Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave

No, they are not, there is even an agreement with LH so that BA pays a sensible rate. However (a) all agents are told to prioritise BA flights (b) then will suggest things like Iberia if viable and (c) then for on the day irrops will look to airlines where there is an agreement in place, which includes the Lufthansa Group of airlines, not just LH. Eurowings is tricky though, for some reason. Now if you get an agent in India or South Africa - where they don't actually work for BA - they follow the rule book and it's sometimes tricky to get them past (a). If you say to them "it's an on-the-day irrop, I believe you are rebooking people in Lufthansa" then they will check with a supervisor and then allow it. I imagine BA are kind-of aware of this, but I doubt they have done a full costing on how poorly trained contact centre staff are affecting the bottom line. Incidentally if you had said at the outset "I want LH" and this was refused, then under "LE versus TAP", a CJEU case that is valid here, BA will become liable for EC261 even if there are extraordinary circumstances, assuming there were really seats available.