tracksterman

Dear British Airways…

On July 3rd 2012 I travelled from Beijing to Glasgow with BA, via Heathrow Terminal 5, on the following two flights: BA 038 and BA 1488. The flights were satisfactory despite an unscheduled three hour medical stop in Manchester, but I ran into a procedural issue at Terminal 5 that I think BA need to address.

I bought an expensive bottle of spirits in Beijing Airport (a Scottish single malt!), a major international hub in a country not noted for its softly-softly approach to national security. The bottle was sealed in a transparent bag with the receipt clearly displayed, and then contained in a Beijing Airports carrier bag. There was a continuous, unbroken chain of security all the way from Bejing to Glasgow.

At Terminal 5 I was informed I couldn’t take the bottle on as cabin luggage, but needed to check it in. Despite the above information, I was prepared to accept this inconvenience - but what I couldn’t accept was BA’s policy that the bottle, constituting a ‘second item’ of checked-in luggage, should cost me another £40 to be checked in. This is a frankly daft rule enforced with a woeful lack of common sense and flexibility.

I usually travel the Beijing-UK route with Emirates, but thought I’d try BA instead. Taking duty free items through Dubai is apparently not the problem it is at Terminal 5 and, even if it was, Emirates wouldn’t charge for that small, second item of luggage. As a result, you have lost a potential future customer. I will of course tell friends and acquaintances about this experience. I should stress I’m not contacting you requesting a refund, because I wouldn’t expect to get one. I am merely suggesting you change this policy for your own benefit.

Yours aye…