Paralytic

I was meant to be flying an EDI-LHR-SFO itinerary today and although my EDI flight landed at LHR on time, we arrived at an international gate and were therefore bussed to arrivals. It was a full 767, I was in row 4 and, as luck would have it, we disembarked from the rear so i was on the last bus.

I arrived a flight connections conformance exactly 30 minutes (by my phone) before the schedule take off of my LHR-SFO flight but was denied. It was leaving from the B gates. What is the domestic to international conformance?

I'm now going travelling through Vancouver and onto SFO from there on Air Canada.

My new scheduled arrival time is around 5 hours after the original time - I assume I'll be eligible for EU compensation?

Also, I checked 1 bag in at LHR. What's the chances of that reaching SFO with me? I'm doubtful...

LondonElite

Bag, 75/25 that it makes it with you. EU comp, I should think so.

Paralytic

I'm still in WT+ for the LHR-YVR but in economy for YVR-SFO. Any comeback there? I guess I could look for some service recovery when I return.

What about TPs/Avios? If I'd get more on the new route, can I claim them? That might sweeten the pain a bit - am missing out an afternoon shopping and site-seeing in San Francisco.

LondonElite

Well €600 for the rerouted delay greater than four hours, not sure about a segment in Y. You will have to write in for TPs and Avios, though the former are the same.

LondonElite

Forgot to add...the AC segment may be on a 'Rouge' service. This is AC's equivalent of LCC. You have been warned!

Paralytic

Thanks, I wish I'd not just read that

Its a 2 hours 25 flight, so shouldn't be that bad, should it?

lorcancoyle

Wouldn't put it past BA to claim that having bus board from back of the plane is exceptional etc.

One slight upside may be better queues given no US immigration at SFO now (small comfort)

I wonder how much BA would save in rebooking, compensation etc by having a few cars and drivers for expedited transfers in situations such as this (they can do for some pax as I recently witnessed at T1 - addressed by surname by cabin crew and ground staff who told him his car was waiting at the bottom of the gate 80 steps in T1, got impression he was senior in BA)

Save even just two EU261 payments per day and that's a decent chunk of cash - plus high value pax goodwill!

LondonElite

I'd worry about the downgrade comp when you get back. I believe downgrades of a multi-segment itinerary get between 30% to 75% of he price of the ticket back. YVR to SFO is a short flight, so possibly the lower end. Then again, you didn't ask for the inconvenience of travelling through Canada and bought a direct flight, so regardless of class of travel you are inconvenienced.

LondonElite

What's the AC flight number? I'll check for you.

LondonElite

The only non-Rouge flight is the 1854 departure. The 1720 is. Good luck, you may be in 'Premium Rouge' which is kind of like saying 'luxury line at Asda' but safe travels.

corporate-wage-slave

Rouge staff have nice hats, you probably remember that bit of the Edinburgh Airport series?

I don't rate your baggage chances too high (which also almost certainly explains why they didn't let you through conformance, you really must spend more time on Flyertalk!). So I'm going to 50% or less chance on bags. It would not surprise me if your conformance was 32 minutes.

Downgrade, well BA will not make it easy for you on that one, but in theory it's 75% of the entire fare, there and back, but they won't willingly pay that. In theory. Did they offer you a later through Premium Economy service? It's tricky to fix this one, due to the lack of airlines offering a WTP equivalent.

Delay compensation, assuming you are over 4 hours late: was there a weather or ATC component there? If so you get nothing. If it was just daft operations then they are generally more forthcoming. You may want to focus on that plus a cash sum for the downgrade direct refund, which will be about �4.23 after BA's book-keepers have done their calculations.

And you're still on a FR ban, though I am starting to feel sorry for you.

LondonElite

If Paralytic is on BA87, which gets in ca 1400, my bet is he will be put on the 1720 Rouge flight. Best of luck for the front two rows!

Paralytic

Thanks guys. Now at YVR and my bag made it as far as here - had to collect it.

Although I've now per-cleared US border control, it's a long process - there's no special process for international to US connection.

So i had to clear Canadian border control, collect my bag, clear Canadian
customs, head to the Air Canada checkin area in departures, drop bag at AC desk, get given US customsw form to fill in, go through security and finally go through US customs and then border control.

All that took around 90 minutes from landing. I figure border control at SFO would have been faster.

I am on the 17:20 AC flight but row 26 - its all that was left. The later SFO flight was full so no joy on that. I could have connected through Chicago onto AA to SFO and waitlisted for the later BA SFO flight but that would have got me in around 11pm PST. I'll get in before 8pm with the route I'm on.

Me missing the connection was entirely due to us landing at an international gate and having to be bussed - we actually landed 1 minute ahead of schedule. I was on a tight connection (1 hour) but that's all that was available when I booked and I knew there was a risk.

As for comp, I'd accept the EU comp for the delay and a few Avios for having to endure AC in economy. Of course, I may change my mind after I've flown the flight.

I might do a TR if I get time, including stories of me self-upgrading to the wrong seat (same cabin) and also me walking in on the small elderly Asian lady I ended up sitting beside when she was in the loo and hadn't locked the door...

corporate-wage-slave

If she was a GGL doctor with a divorce on her hands, none of us will need to post anything for about a month, it covers all FT hot-spots in one.

LondonElite

Should have made that bet after all. I never thought the bag was going to be strayed.

Hope the Rouge flight doesn't kill you. It is only a three hour flight but I would be massively pissed if I had booked LHR-SFO in WT+ and gotten stuck with the Canadian immigration fandango to the US, having done it 100s of times, followed by Rouge economy.