Dec 11, 2017, 3:39 am
Last edit by: corporate-wage-slave
BA current newsflash here / London Cancellation list for Tuesday here
Rebooking policy for operating flights on Monday and Tuesday here / EC261 main thread here
ba.com/helpme one stop shop on BA.com giving lots of advice and pointers to where to claim expenses.
For EC261, delay/cancellation compensation is not payable for this event but BA is still liable for the Regulation's “Right to care” provisions. Refreshments can be claimed after 2 hours of delay departing (3 hours for flights longer than LHR-Rome, 4 hours for longhaul), Ł200 guideline for hotels - OK to book your own and charge back. Ł50 guideline for taxis. Meals, drinks and communication costs are also covered. Keep / photo receipts. If on a Buy on Board aircraft, use Avios to buy items - it will be faster to refund. For missing baggage, it's OK to claim essential items, such as clothing, toiletries. Keep / photo the receipts.
Rebooking policy for operating flights on Monday and Tuesday here / EC261 main thread here
ba.com/helpme one stop shop on BA.com giving lots of advice and pointers to where to claim expenses.
For EC261, delay/cancellation compensation is not payable for this event but BA is still liable for the Regulation's “Right to care” provisions. Refreshments can be claimed after 2 hours of delay departing (3 hours for flights longer than LHR-Rome, 4 hours for longhaul), Ł200 guideline for hotels - OK to book your own and charge back. Ł50 guideline for taxis. Meals, drinks and communication costs are also covered. Keep / photo receipts. If on a Buy on Board aircraft, use Avios to buy items - it will be faster to refund. For missing baggage, it's OK to claim essential items, such as clothing, toiletries. Keep / photo the receipts.
Bad weather disruption - UK/AMS/NW Europe - 10 & 11 December 2017
Dec 10, 2017, 9:50 am
#137
Join Date: Sep 2016
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 87
If you don't have a boarding pass, you best go to ARN as per the original schedule, unfortunately, it's possible they will lock down check-in at the usual time, just in case they can get away sooner (and various other reasons). Try BA.com too, sometimes a check-in can take place there if the App doesn't work. If you are HBO and checked in with a boarding pass then the actual passport check can take place at the departure gate and you could go a bit later if you were ok with a bit of risk attached.
Will I be able to get a refund even though I haven’t been able to check in yet to app and website saying need passport checks. Seems nuts that I’ll need to travel to airport to check in to cancel.
Any advice?
Dec 10, 2017, 9:50 am
#138
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: South East, UK
Programs: BA Gold / GfL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,431
While I don't hold BA accountable for the cause of the disruption, once again I wholeheartedly agree with all the comments about the pathetic state of BA's IT systems (Apps and Website) and its inability to provide tools customers can actually use to efficiently self-serve.
My flight this afternoon was cancelled, I get a message telling me I have been automatically re-booked onto a flight tomorrow morning. I go online and it gives me the option to "Accept" or see other flight options. I click to see other flight options and I get an error. I try again and this time click "Accept", same error ... I need to call BA. So I call BA, but they say I need to call my travel agent. I call my travel agent and they say the new flight is all confirmed and I should be able to check-in. Back to BA.com and still get the same message. After 4 calls to BA, I found I could actually check-in online without clicking "Accept".
So rather than making my life more efficient, or taking the burden off the call centres, BA's systems have actually had the opposite effect and increased the volume of calls to the call centres and wasted a lot of my time. Why can't BA invest in decent, tested systems that are capable of handling such events? They happen multiple times each year, so there must be a valid business case for getting this right.
My flight this afternoon was cancelled, I get a message telling me I have been automatically re-booked onto a flight tomorrow morning. I go online and it gives me the option to "Accept" or see other flight options. I click to see other flight options and I get an error. I try again and this time click "Accept", same error ... I need to call BA. So I call BA, but they say I need to call my travel agent. I call my travel agent and they say the new flight is all confirmed and I should be able to check-in. Back to BA.com and still get the same message. After 4 calls to BA, I found I could actually check-in online without clicking "Accept".
