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, 4:13 pm
#316
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: London (sometimes!)
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, United 1K, Avis Presidents Club, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold Elite
Posts: 158
Perhaps this is a rudimentary question to which I should know the answer...
if I re-route tomorrow and take aer lingus from dub via ord or iad to iah to avoid lhr, will I get the original tier points and avios...?
if I re-route tomorrow and take aer lingus from dub via ord or iad to iah to avoid lhr, will I get the original tier points and avios...?
Dec 10, 2017, 4:15 pm
#317
Join Date: Oct 2016
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 12
Just a quick note on the situation at OSL this evening on a semi positive note.
Two outbounds to LHR cancelled, and the queue to be rebooked was six hours for some (estimating two more hours behind me) with a single ticketing agent handling perhaps 300 passengers.
He was an absolute star, as I have to say was the queue. No tension or raised voices, just calm and resilience. Pleasant conversations between strangers. All rather affirming of the decency of folk.
Everyone up to my very late point in the queue got rebooked tomorrow, and when direct flights ran out people were redirected via Helsinki on finnair.
Can anyone tell me whether the agent at OSL is BA staff or locally contracted (there were several hangers on, but the key chap had a beard and Spanish accent)? If my rebooked works out then a Golden Ticket will be heading his way.
Two outbounds to LHR cancelled, and the queue to be rebooked was six hours for some (estimating two more hours behind me) with a single ticketing agent handling perhaps 300 passengers.
He was an absolute star, as I have to say was the queue. No tension or raised voices, just calm and resilience. Pleasant conversations between strangers. All rather affirming of the decency of folk.
Everyone up to my very late point in the queue got rebooked tomorrow, and when direct flights ran out people were redirected via Helsinki on finnair.
Can anyone tell me whether the agent at OSL is BA staff or locally contracted (there were several hangers on, but the key chap had a beard and Spanish accent)? If my rebooked works out then a Golden Ticket will be heading his way.
Last edited by Kleaver; Dec 10, 2017 at 4:17 pm Reason: Spelling
Dec 10, 2017, 4:16 pm
#318
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: 63,772
If BA rebooks you this way then yes you should get the Original Routing Credit, as it is known. You will have to claim it after the event.
Dec 10, 2017, 4:25 pm
#319
Ambassador: World of Hyatt
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: UK - the nearest airport is named after a motorway !
Posts: 4,232
Ah, the fact you are auto-rebooked doesn't count as your single allowed involuntary change. You can indeed get an involuntary fare refund (now or later) and rebook, alternatively go to LHR (assuming it's not so bad as today, rather a big assumption) and ask to be put on standby on the BA55, which is bound to have empty seats on departure due to the way irrops work. So basically it's up to you.
Dec 10, 2017, 4:25 pm
#320
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: london
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 79
Massive thank you to corporate-wage-slave for all your help
^
Just got to my hotel in Stockholm called BA but no chance of getting through called executive club and BA holidays but no luck.
Was rebooked on the 771 in the morning but that too got cancelled and no other ARN flights to LHR tomorrow with availability.
Will have to wait till the morning to speak to BA, fingers crossed i'll be back in London tomorrow evening latest Tuesday morning.
^Just got to my hotel in Stockholm called BA but no chance of getting through called executive club and BA holidays but no luck.
Was rebooked on the 771 in the morning but that too got cancelled and no other ARN flights to LHR tomorrow with availability.
Will have to wait till the morning to speak to BA, fingers crossed i'll be back in London tomorrow evening latest Tuesday morning.
Dec 10, 2017, 4:27 pm
#321
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: 63,772
Sorry c-w-s, missed this. There are now actually spaces on the BA55 (both showing up for sale and also offered as an option when I try to choose an alternative alternative) but the MMB page is erroring out when I select it (tickets booked through Amex, page says 'contact booking agent') and like others, I'm getting disconnected on the USA number. I appreciate that I can ask to standby on BA55, but I'm presenting to a roomful of people and I need a degree of certainty...
Dec 10, 2017, 4:30 pm
#322
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2017
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 325
As many forum regulars contemplate unplanned beds for the night and dream up their rant-fuelled posts for the morning, spare a thought for the army of BA staff who are gearing up to work through the night to set up multiple new and 'rescue' flight plans, match aircraft with suitable rested crew and repatriate aircraft that are stuck all over the UK and Europe. It's easy to criticise "BA" when this kind of thing happens, and indeed a lot of 'the system' should be better, but at the same time it's easy to forget that individual ordinary staff are also heavily inconvenienced, many would have had horrible journeys to and from work through the snow, and huge numbers will have volunteered to stay late or work extra shifts to help get things moving as much as best they can while dreaming of building snowmen with their kids.
Dec 10, 2017, 4:32 pm
#323
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: LH SEN; BA Gold
Posts: 8,405
BA offers me (via the MMB) a flight two days from now. Will BA pay two hotel nights? I've never gotten close enough to a BA responsible to know if they offer any accommodation (by the time I made it to the front-ish, BA told everyone to go whistle and go home (Thanks for the advice BA. That was my planned before a bit of snow in LHR made you shut everything done).
BTW: If they do, then what do they consider "reasonable"?
BTW: If they do, then what do they consider "reasonable"?
