Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
simonhill
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Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Postby simonhill » 15 Jul 2009, 11:23am

Anyone thinking of flying with BA from Gatwick may want to read this

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/m ... 8#15973678

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CJ
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Re: Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Postby CJ » 16 Jul 2009, 3:52pm

Rather an exaggerated description of one incident of one supervisor's narrow interpretation of the rules, but CTC's public transport campaigner is onto it.

Unfortunately there's a whole lot of randomness in the way that check-in staff interpret the rules. Last autumn I saw cyclists getting on Ryanair at Stansted with no wrapping at all, same period as others were turned away from that airport with properly poly-bagged bikes. For all we know this BA Gatwick departure might have been oversold, with our hapless cyclist seen as easy meat to free up a seat.

So it's important to print out the CTC information page here which proves you've bought a genuine bike bag and make a really big fuss over that at the check-in. Did the victim do that? He doesn't say so I guess not.
Chris Juden
One lady owner, never raced or jumped.

simonhill
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Re: Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Postby simonhill » 20 Jul 2009, 1:51pm

I would hardly say it was a "Rather an exaggerated description of one incident of one supervisor's narrow interpretation of the rules".

It happened and it was reported. To me it was a well balanced report of the facts and amazingly calm seeing as the guy had lost his flight. OK it was only one incident, but it involved not only the check-in staff, but also fully supported by the 'supervisor'. Maybe if someone had been flying from Gatwick the next day it might have been useful(?).

Interesting conspiracy theory - cyclists get bumped when seats oversold. Hmmmmm?

robjh
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Re: Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Postby robjh » 22 Jul 2009, 10:07pm

As the person to whom this happened, I'm very sorry if it sounds like exaggeration, but I can assure you that I reported events exactly as they happened. It was indeed just one incident, but if that incident happens to be crucial to your holiday then it can feel very significant.

I told the three BA staff that the bag was supplied specifically for this purpose by the Cycle Touring Club, but did not have a printed copy of the CTC text to back me up. This cut no ice, and the argument hinged entirely around their assertion that a polythene bag could not be considered 'protective' as the latter in their opinion implied padding. Finally, faced with a point-blank ( if well-mannered ) refusal to accommodate my bike as packed, and the impossibility of doing anything else in the time available, I had to admit defeat. I was led to believe by the staff that this was a recent tightening-up of rules.

I wrote to the CTC on the 16/7/09 giving more details of the event, in the hope that they might have some success in getting some clarity on BA's real policy in this area. The BA website remains rather ambiguous as it always has been, but the stated conditions are undeniably stricter this year than last.

chrb
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Re: Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Postby chrb » 24 Jul 2009, 2:45pm

Did you get a refund or was the ticket money lost?

robjh
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Re: Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Postby robjh » 4 Aug 2009, 1:37pm

No, lost the money. The duty manager suggested I go to the ticket desk to 'rebook', but it turned out that that meant 'buy another full-price ticket'. The ticket desk clerk checked with her supervisors, who decided that a non-transferable non-refundable ticket meant exactly what it said, and turning up with inappropriate luggage was my problem.

To be honest I still haven't re-contacted BA as it looks like a lost cause. They have just announced even further drastic restrictions to their bike policy from this October, so I don't see I'll ever be flying with my bike with them again whatever the outcome.

Tony
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Re: Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Postby Tony » 6 Aug 2009, 9:36am

Very odd. I flew BA on June 30th from T5 to Munich with my bike in a clear poly bag, and back to Gatwick on July 29th from Budapest with Malev. Not a problem either way, apart from a pair of panniers being delayed--from T5, of course.

petehenry
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Re: Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Postby petehenry » 6 Aug 2009, 10:12am

The only way to get through to an organisation like BA is to write in and make the point.
I have now flown several times using the CTC bike bag. Before I flew first I spent a lot of time on the internet checking out tales of damage to bikes. The least damaged bikes - or the greatest success rate seemed to be for bikes in clear plastic bags and even bikes competely unwrapped. This was a very subjective survey, but I guess people are more likely to report problems than success.
The more people write. the more likely BA are to change their policy. Even more important if you are a frequent flyer club member. They are so desperate to keep their customers at the moment that they are almost bound to respond if enough people write in.
Suggested script:
(I have been a BA Exec Club member for many years, and for several years a gold card holder. Two years ago I retired and have taken up long distance cycle touring as a hobby.)
I have been following a debate on the Cycle Touring Club website following your refusal to allow someone to fly with their bike wrapped in a CTC bike bag due to a change in your policy (refer to viewtopic.php?f=16&t=27014).
Before I first flew with my bike, I spent many agonising hours researching the most appropriate packing method, and found (to my surprise) that a bike wrapped in a clear plastic bag was the least likely to suffer damage, and those in soft packing cases the most likely to be damaged. Even those in hard packing cases were frequently damaged. As you can imagine, when flying somewhere with a bike to go on a touring holiday, it is very important that you minimise the risk of damage to your bike as this could ruin your holiday.
There is an additional problem with your packing restrictions. If you are doing a 'cycle out, fly back' or 'open jawed' trip, you cannot possibly take your hard cycle case or soft cycle bag with you, it simply will not fit on the back of a bike, whereas a CTC cycle bag will (weighing only c. 0.65kg). For full details see http://www.ctc.org.uk/resources/Travel_ ... ikeBag.pdf. Your new policy totally precludes this sort of holiday.
I have to say that unfortumately I will not be able, in future, to consider BA as a potential carrier when flying on a cycling holiday unless your policy is changed.
I dearly hope that you will review and change your policy.

