Mar 14, 2020, 4:58 pm
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:
Paid Seating Refund:
Bookings made using Lloyds Upgrade Voucher
You should expect to receive:
Lloyds Upgrade Voucher Notes
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.
- Online forms (Post #435 - corporate-wage-slave) - manual process which may take many weeks
Paid Seating Refund:
- https://www.britishairways.com/trave...ing_claim_form (Post #765 - travelhappypair)
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.
- Use the Qantas website and look back to your original PNR. Step by step guide in post 954
Covid-19 BA Rebooking/Cancellation/Refund HELP & ADVICE *No Speculation etc*
May 16, 2020, 3:17 pm
#2281
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 40
Gold customer
I get this is an unhappy experience, for the reasons you have made clear, but I would suggest you detach yourself from the FTV / email exchange, and focus on what you want now, focus on the future. Which is certainly to get offloaded from your booked service BOS-LHR, and then to refund/rebook. Traditionally webforms / emails are not used much in liaison with customers, the exceptions being Premier and Gold Guest List passengers, plus a bit of Twitter. Customer Relations do email customers but CR only operates after completion of travel, which has not happened yet. Whether this is right or wrong is a debate for another time, but almost all customer contact is via telephone. Consequently you best focus your energy on people who can fix problems, which will be the Contact Centre staff, on the telephone.
If the email complaint process is available to customers and Evident on the website, then there is No excuse to regard it as some eliteforum and diminishing its value accordingly. This is simply Unacceptable.
Once again I have to Reiterate that it is not for lack of trying to contact BA by phone, that I had to ultimately Resort to an Alternative means of communication which was Not my preferred choice This! This can't be right Nor excusable, even disregarding the status of my account.
Due to the above I'm afraid that I can Not let be bygones be bygones and move on. I sincerely believe that more persons should Challenge this treatment rather than accept it and move on....
If it comes to arbitration I have to know whether the persons in communication with me acted correctly or or not. From what I have discerned and based on the feedback here (even reading between the lines), it appears that a series of grave and inexcusable mistakes have been perpetrated.
Last edited by Prospero; May 16, 2020 at 3:28 pm Reason: Repair quotation frame
May 16, 2020, 5:08 pm
#2282
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Vancouver
Programs: AB BA Waterloo Mama Mia
Posts: 1,147
I apologize in advance but too tired to read the thread (2 am here)...if I book avios flight and wish to cancel myself, I pay cancellation fee AND what value of voucher do I receive? How is that calculated? If BA cancels, I receive refund of taxes paid and re deposit of avios?
May 16, 2020, 5:12 pm
#2283
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,186
I apologize in advance but too tired to read the thread (2 am here)...if I book avios flight and wish to cancel myself, I pay cancellation fee AND what value of voucher do I receive? How is that calculated? If BA cancels, I receive refund of taxes paid and re deposit of avios?
If you decide to cancel voluntarily, you would get a Future Travel Voucher ( FTV ), the voucher would have the amount of Avios paid as Avios and taxes paid as cash which you could use it on future travel.
Edit:
As KARFA mentioned you would still have the option of cancelling your ticket voluntarily and receive the Avios and taxes back minus a GBP35 cancellation fee.
May 16, 2020, 5:13 pm
#2284
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,945
I apologize in advance but too tired to read the thread (2 am here)...if I book avios flight and wish to cancel myself, I pay cancellation fee AND what value of voucher do I receive? How is that calculated? If BA cancels, I receive refund of taxes paid and re deposit of avios?
if the flight is cancelled you are able to rebook or cancel, and if you cancel you get a full refund with no fees being incurred.
May 16, 2020, 7:51 pm
#2285
Community Director
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Norwich, UK
Programs: A3*G, BA Gold, BD Gold (in memoriam), IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 8,476
If it comes to arbitration I have to know whether the persons in communication with me acted correctly or or not. From what I have discerned and based on the feedback here (even reading between the lines), it appears that a series of grave and inexcusable mistakes have been perpetrated.
Mod hat on:
This is a help thread. You’ve had an awful lot of extremely useful help and advice, perhaps disproportionately so compared to others. It’s now time to stop posting questions that aren’t relevant, on which you’ve had advice, and Instead to channel your obvious energy into putting that advice into action before the thread becomes disrupted by accusations of BA mistakes, please.
May 16, 2020, 10:08 pm
#2286
Join Date: Feb 2019
Programs: SQ
Posts: 11
Just to share my positive experience in getting the refunds from BA. I've a LHR-BUD flight for my family of 6 in June and this was cancelled last Thursday. I called in immediately asking for a cash refund and the call only took me 5 mins including waiting time. 2 days later, I receive the refund in my credit card. Kudos to BA for processing the refund so quickly.
