It has been quite an ordeal to get back to the UK from South Africa!
There we were: like canned sardines in a Boeing 747, British Airways flight 054, the jet engines powering up for take-off on the runway, when suddenly the engines go quiet and we slowly slip off the runway. The captain informs us that one of the engines malfunctioned.
On this note: in that same week, one 737's engine fell off while taking off (luckily no-one was injured), another jet's engine went bust just after take-off and had to turn around, and yet another jet plane' reverse thrusters failed and slipped off the runway on landing (luckily no-one hurt). There was also a light aircraft that fell on the N12 highway - no one hurt either.
And here we were, our plane's engine failing as well - strange how all these mishaps coincided.
Then came the shocker: after sitting on the British Airways 747 for 4 hours, we were informed that there were no hotels available, and that we had to sleep in the terminal. They added that they would help us be as comfortable as possible...
Well...that didn't happen. As soon as we sat foot on the terminal, that 'help' disappeared like mist in front of a morning sun. No BA representative came to talk to us, or aid us in comfort. We were left there with our skimpy little in-flight blankies and pillows (those who remembered to take theirs!).
I felt so sorry for the parents with babies and especially the elderly, who had to sleep on the cold hard floor. Some Swiss airlines skeleton crew tried to help, but was only swamped by angry passengers, and quickly ran away...
The next morning, we heard through the grapevine that we could eat breakfast at one terminal restaurant for R50 ($8 or £4), and waited the whole rest of the day for information that didn't come until 19:00: that we 'might' fly out at 21:00. Then at 20:00, the flight was cancelled again with chaos breaking out: some going raving mad, others scrambling about looking for other flights. At about 23:00 - at long last - I booked into a courtesy hotel (valid for only one day), stayed with family the next day, and eventually flew out on the Sunday evening - more than 48 hours after being left on the terminal.
I just came to realize again, especially when taking into account the poor parents and especially the elderly - where BA left us unaided on the terminal, and kept us uninformed for more than 24 hours - that big companies care only for one thing - profit. Profit above person is the name of the game.
With proper checks and maintenance intervals, engines won't fail. If for some unforeseen event the flight is cancelled, passengers should be looked after. There must be some kind of protocol that sees to it that passengers - especially parents, children, the elderly and poorly passengers - are cared for; not left to their own devices and kept in the dark for more than 24 hours. The presence of a BA representative on stand-by for these scenarios right from the start, is absolutely essential. After all: passengers pay dearly for service provision, and what's more, there must be some strand of altruism left in those who run the BA corporation. Passengers are human, not just numbers who make the company money!
Thus at long last, I am back in the UK with time to reflect on this atrocity. And may I add that I am not a complainer, on the contrary: I hardly ever complain in restaurants etc. and always give the benefit of the doubt to occasional poor service provision, especially on a personal level. But this was one too many, especially when seeing elderly people lying on cold floors with a company that cares nil.
I wish and hope that by some miraculous event, people - especially those running corporations, making their billions - would once again realize that people are more important than profit. After all, if you sincerely care for people, thus your customers, they will naturally stay loyal...
There we were: like canned sardines in a Boeing 747, British Airways flight 054, the jet engines powering up for take-off on the runway, when suddenly the engines go quiet and we slowly slip off the runway. The captain informs us that one of the engines malfunctioned.
On this note: in that same week, one 737's engine fell off while taking off (luckily no-one was injured), another jet's engine went bust just after take-off and had to turn around, and yet another jet plane' reverse thrusters failed and slipped off the runway on landing (luckily no-one hurt). There was also a light aircraft that fell on the N12 highway - no one hurt either.
And here we were, our plane's engine failing as well - strange how all these mishaps coincided.
Then came the shocker: after sitting on the British Airways 747 for 4 hours, we were informed that there were no hotels available, and that we had to sleep in the terminal. They added that they would help us be as comfortable as possible...
Well...that didn't happen. As soon as we sat foot on the terminal, that 'help' disappeared like mist in front of a morning sun. No BA representative came to talk to us, or aid us in comfort. We were left there with our skimpy little in-flight blankies and pillows (those who remembered to take theirs!).
I felt so sorry for the parents with babies and especially the elderly, who had to sleep on the cold hard floor. Some Swiss airlines skeleton crew tried to help, but was only swamped by angry passengers, and quickly ran away...
The next morning, we heard through the grapevine that we could eat breakfast at one terminal restaurant for R50 ($8 or £4), and waited the whole rest of the day for information that didn't come until 19:00: that we 'might' fly out at 21:00. Then at 20:00, the flight was cancelled again with chaos breaking out: some going raving mad, others scrambling about looking for other flights. At about 23:00 - at long last - I booked into a courtesy hotel (valid for only one day), stayed with family the next day, and eventually flew out on the Sunday evening - more than 48 hours after being left on the terminal.
I just came to realize again, especially when taking into account the poor parents and especially the elderly - where BA left us unaided on the terminal, and kept us uninformed for more than 24 hours - that big companies care only for one thing - profit. Profit above person is the name of the game.
With proper checks and maintenance intervals, engines won't fail. If for some unforeseen event the flight is cancelled, passengers should be looked after. There must be some kind of protocol that sees to it that passengers - especially parents, children, the elderly and poorly passengers - are cared for; not left to their own devices and kept in the dark for more than 24 hours. The presence of a BA representative on stand-by for these scenarios right from the start, is absolutely essential. After all: passengers pay dearly for service provision, and what's more, there must be some strand of altruism left in those who run the BA corporation. Passengers are human, not just numbers who make the company money!
Thus at long last, I am back in the UK with time to reflect on this atrocity. And may I add that I am not a complainer, on the contrary: I hardly ever complain in restaurants etc. and always give the benefit of the doubt to occasional poor service provision, especially on a personal level. But this was one too many, especially when seeing elderly people lying on cold floors with a company that cares nil.
I wish and hope that by some miraculous event, people - especially those running corporations, making their billions - would once again realize that people are more important than profit. After all, if you sincerely care for people, thus your customers, they will naturally stay loyal...
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