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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 Nov 22, 2020, 8:18 am
  #4711  
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Lincolnshire, UK
Programs: BA GGL - maybe only briefly!
Posts: 1,378
Originally Posted by steve170461
My stepson has just received this from BA. The cancelled flight is QR metal but on a BA codeshare. The alternative offered is just a QR flight with no mention of a codeshare and arrives in HKT 20 hours later than first planned! Does the fact that the flight is a codeshare change his rights to cancel the whole itinerary? He is reluctant to cancel the whole trip at this point so is wondering if the first leg can be changed to BA to BKK and then onto Bangkok Airways? What would you do in faced with this change. His return is on the same PNR but on BA BKK-LHR
I may be missing something but it only seems to arrive 6 hours later than planned, rather than 20, but with an unfortunately long connection in Doha. But it looks like a 777 with Q-suites so not so bad for the second leg.

Would the QR flight number help or hinder any Al Mourjan lounge access issues after the latest business fare changes? I think, BA tickets were supposed to be OK?)

Last edited by vintagepilot; Nov 22, 2020 at 9:54 am
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Old Nov 22, 2020, 9:53 am
  #4712  
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denmark
Programs: TK Elite
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I assume that your stepson is aware that most likely the 14 days mandatory quarantine for non-thai nationals arriving into Thailand will still be applicable by February. The quarantine rules require isolation in a hotel room at an approved ASQ hotel (at rates around 50-60,000 for 14/15 night B which prohibitively expensive for Thai hotels)

Assuming that there is a later QR LHR-DOH flight that connects better with the re-timed HKT flight why not ask to be rebook to a later same-day departure from LHR? I agree with the previous poster that this is far from a 20 hours delay into HKT (in fact I would prefer to arrive early afternoon in Thailand rather than early morning)

Last edited by SK AAR; Nov 22, 2020 at 9:58 am
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Old Nov 22, 2020, 10:01 am
  #4713  
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Programs: BA Gold, HHonors, Virgin
Posts: 766
Thanks for the replies. My bad maths I'm afraid on the total delay and indeed 6+ hours is correct. Unfortunately for him this is a Y booking so Q suites are a non factor (although he was treating himself to BA J on the way back). He's aware of the quarantine rules in force at present but has eternal hopes that they may be lifted-as do we as he is meeting us out there if our own trip takes place.
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Old Nov 22, 2020, 11:30 am
  #4714  
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Originally Posted by steve170461
He's aware of the quarantine rules in force at present but has eternal hopes that they may be lifted-as do we as he is meeting us out there if our own trip takes place.
For traveling in February I'm afraid that the chances are extremely slim - the quarantine rules for foreigners will most likely stay in place until pax arriving into Thailand have received Covid-19 vaccinations.
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Old Nov 23, 2020, 9:10 am
  #4715  
 
Join Date: Jul 2020
Programs: BA EC
Posts: 41
If you are auto re-booked as a result of a cancellation, do you have to 'Accept Flight' in MMB before you are booked on it? What happens if you do not - do you get moved anyway or do you end up without a flight?
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Old Nov 23, 2020, 9:46 am
  #4716  
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: 63,807
Originally Posted by MaxiStoat
If you are auto re-booked as a result of a cancellation, do you have to 'Accept Flight' in MMB before you are booked on it? What happens if you do not - do you get moved anyway or do you end up without a flight?
You won't get moved anyway, but you will need to do something if you want to OLCI on the new flight. You are unlikely to end up without a flight if you left it too late, but it could happen - typically a day or two before departure - if they are managing standby passengers around this. Currently there won't be many cases of that happening. The other risk is if ticket re-issue or revalidation fails close to departure, and then you have to call up to get prioritised. But in the round, if you are unsure about whether this is the right thing for you, it makes sense to hold off agreeing to the new flight until you are pretty sure it's the best solution. Usually you only get one rebook option per irrop.
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Old Nov 23, 2020, 10:16 am
  #4717  
 
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 335
Head spinning. Help needed

Just had another series of flight cancellations. 3 out of 4 on the booking in question. Looks like the JER and AMS timetables are out for Dec. The destination is probably not doable at Christmas this year anyway. If I change the destination what would be my extra costs? Is effectively start from scratch cancel then rebook? I'm sure you have covered this but I've had so many cancellations this year I'm losing the plot. Thanks in advance.

