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*
Jun 15, 2020, 5:03 pm
#2716
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,822
A couple of weeks ago I was trying to cancel an AS flight (£4.80 taxes) and the agent told me it was going to cost me £35 to get the £4.80 and Avios back.
I’m not sure if there is a difference between AS and AA or if there is inconsistency in how agents are applying the new(ish) rules or something else happening here.
As it happens I left it alone, flight was then cancelled and I now have a full refund
I’m not sure if there is a difference between AS and AA or if there is inconsistency in how agents are applying the new(ish) rules or something else happening here.
As it happens I left it alone, flight was then cancelled and I now have a full refund
Jun 15, 2020, 5:08 pm
#2717
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,822
From my account, using Avios, I booked travel for a group of 4. We do not want to travel and the flight is still scheduled, even though it is in 4 days. A 30 minute change of schedule is not sufficient to give me a full refund. Two options given, first voluntary cancel, return avios, forfeit taxes paid. Second get voucher for Avios and $.
I have been given conflicting answers in the regards to the voucher. First, voucher credit belongs to each passenger and can only be used for travel by each passenger, even though I used my Avios and credit card. Second, the entire voucher belongs to me since Avios came from my account. I can use 100% of it for my travel, obviously repricing rules, etc apply.
So which one is it, Voucher belongs to passengers or to Avios account holder?
I have been given conflicting answers in the regards to the voucher. First, voucher credit belongs to each passenger and can only be used for travel by each passenger, even though I used my Avios and credit card. Second, the entire voucher belongs to me since Avios came from my account. I can use 100% of it for my travel, obviously repricing rules, etc apply.
So which one is it, Voucher belongs to passengers or to Avios account holder?
From ba.com:
Does the booking have to be made in your name? The voucher allows you to make a future booking in the name of the person on the original ticket. If you had multiple bookings each person will receive their own voucher to use. The voucher is non-transferable.
For flight + hotel and flight + car packages, one voucher per booking will be issued. The vouchers are non-transferable but we recognise that some of the original customers may no longer be able to travel - so we ask that the new booking contains at least one of the travellers from the original booking.
For flight + hotel and flight + car packages, one voucher per booking will be issued. The vouchers are non-transferable but we recognise that some of the original customers may no longer be able to travel - so we ask that the new booking contains at least one of the travellers from the original booking.
Jun 16, 2020, 3:28 pm
#2718
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: DUB
Programs: IHG Spire Amb, Honors Diamond, BAEC Silver
Posts: 65
Is it common for a cancelled flight booked with Avios (in F) to be re-booked into revenue class on the new flight?
Asked to move to another flight on the same route with availability in J that I planned to downgrade to. The agent re-booked me into F without any question despite there being no F Avios availability. Looking at MMB now I see it's now booked in a discounted F revenue bucket (A) on the new flight.
I've been re-booked into a new fare bucket before during last minute IRROPS but not for an Avios cancellation a month out!
Asked to move to another flight on the same route with availability in J that I planned to downgrade to. The agent re-booked me into F without any question despite there being no F Avios availability. Looking at MMB now I see it's now booked in a discounted F revenue bucket (A) on the new flight.
I've been re-booked into a new fare bucket before during last minute IRROPS but not for an Avios cancellation a month out!
Jun 16, 2020, 3:33 pm
#2719
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,990
Is it common for a cancelled flight booked with Avios (in F) to be re-booked into revenue class on the new flight?
Asked to move to another flight on the same route with availability in J that I planned to downgrade to. The agent re-booked me into F without any question despite there being no F Avios availability. Looking at MMB now I see it's now booked in a discounted F revenue bucket (A) on the new flight.
I've been re-booked into a new fare bucket before during last minute IRROPS but not for an Avios cancellation a month out!
Asked to move to another flight on the same route with availability in J that I planned to downgrade to. The agent re-booked me into F without any question despite there being no F Avios availability. Looking at MMB now I see it's now booked in a discounted F revenue bucket (A) on the new flight.
I've been re-booked into a new fare bucket before during last minute IRROPS but not for an Avios cancellation a month out!
With the current guidelines that date range is removed too, so even if you are moving to a flight maybe a month later the same applies.
Jun 16, 2020, 3:43 pm
#2720
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: KT7
Programs: BA & BD Gold Once Upon a Time
Posts: 530
I thought all flights booked on BA before 3rd March were subject to standard T&Cs and you can’t claim a voucher.
