Mar 14, 20, 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*
Mar 22, 20, 10:01 am
#826
Join Date: Sep 2010
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 253
I’m currently in Florida having flown my outbound leg of an ex-eu a couple weeks ago.
my return leg of mco-lgw//lhr-cdg on March 30th has just been cancelled and I have a voicemail telling me this from AA, as it’s an AA 001 ticket on BA metal.
-firstly I assume any rebooking must be done thru AA? Do they have an equivalent of a gold line that I can call for oneworld emeralds?
- secondly, now that all intra EU travel is banned (I think?) I assume I’ll be ok to explain to them I live in the UK and no longer need to go to Paris on my way home
- thirdly, do I have to rebook before my original flying date of March 30th passes? I’m staying with my parents in Florida at their house and will happily sit out the current world situation for 2/3/4 weeks before flying home. If I need to rebook before March 30th passed that means having to commit to a travel date by March 29th when I have no idea how the world will look in the following weeks.
- fourthly, just to complicate things further, my parents live in Tampa so are AA likely to allow me to fly from Tampa instead (likely TPA-MIA-LHR) rather than having to get to MCO?
my return leg of mco-lgw//lhr-cdg on March 30th has just been cancelled and I have a voicemail telling me this from AA, as it’s an AA 001 ticket on BA metal.
-firstly I assume any rebooking must be done thru AA? Do they have an equivalent of a gold line that I can call for oneworld emeralds?
- secondly, now that all intra EU travel is banned (I think?) I assume I’ll be ok to explain to them I live in the UK and no longer need to go to Paris on my way home
- thirdly, do I have to rebook before my original flying date of March 30th passes? I’m staying with my parents in Florida at their house and will happily sit out the current world situation for 2/3/4 weeks before flying home. If I need to rebook before March 30th passed that means having to commit to a travel date by March 29th when I have no idea how the world will look in the following weeks.
- fourthly, just to complicate things further, my parents live in Tampa so are AA likely to allow me to fly from Tampa instead (likely TPA-MIA-LHR) rather than having to get to MCO?
1) Rang AA and was speaking to an agent within a few minutes.
2) This was fine, they said I no longer needed the ticket to go to Paris
3) As most flights in April seem to have been cancelled, I booked for May 2nd to buy myself some time, rather than being pressured now for a specific date to go home. The May flight will likely be cancelled soon and I can re-evaluate plans then.
4) They were fine with this change too, so rather than the original MCO-LGW//LHR-CDG I now have a simple TPA-LGW
All in all, very impressed with the speed, helpfulness and general lack of any sign of hassle or awkwardness. I nearly asked if they could tag a LHR-MAN on the end to get me home but didn't wanna push my luck too far!
Mar 22, 20, 3:30 pm
#827
Join Date: Mar 2020
Programs: BA Executive Club
Posts: 2
Welcome to FT!
I think you are confusing two things. The voucher is for when you don't want to take the trip. If you have a booking and a flight gets cancelled then you should not be applying for any voucher. You need to pick an alternative flight and probably the best way to do this is to call BA - there will be no additional cost for this.
I think you are confusing two things. The voucher is for when you don't want to take the trip. If you have a booking and a flight gets cancelled then you should not be applying for any voucher. You need to pick an alternative flight and probably the best way to do this is to call BA - there will be no additional cost for this.
Mike Green
Mar 22, 20, 3:40 pm
#828
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,313
Thanks for the info. I may indeed be muddling two things, but I am simply responding to what BA told me in their cancellation email. Which was that my options were listed in the BA Manage My Booking webpage. There I was given two options only. One is to re-book but it only gives me access to the flights available on my existing route - (where nothing is available for at least 11 days); the other is to apply for a voucher and use it to re-book elsewhere (at, I then discover, great incremental cost to me). Nothing about any BA offer to try and get me a flight back home on an alternative route using my current ticket. What was I supposed to do? I considered ringing them but their website says don't do that unless within 72 hours of flight departure, which I am not yet.. But I guess that is what I'll now do.
Mike Green
Mike Green
Mar 22, 20, 3:46 pm
#829
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,589
I have a few interesting flights in April and May, none of which have been cancelled yet. Plan is to hold out till 72 hours before and then decide what next from there. They may or may not get cancelled, but we will see.
1 of my flights is booked through Avios.com with a Lloyds Upgrade Voucher (ET -> CE); given the voucher is well past expiry I suspect my only option here will be to rebook to a later date, rather than being able to cancel if/when the flight gets binned. If it goes down the cancellation and refund route then I would guess that while I get my £ back, the voucher will be kaput. Hopefully I can deal with BA on it rather than having to deal with Avios; that was a real pain initially and difficult to get through and that was without all this malarkey going on.
1 of them is booked using OnBusiness points, again, the points are now well past expiry so I suspect my only option here will be to rebook to a later date as well, rather than being able to cancel if/when the flight gets binned. Again, if it goes down the cancellation and refund route then I would guess those OB points go bye bye.
Thoughts?
1 of my flights is booked through Avios.com with a Lloyds Upgrade Voucher (ET -> CE); given the voucher is well past expiry I suspect my only option here will be to rebook to a later date, rather than being able to cancel if/when the flight gets binned. If it goes down the cancellation and refund route then I would guess that while I get my £ back, the voucher will be kaput. Hopefully I can deal with BA on it rather than having to deal with Avios; that was a real pain initially and difficult to get through and that was without all this malarkey going on.
