Compassionate flight changes and arbitrary fees - what is the actual policy?
Feb 20, 2019, 10:50 am
#16
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
It only takes one cancelled flight or mass misconnect (doesn't even need to be BA or even the same route depending on where it is) to fill it up...
Feb 20, 2019, 10:59 am
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 447
All booked now :-)
There were a lot of fairly free flights still available so I'd hope the risk I took by trying a few times was minimal. Guess it paid off at least...
Feb 20, 2019, 11:09 am
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
It's just like the difference between what you can get if you contact a call centre if you've had trouble getting to the airport, and what you can get when you present yourself to the airport ticketing desk when you finally get there. In theory, either can do pretty much anything the other one can. In practice, one will and one won't.
Glad it's sorted now, anyway.
Feb 20, 2019, 11:15 am
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 447
Also - I guess her "we only do this for Gold members" and "oh yea and also for Silver members" was made up to shut me up rather than any actual policy then?
Maybe the agents should be trained to say something like "that's in our discretion" rather than making up facts - this is certainly not the first time this has happened to me...
Maybe the agents should be trained to say something like "that's in our discretion" rather than making up facts - this is certainly not the first time this has happened to me...
Feb 20, 2019, 11:22 am
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 447
That's rather a matter of speculation. If you didn't make the booking, then you're neither the customer, the passenger, nor the bereaved person.
It's just like the difference between what you can get if you contact a call centre if you've had trouble getting to the airport, and what you can get when you present yourself to the airport ticketing desk when you finally get there. In theory, either can do pretty much anything the other one can. In practice, one will and one won't.
Glad it's sorted now, anyway.
It's just like the difference between what you can get if you contact a call centre if you've had trouble getting to the airport, and what you can get when you present yourself to the airport ticketing desk when you finally get there. In theory, either can do pretty much anything the other one can. In practice, one will and one won't.
Glad it's sorted now, anyway.
Thanks everyone for your input!!
(And sorry for my lagged responses, I'm fighting the Tube wi-fi which doesn't seem to be in a good mood today!)
Feb 20, 2019, 11:46 am
#21
Join Date: Feb 2014
Programs: QF
Posts: 128
I had to change flights about 18 months ago due to a family bereavement, I was told that there would be a change fee for chnaging the flight ( I really can't recall how much ) however when the agent on the phone got to processing the change she gave a rather dramatic 'whoops, I forgot to apply the change fee, never mind, it's too late now'
I think as CWS said early in the thread, there are agents who apply their own discretion to whatever the rules are.
I think as CWS said early in the thread, there are agents who apply their own discretion to whatever the rules are.
Feb 20, 2019, 1:12 pm
#22
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 3,190
I'm glad you got it all sorted, just_starting, for what is really a nominal fee.
I am concerned at the consistency of the inconsistency of the change fee. This doesn't seem like discretion to me - more like a random number generator.
rb211.
I am concerned at the consistency of the inconsistency of the change fee. This doesn't seem like discretion to me - more like a random number generator.
rb211.
Feb 20, 2019, 1:28 pm
#23
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Sussex, UK
Programs: BA:Gold Amex:Green :IC Platinum Elite Amb
Posts: 660
Or perhaps like many call centers, the agents have an element of discretion but are measured on how they use it - hence the random numbers.
Feb 20, 2019, 2:01 pm
#24
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: BA, SW, IAG
Posts: 143
TBH i think the OP had a good result.
When my mom died in 2001, I couldnt get any help from BA at all. Full fare econ and no help at all. Was BA Blue at the ime (now higher) got me nothing but full economy fare. Ended up flying Virgin.
They charged me full fare too, but gave me premium econ.
BTW, this was 9/11 week (well the week before). Think VA handed that better than BA did during the Volcano ash thing. but wasnt flying BA then so dont know.
When my mom died in 2001, I couldnt get any help from BA at all. Full fare econ and no help at all. Was BA Blue at the ime (now higher) got me nothing but full economy fare. Ended up flying Virgin.
They charged me full fare too, but gave me premium econ.
BTW, this was 9/11 week (well the week before). Think VA handed that better than BA did during the Volcano ash thing. but wasnt flying BA then so dont know.
Feb 20, 2019, 2:06 pm
#25
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: TPA/ABZ
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold. GGL/CCR.
Posts: 13,248
TBH i think the OP had a good result.
When my mom died in 2001, I couldnt get any help from BA at all. Full fare econ and no help at all. Was BA Blue at the ime (now higher) got me nothing but full economy fare. Ended up flying Virgin.
They charged me full fare too, but gave me premium econ.
BTW, this was 9/11 week (well the week before). Think VA handed that better than BA did during the Volcano ash thing. but wasnt flying BA then so dont know.
When my mom died in 2001, I couldnt get any help from BA at all. Full fare econ and no help at all. Was BA Blue at the ime (now higher) got me nothing but full economy fare. Ended up flying Virgin.
They charged me full fare too, but gave me premium econ.
BTW, this was 9/11 week (well the week before). Think VA handed that better than BA did during the Volcano ash thing. but wasnt flying BA then so dont know.
Feb 20, 2019, 2:07 pm
#26
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 2,657
Hi no as agents we are not measured on discretion. If something is outside a policy we have to ask a manager and they make the decision about anything discretionary.
Last edited by Anonba; Feb 20, 2019 at 2:16 pm
Feb 20, 2019, 2:12 pm
#27
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 2,657
.I cant discuss specific policies but i will say that there are different policies based on whether you have taken one of the flights on your booking or not.
Feb 20, 2019, 2:23 pm
#28
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464
I honestly find the speculation on this forum funny. The fact that people dont know what policies exist but then proclaim certain policies dont exist is a classic example.
I cant discuss specific policies but i will say that there are different policies based on whether you have taken one of the flights on your booking or not.
Feb 20, 2019, 2:45 pm
#29
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 2,657
Some policies the difference in price is charged anyway so price would vary based on just fare availability.
Feb 20, 2019, 3:06 pm
#30
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 2,657
Also - I guess her "we only do this for Gold members" and "oh yea and also for Silver members" was made up to shut me up rather than any actual policy then?
Maybe the agents should be trained to say something like "that's in our discretion" rather than making up facts - this is certainly not the first time this has happened to me...
Maybe the agents should be trained to say something like "that's in our discretion" rather than making up facts - this is certainly not the first time this has happened to me...
Last edited by Anonba; Feb 20, 2019 at 3:20 pm