jonsg

Due to the reason for travel (a conference) being lost due to COVID, I'm thinking about getting a refund for my ticket. The ticket is for travel late November 2020, and was issued in December 2019. It was issued by BA (not BA Travel).
It is in T class, both directions, and the endorsement codes are: Pax XXXXXX/l/adt/noend/chngfeereiss-rfnd refr iss agt -bg:ba
(I don't know whether the six-digit number after "Pax" is personal, so I've omitted that.)
Is there a comprehensive guide anywhere to the exact meanings of the endorsement codes? I've seen various PDFs about specific bits and pieces, which don't answer my questions, and I've searched FT forums without success.
My guess from these codes is that I can get the ticket refunded, less an admin fee (I've seen £35 suggested elsewhere).
Can you add clarity to my muddy understanding of my refund rights here?
Thanks!

KARFA

If you cancel voluntarily now any refund would be based on the fare tules. Being T class (the lowest WTP selling class) it is very likely that the only thing that would be refunded would be taxes and fees so not very much.

At the moment it would not be possible to get a future travel voucher for your trip *this would at least preserve all the value of the booking). For bookings made before March 2020, vouchers are only possible where the travel is up to the end of August 2020.

If BA cancels or significantly changes the timing on one of your flights you are entitled to a full refund.

Tbh I would just wait for now if I were you. I think there is a good chance BA will changed/cancel one of your flights and at that stage you can get a full refund. Failing that I think there is also a good chance future travel vouchers will be extended to cover your travel dates, so that would be the best option if BA don't change/cancel your flights.

corporate-wage-slave

Was this a travel agent booking? It's a bit unclear what you said about this.

My amateur reading of those remarks, which are fairly standard, is
- it was paid for by an internal invoicing process
- there are restrictions which prevent some of the otherwise easy changes to the ticket
- change fee for reissue
- refund refer to agent (hence my question above)
The £35 change fee sounds like the Avios change fee, which wouldn't apply to a commercial booking.

But yes, I agree with KARFA that you best wait until about October time, and keep an eye on this forum. Unless the change fee is low AND you can rebook by a few weeks for sure, then this ticket currently hasn't a lot of value.

jonsg

No, despite the somewhat confusing rubric in the endorsements, the booking was made direct with BA through the website.

jonsg

Thanks, all for your helpful words.

One of the legs is booked on a 747, which BA's likely removing from service before the end of the year (an article in ukaviation.news suggests they're not even giving pilots recency checks on type any more). Another of the legs is from Gatwick, where BA appears to be running down operations, with long-hauls only resuming to Caribbean destinations. I imagine there's a good chance of some kind of usable amendment.

corporate-wage-slave

In which case a BA contact centre agent will be able to discuss the matter fully with you, and there are probably 2 factors involved at this point: change fee for amendment (which may be in Manage My Booking, but is more clearly shown at the time of booking), and whether refunds are taxes and fees only (which you can work out for yourself from the e-ticket). If BA extends policies to November then more options become possible, but there must surely be a tipping point when BA stops offering this, the airline has spent most of its history being rigorous on fare rules. On the other hand, the chances of a flight being cancelled, depending on the route, could be quite high, and that would give you more leeway to get a full refund and what-not. If a cancellation happens it would typically be 2 to 4 weeks before departure.

imkevinmc

"Recency" is a phrase I see regularly, but how frequent is it required?. Could the process be restored? I have 2 upper deck 747 flights booked in the next 6 months and am hoping against hope that these will be fulfilled

Schind

"Recency" means pilots must have undertaken three take-offs and three landings in the previous 90 days, but that's just part of their overall training and license requirements.
BA have (I think) three 747 simulators so it shouldn't take too long to start ramping things back up for a few pilots but to get all 600 of their 747 pilots back up to date will take a while if BA decide that's what they're going to do.
They could hire other simulators in various places around the world but the entire world's commercial 747 pilots are in the same situation so there could be some long queues!

jonsg

So...I just want to say thanks to Flyers who advised me to hold off from contacting BA, and to wait to see if the flight is cancelled or changed.

A couple of days ago, BA emailed me to tell me the flight had been cancelled, and I'd been transferred to a different flight (wait for it...) no less than five days later!

Yeah...but no. And that gave me the ammunition to get a full refund. There was a long wait on the phone queue, but I got no push-back from the representative who took the call, and a refund was immediately authorised.

Funny thing is, I went onto their website just now, and there are seats on direct flights in each direction on the original days. Thank you, BA, for not transferring me to one of those!

Often1

Just to be clear for the benefit of others. you are entitled to a refund because BA cancelled. Whether BA offers a reroute 10 minutes or 10 days later is not relevant. Your Section 8 rebooking rights under EC 261/2004 apply when a carrier cancels or substantially changes the timing. In this case the former has occurred, whatever the latter.

jbfield

From what I can see and based on what I have picked up over time:
Pax XXXXXX = presumably a routing reference (e.g. LONSEA), passenger reference or the fare basis
/l = ?
/adt = adult
/noend = no end-on-end allowed on the fare
/chngfeereiss-rfnd = change fees for are issue and refund
refr iss agt -bg:ba = If refunding the issuing agent is BA (I don’t know what ‘bg’ refers to, possibly ‘booking’ as in ‘booking agent’, i.e. the refund will be issued by the booking agent which was BA).

MarkFlies

BG:BA means baggage:BA

This is saying that BA’s rules apply to the amount of baggage that can be taken. I can see why this is needed in a booking with several airlines.

jonsg

Once again, thanks for your knowledge and wisdom!

jonsg

Indeed. I went into that call armed for bear, fully expecting to have to cite chapter and verse. No such need. The adviser even mentioned refund before voucher! Didn't even hesitate when I asked for the refund. All done in a couple of minutes, no stress, no hassle, just the way it should be.

GreerApproach

Trying to understand what this code in 'endorsements' means:
*m*poug****nonref/restrictions apply

FWIW, this is a friend's ticket which was paid Premium Economy, but now they find themselves in World Club... Some sort of operational upgrade?