YP Letters: Criminal way for BA to treat an 85-year-old

MY 85-year-old brother was at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal Five at 6am on Saturday to catch quite an early flight.

Having gone into departures, the pilot told them there was a problem with the plane and they would depart as soon as he was happy it had been resolved.

About three hours later the plane was ready but just as my brother and his fellow passengers were ready to board they were told that all flights were cancelled.

After queuing for a long time and nothing happening he tried to retrieve his luggage, but no one seemed to know where anything was.At 4pm, he gave up and decided to take the long journey back to Devon, arriving home at about 12.30am, over 18 hours after entering the airport.

It seems to me that the flippant way in which BA executives treated an elderly gentleman, travelling alone and on his way to a holiday of a lifetime, was abhorrent. No contingency plans, no information, no food or drink on an incredibly hot day is bordering on the criminal.

Luckily, even though he felt ill on Sunday, there seems to be no lasting harm done.

County’s voice can be heard

From: Peter Horton, Sandy Lane, Ripon.

NIGEL Sollitt’s article “Devolution must be for all of Yorkshire” (The Yorkshire Post, May 29) makes a good case for the whole county to become a single devolved unit of the UK.

This is surely the best solution to make Yorkshire a brand and a powerful counterweight to the more extreme ambitions of a devolved Scotland, as opposed to these fragmented city region ambitions of local politicians.

From my local perspective, I have seen Harrogate Borough Council seeking to be part of Leeds City Region, thus taking a huge economic chunk out of North Yorkshire and giving no thought to places like Ripon, Masham, Pateley Bridge and Boroughbridge, which, as rural market towns, have no affinity at all with Leeds.

For Tory-controlled Harrogate to seek to become part of Labour-controlled Leeds must be the proverbial “turkeys voting for Christmas” as they will finish up very low in the pecking order, getting only the crumbs from Leeds.

How much better it would be to form a complete Yorkshire-wide region that would bring a better political balance and a stronger voice from a united county.

From: Kathleen Brown, Goodwood, Ilkley.

DAVID Behrens states that he doesn’t wish the ‘State’ to fund his care (The Yorkshire Post, May 27), but he says he will give all his assets away to his children so they get their inheritance! He has no guarantee they would use this money to look after him, so then the State would be left to look after him. Surely it is better to fund our own care as far as we can? Any inheritance will still be a bonus to our children. The alternative is the dreadful legacy of the tax burden on our children to fund our care.

On slow road to nowhere

From: Norman Armistead, Cayton, Scarborough.

I FULLY sympathise with Jayne Dowle (The Yorkshire Post, May 29) in her frustration regarding worsening traffic conditions, but my heart went out to her in the prospect of being confined to the town centre and Cleethorpes!

From: Clive Bailey, Carlton, Stockton-On-Tees.

YOUR correspondent raised the issue of how few drivers know how to use “smart” motorways (Letters, May 27). I have always had one rule on motorways: get in the third lane and put your foot down. This simple principle enables one to avoid all the shilly-shalliers who don’t seem to know which lane they ought to be in.

From: Robert Scholey, Selby.

OBVIOUSLY Hilary Andrews (The Yorkshire Post, May 27) has her head in the clouds while driving about in Spain. Most road users surely know it’s rain, plus frost, that creates potholes. That’s something Hilary will see very little of while in Spain.

From: Terry Morrell, Willerby.

RECENTLY, I was witness to an accident where the driver was using a mobile. If everyone who saw a phone being used at the wheel sounded their horn continuously, it would maybe shame the perpetrator to stop and warn others of the danger. I intend to circulate this letter to all newspapers with the hope that “horn blowing” will catch on.

This is swear we’re at now

From: Brian Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield.

IN a recent letter I opined that, used sparingly, in certain circumstances, an oath can be eloquent. In response to the news “Armed police patrol Scarborough beach” (The Yorkshire Post, May 29), Ann-Marie Rigby writes “Bloody hell”. I rest my case.

Lesson in how to run a club

From: Andrew Mercer, Guiseley.

THE fact that Huddersfield Town earned promotion to the Premier League with the fourth lowest wage bill in the Championship, wages are capped at £10,000 a week, shows the importance of good management – and team work. This is a lesson for other clubs – and also Britain’s public services.