Often1

This.

If the line is too long or you simply prefer to book your own accommodations and not take what BA selects for you, then take the 200 and supplement it with your own funds or insurance.

Still seems that BA could, given its JV, contract with AA's OSO center which handles IRROPS rebooking over the phone and can text or email vouchers, so one need not stand around.

Rick A 1

I'm got back home on Saturday, after a 2nd night's loss of sleep caused by a miserable overnight flight (not BA's fault, just the inconsiderate couple I was sat beside), and can now reflect and cover up the gaps in my earlier posts...

1. I was not at all phased by the cancellation, **** happens, and am just glad that this is my first cancellation in 15-20 years flying.
2. By the time I had left the lounge and got to baggage reclaim BA had already texted me to direct me to MMB to see what they were offering me as replacement flights. I was quite impressed by this. Sadly, only people who gave BA their phone # would have got this info, and the direction to check MMB was only shared with the queue waiting back at check in after *1:50* of waiting. I later found that emails had also been sent, only a little bit behind the texts. Had this been shared I think most people could have checked this (free airport wifi if you don't want to use your own data plan).
3. The only initial direction from staff made to people returning to check in for rebooking/hotels etc was to line up in priority order - separate queues for each, almost like boarding. I was in "Group 2"
4. After about 20 mins another announcement was made that all passengers starting their journey from SJC could return home and rebook from there. I explicitly asked about those who already knew when their flights were and was asked to remain in the Q.
5. Groups 1,2 and 3 barely moved in the 2 hours I was there, because of the time spent with those at the front of the queue. I have no idea if the staff were having trouble finding them flights, or if those passengers were being difficult, but more than a few in the Q were grumbling that they should just take what they were being offered and **** off :-)
6. After 1:40 there was nearly total breakdown of civilisation when a group 1 pax (from near back of that Q) just started yelling and won himself a hotel... a bit DYKWIA, but I was kinda right up there with him..but too scared to say anything :-)
6. After 1:50 of standing in the Q we were finally told to split into two different Qs - those needing flight rebooking and those that just needed a hotel. They did this in a way that allowed the lowest prio customers to get to the front of that Q, again a little poor, but the Q did move at a reasonable speed. A couple of mins later they added that if we wanted to sort our own accommodation and transport we could go. Grrrr.
7. I was so near the front of the Q I decided to stay... however, as reported earlier, when told they could only book hotels in SJC area when I had an early SFO flight, that's the point where all sympathy for the staff left me (already stretched by finding out I'd already wasted 2 hours) a couple of cross words left my mouth. For locals not to understand what morning traffic is like and the extra time that would be needed for transport then vs now was (and still is) in my view unacceptable. (Someone commented on my reaction to staff earlier, but I stand by my reaction. I had been perfectly polite for 2 hours. I could have left the airport at 2145 and had a reasonable sleep, but instead left at 2345 and didn't get enough sleep.

So there we go. In my eyes, BA appear to have a perfectly reasonable system for handling such unfortunate events, and I suspect it was just handled badly by improperly trained local staff. Just about to lodge my expenses/compo claim and will be seeking clarification of expectations should this ever happen to me again.

Rick A 1

Update. Just got an email from BA: they are giving me £530ish re 461 compo, and £300 for my expenses. This £300 is based on them paying £200 for the hotel and £100 for the taxi... Except that these cost £225 and £106 respectively, so they've effectively told me to suck up the other £31 from my compo. It's not much, but trying to decide what I feel about this, do you think that's fair? I was given no official guidance on the evening...

​​​​​​They also told me that were I ever to experience another cancellation I can use those values to sort myself out and avoid waiting in the queue.

UKtravelbear

push back for your £31.

Those limits are BA policy and there is nothing in EU261 that says an airline can impose such limits.

madfish

KeaneJohn

UKtravelbear

Than;t not the point. The compensation is for the delay and is not meant to ameliorate other failings of the airline such as imposing arbitrary limits on reimbursements

BA does not cover car park costs because it's not required to.

madfish

orbitmic

Yes, it's fair. As mentioned, unfortunately, you either have to accept their arrangements and then they will have to cover everything, or take things into your own hand but then be ready for the airline to impose their own limit. I totally understand your choices given the change of airport, but unfortunately, EC261 does not oblige the airline to offer accommodation in a specific place. As it happens, the BA's limits are fairly generous compared to what many other airlines would have offered.

orbitmic

actually, there is nothing in EC261 which obliges an airline which has offered to arrange accommodation and presumably transport both to the hotel and from there to the airport that they need to pay anything if an affected passenger refuse those arrangements and decide to make their own instead.