May 16, 2020, 10:37 pm
#2287
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,799
My answers below are more CX-driven than BA - but bear in mind, like BA, CX is a full service carrier operating a lot of transit traffic (HKG is comparable to LHR in this respect), running the same system as BA (Amadeus Altea) and in the same airline alliance (oneworld):
Yes but manual intervention required. Pre-COVID, Amadeus will automatically rebook me into a connecting flight that leaves before the first flight (i.e. if applied to your case, Amadeus will rebook you on an LHR-DXB flight on the day before your BOS-LHR flight)
Let's just say I've destroyed at least one iPhone due to bad customer service.
If arbitrators have to deal with bad customer service as well as actual contractual transgressions they'll probably all shoot themselves or seek alternative employment.
As a mere Blue member I've already called Warrington and Hong Kong call centres to finalise COVID cancellations with far less difficulty than you encountered.
Even if you call after your departure date, given one segment of your flights to your next stopover is cancelled, I do not see levying a no-show penalty against you before letting you cancel is possible. Your credit card company will back you up on this.
If arbitrators have to deal with bad customer service as well as actual contractual transgressions they'll probably all shoot themselves or seek alternative employment.
Even if you call after your departure date, given one segment of your flights to your next stopover is cancelled, I do not see levying a no-show penalty against you before letting you cancel is possible. Your credit card company will back you up on this.
Last edited by percysmith; May 16, 2020 at 10:45 pm
May 17, 2020, 3:55 am
#2288
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Vancouver
Programs: AB BA Waterloo Mama Mia
Posts: 1,147
Follow up to the ongoing issue raised by Safifi...the help provided by members and moderators on this site (especially BA forum) is terrific. A note to respect their time and energy however. Digest the information provided, chart your course, move forward and report how this turns out. And best of luck to you.
May 17, 2020, 5:25 am
#2289
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: KSA
Programs: BA LTG, UA Gold, EK Silver, Hilton LT Diamond, Marriott LT Titanium, IHG Plat
Posts: 1,242
Am re-booking my canx flight to SCL and, as has been mentioned here, it's great that BA are allowing Avios (And therefore 2-1) bookings to re-book into any available bucket in the ticketed cabin.
However, do we have any best guess or just flat out speculation as to what might happen from a route perspective. It's all very well re-booking for Dec/Jan etc but will the SCL route still exist ? It will be hugely frustrating to re-book, re-arrange everything else (hotel, cars, internal flights etc) and then find the route has been shelved. I realise BA will try and get us alternatives but these may be hard to come by especially around the holiday period.
As I mentioned, I know nobody knows at the moment but curious as to opinion
However, do we have any best guess or just flat out speculation as to what might happen from a route perspective. It's all very well re-booking for Dec/Jan etc but will the SCL route still exist ? It will be hugely frustrating to re-book, re-arrange everything else (hotel, cars, internal flights etc) and then find the route has been shelved. I realise BA will try and get us alternatives but these may be hard to come by especially around the holiday period.
As I mentioned, I know nobody knows at the moment but curious as to opinion
May 17, 2020, 5:33 am
#2290
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: 63,791
When it comes to speculation I'm not sure Group Think is helpful, to be honest. I doubt BA has a clue either. What we do know is that Iberia will almost certainly continue to SCL so if a key part of the cecision making is "can I get there at all?", my suspicion is that will be possible, but for all sorts of reasons it may be via Iberia.
May 17, 2020, 6:03 am
#2291
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 40
[QUOTE=NWIFlyer;32381672]As has been pointed out to you several times already, arbitration is of absolutely no use to you because by the time it arrives you’ll be back home with either your refund or having been re-rerouted. There will be nothing for CEDR to decide. No-one here can know whether the advice you were given was correct, and in any case it really doesn’t matter so long as it gets put right now.
Thank you fir the candid advice. Arbitration through CEDR is NOT my preferred choice here, as I keep saying. It is what the BA staff in written response to me stated is my Only avenue for redress of my complaint on refund which he had rejected. Indeed I had not even thought of it before his email!
For me, arbitration affords a Contingency fallback in case I can not reach anyone at BA by phone. I have tried once again last night, and its the same result, a lengthy wait and then a recorded message to say no one is available to speak to me and inviting me to call back latee or go to the website (which on turn can not redress my issue!).
Thank you fir the candid advice. Arbitration through CEDR is NOT my preferred choice here, as I keep saying. It is what the BA staff in written response to me stated is my Only avenue for redress of my complaint on refund which he had rejected. Indeed I had not even thought of it before his email!
