Having recently been forced to make an official complaint with an airline. I thought I would share a very simple graph that my connections may find useful.

Mine was a very simple fix, at the outset, I was very clear that I wasn’t seeking compensation for a very poor experience, I was trying to find out the simple answers to 2 very straightforward questions.

The airline refused with their default position being a goodwill gesture payment. I refused and suggested answering the questions. “Upload your bank details Mr Pybus and we’ll transfer the money within 24 hours” was the reply.  Again I refused and was very clear, answer the 2 questions and depending on the response, I might accept them and be satisfied.

The next step was the ombudsman, they asked the 2 questions on my behalf. Their response to the ombudsman was, “Our position remains the same“.  The ombudsman suggested I filed a claim through the courts. At this point, I wasn’t about to let them off the hook and paid to file a claim.

3 weeks later, a senior representative called. He had reviewed my case and was appalled by the communication and apologised (I need to stress he was the first person who had). He answered the 2 simple questions and he understood from the outset, I was seeking answers and NOT looking for compensation, I communicated this in writing on at least 3 occasions. He offered to cover my court costs as a goodwill gesture. I felt he was sincere in how they will learn from their mistakes. and restored my faith in the company. It was a simple fix and goes to show, the longer a complaint takes to be resolved, the more it’s going to cost. 

The 2 questions were.

1. Why did they switch aircraft at the last minute?
2. How did they lose my bag?