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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
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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 Sep 29, 2020, 4:37 am
  #3991  
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,990
Originally Posted by JessicaB
Oh thanks KARFA, really appreciate you checking this. Yes I am transiting air-side but there are immigration people on the air-bridge when you get off the flight from SDQ and also two more immigration checks when transiting to a flight to London.
I don't think there are immigration checks when transiting MAD from SDQ to London. You would be doing a T4S to T4S connection which does not involve immigration, simply a security check.

Alternately if your flight back to London goes from the small non-Schengen area at the south end of T4 (typically if a IB flight) there is usually a dummy gate in T4S where you go and board a bus directly to the plane so you do not go through immigration or have to use the transit train to T4.
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Old Sep 29, 2020, 4:41 am
  #3992  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: Executive Club
Posts: 1,115
Originally Posted by KARFA
I don't think there are immigration checks when transiting MAD from SDQ to London. You would be doing a T4S to T4S connection which does not involve immigration, simply a security check.

Alternately if your flight back to London goes from the small non-Schengen area at the south end of T4 (typically if a IB flight) there is usually a dummy gate in T4S where you go and board a bus directly to the plane so you do not go through immigration or have to use the transit train to T4.
Every time I've done it before the immigration people are out in force just outside the aircraft door. I think it's something they do specially for Dom Rep. My flight has always gone from the non-Schengen area you mentioned in the past, but I've always taken the train. I've never heard of the dummy gate before, do you know where I can more information on this?

In any case, I want to be sure that I would get through any immigration as if there's any doubt I am not sure Iberia would let me check in at SDQ for the return.
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Old Sep 29, 2020, 4:51 am
  #3993  
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Originally Posted by JessicaB
Every time I've done it before the immigration people are out in force just outside the aircraft door. I think it's something they do specially for Dom Rep. My flight has always gone from the non-Schengen area you mentioned in the past, but I've always taken the train. I've never heard of the dummy gate before, do you know where I can more information on this?
Immigration offices on a jetbridge are just doing a cursory check of a passport, they are not checking your ability to enter the country quite simply because you are not at that stage. (EIT: these are usually targeted checks for drugs, trafficking etc.)

The dummy gate is just any normal T4S gate which they use to board you on to the bus. When you arrive you will see a T4S gate shown for your LHR flight on the screens. You can ignore that and go through immigration, on the transit, and then exit immigration at T4 to the non-Schengen gates if you want, but clearly you would not be able to do that anyway atm when arriving from SDQ. The whole purpose of the system is to allow people to transit from a non-schengen country on to a non-Schengen country without having to enter Spain.

Last edited by KARFA; Sep 29, 2020 at 4:58 am
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Old Sep 29, 2020, 4:59 am
  #3994  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: Executive Club
Posts: 1,115
Originally Posted by KARFA
Immigration offices on a jetbridge are just doing a cursory check of a passport, they are not checking your ability to enter the country quite simply because you are not at that stage.

The dummy gate is just any normal T4S gate which they use to board you on to the bus. When you arrive you will see a T4S gate shown for your LHR flight on the screens. You can ignore that and go through immigration, on the transit, and then exit immigration at T4 to the non-Schengen gates if you want, but clearly you would not be able to do that anyway atm when arriving from SDQ. The whole purpose of the system is to allow people to transit from a non-schengen country on to a non-Schengen country without having to enter Spain.
Thanks a million, that's incredibly helpful.
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Old Sep 29, 2020, 6:20 am
  #3995  
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Oddly just had BA fully refund my holiday so can't complain too much.

