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*
Sep 9, 2020, 1:34 am
#3796
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,966
Anyone know the answer to this?
My guess is they would only allow a rebooking within the validity date of the original companion voucher? Of course, you could cancel it anyway and turn it into an FTV with extension to April 2022, but then would need reward seat availability in the future.
But, I’m sure I read somewhere (here or other FF websites) that on rebooking for different dates ( not just as a result of cancellation as required) they were ( maybe not now?) forcing seat availability open for reward bookings, but maybe I was just dreaming?
My guess is they would only allow a rebooking within the validity date of the original companion voucher? Of course, you could cancel it anyway and turn it into an FTV with extension to April 2022, but then would need reward seat availability in the future.
But, I’m sure I read somewhere (here or other FF websites) that on rebooking for different dates ( not just as a result of cancellation as required) they were ( maybe not now?) forcing seat availability open for reward bookings, but maybe I was just dreaming?
Sep 9, 2020, 2:58 am
#3797
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 250
yes if you do a change you will need reward availability and i assume your voucher would still need to be valid for the new dates. as you noted you can go via a FTV which will allow for voucher validity up to April 2022, but you would still need reward availability when you book.
Yeah, I was just wondering if there was another way to effectively wangle an extension to the voucher that might be more advantageous regarding reward availability over the FTV option, but I guess that would just be too generous!?
Sep 9, 2020, 7:20 am
#3798
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: UK
Programs: BA GGL, BA LTG/GFL, Honors Diamond, Accor Platinum, Bonvoy Silver
Posts: 718
As always, I would be very grateful for any thoughts.
I have several GUFs which following flight cancellations have been reinstated and extended by 6 months. They are likely going to expire, even as extended, prior to my being able to use them.
My aim is to prolong the key benefit of using a GUF by needing only revenue A or I buckets for an avios booking.
My strategy involves 3 members of my HHA. I wonder if this would work:
HHA#1 uses his 241 to book HHA#1 and HHA#2 on a simple economy flight, HHA#3 uses a GUF2 to upgrade that ticket to business. That definitely works no problem.
HHA#1 then cancels the booking and asks for an FTV wrapper for the tickets under BWC policy.
Queries:
1. Does the FTV encapsulate the GUF (as well as the 241, cash and avios) all valid until April 2022? This assumes that GUF Terms and Conditions remain the same of course.
2. Given it's an FTV issued in respect of HHA#1 and HHA#2 I understand that only HHA#1 and HHA#2 can use that FTV to travel (ie the GUF, 241, cash, avios) and the FTV cannot be used to book for, say, HHA#1 and HHA#3?
Thanks in advance.
I have several GUFs which following flight cancellations have been reinstated and extended by 6 months. They are likely going to expire, even as extended, prior to my being able to use them.
My aim is to prolong the key benefit of using a GUF by needing only revenue A or I buckets for an avios booking.
My strategy involves 3 members of my HHA. I wonder if this would work:
HHA#1 uses his 241 to book HHA#1 and HHA#2 on a simple economy flight, HHA#3 uses a GUF2 to upgrade that ticket to business. That definitely works no problem.
HHA#1 then cancels the booking and asks for an FTV wrapper for the tickets under BWC policy.
Queries:
1. Does the FTV encapsulate the GUF (as well as the 241, cash and avios) all valid until April 2022? This assumes that GUF Terms and Conditions remain the same of course.
2. Given it's an FTV issued in respect of HHA#1 and HHA#2 I understand that only HHA#1 and HHA#2 can use that FTV to travel (ie the GUF, 241, cash, avios) and the FTV cannot be used to book for, say, HHA#1 and HHA#3?
Thanks in advance.
Sep 9, 2020, 1:59 pm
#3799
Join Date: Mar 2003
Programs: BA GGL; AA LT Gold; AS 100K; DL MM GM; Hyatt G*list, Hilton Diamond; SQ silver
Posts: 3,806
I see, so actually the ticket is LHR-SFO-DEN-SFO-LHR? If it's something else then the following may not apply. There are three ways that ticket could be constructed, as LHR-DEN with stopovers allowed in the fare basis; LHR-SFO with DEN added "end-on"; as a combined pair of tickets LHR-SFO plus SFO-DEN. If it's the first example then going to SFO would reduce the return half by both the taxes and by an additional amount for the DEN-SFO sector, so you'd get back less than half probably. If it is the second then you essentially get half the fare back, perhaps slightly more than half due to APD. In the final construction then the BA sector would come back at 50%+ and there may be a change fee / fare difference on the SFO-DEN sector if that got changed along the way or the refund process triggers it. However almost certainly that last example would be under AA rules which have recently changed in your favour.
So I will likely cancel the whole return portion from DEN. I will use miles to go back most likely... I'll use the refund amount towards new tickets next year.
Last edited by DeltaFlyingProf; Sep 9, 2020 at 2:06 pm
Sep 9, 2020, 2:22 pm
#3800
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: 63,809
This is the sort of refund where I would do an estimate of my refund since if they make a mistake and calculate it as (e.g.) a voluntary refund you may still get a good whack back, but it will still be a bit short. Equally if they regard the SFO [stopover[ as the end point, assuming I've got your routing correct, this too could leave you short. BA never split out their fare refunds so the scope for mistakes is quite significant..
