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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 May 30, 2020, 4:37 am
  #2521  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Birmingham, UK
Programs: HH Diamond, IHG Spire Ambassador, Virgin Gold
Posts: 240
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
I think you may have put this in the wrong thread, and the main Covid-19 thread has a wiki which explains the situation. But in short since you have an Avios FTV, it will be worth whatever you spent in Avios and cash on the initial transaction. The main thread also outlines that you can't check the value online, nor can you use the FTV online. But in essence, when you are ready to book again, call BAEC and you can book a new redemption and the FTV will knock 7.500 Avios and £4.60 off the bill. It can be any redemption, it doesn't have to be on AA. You can't readily use the FTV on a BA Holidays cash booking since there is not much cash in the FTV.
Thanks for this and yes I did lost in the wrong place. I had read through this thread first and then got distracted so my apologies.

Thanks for the advice and it seems a shame that I have less flexibility for the sake of £4.60 as presumably this FTV has an end date where the initial avios didn't.
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Old May 30, 2020, 4:40 am
  #2522  
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Posts: 63,803
Originally Posted by snevillio
Thanks for the advice and it seems a shame that I have less flexibility for the sake of £4.60 as presumably this FTV has an end date where the initial avios didn't.
Yes, hence the advice in this thread to call up. However the FTV is valid until April 2022 so I wouldn't say you have been massively damaged by this, so long as you book something in the next 2 years. The danger is forgetting you have the voucher at the time in question. Some people would lose their Avios from non-use before April 2022 so it's a two way argument.
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Old May 30, 2020, 7:41 am
  #2523  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 85
Rebooking one year later?

Hi Guys,
I've looked at the sticky & recent posts about moving bookings, but can't seem to find the exact solution. Thanks for any advice.
I have a cash really good sale fare to NY at the end of June which both outbound and return flights are cancelled.

Ideally I would just like to move to end June 21 and keep the same fare however the flight are not released until 355 days. Surely this should also be the preferred option for BA to avoid paying a refund?

What would happen to the booking if I just waited for the new dates to get released at beginning of July? Does it expire or would I lose it?

I already asked them if I could move it twice to say Nov and then onto June once the dates are released, and they said that I would need to pay a change fee and fare difference the second time. Perhaps there is a way round this?

​Thanks for any advice to avoid taking a voucher and losing the sale fare.
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Old May 30, 2020, 8:52 am
  #2524  
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: 63,803
Originally Posted by rphilippe
Ideally I would just like to move to end June 21 and keep the same fare however the flight are not released until 355 days. Surely this should also be the preferred option for BA to avoid paying a refund?

What would happen to the booking if I just waited for the new dates to get released at beginning of July? Does it expire or would I lose it?
If you want a free rebooking this has to be done within 1 year of the original booking, see wiki, so you are out of scope for that arrangement, which is the Coronavirus Update 4 policy. You can certainly wait until 355 days are up and the flights showing for June 2021, but then you would have a fare difference, moreover booking flights for 355 days often leads to booking at the most expensive fares, cheaper fares tend to become available much later on. This is the Buy with Confidence policy.
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Old May 30, 2020, 10:03 am
  #2525  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 85
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
If you want a free rebooking this has to be done within 1 year of the original booking, see wiki, so you are out of scope for that arrangement, which is the Coronavirus Update 4 policy. You can certainly wait until 355 days are up and the flights showing for June 2021, but then you would have a fare difference, moreover booking flights for 355 days often leads to booking at the most expensive fares, cheaper fares tend to become available much later on. This is the Buy with Confidence policy.
Thankyou. I'll read those policies in more detail.
I'm presuming it means within 1 year of the original booking departure date not booking date.
Does this mean that if my original departure was 25 June 2020 I could change this to 24 June 2021?
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Old May 30, 2020, 10:38 am
  #2526  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 2,659
Originally Posted by rphilippe
Thankyou. I'll read those policies in more detail.
I'm presuming it means within 1 year of the original booking departure date not booking date.
Does this mean that if my original departure was 25 June 2020 I could change this to 24 June 2021?
Ticket validity is 1 year from the original date you booked not departure date.
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Old May 30, 2020, 11:32 am
  #2527  
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,959
This one year from ticket validity rule is proving to be a problem for many, especially those who are booked with a 2-4-1 and originally booked 355 days out.

