When Life gives you lemons....
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you and you're enjoying, (if you're in the Northern Hemisphere) the Summer - although if you have tried to fly anywhere from the UK, that's probably unlikely thanks to strike action from various groups, IT 'glitches' and general obstacles which have been hurled at the average traveller.
It does seem amazing, in an age where there are so many different forms of communication, it seems to have become so difficult to gain any information from anywhere. As an example, British Airways, a multi-million pound company, which proudly bears the UK flag on every single plane, merchandise etc cannot manage to find a computer system that works efficiently ! Speaking personally, the pilots who have been happily disrupting everyone's summer so they can have a pay rise ? Perhaps that money could be better spent on developing a level of technology that allows passengers who have checked in online to get on an actual plane ! After all, even if the pilots do get a ridiculous amount added on to their pay, they will soon be facing redundancy when there is nobody to fly anywhere. As for the communication issue I mentioned? Well, call me old fashioned, but it might help, if BA trained some staff to talk to passengers - not via an app, or an 'online messenger service' but really stand, face-to-face, with up to date information and the resources to really help anyone struggling rather than hiding away in an office somewhere out of sight.
The scenes at the major UK airports are an embarrassment, not just nationally but globally - I say globally, because there are people stranded across the world now, who aren't able to get home, not to mention, thousands of foreign tourists who can't get here at all. There seems to be an almost casual disregard by the senior management too, of yes, we have been treated to a parade of 'senior executives' who express their 'regrets', but what possible benefit do their empty words offer ? A couple have even suggested relying on the traditional British spirit of 'making the best of it' and finding 'fun things to do' at the airport, while you wait for a plane that might never take off ! (hopefully that explains the title of this post).
Oh and it gets worse, if you are a passenger who cannot get to business meetings, weddings, family reunions, the one family vacation etc, you don't immediately receive compensation for money that's been lost - oh dear me no! You have to write a letter, fill in some forms and send them in - even then you might well not receive even half of what you've lost, if BA can find a way of blaming someone else other than themselves. Frankly, I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn, they have countless staff looking for loopholes as I'm typing this to you.
Aside from the obvious frustration this has caused so many people, even if they do get some kind of financial compensation, will that mean anything if they have missed an event which won't happen again ? The simple answer is a resounding 'NO.' Am I convinced the management of BA care ? Not really, their main concern seems to be focusing on arguing with their own staff about how many more thousand pounds should or shouldn't be paid in wages. But what about the other airport staff, the other airline staff ?You would hope they would be rallying round, helping out stranded people - again, sadly not, they are gleefully enjoying BA's embarrassment while offering as little as possible to passengers. Some workers are planning strike action of their own, while some airlines allegedly are offering flights at inflated prices ( I should stress, this is a current rumour which I am not presenting as fact).
So what does this whole mess mean ? Well, families who have saved up all year for their two week holiday, some have understandably given up and gone home, after all, who could find anything appealing about sleeping on an airport floor with young children? Can you imagine reaching your front door, having gone nowhere and facing a potentially long battle to receive any compensation ? Not to mention, knowing you won't have the opportunity to have another holiday until 2020, as parents will have to return to work. For others, it means missed opportunities, possibly life-changing experiences which now might be gone, leaving some with nothing but the hope, those chances might come again. Heart-breaking for all concerned, but the 'good news' is, the BA executives will still receive their exorbitant salaries for not realising their computer system is not fit for purpose - so while the rest get the lemons, they will be joyfully guzzling the lemonade.
I apologise if this post seems more of a vent for frustration than an eloquent piece of prose, but, this level of blatant injustice makes my blood boil - when will large corporations realise, it's the people who use their service, shop at their store, spend their hard-earned money - who keep the business going ? Let's hope sooner rather than later....until the next time...
Take care out there xxx
It does seem amazing, in an age where there are so many different forms of communication, it seems to have become so difficult to gain any information from anywhere. As an example, British Airways, a multi-million pound company, which proudly bears the UK flag on every single plane, merchandise etc cannot manage to find a computer system that works efficiently ! Speaking personally, the pilots who have been happily disrupting everyone's summer so they can have a pay rise ? Perhaps that money could be better spent on developing a level of technology that allows passengers who have checked in online to get on an actual plane ! After all, even if the pilots do get a ridiculous amount added on to their pay, they will soon be facing redundancy when there is nobody to fly anywhere. As for the communication issue I mentioned? Well, call me old fashioned, but it might help, if BA trained some staff to talk to passengers - not via an app, or an 'online messenger service' but really stand, face-to-face, with up to date information and the resources to really help anyone struggling rather than hiding away in an office somewhere out of sight.
Oh and it gets worse, if you are a passenger who cannot get to business meetings, weddings, family reunions, the one family vacation etc, you don't immediately receive compensation for money that's been lost - oh dear me no! You have to write a letter, fill in some forms and send them in - even then you might well not receive even half of what you've lost, if BA can find a way of blaming someone else other than themselves. Frankly, I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn, they have countless staff looking for loopholes as I'm typing this to you.
Aside from the obvious frustration this has caused so many people, even if they do get some kind of financial compensation, will that mean anything if they have missed an event which won't happen again ? The simple answer is a resounding 'NO.' Am I convinced the management of BA care ? Not really, their main concern seems to be focusing on arguing with their own staff about how many more thousand pounds should or shouldn't be paid in wages. But what about the other airport staff, the other airline staff ?You would hope they would be rallying round, helping out stranded people - again, sadly not, they are gleefully enjoying BA's embarrassment while offering as little as possible to passengers. Some workers are planning strike action of their own, while some airlines allegedly are offering flights at inflated prices ( I should stress, this is a current rumour which I am not presenting as fact).
So what does this whole mess mean ? Well, families who have saved up all year for their two week holiday, some have understandably given up and gone home, after all, who could find anything appealing about sleeping on an airport floor with young children? Can you imagine reaching your front door, having gone nowhere and facing a potentially long battle to receive any compensation ? Not to mention, knowing you won't have the opportunity to have another holiday until 2020, as parents will have to return to work. For others, it means missed opportunities, possibly life-changing experiences which now might be gone, leaving some with nothing but the hope, those chances might come again. Heart-breaking for all concerned, but the 'good news' is, the BA executives will still receive their exorbitant salaries for not realising their computer system is not fit for purpose - so while the rest get the lemons, they will be joyfully guzzling the lemonade.
I apologise if this post seems more of a vent for frustration than an eloquent piece of prose, but, this level of blatant injustice makes my blood boil - when will large corporations realise, it's the people who use their service, shop at their store, spend their hard-earned money - who keep the business going ? Let's hope sooner rather than later....until the next time...
Take care out there xxx
