NIGHTMARE Scenario - Please Help!!

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hi everyone

 

Some of you may be aware that there is a nightmare situation going on at all the UK airports today.

 

At the moment - this very minute - my 85 year old mother, who can't walk at all without a zimmer-frame and not very far with it, nor can she climb stairs - is in transit at Singapore Airport, having left Perth earlier today. She is booked on the Singapore Airlines flight which is due to leave Singapore at 23:20 (Singapore time) and to reach Heathrow at 5am tomorrow morning.

 

Mum is travelling alone. For as long as Singapore Airlines are looking after Mum, she will be fine. Our HUGE worry is what is going to happen if they land this flight in Paris or somewhere because Heathrow is virtually closed, and tell the passengers to make their own way to London from there. If it happened to me, I would simply walk out of CDG airport, telling them to send my luggage on to me, and get on the Eurostar to London. But there is no way that Mum can do that because of her age, disability and the fact that she will be very tired by then.

 

I have been trying to get Singapore Airlines on the phone ever since 8.30am when I first heard about the chaos. They are not answering ANY of their numbers in the UK or in Singapore apart from a useless call cente in Belfast, the staff of which say they have no information. What on earth the point is of having them in the loop when they ave no information is completely beyond me.

 

Luckily this flight is operating as a Codeshare with Virgin Atlantic. Virgin tell me that as far as they know, Virgin is the only airline which has made a policy decision to keep all its enquiry numbers open, and to make intelligent humans available to talk to passengers and their families.

 

Virgin tell me that all they have done is to buy a block of seats on this flight, but that Singapore Airlines are operating the flight and they will be solely responsible for what happens to it. The guy said that as yet, Singapore Airlines have not given Virgin any information about the plans for this flight. He thinks that they will hold the flight in Singapore unless they have made definite arrangements to land it either at Heathrow or somewhere else.

 

He said it will definitely not leave Singapore without definitely knowing in advance where it will land when it gets in this general direction. He also said that it will be Singapore Airlines' own responsibility to look after my mother and bring her to the UK by whatever means is manageable for her and that there is no way they can simply say, "Sorry chum, this bus isn't going any further so we are washing our hands of you."

 

Does anybody have experience of what actually happens in a situation like this? I've been flying all my life because we used to live in Malaysia, and then my sister moved to Oz. Sure, I've been on flights that have had to divert somewhere else for a couple of hours because of fog at Heathrow but the flight has continued after the fog lifted. I have never, never known of Heathrow and virtually all the other airports in the UK simply shutting up shop in the way that has happened today. Southampton Airport was closed at about noon and anyway I don't think it can handle 744s.

 

I've been on the Changi Airport website. A BA flight from London has arrived there and is due to leave for Heathrow at about the same time as Mum's flight. The BA flight has been "retimed" by an hour so it says. My sister reckons that it might be saying an hour now, but that until they know what it actually going to happen to these flights, it is unlikely that the Changi website will give out any real information.

 

The Heathrow airport website has been closed, so no flight information is available from that and the airport information number is not being answered.

 

Do any members of this group work for an airline by any happy chance? Can anybody tell me what really happens in a situation like this?

 

I would be very grateful indeed for any information at all.

 

Thanks very much

 

Gill

[Guest watson]

Hi everyone

 

Some of you may be aware that there is a nightmare situation going on at all the UK airports today.

 

At the moment - this very minute - my 85 year old mother, who can't walk at all without a zimmer-frame and not very far with it, nor can she climb stairs - is in transit at Singapore Airport, having left Perth earlier today. She is booked on the Singapore Airlines flight which is due to leave Singapore at 23:20 (Singapore time) and to reach Heathrow at 5am tomorrow morning.

 

Mum is travelling alone. For as long as Singapore Airlines are looking after Mum, she will be fine. Our HUGE worry is what is going to happen if they land this flight in Paris or somewhere because Heathrow is virtually closed, and tell the passengers to make their own way to London from there. If it happened to me, I would simply walk out of CDG airport, telling them to send my luggage on to me, and get on the Eurostar to London. But there is no way that Mum can do that because of her age, disability and the fact that she will be very tired by then.

 

I have been trying to get Singapore Airlines on the phone ever since 8.30am when I first heard about the chaos. They are not answering ANY of their numbers in the UK or in Singapore apart from a useless call cente in Belfast, the staff of which say they have no information. What on earth the point is of having them in the loop when they ave no information is completely beyond me.

