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Covid-19 BA Rebooking/Cancellation/Refund HELP & ADVICE *No Speculation etc*

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Old Mar 14, 2020, 4:58 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: corporate-wage-slave
BA Covid-19 Rebooking / Cancellation / Refund Help & Advice

If your flight is cancelled by BA:
Commercial booking: Your options are: cash refund OR Future Travel Voucher (FTV) OR rebooking OR Avios credit
Redemption booking: Your options are: full refund of cash and Avios OR FTV OR rebooking.
BA Holidays booking: You should be given a refund pro-actively.

If your flight is cancelled by BA - any flight in the PNR - you can get a full refund so long as you booked directly with BA. You can only get a refund by telephoning BA. Refunds are taking between a few hours to a few weeks to be repaid, depending on the sort of booking made. If you don't wish to travel you can opt for an FTV or eVoucher valid for travel until 30 April 2022, though flights more than 355 days away are not currently bookable - flights are enabled at 355 days before departure. Vouchers such as 2-4-1 are also thereby extended. You can do this even if the flight is operating. The best advice we can give is to delay opting for an eVoucher options until the last moment, since if BA cancel your flight you have more options. BA have also adjusted the Standard Customer Guidelines so that if BA cancel the flight you can be rebooked to anytime in 12 months after you originally bought the ticket, so long as there is space in the cabin - there is no need to have a fare bucket available or Avios availability. If you choose the Avios credit you will get between 108 to 126 Avios per GBP of your fare. Note older posts in this thread may now be inaccuarate since the current policy has been amended several times.
===
If your flight is not cancelled but you don't wish to travel
Commercial booking: If you are eligible for Buy with Confidence, you can have an FTV valid until April 2022. Rebooking may lead to a fare recalculation but no change fee.
Redemption booking: Your can do the normal Avios refund, with the redeposit fee capped at GBP 35 per person. Alternatively for the same fee you can rebook to new dates subject to availability. Alternatively you can have an FTV.
BA Holidays booking: You may be get a refund proactively, otherwise you are looking at an FTV for at least the flight component of your trip, maybe for all components.

If all of the flights in your booking are still scheduled and you don't wish to travel then you best wait until a few days before departure in case there is a cancellation. As you can see above, a cancellation gives you better options. You are in scope with Buy with Confidence if you are flying between now and completing travel before 31 August 2021, also if you bought your ticket after 3 March and due to complete all flights before September 2021. The BA web page on this is:
ba.com/confidence
===
Below are some of the options / workarounds being suggested in order to obtain a refund as opposed to a Future Travel Voucher, but they probably no longer work:

Refund of Cancelled Flights:
  • Call BA (no longer a requirement to be travelling in the next 72 hours, you may need to make repeated calls to get through). Telephone numbers are in this thread, but you can also find them on BA.com at the bottom left of the website, under Help and Contacts.

Paid Seating Refund:
Bookings made using Lloyds Upgrade Voucher
You should expect to receive:
  • Full refund of Avios and money paid
  • A new voucher issued, which has validity for 6 months (from the date of issue, i.e. when you request the 'refund')

Lloyds Upgrade Voucher Notes
  • Flights can be used within 12 months, so it will be good for travel up until the end 6 months plus 12 months if you book just before the new expiry
  • It's been advised to take the voucher instead of rebooking as it gives me more flexibility.
  • The original expiry date of the voucher was irrelevant because the booking was cancelled.
  • You must book within 6 months of the voucher being issued and the ticket has 12 months validity so you can change flights after, provided the new flights are within the 12 month window.
  • You won't receive any email, only the refund and the miles.
How to find out the status of your voucher and the amount it contains Future Travel Vouchers versus eVouchers
  • See posts 3052 and 3151 to understand the difference. FTVs cannot be used online (and are not really vouchers), whereas eVouchers, issued for simple bookings, can be used online.
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Covid-19 BA Rebooking/Cancellation/Refund HELP & ADVICE *No Speculation etc*

