British Airways has lost the hand luggage of a passenger who died on a BA flight from Hong Kong to London Heathrow last week.
The luggage contained his mobile phone and address book, leaving the family unable to contact some colleagues and friends about his funeral.
Professor Joel Richman, 74, a retired professor of social anthropology, was flying back from a three-month lecture tour of Hong Kong when he was taken ill and died of congestive cardiomyopathy, said his son Saul, 41…
“His one handbag and suitcase is missing, it has been lost by BA. We can’t invite people to his funeral, it has his address book and his mobile phone. To lose somebody’s hand baggage is just unforgivable,” said Saul Richman, an airline systems engineer and former BA employee. The funeral would go ahead and they were trying to contact everyone by email, he said.
Between Homeland Insecurity and the beancounters running airlines, I intend never to fly again.
After working for a major carrier during the time that ‘deregulation’ came into being, I observed the following:
It costs a lot of money to provide the kind of service that the traveling public expects.
Prices will have to go up substantially to provide that level of service.
Myself and my fellow employees always tried to treat our customers like family.
I’m sure the BA folks feel terrible about this.
Can you remember the good old days of flying? It was very, very expensive to fly, but it was great fun and an adventure.
There are just too many folks flying and the airlines need to raise fares to pay for the service that everyone wants.
Aren’t there some super-premium airlines out there that are available to the public?
We have lost a lot by trying to commoditize travel.
The Airline Industry, inverting that age-old adage “It’s not the destination that counts but the journey.”
It cost a f##king arm and a leg to fly even in coach. So the view that it cost a lot to provide the basic attention to your customer is moot. The airlines should be doubling their efforts to please a customer who is already being set upon by security impositions before they even reach the counter. I believe there is room for a small outfit that can find a balance with cost and size that would allow for providing each of it’s customers the enjoyment that commercial flying use to be.
The current philosophy is more is better, except for the customer where less is more: Less appreciation, less time, less room.
“Between Homeland Insecurity and the beancounters running airlines, I intend never to fly again.” – Don’t worry, with three airlines out of business and American grounded, and the price of jet fuel, none of us might be able to fly much any more !!! Jet travel, like SUVs, will become artefacts of the Era of Cheap Energy, which is just about over !!!
“We can’t invite people to his funeral, it has his address book and his mobile phone.”
Don’t blame the airlines for his funeral problems. That can be laid directly on the 74 year old retired guy and his family. Did they think he was going to live forever?
Everyone knows the importance of backing up your data!
I’ve been flying in various capacities for some time. I am still AMAZED at how cheap and comfortable flying is. People used to DIE making long trips. Now, it’s a disaster if they misplaced our order for a kosher dinner????
Get Serious!!!!
Yes, travel is more inconvenient 10% because of airplane crowding, 90% for totally unnecessary airport security. Still better than any other mode of transport.
My Beef–hotel room prices. I’d travel more if budget sleeping were available–like those torpedo tubes in Tokyo==thats all I need. Silly to pay more than (pick a number) to simply sleep.
This is not a disaster. In all probability, his carry on was removed and destroyed. After the plan was emptied, they found the bag, and in today’s paranoid environment, they had to assume the worst (a bomb).
The fact that he was traveling with all his contact data is not BA’s fault. What was his backup plan should he have lived and his luggage was still lost?
BA lose luggage? You mean I’m not the only one?
I am a pilot for a major airline who has had a major pay and retirement.
Ask me what I should say to a passenger that gets in my face and complains that she paid 129$ to fly from NYC to FL and I made an approach to minimums and she is still 20 minutes late.
#9–busdriver==what should you say?
busdriver320 – I’m not going to bother asking because I can’t even understand what you are saying. “I made an approach to minimums”? WTF? Maybe a I need a major pay and retirement.
S
#11–beesoup==busdriver is probably on a layover somewhere and can’t find his laptop which he left under the bed at his last stop, BUT lets give him the benefit of the doubt.
The most probable meaning of his statement is just what he said===he made an approach to minimums, thought about the pay raise he just got, got scared because he couldn’t see the runway, so, he turned the a/c over to the copilot who had to circle around and land, and that’s why they were 20 minutes late.
Now, how one handles that situation is different for each busdriver. If I had done that and some lady had complained, I would have told the truth, as I always do. Something like “Lady, I’m so self centered you are lucky I just got a raise, otherwise I would have crashed this MF’er and taken you and everyone else with me. Do you know which concourse I should take to get to the nearest bar?”
Something like that to let her know I watched out for her safety and all.
BA has been losing luggage left and right lately at crazy numbers. Is this really surprised.
#5, benson,
Don’t blame the airlines for his funeral problems. That can be laid directly on the 74 year old retired guy and his family.
Oh, I thought I read that it was the airline that lost his address book. Yes, yes, if the family lost it then I understand completely.
#1, bill,
It costs a lot of money to provide the kind of service that the traveling public expects.
It costs even more to fix each mistake after they happen.
Prices will have to go up substantially to provide that level of service.
Bullshit. Other airlines can do it. How hard is it to take my bag and put it on the right plane then take it off and put it on the right carousel? It is much more expensive to make a corrective action than to have done it right the first time.
I’m sure the BA folks feel terrible about this.
Especially the accountants and the head baggage handler.
There are just too many folks flying and the airlines need to raise fares to pay for the service that everyone wants.
Airlines need to raise prices to cover their rising costs, such as fuel. Static practices, such as baggage handling, need to be fixed to avoid errors.
It takes a lot of procedures to run an airline. If they are capable of flying the plane, keeping it in the sky, selling the tickets, and whatever else, surely they can keep track of the luggage. It isn’t as if that aspect is rocket science.
jbenson2
This is my late father you’re talking about – you are a complete tw@t!!!!
You really shouldn’t speak ill of the dearly departed.
Remember this WHEN something bad happens to you or your family – what goes around…..
“Comment Moderation is Active”!!!!!!
Have you got the bottle to show my comments?
Coward if not …………………….
FAO: Ron Larson you cretin!!!
“What was his backup plan should he have lived and his luggage was still lost?”
My late father would not have lost his carry on luggage if he had lived, because he would have had it in his HAND! (The family expected the hold luggage to go missing – but this did not contain contact lists)!!
FYI – The police who met the plane on landing (which is procedure)got my late fathers address book & mobile phone (and other CARRY ON items on the plane) and handed them to a BA manager at T5 to return to our family – who just threw them down a shoot to get lost in the system!!!
You really don’t have a clue!