ANother From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Posted (5 years 10 months 3 weeks ago) and read 4205 times:
Existing Bookings not affected - how can this be?
From BA.COM
Quote: Due to the increased security measures at Heathrow the connection time required in-between flights has been extended.
All changes are with immediate effect for travel up to and including 31 August 2007.
Passengers with existing bookings are unaffected.
More information
When making a booking involving a connection between one BA operated service onto another BA operated service you should allow:
All Terminal 1 to Terminal 4 Connections - please allow 90 minutes between scheduled landing time and next flight departure time.
All Terminal 4 to Terminal 1 Connections - please allow 90 minutes between scheduled landing time and next flight departure time
All Terminal 1 to Terminal 1 Connections - please allow 75 minutes between scheduled landing time and next flight departure time
All Terminal 4 to Terminal 4 Connections - please allow 75 minutes between scheduled landing time and next flight departure time
BAW217 From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2007, 116 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (5 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 4086 times:
Why are current booking not affected? Because BA do not want to ruin their passengers travel plans. If you had a booking say EDI-LHR-JFK for the last JFK flight of the day, and your connection time was 1hr it would mean missing the connection, and no flight till the following day.
BA do not want to disrupt passengers current travel plans, some passengers can't just change their summer holiday arrangements at this late stage. If they did, it would cause more problems which BA do not need at this time.
Cubsrule From United States of America, joined May 2004, 21244 posts, RR: 19 Reply 2, posted (5 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 3786 times:
Quoting BAW217 (Reply 1): Why are current booking not affected? Because BA do not want to ruin their passengers travel plans.
But BA ought to permit passengers to change their reservations if they currently hold a ticket with an 'illegal' connection.
I can't decide whether I miss the tulip or the bowling shoe more
Aisak From Spain, joined Aug 2005, 757 posts, RR: 11 Reply 3, posted (5 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 days 15 hours ago) and read 3670 times:
Quoting Cubsrule (Reply 2): change their reservations if they currently hold a ticket with an 'illegal' connection.
Their connections are legal. The MCT is a made-up number which prevents booking engines to "match" two flights.
BA run some tests one day to know how long would it take to transfer between flights (both passengers and baggage) within the same terminal and to other terminals/airports and they choose not to allow connections between flights arriving and departing in a window narrower than the MCT.
In the meantime, the security checks have become more.... complicated and takes longer to go through security. It doesn't mean that you can't get off a plane and board another within the same terminal in 60 minutes, but BA won't offer you the option unless the time is 75 minutes or more.
Passengers with the old MCT will probably make it to the gate on time, but BA don't want to risk it, so they have chosen to shift the time from now on. Rebooking passengers just for 5 minutes difference on a made-up number wouldn't really look sensible.
Cubsrule From United States of America, joined May 2004, 21244 posts, RR: 19 Reply 4, posted (5 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 3583 times:
Quoting Aisak (Reply 3): In the meantime, the security checks have become more.... complicated and takes longer to go through security. It doesn't mean that you can't get off a plane and board another within the same terminal in 60 minutes, but BA won't offer you the option unless the time is 75 minutes or more.
There's a reason BA doesn't offer that option anymore, no?
Quoting Aisak (Reply 3): Rebooking passengers just for 5 minutes difference on a made-up number wouldn't really look sensible.
That's why I don't think BA should do it on their own, but if they are aware that there are times when a passenger will not make a 60 minute connection, they should certainly allow pax to book a longer connection.
I can't decide whether I miss the tulip or the bowling shoe more
N1120A From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 25852 posts, RR: 79 Reply 5, posted (5 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 3545 times:
Quoting Cubsrule (Reply 4):
There's a reason BA doesn't offer that option anymore, no?
Sure, but there was also a reason they offered the previous option.
Quoting Cubsrule (Reply 4):
That's why I don't think BA should do it on their own, but if they are aware that there are times when a passenger will not make a 60 minute connection, they should certainly allow pax to book a longer connection.
If they don't make the connection, then it is BA's responsibility to take the loss and re accommodate the customer.
Mangeons les French fries, mais surtout pratiquons avec fierte le French kiss
VV701 From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 6628 posts, RR: 17 Reply 6, posted (5 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 3525 times:
Quoting Cubsrule (Reply 4): That's why I don't think BA should do it on their own, but if they are aware that there are times when a passenger will not make a 60 minute connection, they should certainly allow pax to book a longer connection.
My experience is that if you have a 'legal' connection from one flight to another with the same airline they will delay your connecting flight if your first flight is not too late and there is not an alternative flight reasonably soon after your second flight. So, in recognition of the increased security BA have changed the 'legal' connection time in order to reduce the delayed departures.
Certainly I have experienced delays on more than one airline where the cabin doors have been closed as soon as some late boarding passengers have boarded.
I also travelled Swissair LHR-ZRH-BEG many years ago. I planned to meet up with a French colleague booked CDG-ZRH-BEG at ZRH. My first flight was delayed and I was given priority disembarkation in order to try to transfer to the BEG flight before it departed. However when I got to the transfer desk I was told there was no rush. I then found that the flight from CDG had been delayed and would not arrive for another 30 minutes which was after the departure time of the BEG flight. But both my colleague and I successfully boarded that BEG flight. I resolved then and there always to make connecting flights using just one airline wherever possible.
The only time I subsequently missed a connecting flight after that was when I flew SXB-ORY with AF and ORY-LHR with BA. I had to stay overnight at ORY (at AF's expense) when my first flight was over 90 minutes late and I arrived at the BA gate after it closed.
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