Sorry, here's the full response;
Your claim for compensation has been refused because flight BA1387 on 1 March 2012 was delayed due to Air Traffic Control restrictions, which prevented the aircraft operating as scheduled. Under EU legislation, British Airways is not liable for a compensation payment in this situation.
Unfortunately airline operations are subject to circumstances outside the airline's control. British Airways takes all reasonable measures to avoid delaying a flight in such circumstances. Consideration is given to whether there are any operational options available before a decision to delay is made. We are sorry that the delay was necessary in this case.
In addition to this, I have checked the details of your flights, the BA286 on 8 March 2012 and the BA1398 on 9 March 2012. I have included the details below for your reference:
Original Itinerary
Flight BA286 from San Francisco to London Heathrow.
Scheduled departure date and time: 9 March 2012 03.40 GMT
Scheduled arrival date and time: 9 March 2012 14.00 GMT
Flight BA1398 from London Heathrow to Manchester.
Scheduled departure date and time: 9 March 2012 17.15 GMT
Scheduled arrival date and time: 9 March 2012 18.15 GMT
Actual Itinerary
Flight BA286 from San Francisco to London Heathrow.
Actual departure date and time: 9 March 2012 07.37 GMT
Actual arrival date and time: 9 March 2012 17.18 GMT
Flight BA1404 from London Heathrow to Manchester.
Actual departure date and time: 9 March 2012 19.59 GMT
Actual arrival date and time: 9 March 2012 21.08 GMT
Total delay: 173 minutes
Since your flight was not delayed in arriving by 3 hours or more your claim for compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004 has been refused.
Thank you for following this up with us. I do hope we have the chance to welcome you on board again soon.