Just an update to this for anyone who might be in a situation where they need to know…

I have a partner award ticket - multi carrier award ticket issued by BA.

5 out of 7 legs already flown.

One of the remaining legs (and it’s one of the longest legs) has been given an involuntary downgrade, due to equipment swap.

Ticket had been re-issued a couple of times due to date changes on legs.

Original ticket expiry was due in June 2024, however with the re-issued ticket I’d received a new e-ticket through stating November 2024 expiry on that.

With the involuntary downgrade, the only availability i could find in the original higher cabin - which I specifically wanted to fly - was past the original e-Ticket’s June 2024 expiry, but before the November 2024 expiry date on the re-issued ticket.

Spoke to BA for several hours whilst they went through processes - I can’t be bothered to write about it all right now, but it was a LENGTHY process.

They then agreed that the new date I was looking for was available and ‘held’ it and added it to my current booking, whilst then going to re-issue the ticket (this can apparently be done on the spot for an involuntary downgrade and it doesn’t need to go to the back office team like it usually would for any other reissue)

Anyway, as they were processing the change the computer wouldn’t let the agent do this - they mentioned the word ‘restricted’ - they went off an spoke to several managers and came back with the answer that it WOULDN’T be possible to reissue for this date - which was available and me having a ticket showing an expiry date after the proposed date of travel.

And this was because the flight would fall over 12 months after the first initial flight was taken on the ticket.

So…. Extension of ticket dates isn’t necessarily possible in all circumstances.