Easyjet Makes Most of Snow Chaos

London's Piccadilly Line severe delays - but a minor miracle

London has the worst snow for almost two decades overnight. Just my luck to be booked on the 08:40 BMI flight from Heathrow to Glasgow. I trudge off through thick snow at 06.30 to catch the Piccadilly Line. All went well until the almost empty train ground to a halt between stations. Twenty minutes later we were still stuck, rapidly falling snow obscuring the windows. The train ahead had iced up. Eventually our train gingerly edged through red signals to the ever so welcome safety of the platform at Osterley station.

The handful of passengers filed through the carriages to leave by the single door which just reached the platform end. The snow was coming down increasingly thickly now, no wonder the platform manager decided to close the station. Stranded halfway between home and Heathrow I decided to walk to the airport. At least if I turned up BMI would be obliged to rebook me.

Two hours later when I finally marched into Terminal One I was greeted by a dismaying sight. Every single BMI departure on the screen was shown 'Cancelled'. After waiting thirty minutes in a long line to rebook, my two hour walk was rewarded with some more bad news. We should all go home. BMI staff issued frustrated passengers (who thought they'd triumphed by even arriving at the airport) with letters instructing us to phone their call centre. Almost any call to BMI's Indian call centre is worse than a five mile trek through a snowstorm.

Fortunately the all too brief stop at the airport allowed just enough time for a minor miracle to happen on the Piccadilly line. Trains were running back into London and four hours after I'd set off, I was finally home again. With luck now firmly on my side I looked up a non-premium rate number for BMI on the saynoto0870 webiste and after barely a couple of rings I had a new flight booked for the day after tomorrow.

BMI didn't take any passenger details at the airport and so far as I could tell anyone who'd checked in, or maybe even had a reservation could have phoned for a replacement booking.

Contrast my experience with my colleague who booked Easyjet from Gatwick to Glasgow.

When the trains failed to run he didn't make it to Gatwick. Putting it down to bad luck he booked and paid for a new flight later this evening. When Easyjet began cancelling all its flights and with more snow forecast he paid another £20 to move it to the day after tomorrow. Why? I wondered. Because, he explained, he had discovered that Easyjet only ever cancel within the hour of scheduled departure, so if you don't turn up no refund. He didn't fancy trekking to Gatwick to save twenty quid.

Well fair enough, that's what you get with a budget airline I expect you're thinking. True - except his Easyjet flight cost £80 + £20 and mine with BMI cost £44.50.

As I write BBC News reports chaos for Easyjet customers at Stansted. Cancelled flights, five hour queues to rebook and planes diverted to the wrong airports. The news says the weather has cost the airlines millions. Easyjet seems determined to hang on to as many fares as it can. The next news item reports that Ryanair has made a loss. The report speculates that passengers are growing tired of extra charges to book a seat, check in a bag, pay with any type of bank card, etc, etc. Ryaniar's imagination when it comes to 'extras' knows no limit.

The budget airlines are looking the most vulnerable in the economic squeeze - regardless of how they behave during the big freeze.

BMI says sorry

The story so far: Airline BMI recently offered its most frequent flyer's money off a future flight. When I redeemed the offer I was stung with extra call centre fees and fare charges. I complained to BMI's Head of Loyalty marketing.



I sent a copy of my post 'BMI Not so Very Rewarding' to Jenna Rowley, BMI's Loyalty Programme Manager. At first she disputed that BMI had shortened the promotion - giving passengers less time to redeem their discounted flight. She agreed however that customers booking the discounted flight via the call centre would incur extra charges. But there was more - she was investigating my complaint - personally.

When I sent her copies of the promotional email - with the changed dates, she conceded that there had been an error. But she went further - she telephoned me to apologise. She explained that this was a new promotion. They really had intended to give regular customers money off, but then they had encountered a number of problems. Their systems didn't allow for e-vouchers, and they couldn't give the call centre staff authority to waive the handling fee on a case by case basis.

Apparently I'm not the only customer who's complained. But BMI has more to its apology. she offered to refund the call centre handling fee and the difference between the web site and the call centre fare. She explained that they are working hard to upgrade their systems to allow for e-vouchers and they'll think through any further new promotions much more carefully. The last thing they intended to do was annoy their regular passengers.