For me, arbitration affords a Contingency fallback in case I can not reach anyone at BA by phone. I have tried once again last night, and its the same result, a lengthy wait and then a recorded message to say no one is available to speak to me and inviting me to call back latee or go to the website (which on turn can not redress my issue!).
May 17, 2020, 6:06 am
#2292
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,945
Thank you fir the candid advice. Arbitration through CEDR is NOT my preferred choice here, as I keep saying. It is what the BA staff in written response to me stated is my Only avenue for redress of my complaint on refund which he had rejected. Indeed I had not even thought of it before his email!
For me, arbitration affords a Contingency fallback in case I can not reach anyone at BA by phone. I have tried once again last night, and its the same result, a lengthy wait and then a recorded message to say no one is available to speak to me and inviting me to call back latee or go to the website (which on turn can not redress my issue!).
For me, arbitration affords a Contingency fallback in case I can not reach anyone at BA by phone. I have tried once again last night, and its the same result, a lengthy wait and then a recorded message to say no one is available to speak to me and inviting me to call back latee or go to the website (which on turn can not redress my issue!).
May 17, 2020, 6:07 am
#2293
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Accor Live Limitless Gold, Hilton Honours Gold, Avis Preferred Plus
Posts: 1,806
If you are having difficulty contacting them on the numbers for your region, try using the numbers for a different region and calling using a VOIP service such as Skype. Calling the general UK number for cancellations and refunds etc (+44 800 727 800) should be free from Skype for example.
Thank you fir the candid advice. Arbitration through CEDR is NOT my preferred choice here, as I keep saying. It is what the BA staff in written response to me stated is my Only avenue for redress of my complaint on refund which he had rejected. Indeed I had not even thought of it before his email!
For me, arbitration affords a Contingency fallback in case I can not reach anyone at BA by phone. I have tried once again last night, and its the same result, a lengthy wait and then a recorded message to say no one is available to speak to me and inviting me to call back latee or go to the website (which on turn can not redress my issue!).
For me, arbitration affords a Contingency fallback in case I can not reach anyone at BA by phone. I have tried once again last night, and its the same result, a lengthy wait and then a recorded message to say no one is available to speak to me and inviting me to call back latee or go to the website (which on turn can not redress my issue!).
Also, you mentioned you are a Gold member in which case you should be able to call the UK gold line (+44 800 123 111) which is again free through Skype. I have called them a number of times in the past few weeks and have never had to wait more than 1 minute or so once in the call queue.
Last edited by wilsnunn; May 17, 2020 at 6:08 am Reason: Fixed quote issues
May 17, 2020, 6:28 am
#2294
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 40
Did you try the method that I mentioned here for contacting BA?
Also, you mentioned you are a Gold member in which case you should be able to call the UK gold line (+44 800 123 111) which is again free through Skype. I have called them a number of times in the past few weeks and have never had to wait more than 1 minute or so once in the call queue.
Also, you mentioned you are a Gold member in which case you should be able to call the UK gold line (+44 800 123 111) which is again free through Skype. I have called them a number of times in the past few weeks and have never had to wait more than 1 minute or so once in the call queue.
As the departing flight LHR-BOS is scheduled for tomorrow Monday 18/5, is it at all possible to cancel my booking online today and deal with this issue at least? I am quite busy on a Monday with the start of the week.
Thanks for your help.
May 17, 2020, 6:36 am
#2295
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,945
I just tried calling BA again but after some wait I'm getting a recorded message to say that due to the covid29 situation they have had to reduce their working hours, and are thereby only available at shortened working hours Monday to Friday! I do not have a Skype account to call the number in the UK.
As the departing flight LHR-BOS is scheduled for tomorrow Monday 18/5, is it at all possible to cancel my booking online today and deal with this issue at least? I am quite busy on a Monday with the start of the week.
Thanks for your help.
As the departing flight LHR-BOS is scheduled for tomorrow Monday 18/5, is it at all possible to cancel my booking online today and deal with this issue at least? I am quite busy on a Monday with the start of the week.
Thanks for your help.
EDIT: now also tried the international gold number +44 191 490 7901. Initial recorded message saying try and do things online. Then invites you to call the main number 0800 727 800 or for international +44 (0)203 2500145. I tried the international number and got an initial recorded message.
After that the options are 1 to chase a ticket refund, 2 for anything else, I pressed 2.
Next options are 1 for avios bookings, 2 for all other, - pressed 2.
Lastly press 1 for bookings involving hotels and car hire, 2 for all others - I didn't press anything here, about 10 seconds later connected to an agent.
Last edited by KARFA; May 17, 2020 at 6:44 am