YP Comment: BA's reputation takes a nosedive

BRITISH Airways should be a symbol of national excellence. It's not. This country's national airline is in danger of becoming an international embarrassment following its IT meltdown, the cause of which has still to be satisfactorily explained. Though flights have returned to normal, it's come at an immense cost to its reputation and financial health.

This was no minor technological glitch. Around 75,000 passengers, including newly-married couples embarking upon their honeymoons, had their travel plans ruined. This number alone equates to Harrogate’s entire population.

Yet, rather than keeping passengers informed, British Airways did the precise opposite. Stranded travellers reported telephones going unanswered – it now emerges that it cost them an extortionate 55p a minute for the privilege of contacting a hotline by mobile phone – and complained that the airline’s website did not function. Many have still to be reunited with their luggage.

This has been customer service at its very worst. For, while chief executive Alex Cruz says travellers will be recompensed, he has still to grasp the urgency of the situation. This matters. If the carrier develops a reputation for poor reliability and cost-cutting, even though he says the outsourcing of jobs was not to blame, potential visitors from overseas will use rival airlines and choose other destinations for their holiday. As such, it can only be hoped that other organisations – both public and private – learn from this object lesson in how not to respond to such a shambles in future.