Originally Posted by
ringingup
Hi,
As some of you may know already, I was impacted by the cancellations due to fog in London on 30 and 31 December.
I had a OLB-STR-LHR, which was a redemption under the same PNR. I flew the first segment on the 30th, but then the STR-LHR got cancelled. I was rebooked on the morning flight of the following day, which also got cancelled. I was then rebooked on the evening flight, but since I needed to be in London earlier that day I decided to take the train and called BA to cancel.
I've already been issued a refund for the Avios (still waiting for the tax). I've received a credit for the whole itinerary (13,500 Avios) plus I was debited 4,500 Avios for the first segment. Effectively I've only been refunded for the segment I didn't fly.
I'm not an expert but this seems unfair to me. I basically paid for a flight to STR, which I obviously wouldn't have taken on its own.
Can I ask BA for a full refund or is what they've done correct?
I have more questions on claiming for hotel and alternative travel arrangements, but I imagine the EU compensation thread is more appropriate.
Surely if travel falls apart and 2nd leg flightof a 2-leg trip is unavailable as in this case, then BA offer alternatives (or you do) which could include train v flight. BA paying for flight+train gets you OLB-LON and no refund is due for eith flight leg.
You are still entitled to duty of care, ie hotel/meals etc expenses.
Seems greedy, you want BA to bear cost of flight OLB-STR and train STR-LON (flown and claimed) and to also be refunded the original booked cost of OLB-STR-LON
The fact 2nd leg is now a train not another airline or different BA flight does not seem to me relevant.
You benefitted from flight OLB-STR as you then took train STR-LON.
As you now require/ask BA to pay for travel continuation trainfare STR-LON then BA could argue you did indeed complete booked travel OLB-STR-LON at their expense so no refund for either original OLB-STR or STR-LON legs is now due.
OLB-STR was not a segment in vain, as it positioned you for the continuation to LON destination on the train.