 

Luckily this flight is operating as a Codeshare with Virgin Atlantic. Virgin tell me that as far as they know, Virgin is the only airline which has made a policy decision to keep all its enquiry numbers open, and to make intelligent humans available to talk to passengers and their families.

 

Virgin tell me that all they have done is to buy a block of seats on this flight, but that Singapore Airlines are operating the flight and they will be solely responsible for what happens to it. The guy said that as yet, Singapore Airlines have not given Virgin any information about the plans for this flight. He thinks that they will hold the flight in Singapore unless they have made definite arrangements to land it either at Heathrow or somewhere else.

 

He said it will definitely not leave Singapore without definitely knowing in advance where it will land when it gets in this general direction. He also said that it will be Singapore Airlines' own responsibility to look after my mother and bring her to the UK by whatever means is manageable for her and that there is no way they can simply say, "Sorry chum, this bus isn't going any further so we are washing our hands of you."

 

Does anybody have experience of what actually happens in a situation like this? I've been flying all my life because we used to live in Malaysia, and then my sister moved to Oz. Sure, I've been on flights that have had to divert somewhere else for a couple of hours because of fog at Heathrow but the flight has continued after the fog lifted. I have never, never known of Heathrow and virtually all the other airports in the UK simply shutting up shop in the way that has happened today. Southampton Airport was closed at about noon and anyway I don't think it can handle 744s.

 

I've been on the Changi Airport website. A BA flight from London has arrived there and is due to leave for Heathrow at about the same time as Mum's flight. The BA flight has been "retimed" by an hour so it says. My sister reckons that it might be saying an hour now, but that until they know what it actually going to happen to these flights, it is unlikely that the Changi website will give out any real information.

 

The Heathrow airport website has been closed, so no flight information is available from that and the airport information number is not being answered.

 

Do any members of this group work for an airline by any happy chance? Can anybody tell me what really happens in a situation like this?

 

I would be very grateful indeed for any information at all.

 

Thanks very much

 

Gill

 

Gill, I do so feel for you in this situation - I thought of your mum directly we heard the news this a.m. and thought she might be caught up in the "mess". As your mum is so fragile, is your mum being escorted by the cabin staff on the flights? If so surely they will continue to look after her til the onward flight is confirmed? What a nightmare for you all! Is your mum able to communicate well with the airline staff etc so that someone can contact you or your sister to inform you of the movements when they occur i.e. which airport she will land in and where? Wish I could be of more help to you - feel a bit useless really but you are in my thoughts - good luck! Linda

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hi Linda

 

Thank you so very much indeed for your kind and thougthful reply. I finally managed to sort the situation out at about 7.30pm this evening. I managed to get hold of Heathrow Police, who were very helpful and reassured me.

 

Mum, thank goodness, is completely comps mentis and she also speaks Singhalese, Tamil, Malay and Cantonese. She comes from a long line of Old Colonials in the Far East, planting various crops. Her own father planted tea in Ceylon. Her grandfather planted coffee in India. Her great-grandfather was also a planter. My late father was not a planter. He was responsible for keeping the Malaysian tin-mines supplied with 440v electricity, but Mum really does know her way around in the Far East.

 

However she cannot speak French or German and the big worry was that her flight might stop short of London - somewhere in Europe. However, the emergency website that has been set up for Heathrow is now giving flight-information. Mum's flight is "Expected" on time. They might stack it for a couple of hours, because it is not cleared to land, but it does appear that it is coming to Heathrow, which is a Definite Start. My half-sister will be meeting the flight and bringing Mum down to me, because she has gone to the family's flat in London.

 

My job is Breakfast & TLC when Mum gets to Southampton. Her room is all ready for her, with fresh lavender in a vase and I've sprinkled the pillows with lavender oil too. I hope that the lavender will help her to sleep. I've also spoken with Mum's own solicitor today and arranged an appointment with him. (She doesn't believe that her baby has a clue about the Law, but she trusts him! She has used him for the last 30 years.) I've never met the guy, but he sounded OK on the phone.

 

I'm going to stay up for another hour in order to ring up the Australian Federal Police in Canberra, to chase up the AFP check for Mum. After that, I'm going to bed. My sister says that Mum told her that she has no intention of dawdling in the UK because she adores her grandchildren and hates to be parted from them, so we need to get our skates on with the visa. Elaine (sister) has been so very distressed today, fearing that Mum would be stranded in Singapore, that I think it is time to take the pressure off her and chivvy the Auz Plods myself.

