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“Terrible customer service”
Review of British Airways


Reviewed 2 April 2024

Terrible customer service and impossible to find the information you’re looking for. I called customer service prior to my flight to ask whether the added luggage i paid for prior to my flight was round trip, and that the price was included for both ways both from Norway to Los Angeles as I would simply not bring a suitcase if I would have to pay more - something I was assured it was and that I would not have to pay for checking in my luggage on the way back home. When I arrived the airport to fly home I was however told I had to pay the same amount AGAIN to check in my bag, and that this was not included. I was denied a refund as it is “policy” even though their CUSTOMER SERVICE told me otherwise and misinformed me. TEACH YOUR EMPLOYEES THE RIGHT POLICIES SO THEY NOT MISINFORM YOUR CUSTOMERS CAUSING THEM TO PAY TWICE AS MUCH AS THEY WERE INFORMED THEY HAD TO. Still think it’s crazy to not give out refunds for these situations. I understand this is your policy, but not making assumptions when the inconvenience is caused by your own poor customer service is embarrassing for a company like this. DO NOT TRUST INFORMATION GIVEN BY THIS AIRLINE.

Date of travel: March 2024
1  Thank Sofie W
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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1,081 - 1,085 of 60,617 reviews

Reviewed 2 April 2024

We booked a cruise to Japan in Sept 2024 and our TA booked us flights with BA via Frankfurt in Germany. The Frankfurt leg being with JAL (a BA business partner). We booked seats on the flights with JAL (free) and BA charged us £18 each for both legs of the Frankfurt flights. BA then changed our return flights to an earlier return which didn't align with the cruise ships arrival into Yokohama. We therefore had no choice but to change our flights to direct ones which had better times for the cruise return (they were more expensive). We submitted a request for the refund of the original seat bookings almost 2 months ago and have heard nothing from BA. Also due to the change of flights we can no longer access manage my booking and have not (despite 3 phone calls) received confirmation of our seat bookings on our new flights. We tried to submit a "feedback/complaint" but the system shows the same "system errors" as it does when we try to access manage my bookings. We have sent a recorded delivery letter to BA Customer Services at Houndslow requesting a refund and the various confirmations promised and have heard absolutely nothing back. We will therefore be submitting a small claim court claim against BA for the return of monies owed and compensation for the shocking customer service. BA has always been our "go to" airline but this will be the last time as they are clearly going downhill in terms of both the service and customer support.

Date of travel: September 2023
1  Thank Timberwolf3000
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 1 April 2024

I have just spent 95mins with a customer service agent on BA website just to cirm a seat assignment. First off, I purchased a business class ticket on American Airlines because I need lie-flat seats at this point in my life. I was excited to fly in the A380 and believed BA to be a great airlines. It wasn't until AFTER I paid full business class fare that I had to go on to BA website for my seat selection and learned I needed to pay and additional $193 per leg to sit in a window seat of my choosing. Then, the seat assignment wasn't showing up on my reservation- I spent nearly 2 HRS with an online customer representative who FIANLLY found my payment after I had to sent her multiple times my credit card confirmation of payment and my BA email confirmation- she kept telling me this wasn't made thru BA...CRAZY Try purchasing a seat with out confirmation...stupid. Just terrible terrible customer service and nick picking $$$ without full disclosure- paying for a seat assignment after paying a full fare business class ticket. I wish I could cancel but cant. Wish me luck.

Date of travel: April 2024
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2  Thank Jeanne F
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 1 April 2024

BA delivered my bag completely destroyed to my hotel, 3 days late, having done a surgery by amputating 2 wheels and patching up the holes with tape.

How insulting that BA then pretend to be unaware of damage and needed to be “advised of it”. BA already had knowledge my bag was severely damaged - so much so that they had taped the gaping holes in the bottom to stop my belongings falling out.

I previously believed BA to be an upstanding company that prioritises its customers. How wrong I was!

BA has refused to refund me a single penny. Absolutely absurd treatment.

Date of travel: March 2024
1  Thank f_fordcooper
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 1 April 2024

I am very highly disappointed with the way we were treated by British Airways. We left our homes at 4 am (IST) and by 8 am (ist) we boarded our flight. We were given food at 9:30 am(ist), but we were heavily disheartened to find out we would get our food once again only at 5 pm(ist). While other families dodged the problem of hunger by packing food in advance , we were never warned or felt the need to pack food as this is our first time taking a direct flight from Chennai to London… Cabin crew were highly unresponsive . Instead of voluntarily going out of their way to give the best service to their passengers, we felt that the duties they did were very forced. They never showed any sort of concern or care especially for the elderly or those families who have babies/very young kids. On the bright side, we appreciate the wheelchairs present for those with special needs/elderly people and we also appreciate the way the Chennai team co-operated with the passengers and were ready for standby.in London they asked can you push the wheelchair for your mother yourself ? I said yes . Poor London ground staff . Also British airways is just airways not real British. Don’t go with over expectation . Just below average . Only way I chose this was direct connection.

Date of travel: March 2024
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Thank pravinprathip j
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.