Flat Tyre Rule | Cut Off For Meal Loading | Missed Flight
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Glasgow, UK
Programs: Seigneur des Tarifs Utils First Class Mucci with Honours :) - BA GGL / CCR
Posts: 1,548
*Updated * Flat Tyre Rule | Cut Off For Meal Loading | Missed Flight
Before I begin this is not a BA bashing just looking for some clarificiation
As some may remember I posted last week about collecting some computer equipment from London and transporting home in my suitcase:
Checking in an item that isn't a suitcase
Anyway Sunday was the day I ended up going down and through no fault of BA's I ended up having a mare of a time in London and it was quickly becoming obvious that I was going to miss my 5pm flight home due to traffic and issues with the hire car. What happened next was that I was basically told tough you missed the flight you need to book another ticket, So I went into the app and frantically booked a new ticket for the last flight home but it only had Club Europe left but I booked it as I needed to be home.
What then happened was at the airport once I checked in for my new flight I sat in the lounge to see that the original flight I was supposed to be on was in fact showing delayed by 40 minutes from the time I was in the lounge. So in theory I could have made that flight., Then to add insult to injury I was told on the flight that they had no meal loaded for me as I had booked my ticket after the cut off for catering so wasn't being fed, I had eaten in the lounge already so that was fine but I was a bit miffed that the cut off on an exLHR flight would have been so short.
Anyway onto my questions:
Is the flat tyre rule a guarantee ? e.g should I have been offered to change the flight if I could prove why I couldn't get to the airport in time or is it a goodwill / unwritten type rule? Also guessing that regardless of how delayed the flight was I missed the original time so was offloaded?
Regarding the meal is this something I can be recompensed for ? To be fair I am not bothered about not getting fed as they got me home in the end but recovering some of the avios would be nice
As some may remember I posted last week about collecting some computer equipment from London and transporting home in my suitcase:
Checking in an item that isn't a suitcase
Anyway Sunday was the day I ended up going down and through no fault of BA's I ended up having a mare of a time in London and it was quickly becoming obvious that I was going to miss my 5pm flight home due to traffic and issues with the hire car. What happened next was that I was basically told tough you missed the flight you need to book another ticket, So I went into the app and frantically booked a new ticket for the last flight home but it only had Club Europe left but I booked it as I needed to be home.
What then happened was at the airport once I checked in for my new flight I sat in the lounge to see that the original flight I was supposed to be on was in fact showing delayed by 40 minutes from the time I was in the lounge. So in theory I could have made that flight., Then to add insult to injury I was told on the flight that they had no meal loaded for me as I had booked my ticket after the cut off for catering so wasn't being fed, I had eaten in the lounge already so that was fine but I was a bit miffed that the cut off on an exLHR flight would have been so short.
Anyway onto my questions:
Is the flat tyre rule a guarantee ? e.g should I have been offered to change the flight if I could prove why I couldn't get to the airport in time or is it a goodwill / unwritten type rule? Also guessing that regardless of how delayed the flight was I missed the original time so was offloaded?
Regarding the meal is this something I can be recompensed for ? To be fair I am not bothered about not getting fed as they got me home in the end but recovering some of the avios would be nice
Last edited by cgtechuk; Jan 26, 2018 at 3:22 pm Reason: update
#3
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: BA GGL, A3*G, Mucci de l'expertise des Apps
Posts: 3,362
Is the flat tyre rule a guarantee ? e.g should I have been offered to change the flight if I could prove why I couldn't get to the airport in time or is it a goodwill / unwritten type rule? Also guessing that regardless of how delayed the flight was I missed the original time so was offloaded?
3c4) If you need to change any aspect of your transportation because of events beyond your control, you must contact us as soon as possible. We will use reasonable efforts to transport you to your next stopover or final destination, without re-calculating the fare.
Yes complain and you will get a few avios, maybe 2500-4000. At LHR in theory a spare meal can be brought to the aircraft until very close to departure, in practice I don't believe they bother much.
#4
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: JAX
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#5
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: BA GGL, A3*G, Mucci de l'expertise des Apps
Posts: 3,362
If that is what BA wants the definition to be, then that is what they need to write in the CoC. As it stands, it is not what is in the CoC, and therefore the actual conditions are "events beyond your control".
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Glasgow, UK
Programs: Seigneur des Tarifs Utils First Class Mucci with Honours :) - BA GGL / CCR
Posts: 1,548
Thanks both for your replies. It was outwith my control but looks like I should have pushed the CoC at the time rather than now after the fact, i just took what I was told the first time as gospel and rather than argue I just booekd the one remaining avios seat in CE home. They are now saying it cannot be retrospectively done
#7
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
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The phrase "events beyond your control" is defined in section 1.