So rather than making my life more efficient, or taking the burden off the call centres, BA's systems have actually had the opposite effect and increased the volume of calls to the call centres and wasted a lot of my time. Why can't BA invest in decent, tested systems that are capable of handling such events? They happen multiple times each year, so there must be a valid business case for getting this right.
Dec 10, 2017, 9:52 am
#139
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Somewhere around Europe...
Programs: BA Gold; MB Ti; HH Diamond; IHG Plat; RR Gold
Posts: 530
Good luck to all trying to travel tonight! I've just arrived at T2, via some very dicey backroads in the Home Counties, looks like easily 50% cancellations at the moment. Thankfully my EI service is still operating, though the lunchtime rotations were cancelled.
Weather is calm on the ground here, no snow or rain, just what's left from this morning. Still 2-3min separation on arrivals though.
Weather is calm on the ground here, no snow or rain, just what's left from this morning. Still 2-3min separation on arrivals though.
Dec 10, 2017, 9:57 am
#140
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
There is snow on the forecast until 4pm tomorrow at LHR (that's as far as the normal terminal area forecast (TAF) currently goes) so be prepared for another day of disruptions, plus knock-on issues for a day or two afterwards.
Dec 10, 2017, 10:00 am
#141
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,726
So flight is now cancelled... yet to travel to the airport and obviously can’t check in online. I want to cancel the flight and rebook with another carrier.
Will I be able to get a refund even though I haven’t been able to check in yet to app and website saying need passport checks. Seems nuts that I’ll need to travel to airport to check in to cancel.
Will I be able to get a refund even though I haven’t been able to check in yet to app and website saying need passport checks. Seems nuts that I’ll need to travel to airport to check in to cancel.
Dec 10, 2017, 10:03 am
#143
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: The Hague/London
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, BA LTG, Hilton Diamond, FB Platinum, EK Gold
Posts: 365
While I don't hold BA accountable for the cause of the disruption, once again I wholeheartedly agree with all the comments about the pathetic state of BA's IT systems (Apps and Website) and its inability to provide tools customers can actually use to efficiently self-serve.
My flight this afternoon was cancelled, I get a message telling me I have been automatically re-booked onto a flight tomorrow morning. I go online and it gives me the option to "Accept" or see other flight options. I click to see other flight options and I get an error. I try again and this time click "Accept", same error ... I need to call BA. So I call BA, but they say I need to call my travel agent. I call my travel agent and they say the new flight is all confirmed and I should be able to check-in. Back to BA.com and still get the same message. After 4 calls to BA, I found I could actually check-in online without clicking "Accept".
So rather than making my life more efficient, or taking the burden off the call centres, BA's systems have actually had the opposite effect and increased the volume of calls to the call centres and wasted a lot of my time. Why can't BA invest in decent, tested systems that are capable of handling such events? They happen multiple times each year, so there must be a valid business case for getting this right.
My flight this afternoon was cancelled, I get a message telling me I have been automatically re-booked onto a flight tomorrow morning. I go online and it gives me the option to "Accept" or see other flight options. I click to see other flight options and I get an error. I try again and this time click "Accept", same error ... I need to call BA. So I call BA, but they say I need to call my travel agent. I call my travel agent and they say the new flight is all confirmed and I should be able to check-in. Back to BA.com and still get the same message. After 4 calls to BA, I found I could actually check-in online without clicking "Accept".
So rather than making my life more efficient, or taking the burden off the call centres, BA's systems have actually had the opposite effect and increased the volume of calls to the call centres and wasted a lot of my time. Why can't BA invest in decent, tested systems that are capable of handling such events? They happen multiple times each year, so there must be a valid business case for getting this right.
Completely agree! Got the message in the app that my flight is cancelled and go to Manage my Booking for rebooking options. Nothing there. Now on hold on the GGL line. Am quite keen to know when I will be able to travel. Any tips?
Dec 10, 2017, 10:05 am
#144
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,726
Consider a cancellation and taking the train to London tomorrow? I suspect you will get a flight offered for tomorrow but the omens are that it won't be much better than today.
