missing first leg due to sickness
Aug 1, 2019, 1:10 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Madrid/UK
Posts: 53
missing first leg due to sickness
Flying MAD-LHR-PIT-LHR-MAD in 10 days. I have three days in london before the 2nd leg to PIT.
All in business class and booked via AmEx centurion. My mother (in london) has just today received a terminal diagnosis (weeks more likely than months) and I'd like to change the flights to be in London earlier than planned. I can't deal with speaking with AmEx and organising it all. I wanted to ask you guys, if I get a new one way flight to london can I just start my journey with the second leg from LHR-PIT or will missing the first leg from MAD-LHR void the entire trip? Likewise on the return I will be staying in London for a few more days before heading back to Madrid. I'm assuming this isn't such a big deal as it's there last leg and I can simply buy another one way ticket.
Hope this makes sense. Sorry. A little bit in shock. BA can't amend the booking as it was done by AmEx.
All in business class and booked via AmEx centurion. My mother (in london) has just today received a terminal diagnosis (weeks more likely than months) and I'd like to change the flights to be in London earlier than planned. I can't deal with speaking with AmEx and organising it all. I wanted to ask you guys, if I get a new one way flight to london can I just start my journey with the second leg from LHR-PIT or will missing the first leg from MAD-LHR void the entire trip? Likewise on the return I will be staying in London for a few more days before heading back to Madrid. I'm assuming this isn't such a big deal as it's there last leg and I can simply buy another one way ticket.
Hope this makes sense. Sorry. A little bit in shock. BA can't amend the booking as it was done by AmEx.
Aug 1, 2019, 1:15 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,167
Sorry for the reasons for changing your trip flights but yes missing the first leg will void the rest of the trip.
You will have to deal with AMEX to change the booking
You will have to deal with AMEX to change the booking
Aug 1, 2019, 1:19 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,234
Sorry to hear your news.
Its certainly worth a call as the airline are very considerate with illness of close family. My boss got a family of five holiday to LA rebooked anytime in following 12 months when his sister in law had terminal cancer worsen.
Its certainly worth a call as the airline are very considerate with illness of close family. My boss got a family of five holiday to LA rebooked anytime in following 12 months when his sister in law had terminal cancer worsen.
Aug 1, 2019, 1:19 pm
#4
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,711
If you are within 24 hours of the first sector, the ticket then falls under BA's direct control and so you can call them instead.
I'm sorry to hear about your unexpected bad news, I know you have to prioritise but I would call Amex. If you are also under their insurance policy then that may (or may not) be a easier way to find out how to handle this. If LHR-PIT is sit going to happen, then a back to back to MAD is relatively easy to do, even if it does add a few hours.
I'm sorry to hear about your unexpected bad news, I know you have to prioritise but I would call Amex. If you are also under their insurance policy then that may (or may not) be a easier way to find out how to handle this. If LHR-PIT is sit going to happen, then a back to back to MAD is relatively easy to do, even if it does add a few hours.
Aug 2, 2019, 2:40 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Madrid/UK
Posts: 53
Thank you for the suggestions. I spoke with BA who said they can't do anything at all. So I spoke with AmEx who will charge me €3,033 simply to change the dates of the MAD-LHR and LHR-MAD flights. which seems insane to me. It's more expensive than the original ticket price.
Aug 2, 2019, 2:53 am
#7
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,596
Thank you for the suggestions. I spoke with BA who said they can't do anything at all. So I spoke with AmEx who will charge me €3,033 simply to change the dates of the MAD-LHR and LHR-MAD flights. which seems insane to me. It's more expensive than the original ticket price.
Aug 2, 2019, 2:57 am
#8
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: All over the place often South Wales and Lake District
Programs: BA Gold for Life Accor Platinum
Posts: 4,552
Perhaps get in touch with the twitter team (via Direct Message if you don't want to come across as guilt tripping them publicly) saying that you would be happy to buy a new ticket to get to London and could they protect your long haul sector from auto cancellation..
Aug 2, 2019, 3:24 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Madrid/UK
Posts: 53
thank you. A good suggestion. Have DM’d them.
Aug 2, 2019, 3:32 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,499
Sorry about the sad context. Do you have travel insurance? EIther in general or through the credit card you used to pay (especially if Centurion)?
Last edited by orbitmic; Aug 2, 2019 at 4:04 am
Aug 2, 2019, 4:03 am
#11
Community Director
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Norwich, UK
Programs: A3*G, BA Gold, BD Gold (in memoriam), IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 8,469
You have my sympathies, and I understand exactly how unsettling and unpredictable this is.
I can say from experience that BA's policies do appear to differ between a booking directly with them or through a TA - possibly even within 24 hours of departure. With a direct booking I think it's very likely BA would have allowed you to change your departure date from MAD, perhaps just imposing the extra APD.
A TA booking doesn't seem to just lose you the ability to talk to BA, it also seems to prevent you utilising the very customer friendly policies the airline has for unexpected circumstances. You are, I'm afraid, very firmly under the control of the TA's policies here. I therefore doubt contacting the Twitter team will make any difference in this case.
I can only second the "call within 24 hours of departure" advice, in the hope once BA have control of the ticket at least there is a little more latitude for them to act.
I can say from experience that BA's policies do appear to differ between a booking directly with them or through a TA - possibly even within 24 hours of departure. With a direct booking I think it's very likely BA would have allowed you to change your departure date from MAD, perhaps just imposing the extra APD.
A TA booking doesn't seem to just lose you the ability to talk to BA, it also seems to prevent you utilising the very customer friendly policies the airline has for unexpected circumstances. You are, I'm afraid, very firmly under the control of the TA's policies here. I therefore doubt contacting the Twitter team will make any difference in this case.
I can only second the "call within 24 hours of departure" advice, in the hope once BA have control of the ticket at least there is a little more latitude for them to act.
Aug 2, 2019, 4:16 am
#12
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold 1MM, BA Gold, UA Peon
Posts: 6,105
I'm very sorry to hear you have had such bad news. I can say that many people here report that BA were very helpful in this sort of circumstance, so if you are contacting them the general experience of people in this forum seems to be that it will not be a hostile experience.
If you want to have a solution that doesn't involve talking to anyone, then you can see at Back-to-back / Immediate Turnarounds at BA Destinations that it is quite easy to travel to Madrid, get off the aircraft and get back on. So you could buy a return ticket from Madrid to the UK now, with a return to get back to Madrid on the same aircraft that is about to operate your originally-booked flight to London.
I do suggest you speak to BA or AMEX (whoever controls the ticket) to ask about changing your first booking, even though it is a difficult time for you.
If you want to have a solution that doesn't involve talking to anyone, then you can see at Back-to-back / Immediate Turnarounds at BA Destinations that it is quite easy to travel to Madrid, get off the aircraft and get back on. So you could buy a return ticket from Madrid to the UK now, with a return to get back to Madrid on the same aircraft that is about to operate your originally-booked flight to London.
I do suggest you speak to BA or AMEX (whoever controls the ticket) to ask about changing your first booking, even though it is a difficult time for you.
