A BBC reporter revealed how she flew from Heathrow to Madrid without knowing her identity – British Airways didn’t misunderstand the mistake.
Catherine Snowdon said the airline insisted she had never boarded the plane to the Spanish capital on April 23, posing a “potential safety risk”.
The problem first arose when Ms. Snowden tried to sign up online in a flight run by BA’s Spanish partner Carria Iberia.
She said this was invalid, and the error code said “needed help” also appeared, and it also appeared when she tried to check in again at the self-service booth at Heathrow Airport.
Ms. Snowden next headed to the boarding table and finally got her boarding pass, admitting she “didn’t read in detail.”
After walking through the safe zone normally, she was also “waving” by a member of the BA’s ground crew, who “snaped” her passport and boarding pass.
The journalist, who was heading to Madrid for a business trip, said she was “surprised” when she got on the plane and realized she was sitting in business class.
However, she considered it a “free upgrade” and enjoyed the privilege of “tiramisu” including desserts and “free alcohol” on the plane.
Catherine Snowdon said British Airways insisted she never boarded the plane to the Spanish capital on April 23, posing a “potential safety risk”
The problem first arose when Ms. Snowden tried to sign in to a flight run by BA’s Spanish partner Iberia,
“This is exactly the arrival of the Spanish capital,” Ms. Snowden wrote in an article about her experience. BBC.
“Once I get the moving signal on the ground, an email pops up: My return flight has been cancelled.
“In response, the travel company said it had been cancelled because I didn’t show up on the outbound flight.”
Ms. Snowden replied that she was “very in Madrid” and was waiting for her luggage at the airport.
She said the BA still insisted that she did not travel, and at this point she realized that the boarding pass was “not hers.”
Ms. Snowden was shocked to see the name printed on her ticket, the luggage tag was the man the BBC called merely Huw H.
She said the BA continued to insist that she could not board the plane on the Huw H ticket because their “safety checks will not be allowed”.
The reporter explained that despite having already had tickets, the BBC had to go to Madrid again and the BBC had to book her return flight again.
The reporter explained that they were “so convinced” that she did not go to Madrid (pictured) and that the BBC had to book her return flight again despite having tickets, even though she had already had tickets.
Ms. Snowden raised concerns that she was inadvertently becoming a “safety issue” as airport staff did not record the differences between her passport and boarding pass.
She was so confused that such a mistake ran through her, and she tried to track Huw H to figure out how this confusion arose.
BBC employees found Jonathan Huw H, who flew on April 24 (the day after her) and landed at Heathrow Airport.
Ms. Snowdon’s married name on her passport is H as h, and he speculates that his details may have somehow “floated” in the BA system.
Independent travel correspondent Simon Calder sometimes errors appear “in the high pressure, deadline aeronautical world”.
But he questioned why there were no mistakes at the departure gate, so Ms. Snowden had very little experience.
It is reported that the Civil Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.
A BA spokesperson said: “We have contacted our clients and apologize for this real human error.
“Although such an incident is extremely rare, we have taken positive steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
A Heathrow Airport spokesman said this was not responsible for the ground crew and there was no problem with how Ms. Snowden passed the safety inspection.
