Originally Posted by
GumshoeW12
Indeed, but there’s been no recent change in government regulations to my knowledge that stops BA flying domestically with passengers and without restrictions.
If domestic flights are being cancelled because the passengers booked on them no longer wish to travel due to the situation in India or Pakistan, so be it. But that’s a purely commercial decision.
BA could easily justify claiming exceptional circumstances for cancelling an LHR-DEL flight. But not an LHR to MAN flight.
There have been no recent changes domestically, but that does not mean domestic flights are unaffected by the travel restrictions outside the UK. The CAA issued guidance very early on in the pandemic to help airlines understand how EC261 may be interpreted during the pandemic.
That guidance provided for circumstances where airlines may seek to cancel flights within the 14 day period due to economic and environmental consequences of operating flights with only a small number of passengers.
Where a flight is cancelled and an airline can demonstrate that the decision to cancel was related to COVID-19 restrictions elsewhere and those restrictions affected whether passengers take their flights (which could include a domestic connecting flight) then those circumstances may be viewed as extraordinary circumstances under EC261 and therefore the fixed sum compensation would not be payable.
Every case is different and should will be considered on its own merits taking in all the factors affecting a particular flight.