Jennieg1

Flew RAK to LGW - flight delayed by 21 hours due to tech problem on inbound flight.
Statutory compensation just received.
Flight back had no catering - just water.
Return flight was in Club Europe - I paid with Avios, my other half sterling.
Should there be some compensation for this non catered flight?
Is it treated as a down grade?
I suggested to BA in my claim that it should at least credit me with the difference between the CE flight and WT costs in sterling / Avios - but no mention of this in their response.
Incidentally - the ground staff at RAK were less than useless in dealing with flight delay and the need to accommodate people overnight, transport, meals etc and no phone access was made available..
Many thanks in advance of any guidance available.

ermis177

It is not a downgrade as i assume your middle seat was still empty and you had access to the lounge etc but they should offer you some avios back or some form of a voucher.

Flexible preferences

Similar thing happenned to my parents and brother with BCN-LGW. Outbound delayed and inbound subsequently delayed overnight (crew hours). No CW catering (but crew bought some airport sandwiches which was thoughtful but they weren't very nice). Full bar though. 5000 Avios pp given after claiming, plus EU261 compenation.

corporate-wage-slave

The CSM should have entered something in the tablet for the lack of catering, thereby awarding you some Avios, assuming the ground staff didn't hand out vouchers so that you could get something before departure. The trouble is that RAK isn't a food supply point for BA, and I'm guessing the view was that the food taken out from LGW was not edible after an extra day in RAK.

It is a different matter to EC261 (to avoid a complex set of nuances), so you should either call Customer Relations on a working afternoon (UK time) or submit a separate complaint on that issue. If it happens again, hopefully not, you can more or less predict this is going to be the result if held over 20 hours or so on shorthauls. So in that situation you can buy food at the airport and charge it to BA if no vouchers were offered.

I think you're looking at about 10k Avios per passenger for this.

Often1

No compensation. Certainly not a downgrade any more than if BA runs out of your choice of meal, alcohol or only has ice for 2 cubes in your drink.

Make it a simple complaint for poor customer service and BA will likely toss a few avios.

Jennieg1

Thanks for the advice.
Yes middle seat was blocked off - but plane 1/2 empty as others had made alternative arrangements mostly with easyjet as BA were not forthcoming about how the situation was going to be handled until some 10 hours after the delay began.
No vouchers offered at RAK. I note the advice for any future similar situations- have another 18 flights in the next few months with BA...
Lounge had virtually no food or drink as it was being 'reserved' for the 2 BA flights scheduled for the day we left when this was questioned.
CSM portrayed the episode as being fortunate for us that BA arranged for another plane - a 'rescue mission' was how he described it.
Same plane ( due to be our original return flight ) went tech 2 days later on a NCE run.

BA6948

I was just wondering whether it is feasible to ask the local catering company to supply some business class meals. I am sure AT uses the local RAK catering.

rapidex

Similar situation at IST, overnight delay no catering useless ground staff, mrs rapidex and I were given 20000 avios each, plus the EU261 compo.

Discus

It is a huge difference getting a meal (even not the preferred one) or not getting anything to eat at all. A meal is actually specified in the product as "complimentary food and drink service". If you do not get a meal, you are (partly) not getting what you pay for.

navylad

I think the poster who you were replying to was commenting specifically of the legal right to compensation. As you have pointed out, it is advertised as complimentary - legal definitions vary but effectively BA could argue in court that be definition they are saying it has little of no value in itself (whether you agree with that or not- but that’s why marketting often uses the word complimentary). It is unlikely if you went to court you would get any compensation. As pointed out, EC261/04 only covers duty of care including food during the delay itself- not during any flight.

This is oppose to customer service recovery, which the OP should absolutely receiver IMHO. Personally, knowing the lack of catering services at that airport I would bissue I personally would have purchased something to take with me and then put it in my claim rather than trying to get Avios, but that is easy to say in retrospect.

Jennieg1

Thank you all for this. I contacted BA with reference to the above advice and was awarded 10000 Avios for my compromised flight.
H. will call on Friday and see what can be sorted for his flight.
We had no idea that there would be no catering or bar until announced as we took our seats - do feel BA could have sent a text to this end so something could have been purchased at RAK especially after the poor Lounge offerings.

navylad

glad you got a good outcome.

Not to provide any excuse for BA who clearly could have told you before the flight, but always worth positing on FT during IRROPS, and the fantastic community can always give you advice including earning of such catering situations.