Don’t get bagged!
By Darren Cronian on Thursday, February 8th, 2007

With the news that British “I don’t know when I’ll be back again” Airways are going to charge consumers for baggage, over the limit of one per person, plus reduce the baggage allowance, my email inbox is busting at the seems.

Don't get bagged!

Consumer Andrew Egan writes…

Last November when travelling to the US from LHR by NW airlines, my wife and I had 3 cases to check-in and the airline let 2 underweight cases on and stopped our third one as it was 10 lbs overweight. We had to take out 10 lbs of clothes and books and put them in carry on bags! How petty.

Today British Airways announced that it wants to charge long and short haul economy passengers for every bag placed in the aircraft hold over the allowance of 1 per passenger and at the same time is reducing the weight permitted. Of course certain routes are exempt like UK-US route as if the new restriction was placed here the carrier is all too aware that there is plenty of competitor airlines for the travelling public to select from.

My rant >> why cant airline’s behave as if Customers matter?

Great rant Andrew! What are your throughts on BA’s decision to charge to hold your baggage, especially considering all of the bad press the airline has received in recent months!!


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9 responses to “Don’t get bagged!”

Darren Cronian | 9 February, 2007 at 1:32 pm

I’ve received an email asking what I mean by British “I don’t know when I’ll be back again” Airways

All I will say is watch the BA / Google Earth advert.

Maybe they were referring to the lost luggage? Ouch! :D

Nathan | 9 February, 2007 at 3:07 pm

It’s suicidal. How Willie Walsh can stand up and apologise to BA customers for mucking them about, then turn around and do this the following week is just beyond me. Even if we were to agree that there’s a good reason for the charge (which nobody does) it has been poorly handled.

When you couple this with the hard line BA is taking in negotiations with the GDSs you have a brand that seems to be doing all it can to alienate the trade and consumers alike. Perhaps you can throw your weight around like this if you virtually control a market (see Apple and digital music, although even St. Jobs has backed down on DRM in the last week) but last time I checked commercial aviation was a pretty competitive space. Remind me again what pride comes before…?

Rohan | 10 February, 2007 at 12:24 pm

“don’t know when I’ll be back again” Were BA talking about the luggage, or the potential strikes, or the thousands of customers that will take their custom elsewhere.

“101 Tips to Business suicide” what a great book that would be written by the management team at BA.

Michael | 12 February, 2007 at 12:50 am

Interesting comments and is the rumour true that BA are looking to charge for inflight entertainment and food?

Debbie | 13 February, 2007 at 4:14 pm

Oh dear!

I’ve never travelled on the likes of Easyjet and have chosen BA year after year.

These additional costs are certainly going to make me look elsewhere.

Ken | 13 February, 2007 at 4:21 pm

Oh dear indeed.

According to BBC news BA’s profit has dropped up to December 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6323015.stm

I reckon with the strike and luggage farces this will continue to drop.

Darren Cronian | 13 February, 2007 at 4:46 pm

Good points raised by everyone.

Also thanks to Nathan for plugging this post on Travel Weekly Blog

fiona carnegie | 6 April, 2007 at 5:28 pm

You are all very lucky you have a choice not to fly BA.

Here in the Northern isles its BA or nothing with prices to match.

I tried to e-mail BA to ask why the price of my tickets had increased overnight by £30 after their credit card system threw me out. It said my reservation had been made but when I called the next day there was none.

Back into the website, same flight same time, same day, £30 more. Lady on phone polite but, thats the way it is, take it or leave it.

I used the contact button on the website 3 times asking for a reply but cleary this just goes straight into the bin.

Anyone from BA care to comment?

Darren Cronian | 7 April, 2007 at 5:00 am

I’ve had a similar problem with Orange Mobile which took 2 weeks for them to refund the money.

If they have no record of the transaction going through then they won’t offer it at the lower rate, but for them not to reply to any communications is poor, and I suggest you write to them directly and send it registered delivery.

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