Hi folks,
Thanks again for your thoughts thus far. To update: BA have come back with the following message:
We're sorry to hear your bags were delayed on your recent trip to Miami on 11 July. We completely understand how upsetting it must have been to be without your luggage for the entire duration of your holiday, especially on such a special trip that included a cruise. I can only imagine how difficult it was having to purchase everything from scratch, especially in unfamiliar and costly locations. This isn't what you should expect of us, and we understand why you needed to complain.
We take extra care of baggage being transferred through an airport, as we know there's a greater chance of delays. We appreciate you may have needed to buy replacement essentials while you were waiting for your baggage.
We're happy to pay £1,470.63 towards your delayed bag claim to your bank account using the details you provided. The payment may take up to 14 days to show in your account.
This is about 70% of the total submitted, which was around $2800 (£2120)
I've advised them to reply with a short response asking for the full amount, though obviously they're frustrated at the initial lowballing. My guess is this is just standard practice as an attempt to reduce the total due ('don't ask, don't get'). I've advised them to keep it to the facts, but any other thoughts would be appreciated.