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*
#4921
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: 63,827
It's a BA holiday as we added a hotel. I've emailed the guy there to see if he can categorically tell me what the transfer situation will be; if we do stay on the tarmac it will be an easier swing with my other half. Not great as its the talk offs and landings she dislikes the most.
There are Flying with Confidence courses in January at LHR.
#4922
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London
Programs: KLM, BA Silver, Etihad
Posts: 918
I suspect that is unknowable at this point, too many moving parts - Brazil regulations, crew swaps, cleaning provision. So I wouldn't trust whatever you were told at this point, unless it is "we don't know". When this new arrangement starts in earnest that will be the way to find out.
There are Flying with Confidence courses in January at LHR.
There are Flying with Confidence courses in January at LHR.
I broached the flying courses before without any joy. I have broken the news now and it went ok. Although I did say we wouldn't be getting off and on.
#4923
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,061
It's a BA holiday as we added a hotel. I've emailed the guy there to see if he can categorically tell me what the transfer situation will be; if we do stay on the tarmac it will be an easier swing with my other half. Not great as its the talk offs and landings she dislikes the most.
#4924
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Edinburgh
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 547
Hello all,
I have an INV-LHR-DXB-LHR-INV for February. The flights to and from INV have been cancelled, would it be worth my while to ask for the INV flights to be moved to EDI which suits me better?
Purely flights in this booking.
I have an INV-LHR-DXB-LHR-INV for February. The flights to and from INV have been cancelled, would it be worth my while to ask for the INV flights to be moved to EDI which suits me better?
Purely flights in this booking.
#4925
Join Date: Sep 2020
Programs: AA EXP, BA Gold, VS Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,947
Yes, I think you should be able to move within ~300 miles.
#4927
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London
Programs: KLM, BA Silver, Etihad
Posts: 918
Even with the best of intentions, anything a BA Hols representative tells you now is effectively his/her guess. These things are decided by Operations and Safety managers, not call centre reps, and I can guarantee they won’t even have had time yet to digest the news that it’s changed (and that’s if they’ve even been told themselves). So you won’t get anything even close to ‘categoric’ now. You could, however, ask to reroute via Madrid, if for some reason you prefer that.
Its on a 2-4-1 so must be BA metal therefore any possible side benefits regarding Avios or type of aircraft couldn't be realised anyway?
UPDATE
Ive just spotted the new flights are in the A350! New suites, I’m over the moon.
Last edited by RockyRobin; Dec 11, 2020 at 12:10 pm
#4928
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: New York City
Programs: JGC
Posts: 445
My flights (both inbound/outbound) for March 2021 were canceled and I got an email putting me on alternate flights.
How long do I have to ask for a refund / change of dates / voucher? Is there a deadline?
How long do I have to ask for a refund / change of dates / voucher? Is there a deadline?
#4929
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,709
6 years or so after the fact, but it's best advised to not wait that long as once the PNR disappears it becomes more manual to sort out.
#4930
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: London
Programs: Ba Silver ( for now!)
Posts: 776
I have a flight to Sydney on the 21 March 2021, return 12th April. This was booked with Avios on a 2 4 1 voucher last March.
I don't know for sure but I suspect the 2 4 1 voucher is close to expiry.
The BA system will seem to let me rebook until about June, but any dates further than that it says no availability. I assume this is rule based, but I can't get through to BA on the phone to ask.
The options seem :-
1. Refund
2. Travel Voucher - only benefit seems it will preserve the 2 4 1 to April 22 ( I don't know if that is booked date or travel date)
3. Move it forward 3 months ( those dates don't work for me). I would anticipate that date will be cancelled also and then move it another 3 months and so on. If not canceled then I am just out £35 to cancel it.
This is a minefield and I would be interested to hear any better suggestions!
Thank you
I don't know for sure but I suspect the 2 4 1 voucher is close to expiry.
The BA system will seem to let me rebook until about June, but any dates further than that it says no availability. I assume this is rule based, but I can't get through to BA on the phone to ask.
The options seem :-
1. Refund
2. Travel Voucher - only benefit seems it will preserve the 2 4 1 to April 22 ( I don't know if that is booked date or travel date)
3. Move it forward 3 months ( those dates don't work for me). I would anticipate that date will be cancelled also and then move it another 3 months and so on. If not canceled then I am just out £35 to cancel it.
This is a minefield and I would be interested to hear any better suggestions!
