Frustration Erupts Over British Airways' Customer Service Amid Heathrow Chaos

British Airways Faces Backlash from Stranded Passengers

British Airways was severely impacted by the shutdown of London Heathrow on March 21, leading to over half of the 1,400 cancelled flights attributed to the airline. This disruption affected approximately 125,000 passengers.

Despite rebooking some travelers on other airlines, reports surfaced indicating that British Airways misinformed certain passengers about flight availability, leaving them stranded.

Joan Keevil, traveling with her husband Paul in India, was set to fly back on BA256 to Heathrow when their flight was abruptly cancelled. Under air passenger rights, BA was required to arrange an alternative flight as quickly as possible.

However, Ms. Keevil was incorrectly informed that she would need to wait nine days for the next available flight unless her holiday company arranged a new one. Ultimately, she purchased flights on Emirates two days after the Heathrow closure, which BA is obligated to reimburse.

During a live chat with a BA agent, Ms. Keevil expressed her urgency due to work and family commitments, as well as the lack of essential medications. The agent responded with a lack of understanding of passenger rights, stating that no flights were available before March 30 and suggesting she check with her travel agency for alternatives.

Despite her insistence to escalate the chat to a supervisor, she was told none were available. The agent cited a vague “policy” restricting options and dismissed potential alternative routes, such as flying via Mumbai.

British Airways is legally bound to ensure passengers reach their destinations promptly by any means and cannot impose arbitrary policies that hinder this obligation. The agent repeatedly directed Ms. Keevil to her travel agency for solutions, which contradicts BA's responsibility.

In response to inquiries, BA claimed that they offered nonstop Virgin Atlantic flights on March 25, four days after the cancelled flight, but the passengers opted not to accept this option. A BA spokesperson mentioned that the company is actively working to resolve the situation with the affected customers.