"The Gran" V Aer Lingus

elastico

Wasn't sure which forum to post this in but its absolutely ridiculous, especially this bit:


"I feel very strongly that the national, state-funded airline have shown atrocious care to an elderly woman"

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/family-fears-gran-81-will-never-fly-again-after-nightmare-aer-lingus-experience-31404216.html

Calhoun

elastico wrote: »

Wasn't sure which forum to post this in but its absolutely ridiculous, especially this bit:


"I feel very strongly that the national, state-funded airline have shown atrocious care to an elderly woman"

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/family-fears-gran-81-will-never-fly-again-after-nightmare-aer-lingus-experience-31404216.html

Yah ridiculous , it's no more a state airline and bar losing the luggage I don't know how the airline is responsible for being late in Heathrow. Security in Heathrow is very strict and you always need to accommodate flights with it in mind.

elastico

Calhoun wrote: »

Yah ridiculous , it's no more a state airline and bar losing the luggage I don't know how the airline is responsible for being late in Heathrow. Security in Heathrow is very strict and you always need to accommodate flights with it in mind.

How can she even know the luggage was lost in LHR when it was checked through to the final destination anyway? The whole article makes no sense at all.

Amirani

How an story like this even makes a national newspaper I have no idea.

The article itself is rubbish. Pandering to crowd with sensationalist nonsense.

billie1b

Calhoun wrote: »

Yah ridiculous , it's no more a state airline and bar losing the luggage I don't know how the airline is responsible for being late in Heathrow. Security in Heathrow is very strict and you always need to accommodate flights with it in mind.

She wasn't late at LHR, security denied her access to her boarding gate in DUB as they said her gate was closed, this was due to the long queues at DUB security. She missed her LGW flight due to this and got another one, she didn't even make it to her gate in LHR, she just went straight to the Aer Lingus desk

lord lucan

A seasoned traveller would know not to turn up to check in an hour and a half before the flight at the height of the summer season. Sounds like the family know someone in the indo and wanted to push their hard luck story in the hope of some recompense.

billy few mates

I often travel through DUB at that hour of the morning and I always allow enough time to be sitting near the gate drinking my coffee and reading my paper an hour and a half before departure, not arriving at the airport at that time...
Just because you can breeze through security in ten minutes at certain times of the day doesn't mean you can do it at that hour, any 'seasoned traveller' would know that....
Besides I've never seen a case where so one rushing for a flight had to remain in a queue, you always see people being hurried through once they make it known their flight is due to depart soon.

Tenger

lord lucan wrote: »

......Sounds like the family know someone in the indo and wanted to push their hard luck story in the hope of some recompense.

My suspicion exactly.
If this happened on the 18th why wait for the Sunday Indo on the 26th to publish it? Funny how the article is almost as long as the 'main news story" about Lucinda Creighton and Renua.
As an aside using a photo of her drinking bubbles in the G Hotel in Galway is an odd choice for a sympathy piece.

matrim

Tenger wrote: »

My suspicion exactly.
If this happened on the 18th why wait for the Sunday Indo on the 26th to publish it? Funny how the article is almost as long as the 'main news story" about Lucinda Creighton and Renua.
As an aside using a photo of her drinking bubbles in the G Hotel in Galway is an odd choice for a sympathy piece.

If it happened on the 18 and they were away for a week then they probably only just got back on the 25th

CaptainSkidmark

I was stuck in Addis Ababa for 3 days when flying from Tel-Aviv to Yanbu Saudi Arabia simply because of where i was coming from. Missed the connection and they ****ed me around for 3 days. Id hardly expect the Sun/Star to take notice never mind a broadheet

matrim

matrim wrote: »

If it happened on the 18 and they were away for a week then they probably only just got back on the 25th

She left too little time to get through security etc in the morning rush (HER FAULT), queues were long and slow(DAA FAULT), she missed her flight as a result( NOT AER LINGUSs fault) as a result of Aer Lingus not being at fault she misses her flight so they rightfully asked for her to buy/change her ticket to a later flight at her own cost.

She then missed her scheduled BA flight and her bag was not sent on. She left the next day for her WEEK in the Caribbean (lucky her).

They definitely know someone in the paper.

Looks to me like they didn't even ask EI through their complaints process. Article was in the paper on the 26th meaning it was written up on the 25th meaning to get a response from the paper they started this off while she was still away.

Chancers end of.

Preset No.3

Ok, I'm going to say it. 81? Aer Lingus could wait her out before paying out!