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Old Mar 15, 2020, 6:14 pm
  #151  
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Programs: British Airways
Posts: 58
How long does it take until I get the vouchers? info was 48 hours but nothing has happened for three days now...over the weekend.
fliegwech is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 6:26 pm
  #152  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: LHR
Programs: Accor PLT,Thai Silver, HH Dia, SPG Titanium (LT Gold), Aegean Gold, BA Silver
Posts: 5,119
I am seeing conflicting reports regarding Avios bookings on Partner Airlines. If I apply for a voucher are the Avios returned and the voucher issued for the full amount or less £35 per pax re deposit fee?
ExpatSomchai is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 6:29 pm
  #153  
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Originally Posted by fliegwech
How long does it take until I get the vouchers? info was 48 hours but nothing has happened for three days now...over the weekend.
original plan was 48 hours but that was always a crazy plan in my view 5/10 days personally I'd say
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Old Mar 15, 2020, 6:30 pm
  #154  
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Originally Posted by ExpatSomchai
I am seeing conflicting reports regarding Avios bookings on Partner Airlines. If I apply for a voucher are the Avios returned and the voucher issued for the full amount or less £35 per pax re deposit fee?
shouldn't be getting charged the canx fee of 35£ should be getting full value
ExpatSomchai likes this.
Hawk777 is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 6:49 pm
  #155  
 
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: Dubai
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, Accor Diamond, BA Gold, QR Plat
Posts: 356
Originally Posted by Hawk777
original plan was 48 hours but that was always a crazy plan in my view 5/10 days personally I'd say
Is it normal that a booking for the upcoming Wednesday has disappeared from my profile entirely, but I did not receive a voucher confirmation? I read yesterday that the bookings are supposed to be replaced with a dummy booking but not vanish entirely.
Thanks!
CanaryWharf is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 6:51 pm
  #156  
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 59
Hi all,

I'm based in SFO but travel back to the UK a fair bit and have my bookings starting in London. Any advice on what to do here would be much appreciated.

Booking 1:

29th December
BA0067 LHR > PHL - Complete
BA5322 PHL > LHR - Complete

15th April
BA5157 SFO > DFW
BA0192 DFW > LHR

Booking 2:

17th April
LHR > INV

19th April
INV > LHR

Booking 3:

21st April
BA0287 LHR > SFO

9th July
BA5157 SFO > DFW
BA1531 DFW > LHR

I'm not entirely sure my best approach here, the return leg of booking 1 is looking unlikely to go ahead but I have faith the LHR>INV>LHR may go ahead.

The first part of booking 3 however is also questionable.
maxpedals is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 6:53 pm
  #157  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 907
Hi all,

I have two interlinked questions:

I have a BA issued (125-*) ticket, cash-booked for AA-operated flights between the USA and UK in very early April, but all marketed as BA. The AA-operated flights are all scheduled to get cancelled by AA per their schedule changes (I.e. cancellation not initiated by me, but by AA), Whose rebooking policy applies - Is it AA or BA?

I am assuming it is BA. If it is BA, do I get to choose a reasonable date I want to rebook and not have to pay any fare difference? (Currently booked for April; was hoping to shift it to June or July with the exact same routing).

Apparently... though I can’t find written airline confirmation anywhere... but AA (001-*) allows such a date change after an AA-initiated cancellation but will reprice the ticket and charge any difference, hence my question about whose policy is in place.

Thanks for your help/thoughts in advance!

Last edited by Simon Schus; Mar 15, 2020 at 6:58 pm
Simon Schus is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 6:54 pm
  #158  
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Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 629
Originally Posted by CanaryWharf
Is it normal that a booking for the upcoming Wednesday has disappeared from my profile entirely, but I did not receive a voucher confirmation? I read yesterday that the bookings are supposed to be replaced with a dummy booking but not vanish entirely.
Thanks!
Avios or cash booking?

cash booking yes as GK status is removed free a few days when voucher processing

Avios booking the GK status should stay.
Hawk777 is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 6:56 pm
  #159  
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Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 629
Originally Posted by maxpedals
Hi all,

I'm based in SFO but travel back to the UK a fair bit and have my bookings starting in London. Any advice on what to do here would be much appreciated.

Booking 1:

29th December
BA0067 LHR > PHL - Complete
BA5322 PHL > LHR - Complete

15th April
BA5157 SFO > DFW
BA0192 DFW > LHR

Booking 2:

17th April
LHR > INV

19th April
INV > LHR

Booking 3:

21st April
BA0287 LHR > SFO

9th July
BA5157 SFO > DFW
BA1531 DFW > LHR

I'm not entirely sure my best approach here, the return leg of booking 1 is looking unlikely to go ahead but I have faith the LHR>INV>LHR may go ahead.

