Sounds like a run-in with Airport workers, not BA. And yes, they are
pointlessly rule-bound.
BA is by far the best airline to travel in my experience. Most other
airlines are worse, and no North American airline is even in competition
(Why is it that we get the Worst Airlines. Most of the EU lines are good
to great, but only a few short-haul airline like WestJet over here can
provide a reasonable experience)
-Adam
Joseph Tainter wrote:
This one goes into my "How did the human species ever survive?" file.
Yesterday I got to Heathrow Terminal 4 early for my flight. After
leaving off my big suitcase I dutifully stepped up to the checkpoint
that you must pass before you are admitted to the security screening
area. One woman is checking boarding passes, while two others
intercept passengers who are trying to carry on the allowed carry-on
bag. The woman wants to weigh my suitcase. It weighs a bit under 15
kg, so she tells me I must check it. Well, it contains $3000 worth of
digital photo gear, medications, and documents, and I am not about to
check it. So a row begins. She tells me that I am allowed only 6 kg in
one bag, and that I must repack everything into multiple bags. At this
point the illogic of her demand had not sunk in. I asked to see her
supervisor, who duly came along. This woman gave me the same story. I
was allowed only 6 kg in any one bag. Both women suggested that I
repack the contents into multiple bags. Now the absurdity started to
sink in. The objection was not that I wanted to carry 15 kg on board,
but that I wanted those 15 kg in one bag (in which they fit just
fine). If I carried the same 15 kg in multiple bags, that would be
okay. I tried to explain to the supervisor that this was ridiculous:
the overhead bin carries the same weight regardless of whether it is
in one bag or several. Her reply: "Sorry, sir, that is the rule."
Both women asked me several times if I was in Business Class or
Economy. I was in Economy, of course. I asked why it made a
difference. The supervisor insisted that that in Economy, the bins
would not handle the weight. This was a 747. I pointed out that all
sections of the plane have the same overhead bins. This logic didn't
matter. I also pointed out that I had flown on the same British
Airways 747 coming from Phoenix. That logic didn't matter either. All
that mattered was that only 6 kg would be allowed Economy Class
passengers in any one bag.
At this point I realized that the people who run and work for British
Airways are about as intelligent as American Educators -- the kind who
suspend kids from school on the grounds of no-drugs-tolerated when the
kid shows up with a cold, cold medication, and approval from the parents.
So I trekked down to the end of the terminal, removed the contents of
my suitcase, and proceeded back to the entrance. Now my 15 kg were in
4 parcels rather than one. At the entry I saw that the gatekeepers
were harassing some Middle Eastern-looking fellows. So while they were
distracted, I walked right up to the woman checking boarding passes,
showed her mine, and walked on through. Of course, once on the other
side, I proceeded to repack everything into the original suitcase.
Once past security, I spent 20 minutes walking around the vast
duty-free mall just to bring my blood pressure down. When I was
rational again, I thought about the several times that I was asked if
I was in Business or Economy. Apparently, in Business Class I could
carry the 15 kg in one suitcase. In Economy I had to carry the same 15
kg in several bags. They even had the nerve to claim that the Economy
overhead bins were somehow less able to carry such a concentration of
weight. At that point I understood that my real offense had been
against the British class system. Those in Business Class had paid for
the privilege of carrying 15 kg in one bag. Those of us in Steerage
had not. We could only carry our 15 kg in several bags. I never asked
whether they provide enough life preservers for everyone in Economy.
Other than that, it was actually a very interesting flight. Going over
the Atlantic usually isn't, and I've now done it 42 times. But that's
another story, and tonight I just need to rant. And I will never
willingly fly British Airways again. Last June, flying Berlin to
Heathrow (on my way back to Albuquerque), the British Airways
attendant threw coffee all over me right at the start of 24 hours of
travel.
Joe
