Work and BA Suck! Climbing Rocks!
Well, I guess it’s work that pays the bills, so it doesn’t suck that much… 😉
But British Airways do…
Today I should have been enjoying the super sunny weather in Chamonix, but an important meeting at work demanded I cut short my long weekend and fly back to London. I flew with BA and the ticket (one way) cost four times the amount of my usual EasyJet ticket. Was the trip four times better? No, it was actually worse in many ways! Take on-line check-in for example. A great idea to save time etc. but when it comes to it, it really only helps BA manage their flight occupancy, not the passenger. You still have to check-in at the airport anyway – regardless of the fact I had hand baggage only! The flight had been booked with a company credit card, so the kiosk simply wouldn’t recognise me! Crap! So much so that I almost missed the check in closure time. Now you’d have thought for such an expensive and supposedly high quality company as BA this would be no drama. You would be wrong!
My advice; save your/your company’s money, fly with a budget airline, get a similar service (but with no frills) and no drama.
The BA experience behind me, the Gatwick Express train was great – fast and efficient! The Tube across London was, well, the Tube. Then a dash in a colleagues car to our customer’s office reminded me that driving a car is easily more dangerous than climbing. Not that we were involved in any accidents, but we did pass a 15 mile stationary tail back on the M40; certainly some fatalities there!
Not withstanding the complex logistics of having flown from the north (where my car is parked right now), it’s been quite an amazing day – seven hours from the French Alps to work in London!
Now, how do I get back to my car?
Pete,
to get your car back. Book a BA ticket (one way of course) from London Heathrow to ‘up north’ (if you can) get delayed, re-routed via manchester but get turned back to Gatwick because of problems or a terrorist attack, then catch a taxi back up north to get stuck in a 50 mile queue on the M6 at Spaghetti Junction, break down. Get relayed to Liverpool airport and hope your car still has it’s four wheels on.
After that, ensure that your mobile phone is off so work can’t contact you while you’re on holiday.
Have a beer, relax and tweak your mac and get your Chamonix weather station on-line!
Dave
PS does that solve your car problem?
Try shanks’s pony lad.
Why didn’t you drive to Cham? That would have avoided all that nasty business with BA and you would have your car with you now.
Okay not very helpfull regarding your current situation, so to help: have you considered putting yourself on ebay as company for a long drive up North? Not sure what you would have to offer people as a starting bid 🙂
I’ll get my coat.
All very helpful comments! Thanks. 😐
be like fiona and i and retire [no need to return so fast]
I’m wishing for the day to come soon… 😉