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y opportunities for business travel to go wrong and complaints to arise, sometimes we ought to shout from

when we receive stunning service. Travelling back to London from a conference in Dubai, I was with a friend

urning to Dublin. We both had access to lounges but could not enter the same one. With a couple of hours

pub seemed the best option but it was very smoky. I suggested that I grab a couple of beers from the British

nge to enjoy in the public concourse.

d the entire length of the concourse and back, yet managed to overlook the BA lounge. Eventually, I asked

. It was a long walk away and my disappointment was written all over my face. However, the employee
offered us both a lift in his vehicle, took us to the lounge, waited as I popped in and out, and then drove
ur gates. All of this with a smile on his face. I don’t recall ever receiving service like this before. Well done to
e most incredible staff.Stephen Ornadel, London

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aytime phone number. We reserve the right toedit letters.

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JUNE (^2016) businesstraveller.asia
16 I Inbox
INDIFFERENCE IN MOSCOW
I was boarding the 1745 Aeroflot flight SU212 to Hong Kong from Moscow on
February 17. The display board above the gate said “Hong Kong – boarding now”.
After going through the gate, it turned out we needed to go down two floors
and catch a bus before reaching the plane. Ticket checking was actually taking
place right before bus boarding, but because of the wait for buses, the whole
staircase was packed with people. By the time I reached the ticket-checking
staff, I was told boarding for Hong Kong had finished!
The staff waved me back upstairs, without telling me where to find help, and
despite the fact the gate display was still saying “Hong Kong –boarding now”.
I found my way to the transit area, where four others trying to get to Hong Kong
joined me. All of us were confused and wondering why we were declined boarding.
Aeroflot’s handling of the aftermath was even worse. We were asked why we
hadn’t made our connection in time. We explained about the blockage, and that
we hadn’t heard a final boarding call, but Aeroflot staff seemed indifferent to
our plight and proceeded slowly.
Two travellers were offered tickets to catch the 2130 flight to Beijing, from
where they could transfer to Hong Kong. The rest of us were told to wait
20 minutes for the general manager’s decision.
It was 2025, meaning we still had time to buy our own tickets for the Beijing
flight if Aeroflot refused to offer us tickets, so agreed to wait. After 25 minutes, we
asked a different staff member what was going on. They had no idea, so we had
to repeat our story and were again asked to wait. At 2200, after repeated checking
on our part, we were told the next flight to Hong Kong would be the following day.
At around 2345 the verdict was finally out: two passengers were given free
tickets, while I was told I would have to pay for my new ticket. I proceeded to
the counter, where I was made to put three signatures on a Russian document
I didn’t understand.
The next step was to retrieve our luggage, but the staff had no clue as to its
whereabouts. Originally they told us the luggage had been transferred to a
special area and would take a while to get; the next moment they said I could
get it immediately. We were assured our luggage wouldn’t have left Moscow
without us, but as it turned out, one of my fellow stranded passengers did have
his luggage flown to Hong Kong.
Aeroflot didn’t provide dinner or accommodation and those who couldn’t
afford a hotel were forced to sleep in the airport. The whole ordeal took over
3.5 hours. I was totally worn out and frustrated. I can’t believe airline staff could
be so indifferent to a customer’s needs. Wanda Yuen, Hong Kong
Business Traveller Asia-Pacific
made several attempts to
contact Aeroflot but did not
receive a response.