Last minute postponement of return flight due to sickness
 

Hey

I've woken up on the last day of a trip with those awful precursors to a head cold. Sniffly nose, raised glands, that headache that you know is going to result in sneezes.

It's less than 24 hours to my return flight (premium cabin, >8 hours in the air). I already have my boarding pass.

If I wanted to postpone this flight a few days, what are my options? Will BA charge me through the nose for the changes?

I believe you'd need to get a doctors note stating you are unfit to fly. Otherwise, everyone would just do this when they needed to change a flight :D

it will depend on the fare rules of the ticket. The alternative would be to get a doctor to confirm you are unfit to travel and claim the change fees from travel insurance. (although with your symptoms the doctor may disagree and deem you fit)

This will depend on your ticket conditions. But generally, on a typical non-flexible ticket they are likely to charge you a change fee of £60 or £100 plus any fare difference for the change.

Best option is really to call them and ask them. If you do not like the cost and cannot claim on your travel insurance, you always have the choice to politely decline the change and stick with what you have and perhaps take some medicine to reduce your symptoms.

TBH, for what sounds like a cold, both BA and travel insurance are unlikely to be particularly helpful.

I don't know what a Dr would say but for info here is the section form the BA CoC:

https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...ns-of-carriage

3b3) If, after beginning your journey:

• you become ill
• your illness prevents you from travelling on your next flight within the validity period of your ticket; and
• you want us to extend the validity period so that you can continue your journey;

you must give us a medical certificate. The certificate must:

• state the facts relating to your illness and
• confirm the date you will be fit to travel again ('the recovery date').

When we receive the certificate, we may decide to extend the validity period until either:

• the recovery date, as long as there is a seat available on the relevant flight in the class of service for which you have paid the fare or
• if not, the first date after the recovery date when a seat will be available.

Doubtful any doctor is going to say you are unfit to fly based on the early symptoms of a head cold

Basically dose yourself up with an over the counter cold remedy an hour or so before boarding. Unless you have serious flu symptoms (you'll know about it if you do) flying with a cold is uncomfortable but manageable.

I remember having a similar problem on the day before flying back from KUL once - my wife has a friend there who's a pharmacist and was able to get me some decongestants. Felt absolutely great on those, never better, and had a really great flight. It turns out that a major component of Malaysian decongestants is speed.

Thanks. I'm to just risk infecting my cabin with my sneezes, which I will suppress as well as I can with otc meds.

​​​That was plan A anyway. :)

Face mask, Asian style is your solution to that problem

I understand that the OP is obviously not serious (?!) but it's worth mentioning that BA can be really helpful in the case of illness/injury. When I fractured my neck pf femur on holiday in Antigua I was able to change our return flight to a date when I was allowed to fly. They didn't even ask for a med cert. And this was an Avios redemption flight in CW.

You won't get a definitive answer by asking anonymous responders here on FT. You WILL get an answer from the airline, though.

Just ask them. It's that easy.

This is your best bet. I know someone who were able to push due to a stomach flu at a last moment. Always worth a call.

My experience is not positive here - Mrs R once had to fly LHR to JFK (thankfully, in Club) with possibly the worst flu I've ever seen her have - she was a sweating, shivering mess. BA told me point-blank on the phone that it was a case of "fly today or lose the tickets" (or pay for a full-price flight change); the airport staff were no more helpful, although it was pretty apparent she was quite unwell. We just had to travel. It was her first trip to New York, and she remembers nothing about our arrival.

Anecdotal evidence, I know - but that was my experience. This was on a Saturday, so totally impossible to get hold of a doctor's note in time to change our lunchtime flight.

I'd say you just have to fly.

Get home and rest up. Hope the journey goes well. :)