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I thought the crew rest areas were in places like above the cabin that would not normally be used for passengers?
They are. That’s why there are no overhead bins in F on the 789. The steep staircase up to the flight crew rest area is behind a door in the galley on the port side. The cabin crew rest area is at the back of the plane. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/r3zV4shyELY
Passengers seats are blocked out for crew rest on some flights. It depends on the aircraft configuration, and in some instances sector length and flight crew compliment.
Regarding BA’s procedure for selecting their victims, there was a post on FT a few months ago which went in to detail. Not saying those on the ground follow it, but putting it here for the record:
Order of Onload (Reverse order for offload/downgrade)
This list automatically recognised by FLY (known as Acceptance PCV) and is used in circumstances where customers arrive at the airport with a confirmed booking, without having an assigned seat number and British Airways is unable to give them a seat until the flight closes. (Reverse order applies for offload/downgrade.)
1.Confirmed Duty Staff priority 01
2.Passengers with Additional Needs (DEPA, DPNA, MEDA, TWOV, WEAP, DSAB, INAD, NNBH, DEAF, BLND, SVAN, WCHC, WCHS)
3.Confirmed Duty Staff priorities 02–03
4.Diplomatic Baggage [DIPB] (Queen’s Messengers)
5.Premier Card Holders
6.Gold Card Holders
7.Emerald Card Holders
8.First Customers (F, A and Z booking class order)
9.Postech Duty Staff
10.Silver Card Holders
11.Sapphire Card Holders
12.Club Customers (J, C, D, R, I and U booking class order)
13.Corporate Dealt customers, misconnected, previously disrupted and GCVP customers
14.World Traveller Plus Customers (W and E booking class order)
15.All other World Traveller Plus customers
16.Confirmed Duty Staff priorities 04–09
17.Traveller Customers (Y, B and H booking class order)
18.Other Additional Needs (BSCT, BULK, EXST, CBBG, CHLD, INFT, SEMN, INVO)
19.Large groups (over 9 customers)
20.All other Traveller Customers
21.Waitlisted Customers
22.Bookable Staff
23.Waitlisted Staff
24.Space Available StaffNote:Where there are multiple customers above in the same category, further prioritisation will be given to:
1.CIV score
2.Customers travelling in First, Club or World Traveller Plus cabins on flights in their itinerary
3.Booking Class order
4.Check in timeSo after any VOLS the above in reverse is used.
What I find most interesting about that list is that Golds & other airline Emeralds are both above First, and Silver/Sapphire are above Club. I suppose in principle if you book a premium cabin enough times to earn status then you are higher value than someone who books once or less frequently, but putting other airline status passengers above native fare payers is quite significant.
The last time my boarding pass was rejected at the gate with the beep, I was convinced a downgrade was heading my way. What actually happened was the opposite, and for all 4 of the family group to our great surprise. We were travelling on 2x 2-4-1 vouchers so I guess this shows outcomes from operational requirements on the day in this regards can be variable.
What I find most interesting about that list is that Golds & other airline Emeralds are both above First, and Silver/Sapphire are above Club. I suppose in principle if you book a premium cabin enough times to earn status then you are higher value than someone who books once or less frequently, but putting other airline status passengers above native fare payers is quite significant.
I can see the logic of gold above First ( most first will have status of course) , a regular gold worth more than a one off First. But why First below other airlines gold (Emerald).
Same for club below sapphire
The last time my boarding pass was rejected at the gate with the beep, I was convinced a downgrade was heading my way. What actually happened was the opposite, and for all 4 of the family group to our great surprise. We were travelling on 2x 2-4-1 vouchers so I guess this shows outcomes from operational requirements on the day in this regards can be variable.
Same happened to me, booked into WTP, BP rejected at gate and was then upgraded to CW so can work to your advantage also.
If the cost is the same, I don’t see why it should make a difference, but I don’t see the crew bothering to grass to BA!
Hope you have a fabulous holiday, anyway, @Grandad81 (please tell me that’s not your year of birth!!) We’d love to hear about it if you have time to post.
I was also emergency services, but in my case I think the shifts permanently derailed my circadian rhythms, lol.
Haha, yes that is my year of birth! Not actually a grandad, or indeed dad! It was just a nickname from uni that I have since used only in online forum type accounts, as that was where I first started using it.
Having a fab time and will report back, particularly on the changing money, different dollar exchange rate scenarios that stressed me out before getting here but actually isn’t difficult in the end.
