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Mistake fare LHR - TLV [Tickets now cancelled by BA]

Mistake fare LHR - TLV [Tickets now cancelled by BA]

Old Jun 19, 2018, 7:00 am
  #256  
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 1
Hello Folks - this is a very insightful forum and I found many interesting posts.

This is the email I have received via Netflights. I must say it's the first time I have used Netflights and they have been nothing but very helpful for me. quick to pick up the phone, respond to email etc. I was worried that i would only get 100 in total when i booked 3 people on the flight and the email wasn't that clear. I just got a new quote and they confirmed i would get 300 off so it's only 200 different from my original booking which isn't too bad. Question is given the flights have gone up a lot since a i looked a few weeks back I wonder if it's worth waiting a week or 2 to see if they drop.

Good Afternoon,
Please see below the statement issued by British Airways and also the details of the voucher.
For a short time, overnight, at the beginning of last week, British Airways incorrectly filed some fares to a small number of long-haul destinations.
As these fares were automatically loaded into the system they would have been immediately available to book, through no fault of the Travel Agent. These fares were manifestly incorrect and were removed as soon as British Airways became aware of the issue the following morning.
We’ve apologised and have refunded the customers affected (if customers booked with a travel agent, they will need to contact the travel agent directly to arrange the refund). A gesture of 100 for future travel will also be offered for affected customers to book via their travel agent.


Voucher details

1. Can only be used by affected customers, discount is not transferrable and has no cash value
2. Bookings to be made via the original travel agent. Discount is not available via BA directly or via another agent.
3. New booking must be made by 31 July 2018 for travel by 30 June 2019
4. 100 per customer to be used against a future booking on BA services

I have checked your booking and the refund has been processed for you, this can take upto 5-7 working days to go back into your account.
kbarrow is offline  
Old Jun 19, 2018, 10:33 pm
  #257  
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sapporo, Japan
Programs: Junior Jet Club, Nando's Card 1 Red Chilli, Tesco Clubcard, BAEC Gold, TK M&S Elite
Posts: 520
I thought I'd take a look at BA flights on Netflights with a view to use the 100, and it seems that most short haul BA flights are 40% more expensive than going direct to BA...

Identical booking class too.
flyuk is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2018, 1:41 am
  #258  
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: LON
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,884
Isn't there usually a BA sale towards the end of June? Voucher holders might want to sit tight for a week or so...
plunet is online now  
Old Jun 20, 2018, 1:51 am
  #259  
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
 
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Originally Posted by kbarrow
Hello Folks - this is a very insightful forum and I found many interesting posts.
And this forum is insightful due to the contributions that its participants make, and you are now one of those helpful people. Welcome to Flyertalk and welcome to the BA forum kbarrow, it's good to see you here.

I imagine this isn't going to be entirely helpful to some travellers (who perhaps were using the travel agent fairly tactically) but the detail I'm sure will be of interest to others.
flyuk likes this.
corporate-wage-slave is online now  
Old Jun 20, 2018, 2:05 am
  #260  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 84
Originally Posted by flyuk
I thought I'd take a look at BA flights on Netflights with a view to use the 100, and it seems that most short haul BA flights are 40% more expensive than going direct to BA...

Identical booking class too.
Imho the way this compensation has been given is a farce. Both with the limited options as in having to use the same OTA and the short
amount of time it can be used for.

Btw I have still not been told that my tickets are cancelled by my OTA
shayele is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2018, 2:29 am
  #261  
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Ipswich
Posts: 7,543
I actually think the short validity of the voucher is quite cute thinking from BA. For those who were planning to travel to TLV and still need to do so, the voucher can be used to soften the blow of the real fares and there should be no issue booking in the time period.