Dec 10, 2017, 10:07 am
#145
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges and Environmentally Friendly Travel
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 22,210
T5 check in is extremely busy at the moment. I had about a 15 minutes wait for my turn at a check in desk in the First Wing. I just needed to collect my BP.
Galleries First is full to the gunwales at the mo.
Galleries First is full to the gunwales at the mo.
Dec 10, 2017, 10:07 am
#146
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: England
Programs: Mucci des Epices Exotiques, BAEC Gold,EK Gold,SPG,Marriott,Club Carlson
Posts: 918
Dec 10, 2017, 10:09 am
#147
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: The Hague/London
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, BA LTG, Hilton Diamond, FB Platinum, EK Gold
Posts: 365
Exactly my concern, there is heavy snow predicted for tomorrow as well. Just frustrating that no options are offered and am now in limbo. Trains were severely disrupted today as well and think that will be the same tomorrow, so I am not sure that will be an actual option.
Dec 10, 2017, 10:16 am
#148
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Rio de Janeiro
Programs: BA Oneworld
Posts: 582
Help
Flightradar24 info for my flight tonight: The inbound BA249 is five hours late.10 DecLondon (LHR)Rio de Janeiro (GIG)B788 (G-ZBJG)-STD 11:35 AMATD 4:45 PMSTA 9:15 PMDelayed 2:05 AM
This means that my flight BA248 will not be leaving until 4.00 AM. The local BA office is not open on Sunday so I just spoke with the Silver line in the UK. They want me to arrive as normal (.21.00 pm) for a flight that I can see is already 5 hours late with no possibility of making up that time. Do I really have to arrive at the airport and simply wait in the airport (with my wife and young kids) like a refugee? The Premium Plaza lounge closes at midnight so we'll be sitting on the carpet in the departure hall. Why can't I stay at home, arrive later, and save the airline money (assuming they will want to feed me)?
Flightradar24 info for my flight tonight: The inbound BA249 is five hours late.10 DecLondon (LHR)Rio de Janeiro (GIG)B788 (G-ZBJG)-STD 11:35 AMATD 4:45 PMSTA 9:15 PMDelayed 2:05 AM
This means that my flight BA248 will not be leaving until 4.00 AM. The local BA office is not open on Sunday so I just spoke with the Silver line in the UK. They want me to arrive as normal (.21.00 pm) for a flight that I can see is already 5 hours late with no possibility of making up that time. Do I really have to arrive at the airport and simply wait in the airport (with my wife and young kids) like a refugee? The Premium Plaza lounge closes at midnight so we'll be sitting on the carpet in the departure hall. Why can't I stay at home, arrive later, and save the airline money (assuming they will want to feed me)?
Dec 10, 2017, 10:16 am
#149
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,726
Exactly my concern, there is heavy snow predicted for tomorrow as well. Just frustrating that no options are offered and am now in limbo. Trains were severely disrupted today as well and think that will be the same tomorrow, so I am not sure that will be an actual option.
1) Do I really, really need to travel? Can I just make some excuses and leave it a few days? Will the sky fall in?
2) If we're still here, is it still worth doing if I know I'm going to perhaps spend 3 not entirely pleasant hours more than normal or even more?
3) If we're still here, how about something like RTM-LCY? Even if they are disrupted, small airports are much more adaptable in these circumstance.
4) And if we still want to go from AMS tomorrow, take a good book and something nice to munch on.
Dec 10, 2017, 10:21 am
#150
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,726
Do I really have to do arrive at the airport and simply wait in the airport (with my wife and young kids) like a refugee? The Premium Plaza lounge closes at midnight so we'll be sitting on the carpet in the departure hall. Why can't I stay at home and save the airline money (assuming they will want to feed me)?
If you have checked luggage, you can't avoid checking it in under the normal time unless you get a specific message from the airport that check-in will be held open. It may be anyway, particularly if the ground agents handle multiple flights, but you're well into risk territory then.
There is a half way house, which isn't brilliant, but I put it out there: if your bags do need to be checked in but aren't huge then take them airside through security and get them checked in at the gate. You won't win any prizes for good behaviour doing that, but there you go.
