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*
Dec 4, 2020, 3:20 am
#4801
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Stafford, England, UK
Programs: BA Executive club
Posts: 140
Cancellation / Downgrade
Hi everyone.
id be grateful for some advice about my options - apologies if this has been covered elsewhere.
I have a BAH booking for august 21. Flying Heathrow - Calgary (club) and return Toronto - Heathrow (first) with just 1 nights hotel booking.
I have had an email this morning saying our seats have been changed and to login to accept. In MMB, this says that the return flight has been cancelled. I am assuming that this is because there is no longer first on the flight? There is no alternative at all in MMB, just the outbound flight and a button to ‘accept the change’
I was just wondering what is best to do here. The wedding we were due to attend has been cancelled, so we don’t need to be in Canada specifically for these dates. However, this was a very good price (I doubt we will get any other transatlantic flights for a similar price) and we will want a trip during the summer.
Is there the ability to rebook and change the destination, and/or the dates due to the cancellation?
would the flexibility here only apply to the return flight?
Or would it just be accept a downgrade / get a refund?
Any advice on how best to approach this with BA would be great. I appreciate there are likely to be further schedule changes, and we might not even be able to enter Canada by the summer so a lot can change!!
Thank you in advance
id be grateful for some advice about my options - apologies if this has been covered elsewhere.
I have a BAH booking for august 21. Flying Heathrow - Calgary (club) and return Toronto - Heathrow (first) with just 1 nights hotel booking.
I have had an email this morning saying our seats have been changed and to login to accept. In MMB, this says that the return flight has been cancelled. I am assuming that this is because there is no longer first on the flight? There is no alternative at all in MMB, just the outbound flight and a button to ‘accept the change’
I was just wondering what is best to do here. The wedding we were due to attend has been cancelled, so we don’t need to be in Canada specifically for these dates. However, this was a very good price (I doubt we will get any other transatlantic flights for a similar price) and we will want a trip during the summer.
Is there the ability to rebook and change the destination, and/or the dates due to the cancellation?
would the flexibility here only apply to the return flight?
Or would it just be accept a downgrade / get a refund?
Any advice on how best to approach this with BA would be great. I appreciate there are likely to be further schedule changes, and we might not even be able to enter Canada by the summer so a lot can change!!
Thank you in advance
Dec 4, 2020, 3:29 am
#4802
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond *, IHG, Couples Romance Rewards
Posts: 2,350
Hi everyone.
id be grateful for some advice about my options - apologies if this has been covered elsewhere.
I have a BAH booking for august 21. Flying Heathrow - Calgary (club) and return Toronto - Heathrow (first) with just 1 nights hotel booking.
I have had an email this morning saying our seats have been changed and to login to accept. In MMB, this says that the return flight has been cancelled. I am assuming that this is because there is no longer first on the flight? There is no alternative at all in MMB, just the outbound flight and a button to ‘accept the change’
I was just wondering what is best to do here. The wedding we were due to attend has been cancelled, so we don’t need to be in Canada specifically for these dates. However, this was a very good price (I doubt we will get any other transatlantic flights for a similar price) and we will want a trip during the summer.
Is there the ability to rebook and change the destination, and/or the dates due to the cancellation?
would the flexibility here only apply to the return flight?
Or would it just be accept a downgrade / get a refund?
Any advice on how best to approach this with BA would be great. I appreciate there are likely to be further schedule changes, and we might not even be able to enter Canada by the summer so a lot can change!!
Thank you in advance
id be grateful for some advice about my options - apologies if this has been covered elsewhere.
I have a BAH booking for august 21. Flying Heathrow - Calgary (club) and return Toronto - Heathrow (first) with just 1 nights hotel booking.
I have had an email this morning saying our seats have been changed and to login to accept. In MMB, this says that the return flight has been cancelled. I am assuming that this is because there is no longer first on the flight? There is no alternative at all in MMB, just the outbound flight and a button to ‘accept the change’
I was just wondering what is best to do here. The wedding we were due to attend has been cancelled, so we don’t need to be in Canada specifically for these dates. However, this was a very good price (I doubt we will get any other transatlantic flights for a similar price) and we will want a trip during the summer.
Is there the ability to rebook and change the destination, and/or the dates due to the cancellation?
would the flexibility here only apply to the return flight?
Or would it just be accept a downgrade / get a refund?
Any advice on how best to approach this with BA would be great. I appreciate there are likely to be further schedule changes, and we might not even be able to enter Canada by the summer so a lot can change!!
Thank you in advance
Dec 4, 2020, 3:35 am
#4803
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: 63,791
Yes, you have a lot of flexibility here in terms of potential date changes or refunds, you don't have to accept what you have been offered. It's probably an equipment change though, I could be more definitive about this if we have the details of the return flight, but for example BA92 on 22 August is now a 3 class 777. Equally I can be more definitive about your options if you could identify what you actually want to do. But yes, your best bet is to leave the booking as it is until much nearer the time, see above for examples of this. If you are definitely not going to travel then just ring up for a full refund.