Fair play BMI. They deliver a streamlined service at a sensible price. I am impressed that they haven't forgotten who they're working for (unlike BA perhaps). Sometimes saying 'sorry' is enough. We all know how unforeseen problems can jump out and bite us - despite the best laid plans. It's nice when companies admit mistakes, rather than remain silent or make excuses.

So I'm very happy to remain a loyal customer; thanks BMI.

BMI - Not so very rewarding

BMI advertises itself as the more rewarding airline. But is the claim true?

Regular readers will know I often fly London to Glasgow. Recently BMI wrote to offer me a reward for my loyalty. Simply complete 6 flights in the qualifying period and BMI would give me £50 off a flight taken before 6 July.

Yesterday BMI emailed me the voucher. Some new conditions had appeared in the lengthy Terms and Conditions. Now the flight must be taken before 22 June. Also I must book via the call centre (not online) and ominously the new wording 'surcharges may apply when booking through the call-centre' have appeared too. This is annoying, because all the qualifying flights were booked electronically. British Airways has also recently sent me a reward voucher - it can be used online with no additional fees. Finally BMI's shortening of the redemption period (from 6 July to 22 June) is pure dishonesty.

Anyway I pick out the return flights I want online - they are £77. Then I dial BMI reservations. That's when it all starts to go wrong. There is no record of my qualifying for the £50 discount. I must email customer services. I refuse, I'd like to speak to a supervisor. Eventually after 30 minutes on hold my claim is found and I can book - BUT the same flights now cost £116.40 a whopping £39.40 more expensive than I could have booked for cash online before I picked up the phone. So my £50 saving is reduced to just £10.60. This is partly because the outbound flight has gone up by 30 quid and because BMI have added another £10 for insisting I book via the reservations centre (so actually BMI's reward of £50 is only worth £40 - if its compulsory to pay an additional £10 administration fee). The 30 minutes call to an 0870 number also cost £2.40. So now the voucher saving is a paltry £8.20.

Persevering, but referring to the online booking pages on my screen at home,I pick out flights which now cost £86.40 online and which BMI will sell me for £96.40 on the phone. So the trip I was expecting to pay £27 for costs me £46.40 and 45 minutes of my valuable time.

Most people tell me they are wary of promotions. Apparently the small print usually wipes out most of the promised benefit...really?

Thanks BMI, I feel so rewarded.


Marketing rewards are designed to be complicated. Recently Harrods wrote to me with a privileged and special invitation to join their posh rewards scheme. They sent me an elegant laminated black card which they said was pre-loaded with fifty pounds towards my next purchase.

There is no minimum spend, I can't use it for food, and it expires at the end of the month. I re-read the letter half a dozen times looking for the catch. I googled the card and the offer, convinced it must be a spoof. I couldn't find any sign of a scam. They say if an offer seems to good to be true, then it isn't. Sending out free cash in the post? Come on. The money problem pages are full of such horror stories. Finally there was only one thing left to do; try using the Reward in store. I'm not a Harrods regular, but I had a meeting nearby. I had a strategy too - designed to flush out any catch quickly - before I set my heart on something I didn't need. I would go straight to the Molton Brown counter and ask if they took the Harrods Reward card.

'Yes, have you been sent a letter' the friendly (and very attractive) girl enquires.
Taken aback I confirm I have. 'So its valid against a purchase?'
' Yes, it works just like a gift card.'

I scout the store and find a branch of HMV. They take the Harrods Reward card too. As the shiny black card is swiped in exchange for two over-priced DVD box sets I feel a bit dishonest, to be honest with you.
'That's fifty pounds please' says the assistant handing back the card. 'Isn't the payment on the card?' I ask hesitantly.
Finally I've been scammed.
'Oh sorry, yes of course'. She swipes the card again, and hands back the card along with a bag containing the DVDs.
Or not scammed.

As I pass the Molton Brown counter again on the way out the helpful (pretty) girl smiles. I make a tiny purchase, she gives me some free samples and asks if I have a Reward card. I hand it over with my cash, and she swipes it. Alarm bells don't sound. I'm not arrested by the security men who patrol every entrance.

