep worth their salt is going to let the company discipline a member on the basis of a complaint lodged on a website.
And before the normal suspects accuse me of being a 'BA' hater, I have never experienced less than acceptable service on a BA flight.
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: London
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
@ Airclues
BASSA believe that the 28 day rule no longer applies as they have taken industrial action. Is this correct?
However, after 12 weeks, the ballot is no longer effective and the union would need to call a new ballot (or face compulsory redundancies or dismissals etc).
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LHR
Posts: 741
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Were I WW and given some of the comments on the other thread, I woul dhave had a few 'mystery shoppers' on board flights, post strike.
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Europe
Posts: 123
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Uniforms
Stewardess uniforms become big business in Japan
Air hostess uniforms given to employees of Japan Airlines (JAL) have become massively popular on the black market.
Shops specialising in replica uniforms of all kinds are common, but the airline stewardess uniforms are the real thing.
After filing for bankruptcy protection in January, the company is asking for volunteers to take redundancy.
While that has raised hopes of a flood of uniforms becoming available, JAL is keen to ensure all its clothing and equipment comes back.
Roland Buerk reports from Tokyo.
Will there be a market for ex BA uniforms??
Air hostess uniforms given to employees of Japan Airlines (JAL) have become massively popular on the black market.
Shops specialising in replica uniforms of all kinds are common, but the airline stewardess uniforms are the real thing.
After filing for bankruptcy protection in January, the company is asking for volunteers to take redundancy.
While that has raised hopes of a flood of uniforms becoming available, JAL is keen to ensure all its clothing and equipment comes back.
Roland Buerk reports from Tokyo.
Will there be a market for ex BA uniforms??
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: West Wales and Zug, Switzerland
Age: 63
Posts: 416
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I hereby volunteer to be a mystery shopper should Mr walsh be reading this.
I flew LHR-Boston between the strikes, enjoyed the salad but overall the crew where poor. No smiles, slow service except for one crew member who was smiling, helpful and was for most of the trip the only one in club doing any work. He said all the rest where on their breaks. I am sure that on a 7 hour flight you don't need a 2 hour break.
We where up graded from WT+ to Club, and for the first time in along time the CSD came and said hello to Mrs J (Mrs J is Gold) but Mrs J said she shouldn't have bothered as the CSD was so gumpy!
When I got home I went on the BA website and complimented on the service from the one member of crew who far out shone the rest, he was even helping an old couple sort out their luggage in Boston airport.
I flew LHR-Boston between the strikes, enjoyed the salad but overall the crew where poor. No smiles, slow service except for one crew member who was smiling, helpful and was for most of the trip the only one in club doing any work. He said all the rest where on their breaks. I am sure that on a 7 hour flight you don't need a 2 hour break.
We where up graded from WT+ to Club, and for the first time in along time the CSD came and said hello to Mrs J (Mrs J is Gold) but Mrs J said she shouldn't have bothered as the CSD was so gumpy!
When I got home I went on the BA website and complimented on the service from the one member of crew who far out shone the rest, he was even helping an old couple sort out their luggage in Boston airport.
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Wiltshire
Age: 83
Posts: 184
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Staff Travel Commuting
Can someone please explain how you can live in and commute from another country to work using ST, how can you guarantee getting a seat on any flight, let alone on a frequent basis ?.
Way back when, you only got the seat if there was one available, after all bookings were taken up, up to approximately 30 - 45 minutes prior to flight time. In addition, you had to take your place in the waiting staff queue for that flight.
Way back when, you only got the seat if there was one available, after all bookings were taken up, up to approximately 30 - 45 minutes prior to flight time. In addition, you had to take your place in the waiting staff queue for that flight.
Can someone please explain how you can live in and commute from another country to work using ST
I have done so from Glasgow to London and from London to Bahrain - concentrates the mind.
At least I shared a flat in Windsor and had my company house in Bahrain and made sure that I left several flights to give myself a decent chance of making it; always did.
The Buffalo crew seemed to have put themselves in an impossible situation.
Paxing All Over The World
LD12986
Are you saying that BA cannot ever have mystery shoppers? Surely, they have some hand picked people who regularly run every route in every cabin and report back? How can they otherwise hope to know what they are actually delivering? If any member of BA staff/mgmt is going to be recognised (or known from paperwork) then they cannot be anonymous clients of what is happing in the cabin.
If they cannot have mystery shoppers than mgmt have failed.
Quote: Were I WW and given some of the comments on the other thread, I would have had a few 'mystery shoppers' on board flights, post strike.
I have been told that this has not happened in the past because BASSA wouldn't allow it.
I have been told that this has not happened in the past because BASSA wouldn't allow it.
If they cannot have mystery shoppers than mgmt have failed.
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: brighton
Posts: 136
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I doubt very much if BA could in current times employ mystery shoppers
Why?
Because BASSA would object to the `spy in the sky`
BA rely on GPM surveys from customers and things like customer forums as a measure.
GPM surveys are distributed by the crew (usually the CSD as part of their duties,) to supposedly customers randomly selected by seat number. These seat numbers are written on the envelope the surveys come in. In reality it is difficult to achieve this due to customer refusals, empty seats etc.,. As the CSD is measured by the percentage of returns they achieve, quite often customers are `selected` to fill in the surveys with the obvious one sided results.
As for individual comments,(letters to BA, comments cards etc.,) it seems these are rarely replied to apart from the standard replies.
Why?
Because BASSA would object to the `spy in the sky`
BA rely on GPM surveys from customers and things like customer forums as a measure.