However, I received an email today from BA advising us that we could claim a voucher if we didn’t want to travel on our flights to Athens in August. These flights were booked in February.
I presume now BA think these August flights risk being cancelled, and it’s a calculated move to get more people (who don’t want to travel anyway) to accept vouchers.
Is this an unpublished change of policy by BA?
However, I received an email today from BA advising us that we could claim a voucher if we didn’t want to travel on our flights to Athens in August. These flights were booked in February.
I presume now BA think these August flights risk being cancelled, and it’s a calculated move to get more people (who don’t want to travel anyway) to accept vouchers.
Is this an unpublished change of policy by BA?
Jun 16, 2020, 3:45 pm
#2721
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,990
I thought all flights booked on BA before 3rd March were subject to standard T&Cs and you can’t claim a voucher.
However, I received an email today from BA advising us that we could claim a voucher if we didn’t want to travel on our flights to Athens in August. These flights were booked in February.
I presume now BA think these August flights risk being cancelled, and it’s a calculated move to get more people (who don’t want to travel anyway) to accept vouchers.
Is this an unpublished change of policy by BA?
However, I received an email today from BA advising us that we could claim a voucher if we didn’t want to travel on our flights to Athens in August. These flights were booked in February.
I presume now BA think these August flights risk being cancelled, and it’s a calculated move to get more people (who don’t want to travel anyway) to accept vouchers.
Is this an unpublished change of policy by BA?
Jun 16, 2020, 4:01 pm
#2722
Join Date: Oct 2017
Programs: Honors Diamond
Posts: 1,640
Now I wonder if I had pushed on with it then the system may not have actually requested collection of the payment.
Jun 16, 2020, 4:01 pm
#2723
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: KT7
Programs: BA & BD Gold Once Upon a Time
Posts: 530
I guess there’s no rush to claim a voucher. If the flight is eventually cancelled I still retain the right for a refund. If the flight goes ahead, I can claim a voucher nearer the time.
Jun 16, 2020, 4:24 pm
#2724
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,990
The agent wanted to charge the £35 as per this article: https://www.headforpoints.com/2020/0...cancellations/
Now I wonder if I had pushed on with it then the system may not have actually requested collection of the payment.
Now I wonder if I had pushed on with it then the system may not have actually requested collection of the payment.
Jun 16, 2020, 4:38 pm
#2725
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,822
The agent wanted to charge the £35 as per this article: https://www.headforpoints.com/2020/0...cancellations/
Now I wonder if I had pushed on with it then the system may not have actually requested collection of the payment.
Now I wonder if I had pushed on with it then the system may not have actually requested collection of the payment.
(It least one report in the article says that the person will be charged £35 to cancel but that they hadn't cancelled yet.)
Jun 16, 2020, 7:36 pm
#2726
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: San Diego
Programs: Plat Pro AAdvantage, but defected to BAEC
Posts: 1,222
My SIL forwarded me a mail from BA today regarding her flight in August, stating that she could opt to receive a voucher if she didn’t want to take the flight. (I had booked and paid for the flights for her and her 2 youngest and had put her down as the contact, so I didn’t receive the mail) What is strange is that although the flight is operated by BA, the ticket was issued on 075 stock as I had booked the flight on Iberia.com as the outbound flight was a ALC-MAD-LAX routing on IB, with the return being a SAN-LHR on BA metal booked under an IB code share flight number.
I wouldn't have thought that BA could have issued a voucher for a 075 stock ticket? Not that I would take a voucher from BA anyway. With IB, the voucher is as good as cash and is not tied to an individual passenger. You can use the voucher to buy a ticket for anyone and not just the passenger on the original ticket.
She doesn’t want to fly at the moment, but all the IB MAD-LAX flights are zeroed out for the remainder of the Summer season (service ends early October) and all those flights are cancelled through July 31 (as are the SAN-LHR flights on BA), so its only a matter of time until both her TA flights are cancelled, so I’ll wait until then and take the refund route (and hopefully the BA seat reservation fees too)
I wouldn't have thought that BA could have issued a voucher for a 075 stock ticket? Not that I would take a voucher from BA anyway. With IB, the voucher is as good as cash and is not tied to an individual passenger. You can use the voucher to buy a ticket for anyone and not just the passenger on the original ticket.
