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*
#4861
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: 63,803
So what are my options please? I guess I will get refund of the fare difference automatically (reduction of balance outstanding?), but I understand from other similar threats that, under EU261, I may be able to claim 75% reimbursement of the total fare? For that I understand I need to wait until we have completed the journey?
If you accept the downgrade then yes you get a reimbursement. It's not as high as 75%, it depends on distance and taxes and several other factors. See the EC261 thread, and the wiki, which has links to the Mennens formula. You can only claim that after travel, after all they could hardly refund this beforehand given that then you could cancel the trip altogether.
#4862
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: 63,803
Firstly leave it a week or two. Codeshares may also have been broken too, which takes a while to come back. But you are on two different systems here, so the MCT may never be resolved until you call up, so you best ask in the AA forum since their policies apply.
#4863
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: 63,803
Apologies if this is in the wrong place, I made a booking last year under the 50% reduction deal on Avios in First to Denver and also used my Amex 241, I got an email last night cancelling the return First ticket on BA218 at the end of March2021 and rebooking me in to CW. All I have is click accept button or contact the call centre. What are my rights in regards to this booking - do I get a credit of the difference between First and Club Miles, can I ask for the booking to be moved maybe going for different destination later in year or would I then lose the 50% discount.
#4864
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 250
You can rebook to another date, you can switch to another Joint Business service, you can switch to another location within 300 miles (perhaps, though that's more for full cancellations) are some of the options, it may be easier if you could indicate what is your preferred option, apart, I guess, from the restoration of the First cabin. We better get used to that, in common with many other airlines the First product has had a battering from this pandemic. If you decide - for example - to go to somewhere completely different then it's the FTV option, possibly, but you are on a BAH booking so the range of potential outcomes is enormous.
If you accept the downgrade then yes you get a reimbursement. It's not as high as 75%, it depends on distance and taxes and several other factors. See the EC261 thread, and the wiki, which has links to the Mennens formula. You can only claim that after travel, after all they could hardly refund this beforehand given that then you could cancel the trip altogether.
If you accept the downgrade then yes you get a reimbursement. It's not as high as 75%, it depends on distance and taxes and several other factors. See the EC261 thread, and the wiki, which has links to the Mennens formula. You can only claim that after travel, after all they could hardly refund this beforehand given that then you could cancel the trip altogether.
So I don’t think have much option but to accept the downgrade, but do I have to do anything to protect my right to claim the reimbursement later? And will any refund be against the fares on the day I booked, which it should be IMO? The current cost of that trip in CW is now over well over what I paid for F.
And obviously, things like the TPs and lounge access etc will downgrade too.
#4865
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: 63,803
So I don’t think have much option but to accept the downgrade, but do I have to do anything to protect my right to claim the reimbursement later? And will any refund be against the fares on the day I booked, which it should be IMO? The current cost of that trip in CW is now over well over what I paid for F.
And obviously, things like the TPs and lounge access etc will downgrade too.
And obviously, things like the TPs and lounge access etc will downgrade too.
#4866
Join Date: Jul 2005
Programs: BA : Virgin
Posts: 377
Hi – Looking for some support here on what approach to take?
Outbound Flight-1: LHR-BNA , May-2021, booked in F, Amex 2-4-1
Informed “Cancelled” moved to same Flight Number, the following day – and downgraded to Club
InBound Flight-2: BNA-LHR, May-2021, booked in F, Amex 2-4-1
Informed “Cancelled”, and moved to same Flight Number, the SAME day – and downgraded to Club
BA is keen for me to click the “Accept” against their above changes, however without any ref to EC261, downgrade reimbursement, also noting that there does not appear to be any reference to downgrade reimbursement on the BA site – only appears to reference Cancellations
So; where do I sit here?
Flight-1, is cancelled and I am downgraded from F to Club, and moved a day
Flight-2, is it cancelled [by virtue of change of plane type?]?, as-is same day, same flight number, same flight time, but downgraded from F to Club
Based on above and Amex 2-4-1 booking, what should be expecting/asking for here from BA when I call then later to discuss?
Outbound Flight-1: LHR-BNA , May-2021, booked in F, Amex 2-4-1
Informed “Cancelled” moved to same Flight Number, the following day – and downgraded to Club
InBound Flight-2: BNA-LHR, May-2021, booked in F, Amex 2-4-1
Informed “Cancelled”, and moved to same Flight Number, the SAME day – and downgraded to Club
BA is keen for me to click the “Accept” against their above changes, however without any ref to EC261, downgrade reimbursement, also noting that there does not appear to be any reference to downgrade reimbursement on the BA site – only appears to reference Cancellations
So; where do I sit here?
Flight-1, is cancelled and I am downgraded from F to Club, and moved a day
Flight-2, is it cancelled [by virtue of change of plane type?]?, as-is same day, same flight number, same flight time, but downgraded from F to Club
Based on above and Amex 2-4-1 booking, what should be expecting/asking for here from BA when I call then later to discuss?
#4867
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 250
Thanks corporate-wage-slave.
I did see the EC261 thread. I’ll have to try and work out what the exact split was between the air fares (starts in MAN), car rental and hotel I guess, unless BA will kindly tell me? Should have kept screen shots, oh well!
