izzik

I'm not sure if this is related to EC/261 vs normal BA rebooking procedure.

I was also on BA0457 MAD-LHR on Jan 16, where we had that mechanical issue with the de-icing system which forced a return to MAD. My fate diverges from TheFlyingRabbit, as I had a connection but chose to stay on the plane. The CSD warned that ground staff at Madrid would NOT rebook anyone with a connection, which did not make any sense to me. My itinerary was MAD-LHR-ORD and there was still the IB MAD-JFK flight as an option. Engineers came to fix the plane, "fixed" the issue, then captain discovered the "fix" was unsuccessful, eventually canceling the flight about 3 hrs later. Everyone was taken off the plane and back into the terminal.

I was speaking with BA on the phone after getting back inside. The phone agent said he could not rebook me, as the original flight did not show as "canceled" in their system. I checked and it said the flight was rescheduled for Jan 17 in the morning. (eventually, the flight was officially canceled in BA's system)

I assumed BA would rebook me, despite not having official "canceled" status. I asked the phone agent to book me on IB MAD-ORD on Jan 17 in business. He said he couldn't do anything because of the non-canceled flight. Who is correct here? The only rebooking that took place was after my connecting LHR-ORD flight departed (without me on it, obviously), another flight popped up on MMB for the same route but 2 days later in Y (I was booked in CW). I assume this was automatic?

corporate-wage-slave

This is a straightforward annoying process that BA have. It can take a very long time for flights to be updated in the system from out-stations. From Domestic and London it's reasonably swift, usually under an hour, but I imagine it requires the local turnaround manager to input information, and then for the schedulers to take a decision on the flights status, and that can easily take 2 or 3 hours.

The best thing to do is wait, I guess, or escalate to a supervisor. If you are talking to someone at a time when clearly something has gone badly wrong, then a supervisor can allow unblock the ticket and allow rebooking. If you get a clear refusal to rebook, and you have good evidence of cancellation (e.g. local airport information screen) then the high wire act is to rebook yourself and send BA the bill, but I'm not offering a guarantee of swift payment. Alternatively, if there is a cancellation, you do have the right to a full refund, and it is possible you can find another flight to your destination which is cheaper. BA would not contest that refund, indeed after 5 hours of delay it is allowed for under their own conditions of carriage.

izzik

So, having the cancelation is the pre-requisite for rebooking?
By the time I was speaking to the agent, my connecting flight had departed already. Thus, the itinerary was lost at that point.. I don't understand why the lack of canceled status was holding up the process.

corporate-wage-slave

Yes, it's normally a pre-requisite. Once the flight is designated as cancelled the telephone agent has a fair amount of flexibility to move you to other flights, including on Joint Business airlines. Airport staff have more power still, incidentally, and if you have come across one willing to help then they may have been able to get a better outcome. There is a set of rules for cancelled flights, which generally meet most travellers' needs, but until the booking is freed from its original booking then it may just look like an attempt to get flexibility which isn't in the ticket price, for a flight that still appears to be operating. I'm not saying this is a great situation, but it is actually correct that unless something else happens, an agent on their own can't flex a ticket just like that.

The problem that often happens is that if a flight with several hundred people once it is cancelled, all with complex bookings and routings, then very few locations are able to cope with the workload. Rightly or wrongly they often rebook the flight to the next day, block transfer everyone on to it, and then when they get to London (or whereever) go through another rebooking exercise for any connecting passengers. Sometimes the computer tries to help, which indeed may explain the Y flight.

izzik

That's good to know, thanks. The phone agent did suggest speaking with someone at the airport, which was my 3rd option. I did not have much faith in Iberia connection desk getting me booked in business class. Luckily, Option 2 (AA award desk) came through and got the rebooking done/ticketed.

Once I made it to LHR, the BA transit desk did a spectacular job in getting things sorted out re: hotel and food.

Ldnn1

I see BA have added a note to my PNR for my 31 Dec disrupted flight which says "EU Compensation", as below. To date I have submitted an expenses claim but not claimed comp. So, does this note:

-simply reflect the fact I have submitted expenses which will be dealt with by the EU team
OR
-indicate that the flight is eligible for EU comp?

I suspect the former, but would naturally prefer the latter.

SinoBritAsia

BA11 flight to Singapore on Monday 16th January arrived more than three hours late.

The aircraft, the Airbus A380, reg: G-XLEA, formed the scheduled service to Singapore. The flight was delayed because the aircraft arrived late operating the outbound and inbound service to Hong Kong, and the subsequent Hong Kong-London Heathrow service on January 15th was delayed significantly causing a knock on effect on future services operated by G-XLEA.

Does it fall under EC 26/2004? And what is the compensation level because I still am struggling to work it out?