I would recommend trying to do the change beyond the one year online in MMB as it may actually allow you to do it, whereas a phone agent is likely to stick to the rules.
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Old May 30, 2020, 2:45 pm
  #2528  
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: HKG/LON
Programs: QRPC-Plat/OWE, MPC, BAEC
Posts: 106
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
Yes, you can get another FTV, that's specifically allowed. You may also be allowed another go at direct rebooking without fare difference, depending on the relevant dates of booking and proposed travel dates.
Thank you CWS! I have called the USA number yesterday, and was redirected to the India call centre. The agent insisted that a voucher once used for a booking cannot be turned into a voucher again - so I guess I'll HUACA and see how it goes.
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Old May 30, 2020, 3:03 pm
  #2529  
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: 63,803
Originally Posted by HOLYMOLEAIR
Thank you CWS! I have called the USA number yesterday, and was redirected to the India call centre. The agent insisted that a voucher once used for a booking cannot be turned into a voucher again - so I guess I'll HUACA and see how it goes.
Depending on the relevant dates, that seems inconsistent with the information on BA.com/confidence

Originally Posted by BA.com
Will travel vouchers that have already been redeemed be eligible for travel up until 30 April 2022 if you want to change your booking again?

Yes. Travel vouchers that have already been redeemed can either be exchanged for another voucher valid for travel up to 30 April 2022 or, for journeys that are due to have been completed by 31 December 2020, you can change your booking in line with our book with confidence commitment.
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Old May 30, 2020, 5:46 pm
  #2530  
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: HKG/LON
Programs: QRPC-Plat/OWE, MPC, BAEC
Posts: 106
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
Depending on the relevant dates, that seems inconsistent with the information on BA.com/confidence
Thanks CWS!
Update: called again two hour ago (US number, redirected to India), first agent insisted voucher bookings are not eligible to be converted to vouchers again, said even if it is possible under said policy he won't be able to do that over the phone. Directly me to ba.com to "try my luck" with the voucher application I quote. Politely declined and hung up.

Second agent (still India call centre) reluctantly accepted that it is permitted under policy, priced the new itinerary, but then said the booking would have to be sent to ticketing for manual pricing. Promised to call within 30 mins but never did.

Guess I'll wait till the UK call centre reopens tomorrow, then call again for the change.

Last edited by HOLYMOLEAIR; May 30, 2020 at 6:08 pm
HOLYMOLEAIR is offline  
Old May 31, 2020, 10:51 am
  #2531  
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,440
I know that you can change for free or receive a FTV if you don’t want to travel on a booking before 31st July. Does anyone know if this will be extended as I have a booking in Sept and want to get a voucher for it.
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Old May 31, 2020, 1:58 pm
  #2532  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 804
Bit of advice please
My parents were supposed to be going LBA-LHR-MAA in December. Obviously BA have cancelled the LBA-LHR route.
My understanding of the choices are
1. Full refund from BA
2. If they still want to travel, depart MAN but push for BA to pay for the travel (although their T&C says NO!!!)
3. If BA refuse point 2, stick to their guns and ask to be re-routed from LBA on a different airline (They are in PE, so makes it a bit difficult since KLM would only give economy I assume)
Many thanks for any advice.
Dselvan is offline  
Old May 31, 2020, 2:48 pm
  #2533  
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: 63,803
Originally Posted by Dselvan
Bit of advice please
My parents were supposed to be going LBA-LHR-MAA in December. Obviously BA have cancelled the LBA-LHR route.
My understanding of the choices are
1. Full refund from BA
2. If they still want to travel, depart MAN but push for BA to pay for the travel (although their T&C says NO!!!)
3. If BA refuse point 2, stick to their guns and ask to be re-routed from LBA on a different airline (They are in PE, so makes it a bit difficult since KLM would only give economy I assume)
Many thanks for any advice.
The other options are a FTV or an Avios credit.

They will indeed maintain that the transfer costs are for own account, however EC261 does say that BA are on the hook for the transfer cost. It may take some pushing to get it, but it is only offered after travel, you won't get them to agree this in advance. The relevant clause is 7.3. They would be advised to keep the transfer costs as low as possible.
corporate-wage-slave is offline  
Old May 31, 2020, 3:17 pm
  #2534  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 804
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
The other options are a FTV or an Avios credit.

They will indeed maintain that the transfer costs are for own account, however EC261 does say that BA are on the hook for the transfer cost. It may take some pushing to get it, but it is only offered after travel, you won't get them to agree this in advance. The relevant clause is 7.3. They would be advised to keep the transfer costs as low as possible.
Thank you CW-S
I have excluded the voucher and Avios since they dont travel frequently enough to use them.
Have asked them to push BA since they are both elderly and will be getting a taxi. Let's see what BA says.
Dselvan is offline  
Old Jun 1, 2020, 2:01 am
  #2535  
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Brisbane
Programs: BAEC Blue/Bronze, Krisflyer, Qantas
Posts: 419
Looking for some advice, I previously had an Avios booking for LHR - HKG -> BNE with BA and QF

This got cancelled, so I was moved to CX (LHR -> HKG -> BNE still)

Now CX has been cancelled and there are no more flights available out of HKG to BNE, should BA be able to rebook me QR assuming there is availability?

I've been informed my only option is cancellation, which isn't what i'm after as I ideally really need a flight.
email2markt is offline  


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