There, I said it!!

billy few mates

Other than the lost bag, which happens with every airline (which was probably covered by insurance) I can't see how any of this was EI's fault. She would have missed her flight whichever airline she was travelling with, and I don't think any of the others would be refunding her the money for turning up late as she did.
Rather than running to the papers I think her children should be looking a lot closer at their arrangements for getting their elderly mother through airports.
My own dad travelled a lot when he was quite old and we always made sure arrangements were in place to get him to the airport (both sides) in plenty of time so things like this wouldn't happen. Eventually he reached an age where he no longer wanted to fly unaccompanied so one of us always travelled with him or he didn't go. Perhaps this time has now come...?

January

Preset No.3 wrote: »

Ok, I'm going to say it. 81? Aer Lingus could wait her out before paying out!

There, I said it!!

Not really! Himself's grandmother is 97 and only stopped flying about 2 years ago!

Locker10a

January wrote: »

Not really! Himself's grandmother is 97 and only stopped flying about 2 years ago!

If i had any loved ones who are 80+ and flying alone I would definitely book them assistance regardless of whether they need It or not! If you can't accompany someone who is this woman's age and you expect them to take a connecting flight then you are asking for trouble! I'd go so far as to say negligent ! This woman should have has assistance all the way and this wouldn't have happend

Noxegon

Yeah, if anyone is to blame here it's the DAA...

lord lucan

Noxegon wrote: »

Yeah, if anyone is to blame here it's the DAA...

Why, because security was busy at the peak time of the day at the peak time of the year! Security aren't going to let people skip ques because their flight is boarding, you'd have every Tom, dick and Harry turning up late chancing their arm at getting through using that excuse.

davebuck

90 minutes not enough time at that time of morning "End of"

Stheno

lord lucan wrote: »

Why, because security was busy at the peak time of the day at the peak time of the year! Security aren't going to let people skip ques because their flight is boarding, you'd have every Tom, dick and Harry turning up late chancing their arm at getting through using that excuse.

Exactly, plus the DAA have a target time of 30 minutes to get people through security and are fined if they exceed that.

The woman simply didn't leave enough time to make her flight.

Tenger

davebuck wrote: »

90 minutes not enough time at that time of morning "End of"

AFAIK an EI boarding card for a 0700 departure will state "gate closes at 0635"
So this person had approx an hour to queue for check-in on a multi sector journey, get to security, get processed through security then get to the gate.

keith16

What a load of nonsense. In the first paragraph, she is a "valiant, well-seasoned traveller", the next she is "eldery woman travelling on her own". :rolleyes:

keith16

keith16 wrote: »

What a load of nonsense. In the first paragraph, she is a "valiant, well-seasoned traveller", the next she is "eldery woman travelling on her own". :rolleyes:

I noticed that, it also says she travels long haul twice a year, my arse, 90 mins ! as for the quaffing shampoo photo in a Five star hotel I can see the definitely went for the sympathy vote.

billy few mates

lord lucan wrote: »

Why, because security was busy at the peak time of the day at the peak time of the year! Security aren't going to let people skip ques because their flight is boarding, you'd have every Tom, dick and Harry turning up late chancing their arm at getting through using that excuse.

They do actually, I've often seen people in a panic being ushered through. Regardless of why you're late if you can show them your boarding card with an imminent departure time they bump you up the queue if they think you're going to miss it because of delays in security....

sdanseo

Callous as this may sound: if the woman is that helpless why not have a family member accompany her or at least arrange for special assistance in advance?

She was late, disorganised and is milking this for all it's worth. Aer Lingus are the most accommodating and courteous airline you could hope to fly with, in my experience at least. They waived a ton of excess fees for us on a number of occasions when they didn't have to.

JCX BXC

I think there's 3 sides to blaim in this situation.
The Woman, the airport and then Aer Lingus to a certain extent.

The woman as a supposed well seasoned traveller should know that you turn up 2 hours before a flight on a busy morning. To blaim Aer Lingus then for security delays is petty. Also to believe that even with 90mins she still didn't make her flight makes me think that it was not an accurate number. Even at 30mins to check in, 30mins for security and 10mins of walking she probably would have made it to the gate just in time.

30mins for security is too long for a security wait in my opinion. 15mins should be the maximum in my opinion. If over 15 minutes there should be signs in the check in area notifing people of this and if its over 30 minutes people should be compensated if there flight is missed.

Aer Lingus rebooking her on a flight that was going to make her miss her connection is poor. The lost bag is also quite poor. Seeing how they are transferred its so easy for them to go missing. (Bags were full of toys for grandchildren my arse, she hadn't even gone on holidays yet)

Worst of all, the daily/irish toilet paper should be punished for publishing the story. It's completely over dramatic and by the looks of it inaccurate.