Yes it's a lovely visit to Harrods, but it makes no sense. I'm even more puzzled after visiting the store than before. Finally I conclude Amex have passed on my details as a high rolling card holder. I spent nearly every penny I could on my Amex card last year to get 2 free BA business class flights (see previous post Rewarding Debt). Amex has recently signed a deal to provide Harrods new Amex Brown card. I can only guess that's also how I've just come to own 2 over-priced DVD box sets for nowt. Strangely enough it doesn't feel as good as I hoped.

BA - Sorry, we've lost the plot

British Airways has just emailed its monthly newsletter to Executive Club members.

These are the high yielding frequent flyers who buy the premium price business tickets month in month out. So with all BA's recent troubles - hundreds of cancelled flights, thousands of missing bags, hours of delays, what sort of conciliatory message would you send out this month to your most valued customers? Bonus frequent flyer miles? 2 for 1 offer perhaps? Or a free one-way upgrade...

Try this:

"I was looking forward to telling you about the success of Terminal 5 this month, however, as you will be aware, we have experienced operational challenges since the opening of the terminal. I have spoken to a number of members personally and I recognise that we have let customers down. I, along with the rest of the team at British Airways are dedicated to meeting your expectations for Terminal 5 and offering you an improved experience.

If you are flying with us in the next few days, can I recommend that you check ba.com for the latest update or call us on 0800 727 800."

So judging from the sign-off it looks like BA don't expect their troubles to end any time soon. No consolation for business people who still have to fly. BA don't even seem to have done a simple marketing thing like check which of their executive club members has stopped flying with them. All my flights this year from Heathrow have been with BMI. My partner hasn't flown BA since emailing Willie Walsh to complain about the frequent cancellation of BA's UK short haul services.

BMI have emailed me with personalised incentives every week this month (more miles, money off my next flight) and have won all my business as a result. BA are so busy hand sorting missing bags that when they finish they'll discover they've lost all their customers as well.

We're all car mechanics now thanks to the interweb

My VW Golf has started making an alarming clunking sound - coming from the front wheels. I'm no mechanic, handy yes, but I leave the car to the garage. In the old days you'd turn it in to the service department and try and describe the fault without sounding too stupid. You'd accept their diagnosis and stump up for the repair.

When the sounds of Armageddon emanated from my usually reliable VW my first stop wasn't the garage, but it did begin with a 'g'. Googling 'clunking sound VW steering' produced plenty of helpful trouble-shooting. It sounds like my front bushes have worn out, a common fault on the Golf mark IV.

Next I call the garage and report that it sounds like the front bushes need to be replaced on my Golf. 'Ah-huh' answers the teenage girl on service reception, I can almost see her eyebrows raise. I smile 'yes we're all car mechanics now - thanks to the interweb'. 'Yeesss' she says. 'The earliest we can book it in is next week'. Some things don't change. We're all smarter but just as helpless.

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Once Petrol prices finally crept through the psychological £1 a litre mark, I predicted they would quickly race up to 110p a litre. Walking (yes, walking) past the garage yesterday I saw my local was almost there. The £5 gallon is nearly upon us (4.5 litres to a gallon - but I had to check). Funny because after Christmas the sign board at most Shell garages wouldn't accommodate 4 digits (just 3, 98.9 say). For the first time they were having to display whole pence per litre (105 say). Now they have the new display it also appears to be motorised and nudging upwards daily. Incidentally why does the govt (and therefore car manufacturers) measure fuel consumption in miles per gallon when fuel is sold in litres? If the on board computer told us how pitifully few miles we drove on a litre of the precious stuff we might leave our cars at home more often (as I have done).

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I flew back from Glasgow with BMI yesterday afternoon. BA has become hopelessly unreliable on the route into Heathrow but yesterday BMI had a bad day. My partner's early flight went 'technical' and was cancelled. She ended up at Gatwick. My flight was about to depart on time when the Captain made an unexpected announcement. They had a spare bag loaded, which they needed to remove and this was taking longer than he had hoped. Then 20 minutes later an announcement I believe he was making for the first time in his flying career. Apparently the company BMI employ to load the bags (Aviance) weren't sure they had loaded the right bags. Any passengers with hold baggage would have to disembark and identify their baggage which had been lined up on the tarmac. The delay cost us an hour and deep embarrassment for the Captain. But was there any gesture to the passengers... (a free cup of tea or bottle of water?) no, nothing (good luck with your connecting flights). Just try turning up for your flight an hour after departure and see if they let you board another one for free...