Today should have been a good day for British Airways.
It should have been a day of celebrations as the British airline turns 100. It should have been centenary festivities and a 100th birthday party to commemorate 100 years of flying since its predecessor Air Transport and Travel launched the world's first international scheduled air service between London and Paris.
Instead, the British airline is facing a storm of criticism after confusing airline customers by sending emails to thousands of passengers that incorrectly advised travellers that their upcoming flights were cancelled.
Emails sent in error
Ahead of pilot strike action scheduled for September 9,10 and 27, British Airways sent many passengers emails advising them that their flights were cancelled.
The emails instructed affected customers to rebook flights or apply for a full refund.
A few hours later, after many passengers had taken the recommended actions, another email was issued advising passengers that their original flights had been reinstated.
The second email read: We are pleased to tell you that your flight will now be operating as originally planned.
Many travellers received the emails after spending time and money making alternative travel plans. Filmmaker Paul DuBois spent an additional $800 (Dh2,938) rebooking his summer holiday after being informed his original flights were cancelled.
BA has admitted that the emails were sent in error and apologised to travellers for the IT mistake.
What to do if you're flying with BA in September?
If you're one of the passengers scheduled to fly on the affected days, British Airways says it should be in touch. The airline advises checking your booking has your current contact details to enable this.
British Airways' Frequently Asked Questions page has been updated to reflect the industrial action. Customers can call the customer contact centre on +44 203 250 0145, if you're outside the UK, or 0800 727 800, from within the UK
Many passengers have been unsuccessfully trying to get in touch with British Airways to reconfirm upcoming travel. Twitter users took to social media to detail spending hours on the phone to the airline trying to confirm flight status.
The airline did not appear to be responding to any passenger requests for assistance or information on its social media pages.
Passengers with flights that are confirmed as cancelled will be offered the option to rebook on partner airlines, to change date or place of travel or can request a full refund.
Strike action was confirmed after British Airways and the British Airline Pilots Association failed to reach a solution in a long-standing dispute over pay rates.
When are the strikes?
The strikes are set to take place on September 9, 10 and 27 but British Airways has also advised passengers that there could be disruption to flights on 8, 11 and 12 September.
The airline said “during times of widespread disruption, there is a significant knock-on effect on to flights on other days.”
Travellers who have already flown to a destination and face their return flights being cancelled can claim hotel compensation of up to £200 (Dh899) per night per two adults sharing.
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Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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