Again, fully understand why the OP chose to do that, but the ensuing legal situation is not favourable to him. Had BA said that they could not offer accommodation, things would have been very different and then I would have agreed with you.

Rick A 1

As always I am grateful for all thoughts, but I think some of you have missed key elements of the situation I was put in. BAs' arrangements were simply ridiculous, if you understand the local traffic situation. They wanted me to stay in the vicinity of original departure airport, not the one I was rebooked to fly out of. Many did, but for those rebooked on 6 a.m. flights ex-SFO it really didn't matter where they slept, and so were all happy to stay in the San Jose area because they would still have gone up an empty Freeway. I would not have. I saw the freeway jam from my 12 min courtesy bus ride to the terminal, and felt totally vindicated in my decision.

I went 'off on my own' for one key reason: I maximised the sleep I could hope to have that night, knowing I'd spend the next day in planes and airports, with an overnight flight in cattle the next night. Had I taken their inconsiderate arrangements I would have lost 2 hours sleep or more. I think it would be unreasonable to expect the BA staff to know these things for every passenger, but I shouldn't be penalized for working it out for them. I have decided to call them in the morning and discuss it.

Thanks

Rick

orbitmic

I can't speak for others, but in my case, I wrote my answer not having missed any of the above. Again, I completely understand why you wanted to stay near SFO rather than in San Jose, but whether ridiculous or not, BA have specific obligations, which is to provide accommodation, food, and transport and get you to your destination at the first opportunity. Unfortunately, their obligation does not extend to making arrangements that would seem sensible to any common sensical traveller. it also does not involve offering private transportation/taxi. It may sound annoying, but if their choice is to put all passengers in a hotel which is inconvenient for their flight and organise a coach to the airport for all passengers early in the morning regardless of when the different people fly, it is their prerogative.

I'm not saying that this is right, just that it is the law. I think we are all better off with BA allowing passengers to make alternative arrangements and reimbursing them. I think it is understandable that they put a cap on the maximum allowance as they cannot micro manage, check what other forms of transportation or hotel would have been available in each and everyone's situation. As I mentioned earlier, I would have made the same choice as you myself but that would be in the knowledge that I may not be fully reimbursed, and I personally do think that the conditions: that you can make your own arrangements but that there is a limit to how much will be reimbursed is fair (at least as long as BA offers a fully paid for option, however inconvenient it may be).

Rick A 1

BA have confirmed that they pay £200 per night for a hotel (based on 2 sharing), and £50 per day for transport to the hotel... even though they gave me £100...

They have only apologised for the airport staff telling me to pay 'whatever is reasonable'. They will not be paying any more to me on this occasion, and were it more that I was out of pocket (conscious I got £531 EU261..) I might have fought it.

Cheers all

Truthmonkey

This has been covered frequently on this forum. BA's £200/night limit is arbitrary - if you had no option but to spend more then BA should pay more, however, you might need to take them to MCOL with evidence of you having attempted to spend less.

EU261 is compensation, and not there to make up any difference in expenses.

orbitmic

Have you read the OP's explanations upthread? (notably post 7). There was another option, it was there from the start. The OP had been offered a hotel and transport by BA, but the OP was originally flying from SJC and was rebooked the next morning from SFO (which he accepted). BA's offer was for a hotel near SJC with transport to SFO the next morning. By contrast, the OP understandably preferred to make his way to SFO that evening and take a hotel there instead and BA was not willing to book that directly. That was the choice. BA fulfilled their obligation under the duty of care and the OP chose a different hotel and a different mode of transportation than what BA would have provided.

I do feel for the OP, I would have done the exact same thing as I too would have much preferred to make my way first and then be able to relax rather than face another commute before the flight, but the difference is that I would have done it in the knowledge/quasi-certainty that BA would not have reimbursed the whole thing. Ultimately, BA is just a large bureaucratic machine just like any other companies (or administrations). Some things are no planned but others are and they are standardised and that is the case for the duty of care allowance for people not choosing (or waiting for) BA's solution. In most cases, this actually works in passengers' favour as the limits are fairly reasonable, but in the rare cases where your plans won't fit the limit, if an alternative was offered, there is basically no way anyone will be able to override their guidelines.