1 of them is booked using OnBusiness points, again, the points are now well past expiry so I suspect my only option here will be to rebook to a later date as well, rather than being able to cancel if/when the flight gets binned. Again, if it goes down the cancellation and refund route then I would guess those OB points go bye bye.
Thoughts?
Mar 22, 20, 4:42 pm
#830
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: living near Malaga
Programs: BA Gold , Mucci recipient. Coffee Drinker, Blue Sky Thinker
Posts: 2,034
I am / was due to go to LAS on 7 May as part of a BA Hol. The balance was due 2 April but phoned them and they’ve pushed it out to 16 April. It’s looking highly unlikely it’s going to happen but IF on 16 April it’s still scheduled, do I have to pay the balance and then claim all of that back versus not pay it and lose the deposit? I asked the agent and she wouldn’t commit either way
Mar 22, 20, 4:54 pm
#831
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London
Programs: Many. Too many. I came here to cut them down. I failed.
Posts: 2,988
Was going to post in the 'Do not contact BA unless traveling in next 72 hours' thread, but it's been locked. But this will not be helping anyone..
Our call centre in Delhi has been impacted by the Indian government shut down that came into force on Sunday evening (22 March) in relation to the Covid 19 crisis. We are currently working through our contingency plans, however this is having a big impact on call waiting times, for which we’re truly sorry.
So at this time, we are asking you to only phone us with bookings that are due to travel within the next 72 hours. This is hard for us, and we know it’s very frustrating for you. We really appreciate your patience and understanding at this time.
We will be updating the very latest situation on batraveltrade.com, so please continue to check online for more information.
Kind regards,
Mark Muren
Head of Global Sales
British Airways
India lockdown - call centre update
Dear travel partner,Our call centre in Delhi has been impacted by the Indian government shut down that came into force on Sunday evening (22 March) in relation to the Covid 19 crisis. We are currently working through our contingency plans, however this is having a big impact on call waiting times, for which we’re truly sorry.
So at this time, we are asking you to only phone us with bookings that are due to travel within the next 72 hours. This is hard for us, and we know it’s very frustrating for you. We really appreciate your patience and understanding at this time.
We will be updating the very latest situation on batraveltrade.com, so please continue to check online for more information.
Kind regards,
Mark Muren
Head of Global Sales
British Airways
Mar 22, 20, 5:08 pm
#833
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,520
Mar 22, 20, 5:28 pm
#834
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: clue is in the nym
Programs: BA Gold, TP Gold, VS Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 688
I have the same question, in fact I am travelling on the same day but to LAX. Mine is a little more complicated and I paid a cash deposit and upgraded to Club with avios. Cant see either of us going and dont really want to have to pay out another €1500 only to have to wait to claim it back a couple of weeks later..
Got a BA Holiday booking of my own coming up for Canary Islands, but not until June so still a few weeks before I need to decide what to do about the remaining balance.
Mar 22, 20, 7:29 pm
#835
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: 61,109
Mar 22, 20, 7:51 pm
#836
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: HH Silver
Posts: 2,400
So I have a one way flight booked with Avios on AS metal going to Mexico in May. Am sure things will not be settled down by then, so trying to proactively change things. I have found a flight in Oct that I would like to change to, but the departure and destination will be reversed. I would like to book it now before it goes up in points (Economy sAAver rates are hard to come by). Suggestions? Am I crazy to think I might be able to do this without any fee's? Any way to do it online through email or chat?
TYIA
TYIA
Mar 22, 20, 8:02 pm
#837
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: 61,109
So I have a one way flight booked with Avios on AS metal going to Mexico in May. Am sure things will not be settled down by then, so trying to proactively change things. I have found a flight in Oct that I would like to change to, but the departure and destination will be reversed. I would like to book it now before it goes up in points (Economy sAAver rates are hard to come by). Suggestions? Am I crazy to think I might be able to do this without any fee's? Any way to do it online through email or chat?
Mar 22, 20, 8:13 pm
#838
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: HH Silver
Posts: 2,400
You can only do this by effectively cancelling the May trip. You should be able to do that online, and the redeposit fee is a maximum off USD 55. However I guess you paid less cash than that, in which case that is all you lose. You can do this upto 24 hours before departure, though best to do it the day before in case something else melts down. No benefit in doing this early, so leave it to almost the last moment. If AS cancel the flight then you get the money back anyway. These are the standard conditions. If the October trip looks good, then just book it now, same conditions would apply. So long as you have enough Avios I can't see any particular merit in making this a consecutive transaction.
Mar 22, 20, 8:28 pm
#839
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: 61,109
I can't see any alternative but to call up, but strictly speaking they are trying to keep the lines clear for urgent cases. I suspect that the queues will shorten soon, there aren't that many services left. You would lose the $69 unless AS cancel the service anyway, but the Avios would be returned.
Mar 22, 20, 8:33 pm
#840
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: HH Silver
Posts: 2,400
I can't see any alternative but to call up, but strictly speaking they are trying to keep the lines clear for urgent cases. I suspect that the queues will shorten soon, there aren't that many services left. You would lose the $69 unless AS cancel the service anyway, but the Avios would be returned.