Dec 4, 2020, 3:46 am
#4804
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Stafford, England, UK
Programs: BA Executive club
Posts: 140
Yes, you have a lot of flexibility here in terms of potential date changes or refunds, you don't have to accept what you have been offered. It's probably an equipment change though, I could be more definitive about this if we have the details of the return flight, but for example BA92 on 22 August is now a 3 class 777. Equally I can be more definitive about your options if you could identify what you actually want to do. But yes, your best bet is to leave the booking as it is until much nearer the time, see above for examples of this. If you are definitely not going to travel then just ring up for a full refund.
The ‘cancelled’ flight is BA0092 - 16 August
I have just this second had a text message from BA, saying that I have 72 hours to do one fo the following:
1. Accept the alternative flight (but I don’t seem to have been offered one),
2. Request a call back to discuss different flights, dates or destinations
3. cancel for a voucher
4. cancel for a refund
if I don’t reply, they will proceed to refund
This specifically mentions different destinations. Do you happen to know the criteria for this? For example, would we be able to change this to the states, or is there a limit in distance? And would this just be restricted to the return flight?
Dec 4, 2020, 4:08 am
#4805
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: 63,791
OK, so it's just a simple downgrade to CW. You have been switched to a 787-8, which doesn't have First. Toronto was a moveable feast for First even before the pandemic, and going forward there will be a lot fewer First seats in BA's network, that's just a fact of life. So in a narrow sense all you need to do is to accept the CW offer, if that is what you want. I'm still a bit unclear as to what it is that you want mind! The problem here is the hotel side, it doesn't sound logical to fly to the USA if the hotel stays the same, and that is what makes your booking a Package Tour booking, so again a lot hinges on what you want to do. Because Canada has closed up their borders fairly comprehensively BAH are somewhat obliged to offer the refund, unless - for example - you are exempt from the restrictions. On the other hand BAH will be happy to refund the booking and rebook in the USA, but then you lose the flexibility of the current situation. I think Calgary is an unlikely prospect too, for example. I don't think there is any value in calling BAH unless you have a pretty clear idea of what you want to do.
Dec 4, 2020, 5:49 am
#4806
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Stafford, England, UK
Programs: BA Executive club
Posts: 140
Great thanks for your help - just need to have a think before calling BAH
Dec 4, 2020, 8:20 am
#4807
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Mexico
Programs: BAEC Gold / Marriott Platinum
Posts: 3,543
Have MEX-LHR-BCN return in March. Both BCN legs changed tody. One a simple time change and other a new flight number. The tickets are WTP, UUA to CW. What are my options for rebooking? Is asking to rebook just direct to London permissable under BWC? Tickets were booked August, so date wise I'm ok for anything in 2021 before then.
Dec 4, 2020, 8:52 am
#4808
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: 63,791
Have MEX-LHR-BCN return in March. Both BCN legs changed tody. One a simple time change and other a new flight number. The tickets are WTP, UUA to CW. What are my options for rebooking? Is asking to rebook just direct to London permissable under BWC? Tickets were booked August, so date wise I'm ok for anything in 2021 before then.
Dec 4, 2020, 8:54 am
#4809
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Mexico
Programs: BAEC Gold / Marriott Platinum
Posts: 3,543
The new flight number is a cancellation, so you can ask for that sector to be deleted and refunded, or you can ask for the whole ticket to be refunded. Or you can be rebooked to new dates and times. I am not sure you can delete both legs if the other sector only has a small time change, if it is over 5 hours then you can. You can of course ask to see if they will simply remove both BCN legs in the circumstances. Given this flight is a long way off, you may want to do nothing for the time being and see what happens.
Appreciate the help
Dec 4, 2020, 2:26 pm
#4810
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: London(ish)
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 565
Are BA Correct?
Sorry about the clickbate title but need an answer pretty quickly please. (Forgive me)
I want to book an Avios 241 return but when I called BA to use my commercial flight booking FTV to pay for the taxes of a complete new 241 booking. She said I couldn't.
Surely this can't be right?
Any advice please all?
I want to book an Avios 241 return but when I called BA to use my commercial flight booking FTV to pay for the taxes of a complete new 241 booking. She said I couldn't.
Surely this can't be right?
Any advice please all?
Dec 4, 2020, 2:31 pm
#4811
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: 63,791
She was correct. There are IATA protocols for commercial ticketing and FTVs sit inside these protocols. Reward tickets have a totally different internal structure and are outside that IATA protocol for commercial tickets. Hence commercial FTVs cannot be used on redemption tickets, and indeed vice versa, for similar reasons why you can't add a commercial flight to a redemption ticket. It's the old apples and pears syndrome.
