Complaint Rating:

Company information:
British Airways
Warnham Lodge Farm
Horsham, West Sussex, England
United Kingdom
Phone: 01403 265105
www.britishairways.com

I took my husband away for a surprise Birthday holiday to the wonderful Italian resort of Portofino staying at the exclusive Spendido Hotel. We had a wonderful holiday and was looking forward to returning to our children in the UK on 11 July, enjoying a glass of wine on a BA flight to end a perfect holiday. With my fear of flying, intolerance of heights and having been very sick numerous times when sat at the back of a plane, we arrived at the checking with nearly 2 hours to wait. We checked in asking for a pair of seats as close the front as possible.

On seating a BA cabin crew told us we could not sit in these seats as they were for club only. I explained that it was not our fault that the ground staff had booked these tickets. We asked that we sit together and were told firmly that there were no two seats together only in row 25. I informed the staff that I got very sick if sat at the back of the plane, that it was not our fault that we had been given the wrong seats, that it would spoil the holiday to be sat apart and that I didn’t think I would be able to as I have such a fear of flying. At all times we were polite!

Your cabin girl told the Italian ground crew member to move us to row 25. He did not speak much English but understood my problem with row 25. Your cabin crew by this time had other passengers shouting at us in a very aggressive manor. My husband offered to pay for the upgrade so that I did not have to sit alone nor in row 25. But no your staff would not hear of it! By this point I was frantically pump herbal calm relief into my mouth, my heart felt as if it was going to pop out of my chest, I felt faint and was close to tears. The next moment the BA Captain told us to move or he would have us removed from the flight.

My husband and I moved towards the back of the plane with no help from staff. We found that there were two seats in row 13 and row 16 so we did not have to sit in row 25 after all. Had your staff behaved in a more professional and understanding manner there would have been no need for all the upset. I spent the rest of the flight in tears. I arrived home, did not see my children as I had to go to bed with a migraine, I have not had a migraine for more years than I can remember.

It was not my fault for the error in seating but at no time did your staff see if there were any other seats available other than row 25 nor did they explore moving single passengers. As it turned out there was not need for us to sit in row 25 as there were pairs of seats free closer to the front. I might also point out that there were no extra passengers waiting for our seats in club!

Your staff completely ruined our holiday! And your Captain should learn to land planes again as a BA flight I was on that took two attempts to land at Manchester in high winds, fog and rain did a much better job than the pilot of BA2689 from Genoa to Gatwick!