The first part of booking 3 however is also questionable.
If I've read it right your next flight is a month off, I wouldn't be doing anything personally yet
Hawk777 is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 6:57 pm
  #160  
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Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 629
Originally Posted by Simon Schus
Hi all,

I have a question:

I have a BA issued (125-*) ticket, cash-booked for AA-operated flights between the USA and UK in very early April, but all marketed as BA. The AA-operated flights are all schedule to get cancelled by AA per their schedule changes (I.e. cancellation not initiated by me), Whose rebooking policy applies - Is it AA or BA?

I am assuming it is BA. If it is BA, do I get to choose a reasonable date I want to rebook and not have to pay any fare difference? (Currently booked for April; was hoping to shift it to June or July with the exact same routing).

Apparently... though I can’t find written airline confirmation anywhere... but AA (001-*) allows such a date change after an AA-initiated cancellation but will reprice the ticket and charge any difference, hence my question about whose policy is in place.

Thanks for your help in advance
125 ticket so a ba booking, so therefore you are bound be BA t and cs and policies
Hawk777 is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:02 pm
  #161  
 
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: Dubai
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, Accor Diamond, BA Gold, QR Plat
Posts: 356
Originally Posted by Hawk777
Avios or cash booking?

cash booking yes as GK status is removed free a few days when voucher processing

Avios booking the GK status should stay.
thanks for the info, it was a cash booking.
CanaryWharf is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:09 pm
  #162  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,813
Originally Posted by maxpedals
Hi all,

I'm based in SFO but travel back to the UK a fair bit and have my bookings starting in London. Any advice on what to do here would be much appreciated.

Booking 1:

29th December
BA0067 LHR > PHL - Complete
BA5322 PHL > LHR - Complete

15th April
BA5157 SFO > DFW
BA0192 DFW > LHR

Booking 2:

17th April
LHR > INV

19th April
INV > LHR

Booking 3:

21st April
BA0287 LHR > SFO

9th July
BA5157 SFO > DFW
BA1531 DFW > LHR

I'm not entirely sure my best approach here, the return leg of booking 1 is looking unlikely to go ahead but I have faith the LHR>INV>LHR may go ahead.

The first part of booking 3 however is also questionable.
Do you want to fly now? If not, you have plenty of time to deal with this and I would probably hold off and wait to see if BA cancels more of the flights. If BA cancels the flights you have more options including a full refund.

I had a somewhat similar return to INV that was due to depart Tuesday, separate rt INV-LHR after arrival in INV, (other flights on other tickets and airlines) and another INV-LHR-USA in April. BA notified me today that my Tuesday flight may be cancelled and I was able to change my return date in MMB to next fall for free. I submitted the INV-LHR round trip for a voucher, and am waiting on the April trip to see if I will be able to cancel for a full refund due to a BA reduction in schedule; otherwise I will submit it for a voucher.
jerry a. laska is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:13 pm
  #163  
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 59
I need to stay in SFO unfortunately, thanks for all the advice. I have two weeks to decide due to plans in the UK that are booked but I'll give it a little time and see what BA offer.

If I need to cancel the whole thing in return of a voucher its not the end of the world.
maxpedals is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:21 pm
  #164  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 491
A family member had an ARN booking for the end of March and they received the cancelation and refund email from BA Holidays, we weren't even aware the flights were canceled. Can't fault BA or the speed of the response.
James91 is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:25 pm
  #165  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 907
Originally Posted by Hawk777
125 ticket so a ba booking, so therefore you are bound be BA t and cs and policies
Got it, thank you. As it is a BA ticket, am I likely correct in stating that if the operator (AA) cancelled the flights in early April then I would be able to call BA rebook the same routing and fare classes for June/July at no cost? (Once the booking lines have calmed down and I’m 72 hours out from travel in April).

EDIT: Added ‘at no cost’ to the wording.

Last edited by Simon Schus; Mar 15, 2020 at 7:38 pm Reason: Added ‘at no cost’ to the wording.
Simon Schus is offline  


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