Apology From British Airways

Hundreds stranded at London Heathrow during the past week.

We had 10 passengers traveling to the island of Barbados, who found themselves without a flight, and were concerned about their hotel/resort reservations.

Of course we were able to secure their hotel reservations until they arrived, and they all are now enjoying the sunny shores of Barbados.

Today travel agents received this e-mail today from British Airways, and what struck me was I don't recall ever receiving an e-mail from any airline apologizing for any inconvenience to our clients, or our agency.

How Very British!

Dear Travel Agent,

We sincerely apologize if the recent disruption to British Airways services into and out of London Heathrow has affected you or your clients. We fully appreciate the trouble and inconvenience this may have caused for both you and your clients, and would like to thank you for the extra assistance you have undoubtedly provided passengers who have been impacted.

We are striving to return to the high standards of service you expect from us, and are pleased to say that 100% of flights from our 23 North American gateways are now operating to schedule.

However, Gate Gourmet staff remain in dispute with their employer, and this continues to affect the levels of onboard catering we are able to offer.

We would be very grateful if you could please advise your clients of this situation - especially those with special dietary requirements - so that they can prepare properly for their flight. You can find out more at batraveltrade.com, which is updated regularly with the latest information.

Finally, please rest assured that we have been doing everything within our power to minimize the disruption and take care of our passengers. We are now working hard to improve the level of catering available and making every effort to ensure that situations such as this are avoided in future.

Again, we thank you for your continued understanding and support.