TownCar

Hi,

At the start of this month I booked flights for Feb/Mar 2017 to Iceland, flying NCL -> LHR -> KEF (and then the reverse on the return leg).

A week or two ago I had an email from BA saying that the flight times for the KEF flights had changed slightly, and tonight I've had a guy from BA on the phone to advise me that my return journey is no longer feasible. The change in scheduled flight time from KEF to LHR leaves only a 40 minute layover at LHR before my connecting flight to NCL, which simply isn't enough. There are no later flights from LHR to NCL that day.

BA have offered several options, none of which seem reasonable or acceptable.

• Travel the next day. When I asked if BA were going to cover the cost of an extra night's accommodation in Iceland, they said no, they're not obliged to.
• Travel to NCL the following day. When I asked if BA were going to cover the cost of a night's accommodation at Heathrow, they said no.
• Refund the LHR -> NCL portion of the ticket and finish my journey with BA at LHR. At present I don't even know what the train timetables are going to be or what the cost will be, and if there are any flight delays then I will probably be stuck at LHR overnight, have to make my own alternative arrangements and have to fork out for a hotel room at full rack rate.

So basically the flights I've already paid for, BA are now saying I can't have because we've changed the flight times, and they're not offering anything to make the journey work that doesn't involve me having to pay for another night's accommodation.

I'm really cheesed off with it and unsure what to do for the best, or if there's any way of making BA rectify the situation in a more agreeable manner. This was a holiday I was really looking forward to, and used a stack of Avios from my business travel on BA to offset the cost, and now the only convenient option I had for getting to/from NCL/KEF on the required dates has been taken away. Any thoughts / advice / suggestions?

golfmad

The other option available to you of course is a complete refund. The airline isn't obliged to pay your additional hotel costs but they are obliged to provide you a full refund if that's what you prefer.

Given the situation would it not be prudent to keep everything else as it is and either travel to following day (extra night in Iceland) or travel to NCL the following day (extra night at LHR or indeed in London with some sightseeing)?

The extra cost to you would be 1 night in a hotel somewhere which is perhaps another good use of some additional Avios. That way, for a relatively small additional cost you can still enjoy the holiday to the full.

If you have travel insurance you might like to see whether it will cover the cost of the additional night in a hotel.

JAXBA

Unfortunately, the options presented are the only options BA will offer, although you could also get a refund of either the whole thing or just the return if you so wanted. It's frustrating, but when EU261 doesn't apply, as this doesn't, several months out, there aren't any other options I'm afraid.

If the extra night in KEF or an overnight in LHR doesn't appeal (understandably, as it's at your expense), you might want to see if there are other options to get back to the UK/NCL on FI or SK. In the end, you'll have to weigh up whether the cost of an extra night or the cost of a new tkt back from KEF is preferable - or cancel the whole thing and try somewhere else/another time.

Will BA allow you to delay the outbound NCL-KEF by a day so you still have the same number of nights in KEF?

TownCar

Thanks for the comments.
A complete refund is tempting, but one of the reasons I chose this route in the first place was the lack of other convenient options. I could refund just the return leg including KEF - LHR, as Easyjet and IcelandAir fly to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester etc., but generally at inconvenient times, requiring an overnight stay there before returning to NCL - plus would be at a greater cost to me, and require an extra day's annual leave to be used if I was travelling back on the Monday, as my original plans were to travel back on Sunday.

True, but it's an organised photography trip on specific dates, and I'm already staying on by an extra night (along with a few others on the trip) in order to return on a Sunday. I hadn't thought about Avios though. BA could book me a hotel in Reykjavik for the extra night by using my Avios?

I do but my annual multi-trip insurance is due for renewal this September, so I'm not sure if it would cover me for a trip next Feb, or if a new policy in September would cover a situation that already existed when I took out the policy?

What does FI or SK mean? (Trying to get my head around all the abbreviations used on this forum! )

Actually they did suggest that, but it's not an option. My holiday trip starts on a fixed date, that I need to be in Reykjavik for.

I've never had this situation before and find it appalling that BA can take away something I've already paid for and not provide any alternatives that don't involve me spending more money elsewhere.

bazza1603

Would EDI connections be any better ... just need to watch all the bloody speed camera!

corporate-wage-slave

How about starting/ending at EDI? That's what I end up doing when the last NCL is too early for connections. I suspect that would be authorised. Presumably also LBA if you live south of Newcastle, but their late flights tend to not be very late.

golfmad

You can check this out yourself on BA.com

Perhaps worth a call to your insurer.

FI is the airline code for Icelandair. SK is the code for SAS Scandinavian Airlines.

The point is that the airline isn't responsible for consequential losses such as your other arrangements. They will be prepared to refund the entire cost so that your exposure on that ticket is nil.

raikje

FI is the airline code for Icelandair. SK is SAS.

Edit - too slow!

simons1

Very frustrating I can imagine, but when you book a long time in advance there is always a small risk of timetable changes.

To be fair to BA they will give you a full refund if you no longer wish to fly and prefer to book elsewhere. Not the solution you wanted I know but better than being out of pocket.

TownCar

Well the rescheduled flight from KEF into LHR isn't scheduled to arrive until 1900.
Not sure what times the EDI flight connections are, but on the current winter train timetables, the last southbound train from Edinburgh departs at 1900 on a Sunday (which is equally pathetic). So, still having to fork out for an extra night away.

I'm in Newcastle itself, so neither LBA or EDI is particularly close or convenient compared to NCL. Just doesn't seem like there's any convenient options other than having another night in Reykjavik at my expense.

bazza1603

What dates are you looking at?

Last flight LHR NCL looks to be 1940 and Edinburgh 2055 arriving 2215

NewForester

Which of course is not fair to the majority of travellers who suffer these changes from the airline but have incurred other costs already not just the flight costs, as we all know if we try and change a non-flexible ticket the conditions are stacked 100% towards the airline.

TownCar

Originally planned for Sunday 5th March. Yep, the NCL flight is 1940 and now that my arrival from KEF has been rescheduled to 1900, I can't make the NCL flight. Looks like I could get the EDI flight but then still need to pay for a hotel in Edinburgh, so I guess it comes down to whether I'd rather stay in Reykjavik an extra night, or get back home much sooner on Monday 6th if I just come from Edinburgh and not have to take an extra day's holiday.

So frustrating that I'm tempted to pull my business travel away from BA to the likes of Virgin Atlantic. I expect to be doing a couple of long-haul trips for work this year, usually in premium economy, which will be £5-6k in fares lost to them over the sake of one night's accommodation since they're screwing up my holiday arrangements.

I am being fair to BA - I purchased something off them, which by the nature of the product means I have committed to and spent money on other arrangements, and now BA are taking part of that away leaving me with a partial journey and no option other than being left out of pocket with extra nights away required, or rebooking onto a less convenient airline (also at extra expense to me).

UKtravelbear

Threatening to pull £5k of business is not going to pursuade BA to pay for a hotel. That simply won't care about that sort of amount,

They get that threat on a daily basis (likely several times a day)

Even £500k is small change to them,

On the current timetable the last train to Newcastle from Edinburgh is at 21.00.

TownCar

Oh I can believe that. It would just make me feel better to threaten it to them!!

On a Sunday? The last one usually running on a Sunday on the winter timetable (which admittedly doesn't go up to March 2017 yet) shows up as 1900.