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Covid-19 BA Rebooking/Cancellation/Refund HELP & ADVICE *No Speculation etc*

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*

Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:25 am
  #76  
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: 63,475
Originally Posted by MikkelErikson
question is am I covered by duty of care?

I have insurance but it’s just easier and less stressful.
Yes you have Right to Care under EC261. If your current hotel is under Ł200 a night (and I would hope so in DXB!) then BA will pay on claiming. No need to ring up, just pay and claim. To do the right thing, try and haggle the rate down with the hotel - they won't mind you doing that - ask if there is distress rate, a BA corporate rate, a rate for lovely people etc, just to save on BA's cashflow drainage issues. Normally with UK issued insurance, there is an expectation to fully use EC261 first, then claim if the wheels come off. There is a detailed EC261 thread in the BA Forum Dashboard.
corporate-wage-slave is online now  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:28 am
  #77  
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Posts: 63,475
Originally Posted by everGLAdes
Have flights tomorrow to PHL. FCO now advises against all travel to USA.

I have:
Flights with avios part payment.
Car hire avios part payment booked separately.

Will I get a voucher for both? Will I get a voucher and my avios back? Any help appreciated.
The FCO advice is important in terms of your insurance and medical cover, but it's not a prohibtion from travelling. You will get an eVoucher certainly to cover the flight, the car hire may be inflexible, so that is one for travel insurance. You don't need to call up, just fill in the form (and step by step instructions are in the Buy with Confidence thread).
corporate-wage-slave is online now  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:31 am
  #78  
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: 63,475
Originally Posted by drakepassage
Insurance wouldn’t cover helicopter evac so that’s a non-starter. I don’t think we’re quite at that level of danger just yet!
Yes, let's keep a sense of proportion.

Bear in mind there is a ferry service (rather an interesting one actually) from Buenos Aires to Montevideo, and potentially air services, including Iberia, from there.
corporate-wage-slave is online now  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:32 am
  #79  
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 10
Advise on my dilemma please. Barbados holiday booked for 20th April. Have to pay balance to BA this Wednesday 18th, really not keen to fork out given the current fast moving situation. Would quite like an extension on the date the balance is due. Do we pay the full balance and hope for the best or suck up losing the deposit and rebook nearer the time when thing are more clear. Can't get hold of BA to ask for an extension. Many thanks
A380MR is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:37 am
  #80  
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Programs: Enrich
Posts: 1
Hi all,

Would appreciate some advice with my current scenario.
I have a Oneworld redemption ticket from Enrich (Malaysian Airlines) on a British Airways round trip flight departing from FRA-LHR-YYZ this Friday 20th March.
Judging by the current situation in Canada whereby self-isolation is advised and closure of most sites, I would like to cancel my flight & obtain a refund for my miles & fees paid. In addition, BA has cancelled one of the leg of my return flight from LHR-FRA at 11:00 am & rebook me to another BA flight at 16:05 which also doesn't fit my schedule.

Calling Malaysian Airlines, they have told me that Oneworld redemption is non-refundable despite the current British Airways Book with Confidence policies allowing customers to claim a voucher if we travel between 14 Mar to 31 May.

What would be your recommendation on my possible options going forward?

Thanks a lot in advance for your expert advice
Astral86 is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:40 am
  #81  
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: 63,475
Originally Posted by Astral86
Calling Malaysian Airlines, they have told me that Oneworld redemption is non-refundable despite the current British Airways Book with Confidence policies allowing customers to claim a voucher if we travel between 14 Mar to 31 May.
I don't know enough about Enrich to know whether this is correct. It does sound odd since the BA equivalent, an Avios booking, is one of BA's most flexible tickets! BA is not the blocker here for sure, so I'd keep nagging MAS until they can help you. And then move to BAEC when this is all over! Welcome to Flyertalk and welcome to the BA forum.
corporate-wage-slave is online now  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:43 am
  #82  
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: Executive Club: Gold - Flying Blue: Gold
Posts: 1,368
Have 3 Comair flights in May and while I am hoping holidays will go as planned, is the waiver applicable to Comair’s flights?
BA6948 is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:46 am
  #83  
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 135
Can I just check, will I get the total amount paid for my ticket issued as a voucher? Since booking my ticket I did a POUG from WT+ to CW for the return leg, all paid with cash
thanks
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Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:50 am
  #84  
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Location: Leeds, UK
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Posts: 42,705
Originally Posted by Bluesky30
Can I just check, will I get the total amount paid for my ticket issued as a voucher? Since booking my ticket I did a POUG from WT+ to CW for the return leg, all paid with cash
thanks
Yes
KARFA is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:50 am
  #85  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: BA Gold, VS Gold, IHG Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle.
Posts: 1,443
Originally Posted by rossmacd
I would not expect so. I am not expecting the 4 change fees I have spent on moving things around (that is consequential loss on my multiple tickets).
Nor me, I've changed some flights a couple times due to the current situation. I've applied for the evoucher and am only expecting the original cost plus POUG value back.
tuonopepper is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:55 am
  #86  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: BA Gold, VS Gold, IHG Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle.
Posts: 1,443
Originally Posted by northeastflyer
So does the confirm screen make the application specific with a reference etc?

