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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 Dec 9, 2020, 12:15 pm
  #4891  
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: 63,771
Originally Posted by Plu2370
Probably a good job I quite fancy a night in Paris then!

Just an update, rang BAH, because the flights originate in France apparently there is a specific BAH France team that handles queries who were closed when I rang. Was given +33 157324975 to ring tomorrow.
Ah Ok, I didn't realise it was a BAH trip, in which case different logic may apply. It may not be as simple as a flight-only booking. But certainly ask for it to be deleted if that is what you want. You will actually be speaking to someone in Bremen, which is where the number will click through to, all mainland Europe BAH bookings are handled from there.
corporate-wage-slave is online now  
Old Dec 10, 2020, 2:33 am
  #4892  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 48
Morning

Could do with some help please. Same here

Was due to fly to Nashville on a Wednesday in June in F with the half price Avios sale. Nice little bargain.

Now been moved to club world on the Thursday. What are my options? Accept the flight? Or could I route say via Chicago and get a connecting flight to Nashville on AA?

Would BA allow that?

thanks

Ben
fodenben is offline  
Old Dec 10, 2020, 3:09 am
  #4893  
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, UA Premier Platinum
Posts: 125
Originally Posted by fodenben
Morning

Could do with some help please. Same here

Was due to fly to Nashville on a Wednesday in June in F with the half price Avios sale. Nice little bargain.

Now been moved to club world on the Thursday. What are my options? Accept the flight? Or could I route say via Chicago and get a connecting flight to Nashville on AA?

Would BA allow that?

thanks

Ben
Worth giving them a call and asking. I was flying to BNA and the same happened to me, I just decided to change my destination to LAS in the end as I was flying there anyway from BNA on a separate booking. They happily re-routed me at no additional cost, though I did have to go with a downgrade as no F on the LAS route anymore.
SteveWhite88 is offline  
Old Dec 10, 2020, 3:11 am
  #4894  
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Programs: BA : Virgin
Posts: 377
Originally Posted by fodenben
Morning

Could do with some help please. Same here

Was due to fly to Nashville on a Wednesday in June in F with the half price Avios sale. Nice little bargain.

Now been moved to club world on the Thursday. What are my options? Accept the flight? Or could I route say via Chicago and get a connecting flight to Nashville on AA?

Would BA allow that?

thanks

Ben
I had similar yesterday with Nashville ; was offered reroute via connecting on AA, or switch to alternative destination within 300miles, or move original destination by +/- 3days

I was originally F both ways, downgraded on both legs, on an Amex 2-4-1

Rebooked to Nashville on the +/- 3days option, now in Club

22,500 miles returned ; no taxes returned [as same]

I did ask about Downgrade reimbursement [EU261] and was told not applicable as downgrade was due to Covid reasons

So, after flights flown I will be submitting a claim for DR against Mennens ; however what I don't know is - from the below am I good to ask for 75% back of the Ł428.40 from below? and chance of success?

GOVERNMENT, AUTHORITY AND AIRPORT CHARGES
Air Passenger Duty - United Kingdom Ł180.00
Passenger Service Charge - United Kingdom Ł39.14
Passenger Civil Aviation Security Service Fee - USA Ł4.20
Animal & Plant Health User Fee (Aphis) - USA Ł3.00
Immigration User Fee - USA Ł5.20
Customs User Fee - USA Ł4.50
Passenger Facility Charge Ł3.40
TOTAL Ł239.44

BRITISH AIRWAYS FEES AND CARRIER CHARGES Per adult
Carrier imposed charge Ł400.00
Carrier imposed charge Ł28.40
ba.com booking fee Ł0.00
TOTAL Ł428.40


Total charges Ł667.84
Quebec5 is offline  
Old Dec 10, 2020, 4:07 am
  #4895  
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 88
Apologies if this has been asked before, I'm sure it has, and I am normally one who reads threads thoroughly, but this one is enormous.

I have a UUA booking for Monday that I need to change the dates for (due to Covid). I am on my 4th attempt to get through to BA on the phone.

Is there any disadvantage to cancelling and rebooking online, rather than changing the booking on the phone?

Many thanks
SimonAB is offline  
Old Dec 10, 2020, 4:24 am
  #4896  
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: 63,771
Originally Posted by Quebec5
GOVERNMENT, AUTHORITY AND AIRPORT CHARGES
Air Passenger Duty - United Kingdom Ł180.00
Passenger Service Charge - United Kingdom Ł39.14
Passenger Civil Aviation Security Service Fee - USA Ł4.20
Animal & Plant Health User Fee (Aphis) - USA Ł3.00
Immigration User Fee - USA Ł5.20
Customs User Fee - USA Ł4.50
Passenger Facility Charge Ł3.40
TOTAL Ł239.44

BRITISH AIRWAYS FEES AND CARRIER CHARGES Per adult
Carrier imposed charge Ł400.00
Carrier imposed charge Ł28.40
ba.com booking fee Ł0.00
TOTAL Ł428.40


Total charges Ł667.84
I haven't got my slipstick here with me to check the maths, but you seem to be on the right lines, there are some more worked examples in the EC261 thread, so I'll confine my comments to another way of looking at this. Once you have broken the journey length down to the right length (so typically half on a simple out and back trip) then BA are entitled to keep:
- all the taxes needed for the new flight, so the Ł239 above, however you may need to adjust the UK APD depending on direction of travel and cabin.
- one quarter of the Avios
- one quarter of the carrier imposed charges
This would be for almost all longer journeys over 3500 km.

