Your letters and posts
To my horror, she told me that the bags were still at the airport! You can imagine my helplessness and frustration. I got no clear information from Iberia and they held my bags for almost 24 hours.
IBERIA RESPONDS:
Our Customer Service department has already answered this complaint. The customer is asking for compensation to cover all costs related to the trip, including flights, taxi, hotel stay and costs covering the money he lost for two business days. The total amount is about €3,300 (US$3,608). The only costs that we can cover as a result of late delivery of baggage are those related to things he needed to buy because his luggage arrived late (basic clothes, basic toiletry items, etc) and we would need to have the invoices for those costs. This is what current legislation related to late baggage delivery states. The customer has been contacted twice: once in September to ask him for the documents needed to handle his claim, and a second time in November to inform him that we couldn’t cover any expenses if he didn’t send us the invoices. We could also offer him 12,750 Avios if he becomes a member of the Iberia Plus programme, which he could then use on flights or any other service offered by our partners in the Iberia Plus programme.
Jonathan Sharp, Hong Kong
MISLEADING T&T I think your Tried & Tested article in the December issue titled “Virgin Atlantic B787-9 Premium Economy” is seriously misleading. Your reporter, describing a flight from Hong Kong to London in Premium Economy class, writes about proceeding to the Virgin Clubhouse lounge at Hong Kong International Airport and being “invited” to the Revival Lounge on arrival at Heathrow. Your reporter was also “pleasantly surprised” at the
treatment from “friendly” staff, the food and drink were wonderful (although the noodles, while tasty, were “a bit dry”). It all sounded terrific and on first reading I had the distinct impression that Virgin’s Premium Economy passengers now have access to the lounges.
That would be great news. But not so, as I discovered when I contacted the airline.
At no point did the article point out that (a) access to Clubhouse lounges is limited to Upper Class passengers only, and (b) the flight was a media junket on which Virgin was anxious to show off its facilities. You call the flight “Tried & Tested”, but how on earth can you suggest that a press freebie – when of course the airline is bending over backwards to treat its guests well – is a credibly objective, impartial survey of what a flight is really like for paying passengers?
BUSINESS TRAVELLER ASIA-PACIFIC RESPONDS: Thank you for your email. As the new editor I have read the T&T you refer to, and spoken to the (junior) member of staff who flew on that route and wrote the piece. I agree with you entirely, and have spoken to all members of the editorial team about the need for accurate and objective reporting that does not include any of the “extras” which we, the media, sometimes receive when we are hosted by airlines on new routes or for new seat class offerings. Unfortunately, the staff member in this instance was flying Virgin Upper Class only on the return leg of the trip; when, on the first leg in premium economy (PE), Virgin kindly provided him with a voucher for the Clubhouse and an invitation to use the Revival Lounge at Heathrow, he did not ask if this was actually available to all premium economy passengers, and therefore did not make a clear distinction within the text. (Many PE passengers do have access to the Clubhouse through top-tier status with Virgin as frequent flyers – but not all.) We can only apologise for this error – there have also been comments in our online forum relating to this – and assure you that in the future we will make every effort to provide an objective, “real world” account of any given flight and any attendant benefits. We appreciate you highlighting this for us – any comment, criticism or complaint that helps us to improve our coverage is welcomed.
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www.businesstraveller.asia
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 17
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