 

Thank you again Linda - from the bottom of my heart.

 

Cheers

 

Gill

[Guest THE JONEZYS]

Gill, I do hope your mum arrives safe and sound and that you manage to get a good nights sleep tonight :!: After all the good advice and kind words you have posted on this site I feel quite useless in not being able to offer you much other than my good wishes and the thought that if your mum has just 1/2 as much attitude as you do,(although I get the impression she has plenty) then not only will she arrive safely but she will be giving Heathrow and the airline, advice on how to handle any future terrorist threats in a much better way :wink:

Please keep us posted, best wishes

Lesley

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hi Lesley

 

Thank you SO much for your kind words. I'm not going to see the inside of a bed tonight because I have now HAD IT with the airlines and with the Australians.

 

I have just spent the thick end of an hour on the phone to the Australian Federal Police in Canberra, 'persuading' them that the idea of shaking themselves out of a stupor is not altogether impossible if they make the unusual thing called "an effort." Lo and bloody behold. With enough wheedling, bullying and wrong-footing them, a police check that was going to take another 21 days is now on its way to Perth in the post. They made the miraculous discovery that it is actually possible to ring up the cops in whichever State they were waiting to hear from, and they even discovered what a useful tool the fax machine is.

 

Virgin Atlantic (to whom I sent a praiseful e-mail because they were really very good on the phone) have now informed me by e-mail that a disabled old dear of 85 is an "unaccompanied minor." They have received a withering reply informing them that I find this notion intriguing and would be very interested in receiving a copy of the detailed computation via which they reached this mind-boggling conclusion.

 

Where does this NONSENSE end?

 

Cheers

 

Gill

[Guest Kate]

Dear Gill

 

Hopefully by the time you read this, your Mum will be safely at home.

 

If not, I'm sure it will be no consolation to know that passengers travelling from Heathrow are going through hell too, especially those flying with BA. There is so little information available, short haul flights are taking off with NO passengers on board (the logic defies me, but apparently it's so BA can say that they didn't cancel the flight) and customers who turn up are being told to go home. The disruption is gruelling.

 

I do appreciate the enormity of the security risk, but it would have been better to explain to all customers exactly how the individual airline is dealing with the situation, and why different airlines can have different policies when the risk (surely) is the same.

 

I do so hope that all is well with your Mum; as a daughter with an aged parent to worry about too, my heart goes out to you.

 

All the best

 

Kate

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hi Kate

 

Thanks very much for your kind words. Yes, it was all OK for Mum. However, as you say, when I needed information about whether her flight to London was going to be cancelled, or whether it was going to come to London and not be terminated in, say, Paris, information - the one thing you need - proved to be completely impossible to obtain from the airline, the Beeb or the Metropolitan Police - despite the Plods saying, "Contact your airline."

 

With Mum's flight due to land at Heathrow on the Friday, it was 3am before I managed to get hold of Heathrow Airport Police. They turned out to be the only source of help all night which (a) answered the phone and (b) had reliable flight information to offer.

 

Singapore Airlines in London were uncontactable - the numbers on their website were hopelessly out of date. Their colleagues in Singapore washed their own hands of the London-bound flight as soon as it had left Singapore. I have torn STRIPS off that airline for this and I do not exaggerate. By the time I had finished with them, they were in no doubt at all that the service from the "World's Best Airline" was c-r-a-p for the whole 24 hours apart from their actual ability to look after the passenger. No grouse with them there, but the remainder of their performance was a fiasco.

 

However, by the time I had finished skinning them, they were in no further doubt and I think they will now buck up in a hurry. I think their Customer Relations Department has now had the wake-up call that it needed, and I'm probably not the only one who has given them what-for.

 

However, it turns out that the UK Department of Transport is in charge of all the airport arrangements with help from a quango called Jetski or something similar. This jetski thing is the aviation equivalent of COBRA or something, I gather. Therefore, with the Government presiding over the shambles, my suspicion now is that the airlines themselves haven't got a clue what is going to happen from hour to hour. Trust Tony's Cronies to make a complete cods of managing the crisis.

 

Thanks again for your concern, hun.

 

Cheers

 

Gill

[Guest Kate]

Good onya for getting up them, Gill! Glad all has ended well for you and your Mum.

 

Best wishes

 

Kate