This is an evoucher confirmation. Not much really, but take one before submission and timestamp ties them together.
tuonopepper is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 7:57 am
  #87  
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Glasgow
Posts: 131
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
The FCO advice is important in terms of your insurance and medical cover, but it's not a prohibtion from travelling. You will get an eVoucher certainly to cover the flight, the car hire may be inflexible, so that is one for travel insurance. You don't need to call up, just fill in the form (and step by step instructions are in the Buy with Confidence thread).
Just an update for anybody looking in that might be in a similar situation:

Called about and was offered a voucher and a rebooting anytime till August as per advice already given here. My flights to the USA were operating, but strangely an LHR-GLA leg was cancelled which entitled me to the full refund.

Car hire booking: Apparently there is a special policy in place for European bookings and they are being flexible with that, however nothing has been decided for the USA bookings yet. Looking like travel insurance as CWS says for this.
everGLAdes is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 8:03 am
  #88  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Edinburgh
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 41
My wife and I had a FIRST booking with BA Holidays to Las Vegas (EDI-LHR-LAS) , departing this Thursday. I had been holding off applying for the voucher, due to uncertainty about the Hotel part of our booking.

Phoned the Silver Exec line this afternoon, and was impressed I got through in under 10 minutes. Disappointingly the agent couldn't help me as the booking was with BA Holidays. I tried the BA Holidays number a couple of times, but without success. I also emailed You First. However, I have just received an email from BA Holidays, explaining that they could no longer fulfil our holiday and we would be receiving a full refund to my credit card.

All in all, I am very pleased with BA responsiveness given what must be a truly awful time for the airline!!
startreker is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 8:04 am
  #89  
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 1,260
Originally Posted by BA6948
Have 3 Comair flights in May and while I am hoping holidays will go as planned, is the waiver applicable to Comair’s flights?
Comair has its own policy. In fact, its low-cost wing, Kulula, has a generous refund policy that BA doesn't have. For domestic flights, from https://www.comair.co.za/coronavirus/covid19faq

Additional levels of flexibility will apply to customers with bookings made up to and including 31 March 2020. If you need to change the travel date on your booking, we are waiving all change fees (a fare difference may apply). This applies to any British Airways (operated by Comair) and kulula.com flights, whether booked directly with us or through a travel agent for travel until 17 May 2020.

The British Airways (operated by Comair) and kulula.com Contact Centres will assist with flight changes for bookings made up until 13 March 2020, without incurring a change fee (a fare difference may apply), while new bookings made from 14 March 2020, may be changed online.

If you are flying with kulula.com and need to cancel your flight, we will give you a Travel Bank Credit to the value of that flight which can be used across the kulula.com network up to 12 months from the original date of departure.
For international flights

Customers who have been booked as part of a group of 10 and more, as well as customers holding a ticket for an international flight, scheduled to arrive in South-Africa/Africa and customers travelling from South-Africa/Africa to an international destination, where a connecting British Airways (operated by Comair) or kulula.com flight is part of their journey, will be entitled to a full refund or rebooking/re-routing where the change of booking fee will be waived (a difference in fare may apply). The travel period is valid until 17 May 2020. The refund or rebooking/re-routing will only apply to tickets issued on or before 31 March 2020.
cauchy is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2020, 8:25 am
  #90  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: BA Gold, VS Gold, IHG Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle.
Posts: 1,443
Originally Posted by tuonopepper

This is an evoucher confirmation. Not much really, but take one before submission and timestamp ties them together.
It now specifies 5 days, not 48 hours so that should set expectation.
tuonopepper is offline  

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