Originally Posted by
timma1971
Q1: Based on the last few days flight history, there's a moderate risk that I'll miss my connection to SFO tomorrow afternoon. Am I automatically rebooked and if so, can I request a new "manual" rerouting by a lounge agent if I find a more convenient connection?
Q2: I should be travelling WT+ all the way to SFO but in case of rerouting I might well find me connecting for example at JFK and as there's no WT+ service from JFK to SFO I believe I would be downgraded to AA Economy. In that case, am I entitled to any refund?
I'm not staff, just a customer, but I know the answer to these questions.
If you miss the connection, typically if the connection time falls well below an hour, then the system will generally rebook you, and if you keep refreshing the App you can see what they are coming up with. Now this is supposed to lead to a refreshed boarding pass on the App but I've never got that to work cleanly. So when you turn up at Flight Connections (or Check-in if you are an EEA or Swiss citizen) then you can at that point persuade the agent to look at other options and indeed make suggestions. Now you could have another go in the lounge but in theory you only get one involuntary rebooking, a rule which isn't entirely rigid it has to be said. If your booking involves anything that needs re-ticketing (e.g. the downgrade to economy) then you will probably need a specialist ticket agent to help, and there is always one of them in Galleries Club South Customer Services desk on the southern side of the lounge. If it's a simple rebook on the same route to a later service it won't need the intervention of a ticket agent.
For the downgrade you would be refunded by one of two formulas. The statutory formula follows EC261 which is first to pro-rata your fare by the mileage affected and then you get 75% (in this case) of the fare for the downgrade. However since they are able to charge necessary government taxes and airport charges, on WTP to WT this could be quite a modest sum, More details in the main EC261 thread in the forum's Dashboard. This goes to the customer, at least in terms of the Regulation. The second formula is often more generous: this uses BA's internal involuntary refund calculation and looks just at fare differences, and this is the sort of case where it may be slightly more generous. This is refunded to the payment mechanism used. It's one or the other, you don't get both.