GlasgowBlue

Got the dreaded but rather inevitable “your flight has been cancelled” email on Thursday this week (26/04/22, around midday).

The booking is a BA Holidays booking, GLA>LHR>BRU and return in CE plus hotel in Brussels for 3 nights in June.

GLA>LHR flight was cancelled. Being a BAHs booking it won’t allow simple changes to the flight aspects of the booking to dine online if there’s a cancellation. I didn’t want to wait to be allocated another flight in the coming few days as I was worried the earlier flights that would allow me to make my connection would start to fill up quickly.

Phoned the standard BAHs number a couple of times not long after 5:30pm the same day and after pressing the correct numbers for the type of booking I got the predictable “we’re sorry we can’t deal with you call at the moment” message and was cut off.

I then went through the Bronze EC phone number and selected the correct options for a flight plus car hire or hotel (BAH) cash booking. To my surprise I joined the the on hold queue.

I was on hold for 52 minutes before eventually being connected to a very very friendly and efficient customer service agent. They quickly changed to GLA>LHR leg to the an earlier flight that’s still operating. E-ticket number was issued immediately and showed in the BA mobile app.

Delighted with the service from the agent. It was all so easy once I got through to speak to them. It’s getting through that’s obviously a massive issue at the moment. Pain in the back side having to wait on hold for almost an hour. I was driving home from work for the entire time on hold so this made it a lot less painful.

In my limited and one off experience it’s definitely worth using your BA EC status contact numbers, no matter how lowly that status may be, if you have a telephone only change to a BAH booking.

cosmo74

Just tried the gold line as i want to make a Gold Priority Reward booking, which you can't do online - only to eventually get to the message that says they're a bit busy and aren't taking calls right now. Can't believe this appalling service is still dragging on, at least with the lack of cabin crew they can blame it on security clearance taking a while, there's no excuse not to have more people in the call centres.

mmogdan

why can’t they have a request a call back feature?

I’ve been trying to get through all day to make a change that can’t be done online. Twitter DM seems to have lost the plot with some chat bot now. Live chat never works and can’t get through on the Gold line.

it’s a national disgrace

JessicaB

I think Sean Doyle will run out of customers long before he runs out of excuses.

Decca

This is the 3rd or 4th time in 6 months that BA have cancelled elements of my itineraries. On each occasion, I’ve been unable to rebook online, being directed to phone numbers involving long wait times. Yesterday, the return BA transatlantic leg of an open jaw itinerary to Canada, involving a BA/AS codeshare from Victoria, BC to Seattle connecting to BA to Heathrow was cancelled and now I’m told they’re too busy to answer and the line disconnects. I don’t know if it’s the open jaw element or that there’s a codeshare in the itinerary that’s the barrier to rebooking online but it’s simply outrageous that BA not only doesn’t offer an online facility to rebook on these occasions but also doesn’t follow through with any useable phone support through which to rebook/reroute part of an itinerary cancelled by THEM! I’ve had occasion over the past month to call two of their OneWorld partners, Iberia and American. Iberia were predictably useless, of course, but at least answered the phone while American was able to answer promptly and resolve my issues efficiently. It really is outrageous, BA.

RG1X

I'm in the queue with KLM on Whatsapp... have been for a day now, and I'd still happily take that over the way BA is handling their lines right now.

At least I know I'll eventually get my query dealt with by KLM and I don't have to use up a bunch of my time / concertation trying to get through.

corporate-wage-slave

That's a complex ticket, many airlines don't sell them, so it isn't realistic for an online tool on that one, given the application of "most restrictive rule applies", just to give one example. So unfortunately you will need to call in, and it may help if you have an alternative routing involved - perhaps involving the Lufthansa Group for example or AA/AS. It is difficult to get through, but if it is a commercial ticket (not a redemption) then either around 11pm UK time may be quieter, or consider calling the Barcelona or Prague numbers during European office hours. Alternatively send a Direct Message after following on Twitter - they seem to be replying within 24 hours.

Decca

Whole ticket is revenue on BA metal aside from the short Alaska sector (sold as a BA codeshare) from Victoria to Seattle: GLA-LHR-YUL /- YYJ-SEA-LHR-GLA. There’s nothing especially complex about it, in my view, and BA sold it to me easily enough on their site. They cancelled the SEA-LHR leg. It’s not so much the having to call, it’s the being told essentially to ‘go away’ by their phone system when there’s no other means to rebook! I know they have an earlier SEA-LHR flight, so why they didn’t auto rebook me on that with an AS connection, I’ll never know unless WTP is sold out. Now, they’re just showing a connection with Westjet onto BA via YVR when you plug in YYJ-GLA as a sales enquiry, which would suit me better - no need to go through US immigration. If only they’d not simply answer the phone but allow my call to go through! I’ve tried general reservations and the exec club silver line. It’s just insulting.

I’ve a real doozy later this month: GLA-LHR-MAD-BOG /- CUR-MIA-LHR-GLA ticketed on Iberia with BA, IB and AA segments. God help me if that goes t**s up … the thought of dealing with Iberia on the phone makes my blood run cold. Tried it once to try to select a seat on the BA/IB codeshare and they were singularly unhelpful … in fact, I’m not sure I was fully understood. Give me online any day … but so often the airlines, even when making fancy promises about seamless service across alliance partners simply can’t cope.

speedbird66

Data point: got an email this morning about cancellation of a work flight home from AMS to LGW in a few weeks' time - alternative flight offered in MMB is not suitable as it's much too early for the meeting I'll be attending. Called the silver line at 1000 and, after choosing the appropriate options, through to an agent in less then five minutes.

What I'd forgotten was that it was booked through a travel agent so the BA agent couldn't amend the booking anyway

mmogdan

Been trying to call the Gold line all morning and keep getting "we're taking lots more calls than usual right now and won't be able to put you through to an agent"

edinburghgirl

Just finished my call to cancel an avios booking
got through immediately and call handled efficiently by a lovely young man
delighted as i had settled down to be on hold for a while

cosmo74

After an hour and a half of trying the gold line last night and being told they were too busy to take calls, I thought I'd call the silver number, got into the queue straight away and waited about 10 minutes before speaking to anyone. They then said they had to transfer me to the gold line, but at least I made it through the system. Not really sure what that says about how BA prioritises its call centre. Once I did get through, the agent was very helpful so can't fault them there.

subject2load

Smart strategy cosmo74

Certainly one to add to the list of recommended ‘workarounds’ (and sounds better than trying the Mongolian line, but only on nights with a full moon)

Coming soon : dedicated number for Bronze members only, where calls are picked up within twenty seconds !

jonkx

I managed to get through on the Blue line yesterday mid morning after a half hour wait.

subject2load

Not surprised. Blue is the new Gold ……