Thank you
#4931
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: 63,827
1. Refund
2. Travel Voucher - only benefit seems it will preserve the 2 4 1 to April 22 ( I don't know if that is booked date or travel date)
3. Move it forward 3 months ( those dates don't work for me). I would anticipate that date will be cancelled also and then move it another 3 months and so on. If not canceled then I am just out £35 to cancel it.
2. Travel Voucher - only benefit seems it will preserve the 2 4 1 to April 22 ( I don't know if that is booked date or travel date)
3. Move it forward 3 months ( those dates don't work for me). I would anticipate that date will be cancelled also and then move it another 3 months and so on. If not canceled then I am just out £35 to cancel it.
#4932
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Edinburgh
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 547
#4933
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 1
Back in October I booked Club World LHR > SYD return with the 50% promo and using my 2-4-1 voucher. Itinerary is February departure LHR > SYD BA15, March return SYD > SIN BA16 (transit only) SIN > LHR BA12. BA15 and BA16 have been cancelled, BA12 remains valid.
I have attempted to book new dates via the email 'manage booking' link which shows all commercial availability. Each date I try to book I get an error and return to BA.com message. I have called BA and they insist that I can only book using award availability (of which there is basically none) as they can only use commercial availability if it is within the same time period of the existing booking. I have referenced the coronavirus guidance and conditions of carriage regarding rebooking during the "ticket validity" which would be until October 2021 or August 2021 if going off my 2-4-1 voucher expiry but they will not budge, apparently the agent also spoke to a duty manager after my insisting she check who also confirmed the same. I pressed on the issue as how can I book for the same time period when BA has cancelled all FEB and MAR departures for this route?
Am I missing something here? Thanks
I have attempted to book new dates via the email 'manage booking' link which shows all commercial availability. Each date I try to book I get an error and return to BA.com message. I have called BA and they insist that I can only book using award availability (of which there is basically none) as they can only use commercial availability if it is within the same time period of the existing booking. I have referenced the coronavirus guidance and conditions of carriage regarding rebooking during the "ticket validity" which would be until October 2021 or August 2021 if going off my 2-4-1 voucher expiry but they will not budge, apparently the agent also spoke to a duty manager after my insisting she check who also confirmed the same. I pressed on the issue as how can I book for the same time period when BA has cancelled all FEB and MAR departures for this route?
Am I missing something here? Thanks
#4934
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: 63,827
Welcome to Flyertalk, and welcome to the BA forum Glenb.
You aren't the only person to be in this position, and in any event I can't actually see SYD resuming within your ticket availability anyway, given the stance of the Australian government thus far. Though others have been told the same thing, and apparentlly there is a "decision tree" which gives the outcome you got, nevertheless the Coronovirus guidance should allow you more than 14 days and not require Avios availability. Your best bet is to leave MMB for a few days to see if there is some rejigging that helps you, and then to call again as a second backup. However I have been cautioning against "maybe" bookings, and you would have to be careful here, since the clock is running out on your options, certainly by October when your ticket expires, or possibly August for the Companion Voucher expiry. That said, the worst case scenarios involve an FTV (to keep the Companion Voucher alive) or a full refund, so you aren't at risk of losing anything at this point. Note that BA may change their policies in the future too.
You aren't the only person to be in this position, and in any event I can't actually see SYD resuming within your ticket availability anyway, given the stance of the Australian government thus far. Though others have been told the same thing, and apparentlly there is a "decision tree" which gives the outcome you got, nevertheless the Coronovirus guidance should allow you more than 14 days and not require Avios availability. Your best bet is to leave MMB for a few days to see if there is some rejigging that helps you, and then to call again as a second backup. However I have been cautioning against "maybe" bookings, and you would have to be careful here, since the clock is running out on your options, certainly by October when your ticket expires, or possibly August for the Companion Voucher expiry. That said, the worst case scenarios involve an FTV (to keep the Companion Voucher alive) or a full refund, so you aren't at risk of losing anything at this point. Note that BA may change their policies in the future too.
#4935
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 9
In terms of voluntary changes to rewards it is the case that they should only be done between destinations in the same band. Mexico and HK are different bands so that should not have been allowed really.
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
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
It seems that the CS agent has worked around something, as it says I've used a Gold Upgrade voucher which I don't have.
Either way, 2x First Class for 85k Avios and £1300 in fees. Can't beat that.