Hi all

jist wanted to update you all with the latest from BA. My second letter resulted in more apologies, more empathy and £100 e-voucher. But…..

“Regarding your request for EU/UK261 compensation for involuntary denied boarding, we’ve reviewed the circumstances and, as the ticket was never successfully issued due to a payment failure, this situation does not meet the criteria for denied boarding under the regulations. British Airways outlines eligibility for EU/UK261 compensation on their boarding information page, which clarifies that compensation applies when a passenger holds a valid ticket and is denied boarding against their will due to overbooking or operational reasons.”

I know many of you will, like me, be somewhat derisive of this response. I feel certain it won’t stand up to independent arbitration. Nevertheless, I may decide to let it go on this occasion due to the small £ involved, but I will be watching them (and Flyertalk) very very intently from now on. Please be assured that they will be getting a strong response back, including my reiteration that a prominent warning should be placed on the website (not just in the Ts and Cs) for customers to check they actually have a ticket number (not just a booking reference) and their payment has gone through. Not holding out much hope there, but you never know.

By the way, I had asked them to explain what the “payment problem” would have been, as it certainly wasn’t anything to do with our credit card or AVIOS status. This hasn’t been addressed.

Once again, thank you all for your help and wise words with this.