One World no help policy
Sep 24, 2016, 11:51 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Cambridge, UK
Programs: Qantas Gold; BA Silver; Virgin Australia Platinum; Virgin Atlantic Gold
Posts: 336
One World no help policy
This new One World no help policy sucks.
I'm BA and QATAR gold. I was booked business from ams to Zanzibar via Doha at 6pm today. I was booked lgw to ams at 11am. Ba refused to through check bag. Due to mechanical issues and pilot incompetence the flight departed 5&1/2 hours late.
Only option offered by QATAR was full refund and rebook in economy at £256 pp extra.
What is the point of one world?
I'm BA and QATAR gold. I was booked business from ams to Zanzibar via Doha at 6pm today. I was booked lgw to ams at 11am. Ba refused to through check bag. Due to mechanical issues and pilot incompetence the flight departed 5&1/2 hours late.
Only option offered by QATAR was full refund and rebook in economy at £256 pp extra.
What is the point of one world?
Sep 24, 2016, 11:58 am
#2
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold 1MM, BA Gold, UA Peon
Posts: 6,110
I increasingly ask myself this question too.
In the above situation I would recommend flying Easyjet. They are reliable, often more so than BA.
In the above situation I would recommend flying Easyjet. They are reliable, often more so than BA.
Sep 24, 2016, 12:02 pm
#3
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
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Unfortunately this is the risk you have always taken when positioning for an exEU. The checked bags actually ended up be inconsequential here since BA2760 arrived at AMS at 1830, so whether the OP had managed to have bags checked through or had even been carry on only it was not possible to make a QR flight at 1800. This in large part is why positioning day before for these types of itineraries is recommended.
Has it ever been the case that QR would rebook if a separately ticketed inbound connection was late?
Has it ever been the case that QR would rebook if a separately ticketed inbound connection was late?
Sep 24, 2016, 12:03 pm
#4
Join Date: Aug 2010
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This new One World no help policy sucks.
I'm BA and QATAR gold. I was booked business from ams to Zanzibar via Doha at 6pm today. I was booked lgw to ams at 11am. Ba refused to through check bag. Due to mechanical issues and pilot incompetence the flight departed 5&1/2 hours late.
Only option offered by QATAR was full refund and rebook in economy at £256 pp extra.
What is the point of one world?
I'm BA and QATAR gold. I was booked business from ams to Zanzibar via Doha at 6pm today. I was booked lgw to ams at 11am. Ba refused to through check bag. Due to mechanical issues and pilot incompetence the flight departed 5&1/2 hours late.
Only option offered by QATAR was full refund and rebook in economy at £256 pp extra.
What is the point of one world?
Now if only Star offered a OWE equivilant tier I would move more over to them...
But its their game so I have no choice but to play by their rules oe leave which i have
Sep 24, 2016, 12:05 pm
#5
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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I am sorry to hear about that. I guess this was on two separate bookings, with seemingly plenty of time at AMS to make the Qatar flight, and then this happened:
And I'm afraid that is the risk you take with 2 tickets unfortunately. It's cheaper for a reason! It can perhaps be mitigated via insurance. I'm guessing the checked baggage got in the way of re-routing via LHR or LCY, which should have been offered in this scenario. By the sounds of it, through checking your bags would not have allowed you to make the Qatar flight anyway, given it is scheduled for 18:00 (and today left a few minutes early).
And I'm afraid that is the risk you take with 2 tickets unfortunately. It's cheaper for a reason! It can perhaps be mitigated via insurance. I'm guessing the checked baggage got in the way of re-routing via LHR or LCY, which should have been offered in this scenario. By the sounds of it, through checking your bags would not have allowed you to make the Qatar flight anyway, given it is scheduled for 18:00 (and today left a few minutes early).
Sep 24, 2016, 12:19 pm
#6
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I'm not sure how it helps. Whilst I am very sad for the OP, the problem on separate bookings is exactly the same with both *A and ST. Ultimately, only through bookings are protected and whilst some individual airlines will occasionally have a more generous policy when it affects two of their own flights, and all will sometimes prove helpful informally as a gesture of good will, no alliance - and certainly not *A - accept to protect separate bookings as a matter of course.
Sep 24, 2016, 12:19 pm
#7
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 161
Looking on the bright side, presumably you'll put a 261 claim in? Which should lighten the blow a little on the increased ticket price.
Sep 24, 2016, 1:13 pm
#8
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
5.5 hours late on a 1h20m flight. Very impressive stuff from BA.
However we all know the rules on separate tickets, you may save money but you assume the risk. At least you got changed on QR rather than losing the onward ticket.
All you can do is get your EC261 claim in and use the money to soften the blow. Otherwise lesson learnt is as posted upthread, try Easyjet next time or book a single ticket.
However we all know the rules on separate tickets, you may save money but you assume the risk. At least you got changed on QR rather than losing the onward ticket.
