FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Informed of Delayed Flight means I miss my connection - need some help please
Old Aug 11, 2018, 2:12 pm
  #1  
silonic
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Netherlands
Programs: BA Gold; Flying Blue Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 480
Informed of Delayed Flight means I miss my connection - need some help please

I'm due to fly tomorrow AMS-LHR-ORD.

I received an SMS earlier this evening telling me that BA423, my AMS-LHR, due to depart at 08.05am, has been pushed back to a 10.35am departure. My issue is that BA295 (LHR-ORD), is due to depart at 10.30am which means I'll miss the connection.

I called the Gold Line and explained that I needed to be in Chicago for 1.30pm and want options did I have. They said there was nothing they could do except book me onto the next LHR-ORD flight, which won't leave until 16.35. There is a AMS-LHR KLM flight at 7.20am so I asked whether they could book me onto that. They said they could not book me onto a non One World carrier. I did try to explain that if I took the 16.35 LHR-ORD I would be able to claim EU261 and rather than BA giving 600EUR compensation, could they just buy a one way for £200. No can do. They also explained that as this is an agency booking (booked through AMEX Global Business Travel) I had to call them up if I wanted to make an earlier flight with a different carrier.

I called AMEX and they said because I'm already checked in they can't make any changes to the ticket and I would have to ask BA to uncheck me.

So I'm in a pickle as to what to do. Unfortunately I've already lived with this scenario last December, when the Saturday night LHR-AMS went tech, and they delayed the first flight the next morning, promising me it was only going to take 2 hours to fix, and then I eventually left at 7.30pm that night because I checked in some luggage in and they wouldn't offload me.

I don't know if I should:
a) get to the airport really early and see whether the airport would put me onto a different flight (the Gold line did explain that the airport had more options than they could offer via phone) - but if my flight is now delayed until 10.35am, what chances anyone from BA will be at Schiphol at say 6am if I wanted to make the KLM flight

b) Call BA and get them to make the changes now to my flight - I guess I wouldn't therefore get any compensation as my ticket has now been changed, but I still wouldn't make Chicago on time

c) I turn up at the airport for the new scheduled flight and just accept that I've lost 64K on my LHR-ORD and just see what happens. Clearly my least favourite option

What are the chances of BA either getting me a ticket on the KLM flight (KL1001) at 7.20am or even if I purchase it, BA not offloading me from my LHR-ORD because I missed the AMS-LHR leg? I don't know what are the steps I need to take. Would appreciate any advice.

Thanks
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