British Airways impaled a Boeing 787-10 on its own engineering steps because the aircraft got heavier and lower after fueling. The plane had to be inspected, but passengers were left packed in buses on the tarmac while BA figured out what the effect of gravity had been.
Flight 299 from London Heathrow to Chicago O’Hare on Saturday was canceled after the aircraft was damaged on a remote stand. The plane, registered G-ZBLJ, is less than two years old.
- Engineering steps were positioned beside a hatch on the underside of the front fuselage.
- That hatch reportedly contained oxygen cylinders, which were being replaced.
- The aircraft was not yet fueled when the steps were placed.
- The aircraft was then fueled and loaded, increasing weight and compressing the landing gear struts.
- As the 787 settled lower, the steps/platform became wedged into the fuselage.
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The captain told passengers there were minor internal dents requiring inspection before the aircraft could be released. The flight was eventually cancelled and the aircraft remains on the ground as of this writing. This could be very expensive for British Airways! In addition to repair cost, they owe passengers for the inconvenience.
- UL261 passenger delay compensation (1) for flights over 2,175 miles (2) where the delay is 4 hours or more is $704.31 per passenger.
- A BA 787-10 holds 256 passengers. The plane was reportedly full. The return from Chicago couldn’t operate as-scheduled because this aircraft couldn’t be sent. That’s 500 inconvenienced customers.
- That’s total owed compensation to customers of $352,000 plus ‘duty of care’ which would involve hotels and meals. Of course, many customers won’t know to submit a claim (BA does not pay this automatically).
Passengers had already been bussed to the remote stand, then stood in crowded buses for around 90 minutes with little information while “15-20 people” came to inspect, photograph, stare at, and discuss the stuck steps. Law enforcement also showed up because as a matter of course aircraft damage was checked for intentional acts though this was clearly just a foul up.
(HT: Paddle Your Own Kanoo)
This. Is. Why. We. Need. EU/UK 261. Equivalent. In. The. U.S.A.
British Airways (and their agents) messed up here. Affected passengers were significantly delayed. Time is money. Those customers paid a premium for those specific routes, dates, times, service. This isn’t hard. They should be owed compensation for the inconvenience, in addition to refund or rebookings. No, private insurance isn’t enough. No, it doesn’t raise costs on passengers (see Ryanair which has operated the ULCC model profitably for years in-compliance with such rules.) Is the airline lobby that powerful? Are their lies and propaganda (and couple thousand dollars in bribes to your Congress person) that compelling? When are we going to finally wake up in America and stop leaving money on the table. At the very least, bring back Rule 240 in the US. (Airlines get you on the next available flight, even if its with another carrier, etc.)