I will probably do the trip next year sometime in early summer so I could move it but how long before I have take that decision.
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Old Nov 23, 2020, 10:28 am
  #4718  
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
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Originally Posted by Jerseylily2
Just had another series of flight cancellations. 3 out of 4 on the booking in question. Looks like the JER and AMS timetables are out for Dec. The destination is probably not doable at Christmas this year anyway. If I change the destination what would be my extra costs? Is effectively start from scratch cancel then rebook? I'm sure you have covered this but I've had so many cancellations this year I'm losing the plot. Thanks in advance.

I will probably do the trip next year sometime in early summer so I could move it but how long before I have take that decision.
Unless this new destination is within 300 miles of the original one, it is start from scratch basically. Any value you have on your original booking will be put towards the new one, but any additional fare due would have to be paid.
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Old Nov 23, 2020, 10:31 am
  #4719  
 
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 335
OK KARFA. And re the rule for moving booking with no destination change say to next may? Is that no charge?
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Old Nov 23, 2020, 10:36 am
  #4720  
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Location: Leeds, UK
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Posts: 42,965
Originally Posted by Jerseylily2
OK KARFA. And re the rule for moving booking with no destination change say to next may? Is that no charge?
Yes if you want to move the booking to any date within ticket validity at no cost as a result of a cancelled flight, it would be for the same route. There is some debate whether the 300 mile allowance is also supposed to apply for that too but it seems agents are generally saying no.

There would be no cost for this move of dates (no fees or fare difference) and you just need space in the same cabin, same selling class availability isn't required.
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Old Nov 23, 2020, 10:38 am
  #4721  
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: BA GGL & CCR, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 15
Have a 5 person booking cash + avios upgrade. Under the current cancellation policy, if 1 member of the party is unable to fly due to having COVID is there anyway to cancel just their bit of the booking if the others intend to still fly? Or is it a case of just suck it up and try travel insurance.
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Old Nov 23, 2020, 10:40 am
  #4722  
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Originally Posted by Tullstr
Have a 5 person booking cash + avios upgrade. Under the current cancellation policy, if 1 member of the party is unable to fly due to having COVID is there anyway to cancel just their bit of the booking if the others intend to still fly? Or is it a case of just suck it up and try travel insurance.
you could split the booking so the ill person is in a booking on their own, then take a future travel voucher or change it under book with confidence if they are unable to travel on the original dates.
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Old Nov 23, 2020, 10:44 am
  #4723  
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: BA GGL & CCR, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 15
Would the fact we used a GGL redemption restrict the ability to do that?
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Old Nov 23, 2020, 10:49 am
  #4724  
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Join Date: Apr 2012
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Posts: 42,965
The GGL doesn't need to be on the booking so to that extent it isn't a problem.

It may be they say you would need 2 jokers to cover 2 bookings now, but if that is the case I would think you can undo the UuA on the solo person so that isn't a probelm.
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Old Nov 23, 2020, 10:51 am
  #4725  
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 153
Got a 2-4-1 LHR-JNB in F coming up in early March which I am going to cancel due to Covid as I am in an at risk group (long and boring story which I won't bore you with).

More than happy to get a FTV and rebooking to somewhere else later in the year but what happens if I use the FTV (with the same 2-4-1) to book outbound then have to leave it for a couple of weeks to book the inbound at -T355.

Does the FTV just stay on the account till the return flights are available or do they issue another one for the difference? Would like to know what exactly happens so I don't make a mistake and don't muck up the timings if I have to wait for a new FTV or have to invest in some extra Avios.
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