I did see the EC261 thread. I’ll have to try and work out what the exact split was between the air fares (starts in MAN), car rental and hotel I guess, unless BA will kindly tell me? Should have kept screen shots, oh well!
Last edited by Alan T; Dec 9, 2020 at 3:54 am
#4868
Join Date: Dec 2020
Programs: BA, Virgin,
Posts: 3
Welcome to Flyertalk and welcome to the BA forum ClaireS5. As you can see this has happened to a lot of people in recent weeks. It would easier to say what your preference is since there are a lot of options. But to answer to specific questions, if you stick with CW (I think that would get the Suites if it's a switch to A350) you would get something called the Mennens formula, which gets a reimbursement of Avios and cash. There is a dedicated thread on EC261 in the BA Forum Dashboard, a wiki is in there and it gives you information on Mennens. It's more than a straight difference between CW and First. You can claim that after completion of travel. If you wanted to go to a different destination then you would lose the 50% discount, you may get away with it if it was another location nearby but in the case of Colorado there aren't many options.
#4869
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: 63,803
So; where do I sit here?
.
Flight-1, is cancelled and I am downgraded from F to Club, and moved a day
Flight-2, is it cancelled [by virtue of change of plane type?]?, as-is same day, same flight number, same flight time, but downgraded from F to Club
Based on above and Amex 2-4-1 booking, what should be expecting/asking for here from BA when I call then later to discuss?
.
Flight-1, is cancelled and I am downgraded from F to Club, and moved a day
Flight-2, is it cancelled [by virtue of change of plane type?]?, as-is same day, same flight number, same flight time, but downgraded from F to Club
Based on above and Amex 2-4-1 booking, what should be expecting/asking for here from BA when I call then later to discuss?
#4870
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: London
Posts: 12
Downgrade
Festive greetings flyers!
I’m in the same boat (plane?) as a lot of folk here, ie downgraded from F to CW due to equipment change.
If I select seats in the CW cabin on the new flight, will that prejudice my later application for EC261 compensation in some way?
I see there is a big “accept flight” button on the BA app and instinctively it feels like it would be a bad idea to press that!!
I’m in the same boat (plane?) as a lot of folk here, ie downgraded from F to CW due to equipment change.
If I select seats in the CW cabin on the new flight, will that prejudice my later application for EC261 compensation in some way?
I see there is a big “accept flight” button on the BA app and instinctively it feels like it would be a bad idea to press that!!
#4871
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Newcastle UK
Posts: 1,114
Just to advise that when I called the Gold line I was refused a refund on the basis that policy doesn't allow a full refund due to downgrade. It's a bit annoying as the email comes through stating a cancellation, when actually it's a equipment and time change. Another email lets you know that your seat has obviously been changed, but there's no function online to see what you've been allocated. You only get the option to accept the changes online or contact BA. I'm probably going to leave the booking as is for a few months and see what happens. As it's already changed from an A380 to A350, with one flight per day, I can't see it ever being cancelled. It's all the more frustrating as I booked in June trying to be optimistic, so I can't rebook for anywhere much later than the original May dates due to the 12 month ticket validity. As a final question for now, if for example I booked the flights on 15 June 20, do I have to complete the return by 14 June 21, or could I have the return flight at a later date? Thanks.
#4872
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,958
So just to note, the cabin closure standard guidelines do not give the option of a full cancellation & refund, although BA have often treated it as a cancellation and offered that. You can rebook up to -3/+3 days either side without regard to same selling class availability, and if you go beyond -3/+3 days you can rebook any dates within ticket validity but you will need same selling class availability.
For involuntary changes (i.e. rebooking for new dates after a cancellation) all new travel dates must be no later than ticket validity.
There also remains the option of an FTV as well, and the FTV value is available to be put towards a new booking with outbound and inbound travel by 30 April 2022.
For involuntary changes (i.e. rebooking for new dates after a cancellation) all new travel dates must be no later than ticket validity.
There also remains the option of an FTV as well, and the FTV value is available to be put towards a new booking with outbound and inbound travel by 30 April 2022.
#4873
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: London
Posts: 12
Festive greetings flyers!
I’m in the same boat (plane?) as a lot of folk here, ie downgraded from F to CW due to equipment change.
If I select seats in the CW cabin on the new flight, will that prejudice my later application for EC261 compensation in some way?
I see there is a big “accept flight” button on the BA app and instinctively it feels like it would be a bad idea to press that!!
I’m in the same boat (plane?) as a lot of folk here, ie downgraded from F to CW due to equipment change.
If I select seats in the CW cabin on the new flight, will that prejudice my later application for EC261 compensation in some way?
I see there is a big “accept flight” button on the BA app and instinctively it feels like it would be a bad idea to press that!!
#4874
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,958
Sorry, just to add, I’m looking to take the flight in CW and seek compensation for the downgrade. If I select “accept flight” and/or choose seats on the new flight, will that affect my ability to seek compensation? I’ve read on other less esteemed forums that I should not accept the flight - just turn up on the day.
#4875
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: near Heathrow
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL (OWE), SA LifePlat (*G), BD Gold to the end, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,911
I recall there is a footnote on the guidance somewhere which extends the MCT and in the past, I've experienced issues with AA flight numbers but operated by BA as that seems to fool the MCT until closer to departure time.