Originally Posted by
gdbsti
The flights were BA284 SFO-LHR which had an on time departure and early arrival to LHR, and BA438 LHR-AMS which was eventually cancelled after being delayed.Yes
They were offered a replacement flight LHR-AMS the next day which wasn't going to work so cancelled the ticket and requested a refund for the non-flown LHR-AMS segment.
Yes it is best to hold off on refunding tickets if there is an EC261 question, since it is easy to make a mistake. See the Signposts thread for specific advice on cancellations when there is disruption. You lose Right to Care immediately and may lose compensation. But it may be that here you will get compensation. You should get an involuntary refund for LHR - AMS, though this could easily be very little money, $50 or less would not surprise me. Whether you get compensation depends on the cause, which you can find in the FAQ for delays and cancellations. If the cancellation was not due to weather or ATC, broadly speaking, then the next question is whether the next day replacement was BA's best offer. If it was then you will get compensation for certainly that sector (£220)., since with compensation - unlike delays - you are allowed to not travel. Still it would be a lot cleaner if you had claimed this first then put in for the refund, so by all means come back here when you hear from BA, it's possible they will give you the wrong answer.