Getting back to the downgrade, I noticed they put some customers back into Club once most of that cabin emptied at Rio, must have been about 80% empty then. Not us though and another passenger! I was happy enough not to bother moving as I was worried they would use it later to deny some of the reimbursement, but my wife really wanted to try to sleep. I asked a couple of crew who said no, we had to remain in seats allocated (despite others having new boarding passes issued for club). Anyway, a more senior member of the crew who knew we had been downgraded, moved us into club just before take off saying it was ridiculous we hadn’t been moved, the club cabin was still more than 50% empty, so it was stupid. But I’m confident since no new boarding passes were issued, and we didn’t get amenities, or food etc, that this was just his decision and won’t have been recorded anywhere. I wouldn’t accept it as a reason by BA anyway since we were denied the full experience we had paid for, even for that last 3hrs.
Got another 6 flight internally before the return with BA (my carbon footprint is appalling I know), so hopefully by then the trauma of PE will have passed 😄
Be clear on what you are asking for. As I outlined above, the Avios element is straight-forward. You paid 110K Avios for the downgraded sector (half the total) and that applies per person (i.e. 220K total) as the voucher was in lieu of the 110K for the second traveller. So you are asking for 75% of 220K Avios = 165K Avios to be returned to your account. There have been several cases where that has been upheld at CEDR – others may be able to point you at specific case references if necessary.
On the cash element, I’d be inclined to subtract the total taxes and airport charges (but not the carrier surcharges) for the round trip from the amount you paid, halve it and ask for 75% of that amount. However, since APD skews the taxes heavily towards the outbound flight you may only get 75% of the difference between the outbound taxes & airport charges and half of what you paid. Again, others who have been through it may be better able to advise.
The relevant legislation is here, if you need to refer to it: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2004/261/contents. Article 10, though it doesn’t provide much detail (and nothing about the deduction of taxes and airport fees).
What I find most interesting about that list is that Golds & other airline Emeralds are both above First, and Silver/Sapphire are above Club. I suppose in principle if you book a premium cabin enough times to earn status then you are higher value than someone who books once or less frequently, but putting other airline status passengers above native fare payers is quite significant.
I can see the logic of gold above First ( most first will have status of course) , a regular gold worth more than a one off First. But why First below other airlines gold (Emerald).
Same for club below sapphire
In isolation, it surely makes little difference where Club or First sit in the list. Candidates for downgrade/offload obviously have to be selected from the oversubscribed cabin(s). Wouldn’t everyone in a cabin to have a booking class that relates to that cabin?
However, it does make a difference when you consider the order of booking classes within each cabin, with the redemption classes being at the bottom of the lists. Whilst it doesn’t mention voucher usage, it is clear from this that most non-status & non-additional needs redemption passengers (lower than Gold/Emerald in First or lower than Silver/Sapphire in other classes) would be at the top of the list for downgrade/offload. Silver/Sapphire or higher status trumps booking class (Gold/Emerald for First customers), so status should provide meaningful protection from downgrade/offload.
The above fits in with my experience
All I can say is since I retired (v early) 22 years ago, most of my BA has been redemption bookings to Cape town every year on often full or over booked flights. Never been bumped off or downgraded from club. So gold must be worth something.
To be fair, I’ve never been downgraded or offloaded in 20 years of Avios redemptions either – most of those no or only Bronze/Ruby status and never higher than Silver/Sapphire. Luck, perhaps (now I’ve said it we’re probably jinxed!), but I also don’t think it is something that people need to worry about.
Hi all
Just wondered if anyone has an email address I can use to contact BA Executive Club to arrange the downgrade reimbursement (ie the 75% of the Avios I originally paid for the flight).
I logged a case with BA Customer Services last week, which they initially closed without responding, then reopened – and then yesterday they emailed to offer me compensation of a £300 eVoucher or £200 cash.
I replied to ask them to confirm that this was compensation and not the statutory downgrade reimbursement, which they did – but they said that Customer Services don’t handle the reimbursement process and that I need to contact Executive Club instead about that. They then included a link to the contact page on BA’s website where there’s phone numbers (but no email addresses) and a link to the form for raising a claim (but that’s exactly what I already filled in in the first place, so I know that goes to Customer Services so I can’t use that…)
(Why Customer Services can’t forward the case to Executive Club themselves is a mystery, but I’ll assume it’s just to obfuscate and delay in the hope I’ll give up…)
As I’m still in Japan I don’t want to spend hours (and a small fortune) on hold to BA for hours, so would like to just email them instead to get this sorted (but I just can’t find an official email address to use!)
Thanks!
@Raskolnikov, there is an online form. Just google BA expenses and compensation and you’ll reach it. When vompketing it be succinct and accurate, stick to the bare facts and avoid verbosity, embellishments and drama. Good luck.
Thanks – but unfortunately that’s the form I already used to log the claim in the first place – so that seems to go to Customer Services, who’ve replied to offer me the eVoucher/cash compensation, but have said for the statutory downgrade reimbursement I have to contact Executive Club (not Customer Services) instead. (But they haven’t given me an email address for them…)
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