If there is one universal truth in this world, British service is not good service. Whenever you purchase a product in the UK, you can expect something that is far overpriced compared to what you receive. The trick is hype. The British like to over-hype a product, giving something very mundane a fancy name, nice packaging and a steep price tag.
Nowhere though is this more apparent than in their service industry, where so much is promised but not much delivered. Nowhere is this more apparent than if you have to endure a trip through a British airport, most notoriously Heathrow. It is nothing but a stressful and unsatisfying experience where management is trying to cut every little corner but not providing enough service personnel, and those personnel that are hired are disenheartened by bad management. Today a flight to New York was a reminder of just how bad this experience is.
I thought I was lucky, because I was flying through Terminal 3; I had some fear that I would have to fly through the “ultra-modern” Terminal 5, which had been nothing more than a catastrophic debacle of hundreds of missed flights and thousands of lost bags. So I felt that I would be to get away relatively easily.
Heathrow airport is not really so nice of a place on its own accord. It is an old airport that is overcrowded and underserviced. It is a typification of the long line ups, monotony and stressful security checks that make air travel seem more like a torture of endurance. So when something goes awry, such as a major delay, you are already by this point in a foul mood.
On this occasion I arrived with two hours to spare before my flight and had to find a way to while away the time. I am not a shopper and duty free has limited appeal. I anyways did not want to buy anything else to carry. Eventually I joined the hundreds of other people camping out at the departure gate for our airplane.
A quirk that adds to the unpleasantness of a visit to the old Heathrow terminals is that you have to pass security a second time at the entrance to your departure gate, and then are stuck in a claustrophobic room with nothing to do, lots of people and no bathrooms. On this day the experience was enhanced because there was a malfunction in their public announcement system. It was not working so the staff had to stand up in the middle of the room yelling out announcements, which was nearly impossible to hear due to poor accoustics.
What I did learn was that there was a mechanical problem with the plane. I knew at that point we would not be away at least until 1pm, if we were lucky. We were not lucky. Soon the waiting passengers were asked to leave the departure gate and return to the lounge. It was not clear what we were supposed to do or when/how we would catch our flight.
Having experienced confusing delays in the past at this terminal, I went straight for the Air Canada ticket office to try to figure out what was going on. Unfortunately they had not really much information either, figuring the plane would leave at 2pm or in two hours (I was not certain) and told me that I could in the meantime get something to eat, complimentary on the airline, from one of two different eateries in the departure lounge, not being sure for how much money. The staff person said that if I presented my departure ticket the staff at these eateries, little cafes, would know.
It turned out to be worth 5 pounds, which is very little money at an English airport, where just a cup of coffee is 2 pounds. In fact, it was even less money than was awarded on a different flight I had taken in 2007 that was 5 hours late at Luton airport on one of the European budget carriers (almost a flying bus), EasyJet, which had given 6 pounds.
The next step was the confusing part. There were no public announcements or clear indications on the departure board when, where or how the passengers for my flight were supposed to depart. Instead we were given confusion. What happened is that the Airport Authority left up a notice that our 1205 flight was still departing and that the gate closing. At the same time there was a notice for another flight at 1500 with AirCanada to Toronto.
Now was it 2 pm or 2 hours (which would be 1500) that I was supposed to take? No one knew.
By 1320 I was getting nervous. I found a random Airport Authority personnel person helping some passengers with the departure board. When I tried to determine with her where I needed to go for my flight, she too was unsure but urged me to hurry to the gate that was indicated for 1205 Gate Closing, lest I should miss my flight.
Of course I arrived to find several other passengers milling about in front of a dark, locked departure gate. What were we to do?
From this point I knew there would be tremendous confusion for not having indicated in any way where and when we were supposed to go. What I was certain is that we would not get away until after 1500, because almost surely many passengers would not know when to show up, trickling back to our plane, and probably many of them would think that the separate 1500 flight to Toronto was the rescheduled one for us. Sorry to be them.
AirCanada’s plane had the mechanical failure. However, the infamous British Airports Authority (BAA) could have handled this a lot better. It did not help that the intercomm system was not working at our departure gate, BUT, they should have provided some information as to when our flight was rescheduled for and not left the passengers of our flight in such a confusing situation.
What made matters worse was how I would contact the people in New York waiting to pick me up, to say that I would be 4 hours late. This will be my next entry.
My advice is to avoid flying through the UK, if you have not already learned this lesson. Try to connect through airports in Germany, the Netherlands or elsewhere, if the UK is not your end destination. You will save yourself a lot of stress and time. And probably money too.
Update: Here is a good article on how to avoid Heathrow and even London airports when booking your flight: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/17/travel/trfreq18.php