You should be able to use the commercial FTV on a BAH booking if that helps.
You should be able to use the commercial FTV on a BAH booking if that helps.
Dec 4, 2020, 2:54 pm
#4812
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: London(ish)
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 565
She was correct. There are IATA protocols for commercial ticketing and FTVs sit inside these protocols. Reward tickets have a totally different internal structure and are outside that IATA protocol for commercial tickets. Hence commercial FTVs cannot be used on redemption tickets, and indeed vice versa, for similar reasons why you can't add a commercial flight to a redemption ticket. It's the old apples and pears syndrome.
You should be able to use the commercial FTV on a BAH booking if that helps.
You should be able to use the commercial FTV on a BAH booking if that helps.
I just needed confirmation to save a second phone call.
Shame they couldn't cross these two so that the vouchers were ultimate in flexibility but I get it, its complex!
Have a good one!
Dec 4, 2020, 4:42 pm
#4813
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 9
Rebooked to different destination
Hi all,
So, bit of an odd one and not sure if I'll get away with it.
I booked LHR-HKG return in First and have since decided that our final destination probably won't open it's borders in time, and neither will Vietnam I'd imagine.
I first called up You First and spoke to an agent who told me I could rebook to a different destination. So I discussed with Mrs Tentatively and we decided on Mexico.
Called back to be told that you could only rebook in the same zone, the agent was adamant and wouldn't hear anything different. Fair enough if those are the rules.
I figured I'd chance my luck and called back later, spoke to a different agent at length after checking the zones and their thresholds. After making the point that really there's only 500 or so miles difference and that MEX should really fit into zone 7 at 5540 miles, they got LHR-MEX authorised, retaining the 50% discount.
The only snag is it's not yet ticketed. I'm fairly new to this in comparison to others, what are my chances?
So, bit of an odd one and not sure if I'll get away with it.
I booked LHR-HKG return in First and have since decided that our final destination probably won't open it's borders in time, and neither will Vietnam I'd imagine.
I first called up You First and spoke to an agent who told me I could rebook to a different destination. So I discussed with Mrs Tentatively and we decided on Mexico.
Called back to be told that you could only rebook in the same zone, the agent was adamant and wouldn't hear anything different. Fair enough if those are the rules.
I figured I'd chance my luck and called back later, spoke to a different agent at length after checking the zones and their thresholds. After making the point that really there's only 500 or so miles difference and that MEX should really fit into zone 7 at 5540 miles, they got LHR-MEX authorised, retaining the 50% discount.
The only snag is it's not yet ticketed. I'm fairly new to this in comparison to others, what are my chances?
Dec 4, 2020, 6:29 pm
#4814
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,945
Hi all,
So, bit of an odd one and not sure if I'll get away with it.
I booked LHR-HKG return in First and have since decided that our final destination probably won't open it's borders in time, and neither will Vietnam I'd imagine.
I first called up You First and spoke to an agent who told me I could rebook to a different destination. So I discussed with Mrs Tentatively and we decided on Mexico.
Called back to be told that you could only rebook in the same zone, the agent was adamant and wouldn't hear anything different. Fair enough if those are the rules.
I figured I'd chance my luck and called back later, spoke to a different agent at length after checking the zones and their thresholds. After making the point that really there's only 500 or so miles difference and that MEX should really fit into zone 7 at 5540 miles, they got LHR-MEX authorised, retaining the 50% discount.
The only snag is it's not yet ticketed. I'm fairly new to this in comparison to others, what are my chances?
So, bit of an odd one and not sure if I'll get away with it.
I booked LHR-HKG return in First and have since decided that our final destination probably won't open it's borders in time, and neither will Vietnam I'd imagine.
I first called up You First and spoke to an agent who told me I could rebook to a different destination. So I discussed with Mrs Tentatively and we decided on Mexico.
Called back to be told that you could only rebook in the same zone, the agent was adamant and wouldn't hear anything different. Fair enough if those are the rules.
I figured I'd chance my luck and called back later, spoke to a different agent at length after checking the zones and their thresholds. After making the point that really there's only 500 or so miles difference and that MEX should really fit into zone 7 at 5540 miles, they got LHR-MEX authorised, retaining the 50% discount.
The only snag is it's not yet ticketed. I'm fairly new to this in comparison to others, what are my chances?
In terms of retaining the discount, again for any voluntary changes to these bookings you should have to pay the extra avios due for the normal rate. Again it might be you get away with this, but I would be concerned that the same happens to you as noted in this post when the ticket gets re-issued https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/32862663-post492.html
Dec 5, 2020, 2:56 am
#4815
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: 63,791
I also suspect you have gotten away with it here and that it will ticket eventually. But it wouldn't be surprising - or particularly concerning - if it took a few weeks or even months before you are ticketed, that is done by date priority.