Didn't think that this was an option.
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Old Sep 29, 2020, 7:14 am
  #3996  
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: OW
Posts: 226
Sorry, as I'm sure this has probably been asked before but can e- (not FT) Vouchers be used for someone else where the named voucher holder is not travelling and the "someone else" was not travelling on the original booking (i.e. using my voucher for mother in law)? TIA
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Old Sep 29, 2020, 7:51 am
  #3997  
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: TPA/ABZ
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold. GGL/CCR.
Posts: 13,252
Originally Posted by eh220160
Sorry, as I'm sure this has probably been asked before but can e- (not FT) Vouchers be used for someone else where the named voucher holder is not travelling and the "someone else" was not travelling on the original booking (i.e. using my voucher for mother in law)? TIA
Yes. See terms here:

https://www.britishairways.com/trave...r/public/en_gb
  1. The eVoucher is personal to you and is not for resale or transfer. Sale, auction or re-tendering of the eVoucher for money or otherwise is strictly prohibited. Please note that you can make a booking on behalf of someone else.
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Old Sep 29, 2020, 7:53 am
  #3998  
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: OW
Posts: 226
Originally Posted by golfmad
Yes. See terms here:

https://www.britishairways.com/trave...r/public/en_gb
  1. The eVoucher is personal to you and is not for resale or transfer. Sale, auction or re-tendering of the eVoucher for money or otherwise is strictly prohibited. Please note that you can make a booking on behalf of someone else.
Thanks - that's what I thought but none of the 5 people I've spoken to in the BA call centre will let me (need to call as want to combine 2x e-vouchers into a single new booking). Will try again...
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Old Sep 29, 2020, 10:10 am
  #3999  
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: LHR
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 381
I've got an eVoucher with residual value, that I'd like to use to make a new Avios booking and pay for the RFS taxes/fees (£17.50). I know it's not an option when I try to book online, would the call centre be able to use it?
Trying to avoid a call if someone knows the answer (and my apologies if this was posted upthread, I did try to search but failed to find an answer).
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Old Sep 29, 2020, 10:58 am
  #4000  
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Originally Posted by mzb00
I've got an eVoucher with residual value, that I'd like to use to make a new Avios booking and pay for the RFS taxes/fees (£17.50). I know it's not an option when I try to book online, would the call centre be able to use it?
Yes. You can't do that with an FTV but you can with an eVoucher by calling up.
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Old Sep 29, 2020, 11:41 am
  #4001  
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
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May be useful for anyone dealing with schedule changes (so retiming of a flight rather than cancellation and rebook on a different flight). It seems BA has now changed the time change threshold to qualify for a full refund.

Previously for a Schedule Change on BA under standard guidelines it said:

If connecting flights are on the same ticket, then 120 minutes is the schedule change from point of origin to the point of destination, including the time to transfer
See this post back in July where I copied it in the thread https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/32549963-post3135.html

The amount of change needed has now been changed to 4 hours:

Option 3 - Full or Part Refund (available when schedule change is more than 240 minutes from the original departure time)
If connecting flights are on the same ticket, then 240 minutes is the schedule change from point of origin to the point of destination, including the time to transfer
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Last edited by KARFA; Sep 30, 2020 at 6:00 am
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Old Sep 29, 2020, 11:55 am
  #4002  
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: LHR
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 381
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
Yes. You can't do that with an FTV but you can with an eVoucher by calling up.
Thanks cws! I called up. The Avios team couldn't do it, was transferred to the commercial sales team who also claimed they couldn't do it. The issue seemed to have been that the voucher was issued for a commercial ticket (not an Avios one), and as such can only be used towards a commercial ticket again.
They sounded pretty clear on it, so didn't press (and the residual value of the voucher is around £8). Booked online and paid the taxes/fees instead.
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Old Sep 29, 2020, 12:08 pm
  #4003  
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Posts: 2,975
Looks like I was lucky.

Less than 3 weeks before departure to Portugal and I didn't realise that this deadline even existed.

Rebooked and saved about 40% so can't grumble.

Of course rebooking means that we can't now cancel.
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Old Sep 29, 2020, 12:39 pm
  #4004  
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 8
I don't suppose anyone knows if BA are actually carrying passenger to JNB in the next few days?????
I know they are flying cargo, would they be cancelling a flight do you think..
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Old Sep 29, 2020, 12:55 pm
  #4005  
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Posts: 63,846
Originally Posted by Acephalgic
I don't suppose anyone knows if BA are actually carrying passenger to JNB in the next few days?????
I know they are flying cargo, would they be cancelling a flight do you think..
As things stand, they are selling tickets from Thursday 1 October. This will now be awkward (but not impossible) to reverse.
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