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At the start of the year, BA CEO Sean Doyle announced a series of senior management changes to spearhead the airline’s recovery from COVID-19.
As has been well publicised the start of BA’s busiest travel season since the pandemic has been difficult. The airline has been beset by staff shortages, congestion at Heathrow Terminal 5 and sporadic IT issues.
During the first quarter results presentation of its parent company IAG last week, Sean maintained that the airline’s operational performance is improving.
IAG alluded to further senior management changes at BA. A second set of senior management changes in the space of four months have been reported today by the Financial Times.
Calum Laming, who joined BA in April in a newly created role of Director of Business Recovery, becomes Chief Customer Officer.
Before joining the airline Calum was Chief Customer Officer at Vueling and has previously held roles at Air New Zealand, Etihad and Virgin Atlantic.
Tom Stevens, who has held the position of Director of Brand & Customer Experience since April 2021, is to leave the airline for a new role overseas.
As IAG announced last week, the airline’s Operations structure will be split into Technical and Operations. Jason Mahoney, currently Chief Operating Officer, will become Chief Technical Officer. A new executive, to be appointed from outside the airline, will take responsibility for day-to-day operations.
Anthony Allcock, Chief Information and Digital Officer, is leaving the airline and will be replaced by Dirk John who joins from McKinsey and has previously held roles at LATAM and Lufthansa. The airline is in the process of moving legacy IT systems and data centres to a new cloud based platform.
IAG and BA clearly want to show investors and journalists that current issues are being addressed. It has to be said that in longer term there remain forces that will determine the “future size and shape” of the airline, namely the availability of long haul aircraft and IAG’s debt burden. This is something Sean is yet to really comment on despite giving many media interviews as CEO.
History has also shown whatever ideas new executives may have they can only work within the budgets allocated to them by IAG.
Copyright London Air Travel 2022.
“To help improve our service, we may record this call. . .” if British Airways has recorded any of my calls, please play them for BA CEO, Sean Doyle. We purchased airline tickets [deleted] and I have called at least 6 times and spoke to Mahish 6/27/22, Virina 6/28/22, Varun 6/30/22, 7/4/22 Monica, Rajat 7/5/22, Rahul 7/6/22 and Indu today, 7/11/22. I have clearly told all of them that I need to purchase a seat inside the airplane for a cello to fly from LAX in Los Angeles to London, Heathrow airport. Each one of them has told me that they have to speak to “the back office” to get a price from “the back office” so I can purchase the ticket for the seat for the cello. Your customer service agents ask to place me on hold, return to me, tell me there is no price yet but when I call back in 24, or 48, or 92 hours, there will be a price and I can pay the price and get the ticket.
My son is an incoming freshman at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He must have his cello. I have called back over and over again. No price. No ticket. No accountability. No customer service. No improvement. The price for the tickets are gob-smackingly high (my husband is a wonderful public school teacher) and we love our son and want him to have an excellent education. British Airways as a company has failed us. And we can’t change our tickets because that will just cost us even more money. I have never experienced this level of incompetence before. I would have booked the ticket for the cello on line, but I was not allowed to. If I never have to hear the BA on-hold music again, it will be…never mind. As of 2:57 PM July 11, 2022 Indu came back on the line and said, “there’s still not a price for the fare in the file yet. . . ” She asked me to hold again and is getting back to me.
So, does the London Symphony Orchestra fly BA? IF THEY DO, WHY???? Why would anyone, why would any company practice business this way? Why did all these agents and the mysterious back office refuse to give me a price so I could buy the seat on the plane for the cello? Please respond ASAP. Sincerely, Erica Stelley Gardiner
Hi, This website is not affiliated to British Airways so we can’t assist with any customer enquiries. For privacy reasons, I have removed your booking reference numbers from your comment. I’m afraid I can’t offer assistance other than to confirm you do need contact BA in advance of travel to secure an extra seat for a musical instrument. If you can’t get any further with BA’s call centres, you could try contacting BA via its official Twitter account: https://twitter.com/british_airways
I am extremely dissatisfied with British Airways I have written to the CEO Sean Doyle never responded I have gone through there executive services no one is talking to me this has been over a year and I’m getting the runaround and tired of being treated like dirt I am requesting a refund for a ticket that I made online prior to Covid to travel on British Airways they transferred it to a evil chair and tell me that now I requested it and don’t want a refund which is BS and now I’ve been in the hospital for colon cancer and can’t travel and they still refuse to issue me a refund