Dec 10, 2017, 4:37 pm
#324
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Provincie Antwerpen, Vlaanderen, België
Programs: MUCCI Gold
Posts: 2,512
As many forum regulars contemplate unplanned beds for the night and dream up their rant-fuelled posts for the morning, spare a thought for the army of BA staff who are gearing up to work through the night to set up multiple new and 'rescue' flight plans, match aircraft with suitable rested crew and repatriate aircraft that are stuck all over the UK and Europe. It's easy to criticise "BA" when this kind of thing happens, and indeed a lot of 'the system' should be better, but at the same time it's easy to forget that individual ordinary staff are also heavily inconvenienced, many would have had horrible journeys to and from work through the snow, and huge numbers will have volunteered to stay late or work extra shifts to help get things moving as much as best they can while dreaming of building snowmen with their kids.
Dec 10, 2017, 4:38 pm
#325
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: CH D
Programs: LX FT*
Posts: 14
Hello all! Was on BA12 SIN-LHR sched. 11 Dec 23:15. Luckily a bout of insomnia had me up at 4:45a in Singapore and saw the dreaded red bar in the app: cancelled. Called the regular hotline in USA as that was the only one open so early, and had a waiting time of over an hour quoted. Called the silver hotline in the USA and was helped in minutes, rebooked on BA16. Lucky for me I think - a lot of people will be disappointed.
Also, call centre staff deserve major thanks and kudos for being amazingly nice and helpful even though my guy on the phone reported that a lot of people were freaking out at them.
Anyone know the likelihood of BA cancelling BA16 as well? I think it comes via SYD, so they must need to get it in?
Also, call centre staff deserve major thanks and kudos for being amazingly nice and helpful even though my guy on the phone reported that a lot of people were freaking out at them.
Anyone know the likelihood of BA cancelling BA16 as well? I think it comes via SYD, so they must need to get it in?
Last edited by jessicaNWL; Dec 10, 2017 at 4:49 pm
Dec 10, 2017, 4:40 pm
#326
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Plymouth, UK
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 1,159
I was due to fly BA66 PHL - LHR tomorrow and the flight is cancelled... presumably because BA67 LHR - PHL was cancelled today. I was offered the same flight on Wednesday but accepted the same flight Tuesday. Now I have accepted the rebook I assume there is nothing I can do to change it again to a flight out of a different city. I tried contacting BA in the USA but was on hold for over 2hrs! That is just unacceptable IMO.
We really want out of the USA (for other, non-related personal reasons) tomorrow.
We really want out of the USA (for other, non-related personal reasons) tomorrow.
Dec 10, 2017, 4:47 pm
#328
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold / Hilton Diamond / IHG Diamond Ambassador / Marriot Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 2,533
As many forum regulars contemplate unplanned beds for the night and dream up their rant-fuelled posts for the morning, spare a thought for the army of BA staff who are gearing up to work through the night to set up multiple new and 'rescue' flight plans, match aircraft with suitable rested crew and repatriate aircraft that are stuck all over the UK and Europe. It's easy to criticise "BA" when this kind of thing happens, and indeed a lot of 'the system' should be better, but at the same time it's easy to forget that individual ordinary staff are also heavily inconvenienced, many would have had horrible journeys to and from work through the snow, and huge numbers will have volunteered to stay late or work extra shifts to help get things moving as much as best they can while dreaming of building snowmen with their kids.
I wish there was an army of staff, the reality is that there is likely to be no more staff on duty tonight than any other night. I would be surprised to learn that there are more than 50 customer service staff on duty in the terminal tonight and less than 100 in the ramp areas. Indeed it may even be significantly less.
Dec 10, 2017, 4:49 pm
#329
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,767
At least one coach-load of pax diverted to BOH have now arrived at T5.
Dec 10, 2017, 5:04 pm
#330
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: HEL
Programs: BA Gold, OZ Diamond, LH Silver
Posts: 553
Bad weather is one thing and naturally not BA's fault. However five hours after a flight is cancelled the situation is:
a) unable get through on either the UK or US gold line to anyone (phone now goes dead)
b) unable to rebook using either the app on i-phone, android or via ba.com on laptop (as suggested by BA staff at the airport)
c) unable to rebook at the First Class lounge
d) unable regain checked bags from a cancelled flight (although I do sympathise with this one - would be nice to know when we might though)
e) not even be automatically rebooked (as BA claim can happen)
is not acceptable and not the experience we had during prior weather hiccups with BA. Certainly not a patch on the service you used to get as Gold.
a) unable get through on either the UK or US gold line to anyone (phone now goes dead)
b) unable to rebook using either the app on i-phone, android or via ba.com on laptop (as suggested by BA staff at the airport)
c) unable to rebook at the First Class lounge
d) unable regain checked bags from a cancelled flight (although I do sympathise with this one - would be nice to know when we might though)
e) not even be automatically rebooked (as BA claim can happen)
is not acceptable and not the experience we had during prior weather hiccups with BA. Certainly not a patch on the service you used to get as Gold.
There was still availability for the AY flights but I was not able to get any contact with BA staff who could rebook us. Not possible at transfer services desks in T5 or T3, nothing in T3 FCL and never got through by phone. The app or website doesn't let me rebook either. In the end when I though I'd just by the flights myself the availability was gone.
And now I face same situation for Monday. There is some availablity on AY flights to HEL but I am not able to get anyone from BA to rebook or do the rebooking myself online. Now I am afraid if I wait until morning the availability will be gone again! What are the chances they will automatically rebook us during the night? Or just need to call firts thing in the morning?