Mar 14, 2020, 3:21 am
Last edit by: ThatT1Feeling
Book with confidence policy: https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...ith-confidence
Form for requesting an e-voucher: https://www.britishairways.com/trave...1&wfpId=covidn
Don't forget to take a screenshot before submission and another after acceptance. A suggested method is in this post: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...l#post32187702
The text of the Book with confidence policy as at 2145Z on Sun 15 March is in this post: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...l#post32180050
IMPORTANT NOTE - the current understanding is that vouchers must be used to book, and travel must start, before the 12-month expiry date but travel may be completed after that date. See this post: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...l#post32189408
Headline summary:-
Form for requesting an e-voucher: https://www.britishairways.com/trave...1&wfpId=covidn
Don't forget to take a screenshot before submission and another after acceptance. A suggested method is in this post: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...l#post32187702
The text of the Book with confidence policy as at 2145Z on Sun 15 March is in this post: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...l#post32180050
IMPORTANT NOTE - the current understanding is that vouchers must be used to book, and travel must start, before the 12-month expiry date but travel may be completed after that date. See this post: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...l#post32189408
Headline summary:-
- Flights booked at any time for travel
14 March to 31 Mayfrom nowand 13 October 2020for journeys to be completed by 30 September 2022 can be converted into a voucher for use in a future booking to be used for journeys to be completed by 30 September 2023. .Existing bookings made before 3 March are also covered until 30 October 2020, - Holidays booked at any time for travel up to
31 May13 Octobersine die can be date-changed, or converted into a voucher for use in a future booking. - Holidays:
- If booking after 16 December 2021 date changes must be made, or vouchers requested a minimum of 28 days before departure date. ( https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/incident/coronavirus/british-airways-holidays#howtochangeyourbooking )
- If booking after 11 June 2020 date changes must be made, or vouchers requested a minimum of three weeks before the original departure date.
- If you booked a package between 3 March and 11 June 2020 for travel up to 31 December 2020 48 hours’ notice applies and if travelling between 1 January and 30 August 2021 three weeks’ notice applies.
- Flight and holiday bookings made after 3 March can be converted into a voucher for use in a future booking for journeys to be completed by 30 September 2023.
- Flight and holiday bookings made for completion before 30 September 2022 have no change fee for changes of travel dates. New bookings for flights which do not complete by that date now attract change fees (unless fully flexible)
- Flight and holiday bookings to USA now being offered refund (0900 Sun 15 March) - see https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/32187403-post192.html
- You can change the dates and destination of your booking without incurring a change fee, although you will need to pay any difference in price.
Book with confidence policy
Mar 2, 2020, 9:37 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Programs: Honors Diamond
Posts: 1,640
Book with confidence policy
BA has suspended change fees for all new bookings for the next two weeks.
https://mediacentre.britishairways.c...12135?ref=News
https://mediacentre.britishairways.c...12135?ref=News
Tuesday 3 March 2020, London: British Airways is leading the way as the first UK airline to waive its change fee, giving customers the flexibility to delay travel that is booked during the next two weeks.
The policy will be available for new bookings made between Tuesday 3 March 2020 and Monday 16 March 2020. As some customers are facing uncertainty when booking travel at the moment, the airline has introduced the policy to give its customers more confidence, across any of its routes.
Andrew Brem, British Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer said: “As some customers may choose to change or delay their travel plans at the moment, it’s important we offer them greater flexibility. By waiving our change fee our customers can have the added confidence to book a trip with British Airways that suits them.”
The ‘book with confidence’ policy covers all British Airways routes with changes available right up to departure. Any fare difference due to a date change will still apply.
The policy will be available for new bookings made between Tuesday 3 March 2020 and Monday 16 March 2020. As some customers are facing uncertainty when booking travel at the moment, the airline has introduced the policy to give its customers more confidence, across any of its routes.
Andrew Brem, British Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer said: “As some customers may choose to change or delay their travel plans at the moment, it’s important we offer them greater flexibility. By waiving our change fee our customers can have the added confidence to book a trip with British Airways that suits them.”
The ‘book with confidence’ policy covers all British Airways routes with changes available right up to departure. Any fare difference due to a date change will still apply.
Last edited by LTN Phobia; Mar 15, 2020 at 3:25 am
Mar 2, 2020, 9:41 am
#2
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
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Thanks for posting. A few more details:
We have issued a new commercial policy to alleviate some of the uncertainty in the travel market and provide more confidence to continue booking.