Last edited by corporate-wage-slave; Dec 10, 2020 at 4:32 am
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Old Dec 10, 2020, 4:51 am
  #4897  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,573
Originally Posted by SimonAB
Apologies if this has been asked before, I'm sure it has, and I am normally one who reads threads thoroughly, but this one is enormous.

I have a UUA booking for Monday that I need to change the dates for (due to Covid). I am on my 4th attempt to get through to BA on the phone.

Is there any disadvantage to cancelling and rebooking online, rather than changing the booking on the phone?

Many thanks
Rebooking using an FTV containing a UuA will require a phone call - 2hrs and many transfers between Avios and commercial departments in my case. So I don't think you'll gain anything by doing this. I had a very prompt and efficient response to a twitter DM this morning, could try that ?
SimonAB likes this.
sammyg901 is offline  
Old Dec 10, 2020, 5:13 am
  #4898  
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Programs: BA
Posts: 3
Rebooking

BA have cancelled our 2-4-1 to Sydney in Feb 2021. When I called, they said I could either have the usual refund (Avios + taxes) or an FTV, which would allow rebooking on any flight (independent of Reward availability) for up to a year from the date of the original first flight. They also said any new flights booked with the FTV would have the same cancellation privileges as the original Reward flights.

It all sounds too good to be true. Can anyone advise? If these Ts & Cs are correct, how could I get them confirmed writing before accepting the FTV? Also, would there be any restrictions due to the expiry date of the original companion voucher?
drjross is offline  
Old Dec 10, 2020, 5:25 am
  #4899  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Berlin
Programs: BA Silver, LH FTL, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, Club Carlson Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 56
I had a flight BER-JFK booked in 2019 for August 2020.
In May, I got a travel voucher fort that and immediately used that voucher to book another flight BER-MIA for March 2021 (how naive I was). The booking number DID NOT change. The new flight was a little more expensive so I added payment
What are my options now? Is this considered a 2019 booking (so not another voucher since it's after Feb 2021) or as a May 2020 booking (so I would get a voucher)?
I assume I would get a voucher over the full amount (first + second payment) right?

Last edited by stepfel; Dec 11, 2020 at 2:52 am
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Old Dec 10, 2020, 5:46 am
  #4900  
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 127
Originally Posted by drjross
BA have cancelled our 2-4-1 to Sydney in Feb 2021. When I called, they said I could either have the usual refund (Avios + taxes) or an FTV, which would allow rebooking on any flight (independent of Reward availability) for up to a year from the date of the original first flight. They also said any new flights booked with the FTV would have the same cancellation privileges as the original Reward flights.

It all sounds too good to be true. Can anyone advise? If these Ts & Cs are correct, how could I get them confirmed writing before accepting the FTV? Also, would there be any restrictions due to the expiry date of the original companion voucher?
This does indeed sound too good to be true! I don't know the answer but please do keep this thread posted if you are successful.
LucyK1806 is offline  
Old Dec 10, 2020, 5:58 am
  #4901  
 
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 1,167
Originally Posted by LucyK1806
This does indeed sound too good to be true! I don't know the answer but please do keep this thread posted if you are successful.
It sounds typical of what is being offered currently (rebook on any flight where there is availability in the same cabin - no Avios availability required), however it usually 1year from when the ticket was purchased, not 1 year from the when you were due to fly.

That said others (myself included) have managed to have flights moved beyond the 1year ticket validity.
babyg_wc is online now  
Old Dec 10, 2020, 5:59 am
  #4902  
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 127
Originally Posted by babyg_wc
It sounds typical of what is being offered currently (rebook on any flight where there is availability in the same cabin - no Avios availability required), however it usually 1year from when the ticket was purchased, not 1 year from the when you were due to fly.

That said others (myself included) have managed to have flights moved beyond the 1year ticket validity.
Did you get push back about the 1 year validity?
LucyK1806 is offline  
Old Dec 10, 2020, 6:18 am
  #4903  
 
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 1,167
Originally Posted by LucyK1806
This does indeed sound too good to be true! I don't know the answer but please do keep this thread posted if you are successful.
Originally Posted by LucyK1806
Did you get push back about the 1 year validity?
I could NOT do it over the PHONE.
I COULD do it via MMB interestingly enough
babyg_wc is online now  
Old Dec 10, 2020, 6:50 am
  #4904  
 
Join Date: Dec 2020
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 3
Hi - Apologies if this has already been answered elsewhere. I've got LHR>SIN return flights in CW booked for next year using Avios & a 241 voucher. BA have cancelled the outbound flight and moved us to another flight earlier in the day (no change to the return flight. yet). I'm fine with the change, but if I accept this change in MMB, do I lose any rights if I want to cancel these flights at a later date? Would I still be eligible for a full refund of the Avios and cash (less Ł35 p/p fee), or would they force me to take an FTV? I don't want to lose flexibility of refund of Avios & cash if we chose to cancel at a later date and have accepted this new outbound flight. Any guidance much appreciated - thanks in advance!
All the pieces is offline  
Old Dec 10, 2020, 9:49 am
  #4905  
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: England
Programs: BAEC: Bronze; Marriott: Gold
Posts: 399
Looking for guidance from the group please.
As our F flights to/from YVR have been downgraded to J (even though the emails say cancelled) we've been trying to decide what to do with the trip. The current flight dates were selected based on F availability at the time and if we're been downgraded then we'd rather go a couple of weeks later, ideally as a open-jaw returning from YYC.
Is it possible to do this in one change or would I need to take an FTV? If I take an FTV for the F flights and then use this to book J flights would I| get a refund of the difference or would te Avios remain inanother FTV?
bakera is offline  


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