Scheduled departure time: 19:05 (rescheduled 22:00)
Actual departure time: 22:23
Scheduled arrival time: 15:55
Actual arrival time: 19:13
Doors open (estimate): 19:20

I can only point to the late arriving aircraft operating the Singapore service and doesn't appear to be other circumstances technical, weather, ATC or otherwise for this flight causing the delay.

Mint Cake

My initial BA flight from the US on 2nd Jan was delayed by about an hour, which meant I missed my connection at LHR. BA got me on the next flight, which got me to my destination 4 and a half hours later than planned.

Raised complaint / claim via Resolver 6th Jan
BA acknowledged reciept of complaint/claim 6th Jan
BA accepted liability and settled in full 13th Jan
19th Jan, cheque arrived in the post the morning.

For a Company that gets roasted a fair bit from time to time, they have been exemplary in their dealings with me.

corporate-wage-slave

You were over 3 hours late and it's not extraordinary circumstances, so I suspect this is covered by EC261. The issue of the previous rotations would be relevant if departing from SIN, but you were leaving T5 and unless there is some across the board weather or ATC issue, the issue of previous rotations isn't a valid get-out clause: at BA's base - which just happens to be about the best connected airport on the planet - there is some expectation that BA take reasonable measures to avoid delays to passengers. Rustling up another A380 may be non trivial but nevertheless BA have options. It's 300€ since you weren't 4 hours late on arrival.

Ldnn1

Hi c-w-s, penny for your thoughts please on my post above? I feel like you might know this one...

corporate-wage-slave

Yes, I did see the earlier post, but penny or no penny, I'm afraid I don't know. The way the various sites scrape information is a bit haphazard so my feeling is that one shouldn't read too much into that. If it was weather related I wouldn't assume on BA's generosity.

Ldnn1

Ok many thanks. I had assumed it was weather-related but hadn't actually checked. I'll probably put a claim in and see what they say, but will wait until my expenses are dealt with first. Will update in due course.

Ldnn1

Update (sooner than expected):

BA have just paid my expenses and EU compensation, without me even asking for the latter. Good job!

I would therefore cautiously conclude, albeit from this sample size of one, that if you see a note saying "EU Compensation" on checkmytrip.com, your flight is probably eligible for compensation.

UnstableFlyer

Hi. Pretty new to all this. Just returned from my 2nd ever TP run and it didn't go smoothly!

Full story;

2 x return tickets LHR-TLL booked on BA.com

11th Jan - 07:30 LHR - HEL - TLL rtn 18th Jan 17:25 TLL - HEL - LHR
11th Jan - 17:25 TLL - HEL - LHR rtn 18th Jan 07:30 LHR - HEL - TLL

so nested tickets.

On the 11th, no problems, all on time.

On the 18th;

Arrived at LHR, see a text from Finnair 07:30 flight is cancelled. So I check in on the 10:20 online (as well as the later connecting flight to TLL) at around 6am. Go for boarding and the gizmo goes red when they scan my ticket. Told to see another lady. Apparently a problem with the fact it's a BA booking combined with the cancelled flight, stand around for 10-15 minutes and she lets me board.

Arrive at HEL and go to the gate for the flight to TLL. I'm third in line and again, scan my ticket and the machine flashes red. After lots of chat on the phone they tell me they cannot get me on the flight because she can't see the booking, tells me to go to the Finnair desk. I guess this counts as 'denied boarding'?

Now it's impossible for me to get back to the UK if they fly me to TLL as there won't be time to get me back to HEL for the last flight to LHR. It's also impossible for them to get me to TLL less than 3 hours late.

The lady at the Finnair desk gives me a boarding pass for the flight back to LHR that I'm booked onto.

Given that these were nested tickets and I didn't take the first leg of the return flight, am I due a refund for the unused HEL-TLL leg as they refused me boarding, and would I be eligible for an EC261 claim?

corporate-wage-slave

Yes this looks like IDB to me. They didn't reticket it properly. Moreover, what you should have done is told the Finnair agent that your trip was now didn't serve the purpose of the original trip and therefore you want to returned to London for free, and get a full refund on the entire trip. There isn't a clear definition how to do this in the Regs, so I think if you email Finnair immediately with that point it may still register, but if there is one aspect of EC261 that people should know about in advance it is that one, namely airlines are required to return you to the start point gratis, if the trip no longer has a purpose. They would, of course, be entitled to remove those Avios and TPs already accrued, if they remember to do so.

(Actually there were two tickets involved, so the above doesn't necessarily apply, it's not clear where the trip in vain aspect would kick in).

However this should really go to the Finnair forum. Finnair don't have a great reputation in this area, which may or may not be connected to the relatively poor small claims system available to Finns (admittedly there are other options).