Boddingtons

I have just finished on the blower to BA concerning a bmi redemption I hold to from AMS to CPT on Turkish Airlines.

There are two passengers on the reservation, me being one of them.

I am not able to travel and requested that they split the PNR and that I cancel my ticket.

No such luck. I was left with two options.

1. Cancel the ticket.
2. Allow passenger two to travel and forfeit the cash, taxes and miles.

Totally unfair.

Surely they can split the booking to a temporary Amadeus PNR for me and proceed to cancel my ticket allowing the other passenger to travel as booked.

If they can reissue tickets with BA 125- ticket numbers, surely they can do this!! :@

Tiger_lily

This has come up recently and the other poster was told no dice as well.

BA doing the bare minimum with ex-BD bookings it seems

NWIFlyer

Unfortunately it would be difficult to argue this is anything other than a voluntary change, and they've been outlawed for a long while now. I'm not particularly surprised, given how completely unhelpful BA have been with involuntary changes, that they are forcing you down the cancellation route.

Is there BA/Openskies availability on the route? I presume it would take more Avios than DC miles, but surely not twice as many?

bertheike

time to go to court with BA ! If many do this, them may be start thinking !

NWIFlyer

In cases such as these, where the change to the total booking is voluntary, there is a reliance on goodwill. BA does not have any goodwill, but it does have the law on its side because it will give the OP all miles and cash back for the cancellation.

There is, imho, absolutely no way a legal challenge will succeed in this example - but if you wish to throw your money away proving the point, we're probably all right behind you in spirit!

Boddingtons

The fact of the matter is, BA have completely made up it's own set of rules for these reservations which are completely in contrast to what they were when I booked.

I'm not asking for a change of flight, but something very much that BA is capable of accommodating now that it is in control of the reservation. And something that would have no affect on the other ticket on the reservation.

NWIFlyer

You have my sympathy, and I know I'd probably be an awful lot angrier than you come across if I found myself in the same situation!

I guess the only chance of succeeding with a legal threat is if you booked the flight before the many announcements about no changes being allowed, in which case you could try to argue that the ticket conditions have been changed. Even then, the legal position is fraught, I suspect - if BA want to contest this, you're probably on to a loser because of their corporate might and access to in-house (ie free) legal counsel.

Personally I probably wouldn't be risking an awful lot of money trying to fight it when the expense of losing might well be greater than the difference in taxes you'll recover compared to the cost of buying a revenue flight. It's frustrating, it's not right, but then when is life ever fair when it comes to dealing with a company of BA's size?

bertheike

I for example have a " RECHTSSCHUTZVERSICHERUNG " insurance which cover these expenses ! Only pay 150 Euro by myselve.
And if the tickets hade been booked bevore the anouncements came in, or if a voicerecord says any chage 20 GBP, cancelation 25 GBP, than BA clearly break the rules which was the former T&C.
Also to split an AMADEUS PNR is no change, nothing has to revalidate or even to be reissued. It's done in less than 1 minute !
1.) open the PNR
2.) type SP1 ( which creates a new PNR with passanger 1 ), the other passanger stays in the old booking all remarks and ticket relevant things are copyed automatic into the new PNR
3.) type EF to close new PNR
4.) type ET to close old PNR
open the PNR with pax you want to cancel type XI and ET, and that"s it.

Guy Betsy

Yes but by doing that, you are effectively creating a new PNR with the other name. I think BA just does not want to touch or create a new booking with regards to BD bookings that's all.

Boddingtons

That is exactly the point. Can do it, but don't want to do it.

Anyhow, I now have a split PNR! ^

Oxon Flyer

How did you manage that ? Threaten to sing them "Durty Old Town" ?

Boddingtons

I tend to cover Neil Diamond classics nowadays.

And it's not what you know, it's who you know!

irishguy28

So Neil Diamond did this for you?

I always wondered where they got the name "Diamond Club". It all makes sense now.

^

UncleDude

Please Please Please remember, BA did not buy BMI, their owning company IAG bought BMI. IAG have no FF Scheme or indeed any legal obligation to honour BMI Points or Awards.

I recall Lufthansa, BMIs owner actually withdrew the ability to use DC Points before the ink was even dry, and many weeks before the remaining *A Carriers.

Be thankful for being able to use BMI Miles and the ability to switch unused DC Points to Avios.

Now does anybody want to make an offer my Malev or Mexicana Points.

jbfield

I'm not aware that this has any relavence to the situation...they bought a commerical entity with liabilities that needed to be honoured...*legally*. They may well have then passed that entity to the BA subsidary, but it doesn't remove any of the liabilities that they also purchased in the process. When you value a company, you look at both the good bits/assets and the bad bits/liabilities and then come to a conclusion on what you're willing to pay for it; I would expect a much higher price would have otherwise been due if they'd only bought the assets.They might not have an obligation to honour the value of exisiting points, although the T&C's they inherited meant they would have to have provided a work around to do so. That doesn't excuse the ability to honour bookings that were made, i.e. contactual obligations.
I believe this is also irrelevant because withdrawing the ability to redeem miles if not the same as honouring bookings that had been made.

Remember that this is not about a company that's in administration, it's about a company that was bought by another company. Liabilities are therefore due to be honoured.