For new bookings made on British Airways on all fares, all routes and all points of sale, we will waive the normal change fees to allow date changes and the ability to delay travel should the need arise.
Key points
This policy will be available until 16 March 2020 but we will continue to review and extend this if needed.
We have issued a new commercial policy to alleviate some of the uncertainty in the travel market and provide more confidence to continue booking.
For new bookings made on British Airways on all fares, all routes and all points of sale, we will waive the normal change fees to allow date changes and the ability to delay travel should the need arise.
Key points
- Applies to new bookings only from 2 March 2020
- All travel periods within system range are included
- All routes, all fares, all points of sale
- Normal change fee waived
- Fare difference still applies
- Changes can be made right up to departure
- Refund fees are not waived
This policy will be available until 16 March 2020 but we will continue to review and extend this if needed.
Mar 2, 2020, 9:46 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Programs: Honors Diamond
Posts: 1,640
I’m reading this as not including other changes for example change of destination/airport and change of cabin etc.
I should have said I was alerted to this by the excellent @LondonAirTravel on Twitter.
I should have said I was alerted to this by the excellent @LondonAirTravel on Twitter.
Mar 2, 2020, 10:03 am
#7
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: London, UK
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Head For Points has just released an article where he feels that BA aren’t doing enough even with this policy to maintain bookings, noting that although IATA have requested usual slot rules are suspended this hasn’t happened so BA need to continue to use their slots whilst LH grounds aircraft and cancels 25% of its flights, CX cancels 75% of their flights. He points that this may end FlyBe and Norwegian and BA may gain in the long run from this.
https://www.headforpoints.com/2020/0...-is-it-enough/
Last edited by navylad; Mar 2, 2020 at 12:01 pm
Mar 2, 2020, 11:17 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Programs: Honors Diamond
Posts: 1,640
I dosagree, the quote in the PR piece above states Chnage or delay...
as I understand it, it is booked by 16 March, not flown by.
Head For Points has just released an article where he feels that BA aren’t doing enough even with this policy to maintain bookings, noting that although IATA have requested usual slot rules are suspended this hasn’t happened so BA need to continue to use their slots whilst LH grounds aircraft and cancels 25% of its flights, CX cancels 75% of their flights. He points that this may end FlyBe and Norwegian and BA may gain in the long run from this.
https://www.headforpoints.com/2020/0...-is-it-enough/
as I understand it, it is booked by 16 March, not flown by.
Head For Points has just released an article where he feels that BA aren’t doing enough even with this policy to maintain bookings, noting that although IATA have requested usual slot rules are suspended this hasn’t happened so BA need to continue to use their slots whilst LH grounds aircraft and cancels 25% of its flights, CX cancels 75% of their flights. He points that this may end FlyBe and Norwegian and BA may gain in the long run from this.
https://www.headforpoints.com/2020/0...-is-it-enough/
IATA has requested suspension of slot rules for the Northern Summer season which begins on 29 March. If the EU accepts this I suspect we might see BA trim the schedule further for April and beyond. Plus side might be that the Cairo flight gets a more sensible timing back rather than slot sitting for the Hong Kong arrival.
Mar 2, 2020, 12:42 pm
#10
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: London
Posts: 132
Wonder how long it will be before they will offer it to those who booked their flights before the 3rd March. Just over a week ago I booked LHR-YVR SEA-LON for the end of May/early June. Seemed sound alternative to the original planned trip to Japan. Now not so sure even though its 12 weeks out.
Mar 3, 2020, 1:04 am
#11
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: South East, UK
Programs: BA Gold / GfL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,432
I just tried to make a domestic booking (LHR-GLA) for April and it is still showing the normal change fees applying. This was supposed to apply to all routes from today. If BA can't update its systems it shouldn't be issuing press releases.
Mar 3, 2020, 1:15 am
#13
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
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It appears to be a change in policy rather than a change to the fare rules.
Mar 3, 2020, 1:57 am
#14
Join Date: Mar 2017
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Posts: 2,482
Doesn't seem that the fare rules have been updated as far as I can see from ITA or ExpertFlyer [which would fit with the "waiver" language, I guess - though whether one trusts BA IT to correctly track eligible bookings is a different question].
EDIT: oh - anybody got any idea what would happen in the case of a fare decrease? Refund [voucher or cash]...?
Mar 3, 2020, 2:28 am
#15
Join Date: Oct 2015
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So I phoned GGL, and they confirmed that it is the change fee wavered for any change, including change in route as well as date. The only thing that isn’t wavered is any cancellation fees.