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*
#4681
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Executive Club - Silver (OWS)
Posts: 768
This would be a guess on my part, but I'm fairly sure the outcome would be that you would end up with an FTV for the full amount of the booking, with no separate return of the eVoucher. As far as I can recall, all FTVs have been on this basis, there haven't been any part value FTVs.
#4682
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Scotland, Spain
Programs: Skywards Gold, Amex Plat, SkyTeam Silver
Posts: 1,165
Just had my PMI-LHR-GLA booking cancelled.
BA.com is giving me no other options for that day or say before/after. Is it reasonable to be asked to move onto a IB codeshare?
Booking make direct with BA.com, and if so, what's the best number to call. (No status)
Thanks
BA.com is giving me no other options for that day or say before/after. Is it reasonable to be asked to move onto a IB codeshare?
Booking make direct with BA.com, and if so, what's the best number to call. (No status)
Thanks
#4683
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: 63,804
0344 493 0787 option 1
or +34 902 111 333 if already in Spain.
Full contact information is available via this shortcut:
ba.com/contact
#4684
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,021
Under the current rules, going via MAD would mean 14 days isolation on return.
#4686
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Scotland, Spain
Programs: Skywards Gold, Amex Plat, SkyTeam Silver
Posts: 1,165
#4687
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Scotland, Spain
Programs: Skywards Gold, Amex Plat, SkyTeam Silver
Posts: 1,165
Booking with Iberia should be ok (it doesn't need to be a codeshare either). The online facility doesn't work on what is a complex change like that, so you will need to call. The two numbers often used are:
0344 493 0787 option 1
or +34 902 111 333 if already in Spain.
Full contact information is available via this shortcut:
ba.com/contact
0344 493 0787 option 1
or +34 902 111 333 if already in Spain.
Full contact information is available via this shortcut:
ba.com/contact
#4688
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL / GfL
Posts: 3,261
Sorry if this has been asked before, but accepting a change to Aer Lingus Y vs BA CE on the LHR - DUB route due to BA’s cancellations - does that just mean we are transported to our destination or is there additional rebates due? (Not trying to be mean to BA here - just curious)
Pilot37
Pilot37
#4689
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: 63,804
Sorry if this has been asked before, but accepting a change to Aer Lingus Y vs BA CE on the LHR - DUB route due to BA’s cancellations - does that just mean we are transported to our destination or is there additional rebates due? (Not trying to be mean to BA here - just curious)
#4690
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 758
I booked an award flight from BKK to LON in December 2019. My plan changed and I decided to move the flight to November 2020 paying the date change fee.
BA cancelled the flight and I asked for the refund but the agent told me that the change fee can't be refunded.
Was he right?
BA cancelled the flight and I asked for the refund but the agent told me that the change fee can't be refunded.
Was he right?
#4691
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,964
I booked an award flight from BKK to LON in December 2019. My plan changed and I decided to move the flight to November 2020 paying the date change fee.
BA cancelled the flight and I asked for the refund but the agent told me that the change fee can't be refunded.
Was he right?
BA cancelled the flight and I asked for the refund but the agent told me that the change fee can't be refunded.
Was he right?
#4692
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: TPA/ABZ
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold. GGL/CCR.
Posts: 13,248
I booked an award flight from BKK to LON in December 2019. My plan changed and I decided to move the flight to November 2020 paying the date change fee.
BA cancelled the flight and I asked for the refund but the agent told me that the change fee can't be refunded.
Was he right?
BA cancelled the flight and I asked for the refund but the agent told me that the change fee can't be refunded.
Was he right?
#4694
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 1,281
#4695
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,964
EC 261 requires a refund of the "full cost of the ticket at the price at which it was bought". Given that the draftsman described it as the "full cost" rather than simply the "cost", and that the refund be at "the price..was bought" there might be an argument to be made about the regulation seeking to put every penny in scope for a refund. But I don't think anyone is making the argument for £30 or thereabouts.
the OP additionally paid for a service of a change, and that service was performed. it would be inappropriate to receive a refund for a service the OP has received.