In Helsinki today, checked-in first thing this morning for the BA799 17.10 flight back to LHR (checked-in using the Finnair check-in desk at the Scandic Continental - very handy as you still can't OLCI from HEL). Just after midday I get a SMS from "BA eService" informing me that the flight is cancelled and I need to call BA. At least I now know that putting your mobile number into MMB actually does something!
So I call BA and after a couple of minutes the lady offers me a choice of the Finnair flights, using the BA codeshare flight number. She changes the booking. All well and good. Decide to leave early for the airport in case there are any problems. Just as I'm jumping into my taxi I get a call from BA, now telling me that "due to their commercial policy" they could not actually move me onto the flight they said they would as it was a codeshare flight (Finnair operated), not one operated by BA. I'm told that they will move me to tomorrow morning's BA flight and I need to arrange my own accommodation etc for this evening (and then try to claim back from BA later). Discussion leads nowhere, so I carry on to the airport anyway.
Arrive at HEL and head to the recently moved and quite well hidden Finnair ticket desk in the depths of the airport. The nice lady there looks at my boarding pass, immediately asks if I have hand luggage only and wouldn't mind running as there is a flight going in 15 minutes. Head back upstairs, check-in, nip along to the non-Schengen area and am onboard within 20 minutes of arriving at the airport.
Why on earth will BA not put passengers onto a codeshare flight when there are seats going empty?
Maybe BA could learn some customer care skills from Finnair! ^
I'm guessing that I will now also have to argue with BA regarding their on-going fly 2/3/4 times bonus miles promotion - my new boarding pass showed the AY rather than BA flight number. This trip would have given me my final bonus - since BA cancelled the flight and I was effectively involuntarily moved onto another flight do you think they will still accept that I qualified? Any similar experiences?