KULULA / BRITISH AIRWAYS - DISGUSTING, DISGUSTING, DISGUSTING!!!!!

0 RATING!!!!!!

Absolutely disgusted in so many ways.

On Friday afternoon a colleague and I were due to fly from JHB to Durban, we skidded into the airport after almost being late, booked ourselves and our luggage in and off we went.

This still being the good part.

Down the escalators to E2 boarding gate to catch our much needed and long-awaited flight home after having spent a week away on business.

2nd in the que waiting for our plane to board the clock ticks on, I ask several times what is happening and get no definitive answer and was at one stage told to stand back in the que or I wouldn’t be booked onto the flight.

A gentleman walks down between the 2 ques that have now formed approx. 30mins after we were supposed to have started to get on and announces:

THAT THE FLIGHT WILL BE INDEFINATELY DELAYED. THAT OUR AEROPLANE WAS EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.

Indefinitely adverb for an unlimited or unspecified period of time to an unlimited or unspecified degree or extent

So, we approached the man and enquired and were told that the aeroplane had experienced a technical fault and he COULD NOT GIVE us a time to board and that we were indefinitely delayed. With this information the much-needed cigarette break we needed and rush to the loo was taken.

Off we went upstairs, and in waiting for my colleague I took a photo of the screen which had now changed to boarding at 18:30, with this I went in and had a cigarette, my colleague then went to the shop.

At approx. 18:10 we arrived at our gate ready to board.... no one in sight...

Our flight had departed!

No phone call, no message, no sms, no form of communication whatsoever at all from such a big and prestigious airline! NOTHING.

1 mom and 1 dad stranded at the airport with no money, 3 days before payday. With nothing.

We get turned away by the 3 seemingly useless assistants at the gate with nothing but a "sorry the flight has departed" and get told we need to go to ticket sales where we can sort the situation out - AT OUR COST which was a very highly forgotten detail, off we go through the gates and to ticket sales, first of all if you flying BA, don’t go to their counter - because BA is actually not BA they Kulula and secondly when you get to Kulula - don’t expect help.

Advised that yes, we can fly and despite the fact that it’s on a business account we would have to pay in our personal capacity for it and only leave at R621 a head the next morning at 10:30!!!!!!! 10:30 at R621 when we were flying on a business account. Are you telling me that of all the aeroplanes Kulula has a 18:00 flight was the last one out that whole night from OR TAMBO...... off to baggage collection

Lovely, lovely ladies at baggage collection - the irony of the situation - they have the time to take your baggage off the flight and bring it back to the airport BUT no time to phone you or contact you or try and find you and your BOOKED TO FLY AND CHECKED IN!!!!!!

Stranded, no money, no data, cell phones dying... we eventually after begging rustle up R200 to take a taxi to Park station. Off we go with a lovely taxi driver who drives a merc compressor but is willing to transport us over 50km away at almost 50% discount.

Starting to notice a difference in the story here yet Kulula / BA?

Mother-in-law of my colleague uses the last of her pension to book us to bus tickets on Eldo Coaches, and off we go. We collect our tickets for a 10pm bus due home by 5am. As an Eldo Coach arrives I run up to the ticket man and beg and plead with him to please see if he can find 2 seats on the bus for my colleague and I....

Guess WHAT KULULA / BA - HE DID - we even got seats sitting together, not just on a bus 2 hours earlier than our original booking!

On our bus journey we go, I really needed the loo, but however due to an accident we had to detour through a township and I was advised by our bus driver that it wasn’t safe for him to stop.... but he would as soon as we were in the safe and clear.

Guess what - KULULA and BA - HE DID!!!!!

Not only that but when it came to be leaving a gentlemen was missing and didn’t arrive in his seat for 15mins....

Guess what KULULA / BA - we didn’t leave him stranded. We sat on the bus and we waited until everyone was on. The driver WENT LOOKING FOR HIM, didn’t just start the engines and fly off. When the board says departing at 18:15 and you have clients at your counter at 18:10!

With so many people choosing flights as a travelling option it would really be nice to see the "big boys" remember what got them there in the first place. Take a bus and go back to basics and remember what travel is actually really all about!

R800 - for 2 bus tickets R200 - for 1 taxi fare Total: R1000 for 2 people

1 x Airplane Ticket - R1500

For the hours it takes on a bus, the service we were given and hospitality and loyalty we were shown. I would bus it any day.

BOOOOOOOO to you KULULA and British Airways. You should be ashamed of yourselves, your service and your unfriendly, unhelpful staff.

Sis man