GPM surveys are distributed by the crew (usually the CSD as part of their duties,) to supposedly customers randomly selected by seat number. These seat numbers are written on the envelope the surveys come in. In reality it is difficult to achieve this due to customer refusals, empty seats etc.,. As the CSD is measured by the percentage of returns they achieve, quite often customers are `selected` to fill in the surveys with the obvious one sided results.
As for individual comments,(letters to BA, comments cards etc.,) it seems these are rarely replied to apart from the standard replies.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: England
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
'Mystery Shoppers' are an important management tool in service industries and if it is true that BA do not use them that may explain the wide difference in customer experience.
GPM sounds like a tick box culture with obviously unreliable results.
BA probably needs to adopt a better monitoring system.
GPM sounds like a tick box culture with obviously unreliable results.
BA probably needs to adopt a better monitoring system.
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Rugby
Posts: 883
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mystery Shopper.
I once knew a chap who had some trick cards printed up. They looked very authentic and bore the wording to the effect. "You have today been assessed by Service Authentications Ltd., on behalf of your organisation. A full report will be issued in due course." Or some such wording. They had logos of major companies, BP, M&S, hotel chains etc., possibly even airlines. He would hand a card to a staff member or simply leave one in a place to be found. He amused himself greatly by the distribution of these cards and who knows? He may even have done some good! All highly illegal all the same for the unauthorised use of the logos, but he was never caught or challenged.
A Runyonesque Character
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: The South of France ... Not
Age: 74
Posts: 1,209
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
More mystery shoppers
A flatmate of mine was a BOAC overseas station officer. On one occasion, in between assignments, he was given a multi-sector ticket, out to Hong Kong, back via Seychelles and Nairobi, and told to make sure his baggage was well over the limit, to see how often he was charged excess. He emptied his wardrobe and shoe cupboard into his case and dragged it halfway round the world and back. He never did get charged, but on his very last sector (Rome-London) they lost his bag and he arrived back home with nothing to change into.
On another occasion, in the 1970s, all the clerks and juniors in Market Research were given first-class tickets to all points of the globe and told to report on the usage of the upper deck lounge on the 747. Some poor soul sat up there all the way back from Sydney and the only other punter thay saw was a senior BA manager.
On another occasion, in the 1970s, all the clerks and juniors in Market Research were given first-class tickets to all points of the globe and told to report on the usage of the upper deck lounge on the 747. Some poor soul sat up there all the way back from Sydney and the only other punter thay saw was a senior BA manager.
I'm astonished by the statement about mystery shoppers
and astonished that no-one has challenged this.
If true, it does give a further insight to us punters into the insidious power of BASSA. Would any pro-union supporter (or anyone else, for that matter) like to justify this?
that this has not happened in the past because BASSA wouldn't allow it.
If true, it does give a further insight to us punters into the insidious power of BASSA. Would any pro-union supporter (or anyone else, for that matter) like to justify this?
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Abu Dhabi
Posts: 294
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Not unusual at all when you have a militant union. I come across it all the time. It can basically be seen as a metric on productivity. Try bringing "lean" concepts into old style big business.....brick wall guys.
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: UK
Age: 76
Posts: 620
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This thread seems to be drifting into a discussion about 'mystery shoppers'. The threat of strike action is still very real in BA so why not start a separate 'mystery shopper' thread?
I believe that there are people in the BA legal team who disagree with emanresuym in the interpretation of the 28 day rule (post #855). If another strike is called I think that you will find that the validity is challenged in the courts. The wording of the act is by no means clear.
Dave
I believe that there are people in the BA legal team who disagree with emanresuym in the interpretation of the 28 day rule (post #855). If another strike is called I think that you will find that the validity is challenged in the courts. The wording of the act is by no means clear.
Dave
Re ST and commuting cabin crew - I flew from Alicante to Gatwick on Ryanair last November and there was a BA stewardess on the flight all dressed up for work. I payed 10 euros each way for that flight so ST is not so important from some places. BA gave up the route last year and ST was a damn site more than 20 euros if you could get a seat.
Thread drift is due to lack of news. When either side makes a move the discussion will come back to the strike.
There is no way BASSA would even know it was happening, let alone stop it, if it was done properly.
this has not happened in the past because BASSA wouldn't allow it.
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: London
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
@ Airclues
That's interesting. However, I really don't believe that there could be any challenge to further IA based on it requiring a longer notice period (I think this is what you suggested?). I am pretty sure that many interpretations of the act (including that published in the Department for Employment and Learning's pamphlet ER29 'Industrial action and the law: A guide for employers') make it reasonably clear that during discontinuous IA, the dates can be changed as long as 7 days notice are given.
However, where there may be some sort of legal challenge possible is if BA believe that "the result of a ballot no longer represents the views of union members or that something has happened or is likely to happen which is likely to result in union members voting against taking, or continuing with, action if there were a fresh ballot".
However, where there may be some sort of legal challenge possible is if BA believe that "the result of a ballot no longer represents the views of union members or that something has happened or is likely to happen which is likely to result in union members voting against taking, or continuing with, action if there were a fresh ballot".
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 458
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
@ Fly380
It is the flexability of ST tickets that is important over the price in many instances.
If you are late getting back to base and miss your ST flight it is no problem, you juet get the next, or nip to Gatwick and fly from there (in the case of Spain for example). This is not the case with Ryan, Easy etc - when you miss one of those flights it can be an axpensive experience indeed.
ST is rather important to commuters and vital to some believe me.
It is the flexability of ST tickets that is important over the price in many instances.
If you are late getting back to base and miss your ST flight it is no problem, you juet get the next, or nip to Gatwick and fly from there (in the case of Spain for example). This is not the case with Ryan, Easy etc - when you miss one of those flights it can be an axpensive experience indeed.
ST is rather important to commuters and vital to some believe me.