Sep 9, 2020, 2:48 pm
#3801
Join Date: Mar 2003
Programs: BA GGL; AA LT Gold; AS 100K; DL MM GM; Hyatt G*list, Hilton Diamond; SQ silver
Posts: 3,806
Trying to put the whole booking together, in view of the last sentence quoted, would this therefore be: CAI-LHR-SFO [stopover]-DFW-DEN out, back as SFO-LHR-CAI? And you have got as far as DEN as travelled? If so, then your ticket construction was probably a CAI-DEN return base fare, split in half. Then added to SFO-CAI, with base fare again halved, then the sector specific taxes added. In which case you ideally want to get the Involuntary Cancellation Refund fot at leat SFO-LHR-CAI, which will be around half of the total spend, well - somewhat less if you had to pay for APD in this on the LHR departing legs, presumably not. It would be best not to start the return trip at all so long as LHR-CAI stays cancelled, which I am sure it will be for the foreseeable.
This is the sort of refund where I would do an estimate of my refund since if they make a mistake and calculate it as (e.g.) a voluntary refund you may still get a good whack back, but it will still be a bit short. Equally if they regard the SFO [stopover[ as the end point, assuming I've got your routing correct, this too could leave you short. BA never split out their fare refunds so the scope for mistakes is quite significant..
This is the sort of refund where I would do an estimate of my refund since if they make a mistake and calculate it as (e.g.) a voluntary refund you may still get a good whack back, but it will still be a bit short. Equally if they regard the SFO [stopover[ as the end point, assuming I've got your routing correct, this too could leave you short. BA never split out their fare refunds so the scope for mistakes is quite significant..
DEN-DFW-SFO stopover SFO-LHR stopover LHR-CAI.
The segments DEN-DFW-SFO are in two weeks while SFO-LHR is in November and LHR-CAI in December.
By canceling the whole DEN-DFW-SFO-LHR-CAI I can thus expect half of the fare and a bit more due to the APD (not sure how much that is for LHR-CAI).
Do they tell you the amount of the refund when you call them? Or you have to wait for the back office to do it and if they make a mistake you then have to dispute it?
Sep 9, 2020, 3:31 pm
#3802
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: 63,809
The complication may be if in fact your fare is constructed some other way. Given the routing and stopovers there are probably hundreds of possibilities there. But if expect about half, plus a bit for APD, then you know whether to challenge this figure or not. You can get somewhat further detail if you go to your e-ticket email, where there should be further details, and start trying to reconcile the taxes you should pay and the ones that aren't relevant if you cancel.
Sep 9, 2020, 8:54 pm
#3803
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Bay Area, Ca
Posts: 543
We are 7 Californians booked SFO-LHR r/t 2-12 October. Booked last November. Right now there are apparently no vouchers or refunds available to us... What are the chances this will change before we are supposed to depart?
Sep 10, 2020, 3:46 am
#3804
Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 73
I have just had a flight schedule change for Brussels to Aberdeen via LHR in October and when I went on to Manage my Booking the new flight time from Brussels to London arrives after my connecting flight to Aberdeen departs but I have not been automatically rebooked on to the later flight to Aberdeen. When I went to change my times on Manage my Booking and did this manually to move to the next flight it was going to be charging me to change even though that would be the only available rebooking option. Do I just wait for BA to do this from their side without having to pay?
Sep 10, 2020, 3:48 am
#3805
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,966
I have just had a flight schedule change for Brussels to Aberdeen via LHR in October and when I went on to Manage my Booking the new flight time from Brussels to London arrives after my connecting flight to Aberdeen departs but I have not been automatically rebooked on to the later flight to Aberdeen. When I went to change my times on Manage my Booking and did this manually to move to the next flight it was going to be charging me to change even though that would be the only available rebooking option. Do I just wait for BA to do this from their side without having to pay?
Sep 10, 2020, 3:56 am
#3806
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: 63,809
Crystal ball stuff this. Not so much for SFO, but travel between UK and USA remains severely limited by multiple restrictions so I personally I would expect BWC to be extended at least to the USA and Canada in October. But that's just a guess.
Sep 11, 2020, 7:08 pm
#3807
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: UK/Australia
Programs: BAEC Silver, UA2MM, QF Platinum, VA Platinum., Volare Executive Club
Posts: 2,512
No. Any cancellation you do atm would be per the fare rules. If you booked this on/after 3 March you can get a FTV. If you booked before 3 March then it wouldn’t be covered yet by FTV as that is only for travel up to end of September - that could be extended of course.
as you say, if any flight gets cancelled you can get a full refund.
as you say, if any flight gets cancelled you can get a full refund.
Sep 11, 2020, 11:47 pm
#3808
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,709
As luck would have it, both flights on my ticket (BUD-LHR-ATH) have just been cancelled. BA has tentatively rebooked me on the closest flights, meaning that I would be leaving BUD about 3 hours earlier, and I would arrive in ATH about an hour earlier. Normally this would be quite acceptable, but as I won't now be in BUD this year, I assume I can go ahead and request a full cash refund (by phone). Any problems with this?
Sep 11, 2020, 11:50 pm
#3809
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: UK/Australia
Programs: BAEC Silver, UA2MM, QF Platinum, VA Platinum., Volare Executive Club
Posts: 2,512
Sep 12, 2020, 12:32 am
#3810
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Edinburgh
Programs: BA Gold, FB Gold
Posts: 83
I've just phoned - waited on hold for 20mins only to find out that BA holidays dept doesn't open til 8am...
I was very sympathetic in March at long call wait tiimes etc - but this is September. It's pathetic that BA can't get itself sorted out - even to implement a reasonable call system i.e. tell someone when the lines are open! - after this length of time.
I was very sympathetic in March at long call wait tiimes etc - but this is September. It's pathetic that BA can't get itself sorted out - even to implement a reasonable call system i.e. tell someone when the lines are open! - after this length of time.