website for email comment is: https://www.britishairways.com/travel/c ... contact_us

simonhill
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Re: Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Postby simonhill » 6 Aug 2009, 4:03pm

The plot thickens - look like BA don't want any sporting goods:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel ... 737581.ece


By the way Petehenry, for your 'survey' I have flown many times with my bike (4xIndia, 10 x SEAsia. 3½ x Oz&NZ, plus plenty of internals) using the roll-on and a bit of bubblewrap method for my bike. Apart from minor damage to paintwork, front brake cable and mudguard stays, the only serious damage was a broken rim (on homeleg), so for me that is the way to go.

thirdcrank
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Re: Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Postby thirdcrank » 6 Aug 2009, 4:57pm

Speaking as a completely disinterested bystander - a total non-flyer - it seems to me that BA has no interest whatsoever in catering for the hoi polloi of which cyclists are a typical example. One example of the skewed priorities of this firm is that all directors + their families, have the lifetime right to unlimited first class travel. Until a recent controversy, it may even have been that paying first class passengers were bumped to make way for these privileged people. In the boom years, this sort of thing goes unnoticed because there are so many people travelling on exes - and who are therefore not price conscious in the way that people are when spending their own money. Come the so-called downturn and untenable business practices are exposed for what they are - the attitudes of a bygone age when national 'flag carriers' were featherbedded by their governments. And those attitudes do not change overnight. The other thing that occasionally rears its head is that BA is now a very large pension fund which also runs a shrinking airline. The day of reckoning nears.

In the meantime, my impartial advice is to book with a company which takes its paying customers serioously.

MartinBrice
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Re: Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Postby MartinBrice » 9 Aug 2009, 11:36am

It looks to me as if someone has updated the BA website and most helpfully put on some pictures of what they think cycle bags should look like. I guess they employed someone to make those drawings:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/ba ... rchResults

And of course the staff would look at those pix, then look askance at a clear poly bag. Hence the problem.
The thing I find most odd is that BA is merely the aircraft operator: all the loading (at very many airports worldwide) is done by Servisair or a similar company. So when I fly from Gatwick, be it with Easyjet, Norwegian or BA, the bike will always be handled from the check-in desk to the aircraft hold, by a Servisair employee, not by someone from the airline. And it'll be the same at the other end. Yet airlines seem to have differing rules for wrapping the bike. these rules used to be simply a matter of trying to stop greasy chains from dirtying other people's clothes or luggage, but BA seems to have gone down the "protection" of bikes route.

petehenry
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Re: Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Postby petehenry » 9 Aug 2009, 12:49pm

Given the level of interest on this subject from touring cyclists and impact on their trips I think we should have an item similar to the railway thread to collect statistics. I should imagine airlines and airports are actually going to be a lot easier to influence than stations and train operators, where there is no competitiion. At least airlines, by and large, use exactly the same aircraft and luggage handling facilities so it is purely a matter of being most accomodating to attract the cyclist market. We just need to have accurate statistics.

Have a look at viewtopic.php?f=6&t=27933

MartinBrice
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Re: Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Postby MartinBrice » 9 Aug 2009, 3:00pm

i've posted on the campaigning place as instructed......

simonhill
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Re: Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Postby simonhill » 10 Aug 2009, 12:16pm

Looking at the pictures on the BA site - the good old cardboard box is not allowed!! I can sort of understand the ruling on the poly bag as in my opinion it does little to protect bike or other luggage - but the carbooard box?? Surely it is a very suitable container.

petehenry
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Re: Polythene Bags Banned on BA Planes ex Gatwick

Postby petehenry » 10 Aug 2009, 2:26pm

I have to say that the evidence is that bikes in plastic bags get off lightest.