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
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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*
#1381
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,553
I got that too, and despite my flight being bookable on ba.com, the agent on the phone refunded my flight no bother as he said all flights are suspended until the end of May.
#1382
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SAN, MIA, GOT
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 349
Is this possible?
I have an all BA flights GOT-LHR-MIA avios booking (Business) now cancelled. No BA flights from GOT.
Can I ask BA to reroute me GOT-DOH-MIA on QR?
I have an all BA flights GOT-LHR-MIA avios booking (Business) now cancelled. No BA flights from GOT.
Can I ask BA to reroute me GOT-DOH-MIA on QR?
#1383
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Accor Live Limitless Gold, Hilton Honours Gold, Avis Preferred Plus
Posts: 1,806
Edit: I think that this is conditional upon QR actually running that route, do they sell tickets on that route?
#1384
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SAN, MIA, GOT
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 349
Because of the rebooking agreement with QR, I cannot see this being an issue assuming that the dates work. For full details see my post here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/32247774-post1225.html
Edit: I think that this is conditional upon QR actually running that route, do they sell tickets on that route?
Edit: I think that this is conditional upon QR actually running that route, do they sell tickets on that route?
Excellent info! Thank you.
#1385
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Newcastle UK
Posts: 1,114
Yes that's the one I'm trying - I can get through and navigate through the options to 'if you booked with Avios', then get a recorded message saying try again.
I'll just keep trying I guess, I'd just be reassured if I knew how long I've got before I lose the chance of a refund.
GG
I'll just keep trying I guess, I'd just be reassured if I knew how long I've got before I lose the chance of a refund.
GG
#1386
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: BD Silver, HH Gold, BA Silver, CX Gold
Posts: 443
Was more worried about an AA internal booking which thankfully a 2+ hour schedule change & change to in-direct routing has enabled a full refund.
#1387
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Falkirk, Scotland,VS Red, BA Gold, HH Diamond,UK Amex Plat
Programs: Master of the Privy Purse des Muccis
Posts: 17,908
Travel for next week 18/19 Apr ( ok to call yet?)
Hi,
My mother and I had flights EDI-LHR-BRU ( cancelled) for Sat 18 Apr and BRU-LHR-LAS ( LHR-LAS cancelled) on Sunday 19th April and would prefer a cash refund rather than a voucher. Do I have to wait until T-72 to call to cancel or can I phone now (would prefer to call rather than fill out the form) please.
Regards
TBS
My mother and I had flights EDI-LHR-BRU ( cancelled) for Sat 18 Apr and BRU-LHR-LAS ( LHR-LAS cancelled) on Sunday 19th April and would prefer a cash refund rather than a voucher. Do I have to wait until T-72 to call to cancel or can I phone now (would prefer to call rather than fill out the form) please.
Regards
TBS
#1388
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: 63,799
My mother and I had flights EDI-LHR-BRU ( cancelled) for Sat 18 Apr and BRU-LHR-LAS ( LHR-LAS cancelled) on Sunday 19th April and would prefer a cash refund rather than a voucher. Do I have to wait until T-72 to call to cancel or can I phone now (would prefer to call rather than fill out the form) please.
#1389
Join Date: Apr 2020
Programs: BA Executive Club
Posts: 7
In February I booked flights only from Newcastle to Washington DC via Heathrow. I received emails yesterday stating both outbound and inbound flights between NCL & LHR had been cancelled. As I type, the flights between LHR & IAD are still valid.
Can I cancel the whole itinerary at this point and receive a full refund or do I need to wait until the transatlantic flights are cancelled? I booked with cash and upgraded with Avios.
BTW I've tried the "Java fix" on Chrome, and two versions of Edge (2019 & new 2020 Chromium) without success so all I've had the option to do online is request a voucher. Needless to say phone calls get cut off.
TIA.
Can I cancel the whole itinerary at this point and receive a full refund or do I need to wait until the transatlantic flights are cancelled? I booked with cash and upgraded with Avios.
BTW I've tried the "Java fix" on Chrome, and two versions of Edge (2019 & new 2020 Chromium) without success so all I've had the option to do online is request a voucher. Needless to say phone calls get cut off.
TIA.
#1390
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: 63,799
Yes you can cancel for a full refund if any flight in the itinerary is cancelled. Your other remedies include the eVoucher, rebooking to other dates, potentially other airlines, and changing NCL for other airports such as EDI. In the case of NCL the use of other airlines is hypothetical, for the foreseeable future NCL has just one flight a day to anywhere, a mid morning KLM service to AMS.
#1391
Join Date: Apr 2020
Programs: BA Executive Club
Posts: 7
Yes you can cancel for a full refund if any flight in the itinerary is cancelled. Your other remedies include the eVoucher, rebooking to other dates, potentially other airlines, and changing NCL for other airports such as EDI. In the case of NCL the use of other airlines is hypothetical, for the foreseeable future NCL has just one flight a day to anywhere, a mid morning KLM service to AMS.
Now it's just pot luck on the telephone. Why do I feel I've got more chance of winning the Euromillions jackpot thank getting through to BA? lol
#1392
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,440
I’m sure this has been answered before but I couldn’t find it sorry.
If I book a flight now for next year and POUG to CE, will I get the POUG back if the flight is cancelled?
If I book a flight now for next year and POUG to CE, will I get the POUG back if the flight is cancelled?
#1393
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: 63,799
Yes you can have a full refund if BA cancels the flight including POUG. But if it is a long time out, it may be cheaper and more flexible to buy CE in the first place, POUGs don't always save money.
#1395
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: London, ARN, HEL, ..... or MAN
Programs: BA GGL / GFL, Mucci Diamond!, HH Diamond, Radisson Premium, IHG Gold, Hertz Gold
Posts: 5,894
I have previously used the java fix on two bookings successfully. Today I could not find a way to do it as the UI has changed and I couldn't access the old UI. Seems that if you want a cash refund, you need to call, which I am sure is meant to put people off so that they accept the voucher.