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...ns-of-carriage
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...ns-of-carriage
Events beyond your control - unusual and unforeseeable circumstances which you cannot control and the consequences of which you could not have avoided even if you had taken all due care.
#8
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: BA GGL, A3*G, Mucci de l'expertise des Apps
Posts: 3,362
The phrase "events beyond your control" is defined in section 1.
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...ns-of-carriage
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...ns-of-carriage
#9
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: London N8
Programs: BA (LTG), Miles&More (whatever the lowest level is), Oyster card (zones 1-2)
Posts: 882
The phrase "events beyond your control" is defined in section 1.
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...ns-of-carriage
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...ns-of-carriage
#10
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Exec Gold; Accor Le Club Gold
Posts: 121
We debated this on another thread. No-one then came up with any cases where this clause had helped them out.
My reading of the clause is that if you plan to be at the airport at the recommended time - 2 or 3 hours ahead of advertised departure - then you've time to replace a flat tyre with the spare you should carry with you and still make the flight. Or get out of a taxi stuck in traffic and get train/tube etc. etc. etc.
The thing is the clause says that you have to take 'all due care' to avoid the consequences of the delay-causing porblem. I think 'all due care' is a very tough test! But I'm still on the look out for examples where people get something back having claimed using this clause. I can only think that a major unexpected crisis that blocks all routes to the airport for many hours even though you were very prudent with your timings.
My reading of the clause is that if you plan to be at the airport at the recommended time - 2 or 3 hours ahead of advertised departure - then you've time to replace a flat tyre with the spare you should carry with you and still make the flight. Or get out of a taxi stuck in traffic and get train/tube etc. etc. etc.
The thing is the clause says that you have to take 'all due care' to avoid the consequences of the delay-causing porblem. I think 'all due care' is a very tough test! But I'm still on the look out for examples where people get something back having claimed using this clause. I can only think that a major unexpected crisis that blocks all routes to the airport for many hours even though you were very prudent with your timings.
#11
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Basingrad, UK
Programs: BA GfL, TK *G+
Posts: 800
Similar experiments with the gold line last night. Driving down to EDI for the last flight of the night but got caught in a bit of a blizzard on the A9, snow gates closed. Phoned up and explained but most they would do was a new booking for the next day plus a 35 change fee. In the end turned around found a proper mobile signal and booked new flight online for 17.50 and a few avios.
At least Avis and Heathrow parking were amendable to my weather delay and no extra charges for hire car or Heathrow parking.
At least Avis and Heathrow parking were amendable to my weather delay and no extra charges for hire car or Heathrow parking.
#12
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I don't think that you'd necessarily "get something back" from this clause. If you successfully invoke "We will use reasonable efforts to transport you to your next stopover or final destination, without re-calculating the fare", that suggests free reaccommodation on another flight. And there are plenty of reports of people being reaccommodated for free if (for example) there's disruption on the Tube or HEX.
#13
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Exec Gold; Accor Le Club Gold
Posts: 121
I don't think that you'd necessarily "get something back" from this clause. If you successfully invoke "We will use reasonable efforts to transport you to your next stopover or final destination, without re-calculating the fare", that suggests free reaccommodation on another flight. And there are plenty of reports of people being reaccommodated for free if (for example) there's disruption on the Tube or HEX.
So does anyone know of any examples where someone has been delayed, mentioned this clause and then got transported on a later service without additional charge? It would be really helpful to have a list of successes and failures. For now it looks like a long list of failed or untested scenarios.
#14
Join Date: Jul 2007
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I've been delayed and reaccommodated by BA (twice) and LH (once) without needing to mention the conditions of carriage. The most recent occasion was a couple of years ago and involved the Piccadilly line early on a Sunday morning.
#15
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I don't think that you'd necessarily "get something back" from this clause. If you successfully invoke "We will use reasonable efforts to transport you to your next stopover or final destination, without re-calculating the fare", that suggests free reaccommodation on another flight. And there are plenty of reports of people being reaccommodated for free if (for example) there's disruption on the Tube or HEX.
Similar experiments with the gold line last night. Driving down to EDI for the last flight of the night but got caught in a bit of a blizzard on the A9, snow gates closed. Phoned up and explained but most they would do was a new booking for the next day plus a 35 change fee.