It's another matter for those who decided to travel purely because they saw the fare - it could be tough to find another attractive option in such a short window, but perhaps BA has chosen not to be very sympathetic to those?
windowontheAside is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2018, 3:02 am
  #262  
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sapporo, Japan
Programs: Junior Jet Club, Nando's Card 1 Red Chilli, Tesco Clubcard, BAEC Gold, TK M&S Elite
Posts: 520
I think I'll just look for a short haul that is sub 100, with a nice lounge at the destination and abuse both lounges with my gold card (which I get next month). I'm sure I can have a nice day somewhere.
flyuk is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2018, 3:15 am
  #263  
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Originally Posted by windowontheAside
I actually think the short validity of the voucher is quite cute thinking from BA. For those who were planning to travel to TLV and still need to do so, the voucher can be used to soften the blow of the real fares and there should be no issue booking in the time period.

It's another matter for those who decided to travel purely because they saw the fare - it could be tough to find another attractive option in such a short window, but perhaps BA has chosen not to be very sympathetic to those?
IMHO, the voucher validity should at least cover the month that the cancelled flights were planned. I still haven't got a voucher, and the availability of seats in the upcoming 40 days are rather quickly disappearing. I was one of many planning to go Jan 4+6 2019, but have no info on when the majority of travellers affected were planning to travel.

As stated in my brief message from Omega, only the reimbursement was promised within 3-5 working days of recieving the 'application' for it, but nothing said about when to expect the voucher
onobond is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2018, 3:23 am
  #264  
 
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Originally Posted by flyuk
I think I'll just look for a short haul that is sub 100, with a nice lounge at the destination and abuse both lounges with my gold card (which I get next month). I'm sure I can have a nice day somewhere.
That's a good plan given how restrictive the terms of the voucher appear to be!
Mike P is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2018, 4:22 am
  #265  
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Ipswich
Posts: 7,543
Originally Posted by onobond
IMHO, the voucher validity should at least cover the month that the cancelled flights were planned. I still haven't got a voucher, and the availability of seats in the upcoming 40 days are rather quickly disappearing. I was one of many planning to go Jan 4+6 2019, but have no info on when the majority of travellers affected were planning to travel.
From the wording posted upthread, it does cover travel to June 2019 so you would be covered. It just has to be booked before the end of July,
windowontheAside is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2018, 5:18 am
  #266  
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44546400

The BBC have reported on this recently
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Old Jun 20, 2018, 5:19 am
  #267  
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This event has now made the headlines, here is the BBC's story

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44546400

And a summary of the first few paragraphs, in line with FT's policy on external links:
Passengers who bought cheap British Airways flights say they are angry after their tickets were cancelled because the prices were wrong. The airline said it had sent incorrect fares to a number of travel agents for flights to Tel Aviv and Dubai. Ash Dubbay, from London, says he had booked a return flight to Tel Aviv for 195 but now has to pay about 1,000. BA has apologised and offered full refunds and a 100 voucher. The company refused to say how many were affected.
corporate-wage-slave is online now  
Old Jun 20, 2018, 5:50 am
  #268  
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Cambridge, UK
Programs: Mucci, BA GGL/CCR
Posts: 761
Why didn't BA just honour this fare? It's not as though it was so low that it was obviously a mistake fare? Doesn't seem worth the adverse publicity to me.
englisha likes this.
Mike P is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2018, 5:55 am
  #269  
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,721
Originally Posted by Mike P
Why didn't BA just honour this fare? It's not as though it was so low that it was obviously a mistake fare? Doesn't seem worth the adverse publicity to me.
My guess is that its the opposite - they want to take a firm line that they wont honour error fares to discourage any publicity that they will.

Although, offering the 100 comp doesnt really align with that if the goal is to discourage others.
Ldnn1 is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2018, 5:58 am
  #270  
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
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Originally Posted by Ldnn1


My guess is that its the opposite - they want to take a firm line that they wont honour error fares to discourage any publicity that they will.
Whilst I understand that point, it's not as though the fare was clearly so low (like some of the sub 1K F fares that we've seen in the past) as to be a mistake fare. If I'd booked something which was clearly an error fare in the hope of getting away with it, I'd be fairly relaxed about it being cancelled. If I booked something which I regarded as being a decent deal like this (and as has been pointed out above, it's not a dissimilar fare from some of BA's competitors), I would be irritated by this response, particularly if I'd booked other parts of the trip such as hotels.
Mike P is offline  

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