Carnacalla

Carnacalla wrote: »

I think there's 3 sides to blaim in this situation.
The Woman, the airport and then Aer Lingus to a certain extent.

The woman as a supposed well seasoned traveller should know that you turn up 2 hours before a flight on a busy morning. To blaim Aer Lingus then for security delays is petty. Also to believe that even with 90mins she still didn't make her flight makes me think that it was not an accurate number. Even at 30mins to check in, 30mins for security and 10mins of walking she probably would have made it to the gate just in time.

30mins for security is too long for a security wait in my opinion. 15mins should be the maximum in my opinion. If over 15 minutes there should be signs in the check in area notifing people of this and if its over 30 minutes people should be compensated if there flight is missed.

Aer Lingus rebooking her on a flight that was going to make her miss her connection is poor. The lost bag is also quite poor. Seeing how they are transferred its so easy for them to go missing. (Bags were full of toys for grandchildren my arse, she hadn't even gone on holidays yet)

Worst of all, the daily/irish toilet paper should be punished for publishing the story. It's completely over dramatic and by the looks of it inaccurate.

Aer Lingus had no choice in the matter, mostly likely was put on next flight the one at 0840 or so, not a lot more they could do especially if she was simply asking to be put on a flight to Gatwick. Aer Lingus don't do time travel, so unless she specifically asked for a huge lay over time she was most likely just given a three hour time. That's hardly EI's fault as they have only have certain number of flights per day to Gatwick.

As for bag lost, she was expected to be on one flight, then missed it, so bags would have been removed after last call and put aside, so now in the mean time she is rebooked on the next flight. It's like the Hokey Cokey for that poor bag no wonder it got lost.

elastico

Carnacalla wrote: »

Aer Lingus rebooking her on a flight that was going to make her miss her connection is poor. The lost bag is also quite poor.

A seasoned traveller would surely know whether or not she has a good chance of making the connecting flight. Her call.

I don't get how the lost bags bit was poor. Bags get delayed all the time and rerouted.

Sounds to me like she got to the checkin desk with seconds to spare and the bag missed the flight, which makes me think that it was a lot less than 90 minutes that she got to the airport.

I'd love if she got onto joe Duffy in the morning and got slated.

highlydebased

I wonder was she "seasoned" from flying from other airports where 90 mins is too much time?

tricky D

At age 81 she could have claimed reduced mobility and got a wheel chair with whisking through security. BA from DUB provide this service to persons above a certain age: not sure about other airlines.

ImDave

If her family were so concerned about this "elderly woman travelling alone", maybe they should have shelled out €5.95 to get her fast track through security. I know if I was concerned for my elderly parent travelling alone, it is the least I would do.

I'm sure they'll plead ignorance, but any even semi 'seasoned traveller' knows to expect queues at EI baggage drop and T2 security at this time of the year.

squonk

I don't want to sound ageist but at 81 the lady in question really shouldn't have been travelling unaccompanied. Leaving aside her apparent lack of preparedness for the flight she was taking, I think it can be said that even for anyone, a situation like tht described would cause us confusion. I'm partially sighted which is not an issue 85% of the time and have no issue travelling on my own however I'm fairly aware of my limits and will ask for help when I need it. Traveling accompanied has it's benefits for me I find and I'd hapilly do that whenever I have the opportunity.

In this case it sounds like she was only making the short hop to LGW on her own. I'm really wondering just how seasoned a traveller she is. She might be doing long haul twice a year but might not be dong it on her own. Also, even if she's doing short hops to link up with family before the long hauls then it sounds like they're at quieter times of year. As Roy Keane famously said "Fail to prepare, prepare to fail"

flanzer

Clearly the tabloid in question had space to fill, so rang around their mates for looking for a story

fr336

Diego Simeone wrote: »

How an story like this even makes a national newspaper I have no idea.

The article itself is rubbish. Pandering to crowd with sensationalist nonsense.

As ridiculous as these things can be and I like taking the piss out of The Daily Mail as much as the next person, I like a free press however positive or negative they are. The audience can make the judgement calls themselves, I'm sure a corporation like EI can more than take care of themselves.

Jawgap

Show up early or pay for fast track - or preferably both!

I think this old made the papers because it happened to a photogenic Nana, if it had been anyone else we'd never had heard about it.

Riskymove

ImDave wrote: »

If her family were so concerned about this "elderly woman travelling alone", maybe they should have shelled out €5.95 to get her fast track through security.

you don't even need to do that

special assistance is free and does the trick, I always book it for my mother when she is on her own