All you can do is get your EC261 claim in and use the money to soften the blow. Otherwise lesson learnt is as posted upthread, try Easyjet next time or book a single ticket.
Sep 24, 2016, 2:56 pm
#9
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
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I wonder if one could, in such a situation, proceed as follows:
see the delay of more than an hour (indicating serious problems),
check Easyjet schedule, availability, operational status of the relevant flight, and book oneself on the Easyjet flight (such a short notice booking often becomes an Easyjet Flexi fare, so includes bag, seat choice, priority boarding, etc),
offload oneself from the BA flight,
retrieve bag,
check in and board Easyjet,
arrive stressed but successfully for the QR flight.
Easyjet bag delivery in AMS is usually pretty fast.
This seems even more plausible if one was going HBO, but even with a bag I think it might well be possible.
see the delay of more than an hour (indicating serious problems),
check Easyjet schedule, availability, operational status of the relevant flight, and book oneself on the Easyjet flight (such a short notice booking often becomes an Easyjet Flexi fare, so includes bag, seat choice, priority boarding, etc),
offload oneself from the BA flight,
retrieve bag,
check in and board Easyjet,
arrive stressed but successfully for the QR flight.
Easyjet bag delivery in AMS is usually pretty fast.
This seems even more plausible if one was going HBO, but even with a bag I think it might well be possible.
Sep 24, 2016, 2:59 pm
#10
Original Poster
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This option was definitely one I considered today but was too tight by time I realised I needed to
Sep 24, 2016, 3:02 pm
#11
Original Poster
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I hope the pilot gets some serious constructive feedback from his managers. He consistently maintained that the plane should be able to fly. He only considered other options (I.e. Alternate plane) after pax had been sitting for 4 hours.
Sep 24, 2016, 3:03 pm
#12
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver, IHG Spire, Radisson Gold
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For this reason I always position the night before, and where possible go HBO on ex EUs.
I also tend to have backup options e.g. if I'm on a 7pm BA flight, I know that if things go really bad there's a Norwegian from Gatwick or an EZY from Luton at 9pm, or a back to back BA in the morning.
Last ex EU I started with GLA-LHR-DUB, and when we had to turn around and go back to the gate at GLA I was on my phone in seconds checking SkyScanner for the next GLA-DUB direct - though thankfully things went ok on BA in the end there.
Sorry things ended badly for you, hope you manage to get some money back through the channels mentioned above.
I also tend to have backup options e.g. if I'm on a 7pm BA flight, I know that if things go really bad there's a Norwegian from Gatwick or an EZY from Luton at 9pm, or a back to back BA in the morning.
Last ex EU I started with GLA-LHR-DUB, and when we had to turn around and go back to the gate at GLA I was on my phone in seconds checking SkyScanner for the next GLA-DUB direct - though thankfully things went ok on BA in the end there.
Sorry things ended badly for you, hope you manage to get some money back through the channels mentioned above.
Sep 24, 2016, 3:06 pm
#13
Join Date: Jan 2011
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This new One World no help policy sucks.
I'm BA and QATAR gold. I was booked business from ams to Zanzibar via Doha at 6pm today. I was booked lgw to ams at 11am. Ba refused to through check bag. Due to mechanical issues and pilot incompetence the flight departed 5&1/2 hours late.
Only option offered by QATAR was full refund and rebook in economy at £256 pp extra.
What is the point of one world?
I'm BA and QATAR gold. I was booked business from ams to Zanzibar via Doha at 6pm today. I was booked lgw to ams at 11am. Ba refused to through check bag. Due to mechanical issues and pilot incompetence the flight departed 5&1/2 hours late.
Only option offered by QATAR was full refund and rebook in economy at £256 pp extra.
What is the point of one world?
Sep 24, 2016, 3:33 pm
#14
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,595
This new One World no help policy sucks.
I'm BA and QATAR gold. I was booked business from ams to Zanzibar via Doha at 6pm today. I was booked lgw to ams at 11am. Ba refused to through check bag. Due to mechanical issues and pilot incompetence the flight departed 5&1/2 hours late.
Only option offered by QATAR was full refund and rebook in economy at £256 pp extra.
What is the point of one world?
I'm BA and QATAR gold. I was booked business from ams to Zanzibar via Doha at 6pm today. I was booked lgw to ams at 11am. Ba refused to through check bag. Due to mechanical issues and pilot incompetence the flight departed 5&1/2 hours late.
Only option offered by QATAR was full refund and rebook in economy at £256 pp extra.
What is the point of one world?
You could have avoided this risk by buying a through ticket from London to Zanzibar
OneWorld provides benefits , such as lounge access based on status and additional baggage allowances
The pilot is not a mechanic and would be providing information provided from those dealing with the issue with the aeroplane - it is not the pilot repairing the aeroplane nor deciding when it is unable to fly
Sep 24, 2016, 3:40 pm
#15
Join Date: Feb 2010
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I'm impressed Qatar offered full refund