She doesn’t want to fly at the moment, but all the IB MAD-LAX flights are zeroed out for the remainder of the Summer season (service ends early October) and all those flights are cancelled through July 31 (as are the SAN-LHR flights on BA), so its only a matter of time until both her TA flights are cancelled, so I’ll wait until then and take the refund route (and hopefully the BA seat reservation fees too)
Jun 16, 2020, 7:40 pm
#2727
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
My SIL forwarded me a mail from BA today regarding her flight in August, stating that she could opt to receive a voucher if she didn’t want to take the flight. (I had booked and paid for the flights for her and her 2 youngest and had put her down as the contact, so I didn’t receive the mail) What is strange is that although the flight is operated by BA, the ticket was issued on 075 stock as I had booked the flight on Iberia.com as the outbound flight was a ALC-MAD-LAX routing on IB, with the return being a SAN-LHR on BA metal booked under an IB code share flight number.
I wouldn't have thought that BA could have issued a voucher for a 075 stock ticket? Not that I would take a voucher from BA anyway. With IB, the voucher is as good as cash and is not tied to an individual passenger. You can use the voucher to buy a ticket for anyone and not just the passenger on the original ticket.
She doesn’t want to fly at the moment, but all the IB MAD-LAX flights are zeroed out for the remainder of the Summer season (service ends early October) and all those flights are cancelled through July 31 (as are the SAN-LHR flights on BA), so its only a matter of time until both her TA flights are cancelled, so I’ll wait until then and take the refund route (and hopefully the BA seat reservation fees too)
I wouldn't have thought that BA could have issued a voucher for a 075 stock ticket? Not that I would take a voucher from BA anyway. With IB, the voucher is as good as cash and is not tied to an individual passenger. You can use the voucher to buy a ticket for anyone and not just the passenger on the original ticket.
She doesn’t want to fly at the moment, but all the IB MAD-LAX flights are zeroed out for the remainder of the Summer season (service ends early October) and all those flights are cancelled through July 31 (as are the SAN-LHR flights on BA), so its only a matter of time until both her TA flights are cancelled, so I’ll wait until then and take the refund route (and hopefully the BA seat reservation fees too)
That e-mail that she received was sent to everyone who had a BA flight on August and it was an automatic mail rather than a case-by-case sent mail.
Also, for the paid seats, if you wait until the cancellation of her flights, you would get the seat reservation fees as a refund, but if you prefer to convert her ticket to a voucher or cancel it voluntarily, you would not get the seat fees back.
Jun 16, 2020, 9:15 pm
#2728
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: YVR
Programs: Erstwhile Accidental AC E35K
Posts: 2,918
I got the email this morning offering the FTV for a flight on Aug 31. Since I was thinking I would probably lose the whole cost I took it and received the voucher within an hour (!). It didn’t give the value, just said I would be worth whatever I paid. Does that include the seat fees I paid? If not, is there any hope of getting a refund for the seat fees?
Thx.
Thx.
Jun 16, 2020, 9:25 pm
#2729
Join Date: Oct 2006
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 315
I have the rtn portion of a SYD LHR CPH booked for 24th Aug. Outbound was used in Feb.
the booking is a WTP fare and upgraded to J using a GUF1.
I got the email yesterday re being able to claim a voucher. Likelihood is that the flight will be cancelled anyhow.
So if I was to wait until that happens, I could get a cash refund or a FTV or rebook.
My questions are, what happens to the GUF1 part in a refund or FTV. And for a rebooking, would I just book an arbitrary date in the future and change it to when I actually want to travel following borders opening up again in the future?
the booking is a WTP fare and upgraded to J using a GUF1.
I got the email yesterday re being able to claim a voucher. Likelihood is that the flight will be cancelled anyhow.
So if I was to wait until that happens, I could get a cash refund or a FTV or rebook.
My questions are, what happens to the GUF1 part in a refund or FTV. And for a rebooking, would I just book an arbitrary date in the future and change it to when I actually want to travel following borders opening up again in the future?
Last edited by Kernow; Jun 17, 2020 at 1:10 am
Jun 16, 2020, 10:44 pm
#2730
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: 63,850
I got the email this morning offering the FTV for a flight on Aug 31. Since I was thinking I would probably lose the whole cost I took it and received the voucher within an hour (!). It didn’t give the value, just said I would be worth whatever I paid. Does that include the seat fees I paid? If not, is there any hope of getting a refund for the seat fees?