Delayed this evening - BA188 EWR-LHR
 

Hi, My wife is being told it's going to be 3.5 hours before this gets off the ground. I am trying to find out the reason, weather or otherwise with a view to a compensation payout under EU261. If it's weather then I can forget it.

Does anyone have any inside on why this has happened? Late incoming flight, etc?

According to EF it's unfortunately weather related:

Due to WEATHER THUNDERSTORMS, EWR is currently experiencing ground delays averaging 1 hour and 45 minutes.

I saw that too but wondered if it was the same issue due to the far longer delay she is experiencing, basically twice the average delay.

Oh well, worth a try!! Thanks!

Been some crazy weather in the sky the last few weeks and some mod turbulence on Tuesday and Sunday for me crossing over that part of the US on SAN-LHR // BCN-LAX

She just texted me to say that she asked why the long delay and was told they had to change planes, so perhaps not weather related after all. I wonder how we prove that conversation if BA decide to use weather as a reason to reject a claim?

Actually, as I write this I realise that she's on an IB flight code share with BA so I guess we would apply to IB for a comp payout?

It's normally a 787-9 but showing as a 777 now, not sure if that is right though.

The operating airline pays compensation.

The aircraft is just arriving now, about 45mins late. Probably missing its slot for departure, which is why it has been retimed to 1am.

Thanks - that's very useful as it was supposed to be a 787.

The outbound flight from LHR was delayed taking off. According to EF it took off at 1759 and is still en route to EWR. The delay code is showing as ZY but I can't find anything definitive to state what that is. BA0197 states in this post https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/27133986-post10.html that it's capacity restriction at the arriving airport, so that may still be weather related?

That makes for an interesting get out for BA I guess. I'll certainly give it a go though in case it is something other than weather. Thanks.

Any "capacity restriction" is imposed by ATC, either at destination or en-route. No compensation, only duty of care.

Weather related or capacity restrictions at EWR, it is still extraordinary circumstances. Any claim for comp. is going to be uphill (and will surely be denied by BA)

Also do keep in mind that it is the arrival time at LHR that is relevant (rather than dep.time from EWR). It frequently happens that fligts depart with more 3 hours delay but arrives at destination (arrives at gate, doors open to more precise) with a delay of less than 3 hours, i.e. no comp.

The aircraft was G-VIIL.

It operated BA189 to EWR on 13th September and landed there 33 minutes late at 8.18pm.

It then spent more than 5 hours on the ground there and departed for LHR at 1.24am on 14th September.Does seem an inordinate amount of time if said to be due to weather or capacity restrictions.No other flight from EWR last night had such a delay.

Delay possibly due to a combination of unscheduled maintenance and weather/capacity restrictions?Compensation claim might well be worth considering.BA188 currently approaching LHR and already more than 3 hours late.

Just a thought, but with that flight normally being operated by a B787 crew, the late change to a B777 would have resulted in a new flight crew having to be scrambled from a JFK flight. Perhaps this took longer then expected or they had to wait for a late arriving crew from the previous night reach their minimum rest hours before they were allowed report for duty?

Pilot37