Last edit by: corporate-wage-slave
01 - 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 2023 (now extended from April 2022 including existing FTVs), 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. If you us,ed an FTV to pay for this now cancelled service then you can have a refund back to the FTV's original booking.
Online forms: manual process which may take many weeks
link to webform to claim a refund (UK) or link to webform to claim a refund (US)
Paid Seating Refund:
link to webform to claim a refund (UK)
02 - If your flight is not cancelled but you no longer wish to travel
Commercial booking: If you are eligible for Buy with Confidence, you can have an FTV valid until 31 August 2022 (this has been extended several times). Rebooking may lead to a fare recalculation but no change fee. Travel must be fully completed by this date.
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 30 April 2022, 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: https://ba.com/confidence
Bookings made using Lloyds Upgrade Voucher
You should expect to receive:
A full refund of Avios and money paid plus 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
03 - How to find out the status of your voucher and the amount it contains
Use the Qantas website and look back to your original PNR. Step by step guide by corporate-wage-slave
04 - Future Travel Vouchers versus eVouchers
FTVs cannot be used online (and are not really vouchers), whereas eVouchers, issued for simple bookings, can be used online.
BA are now issuing eVouchers directly in simple cases, and also proactively replacing existing FTVs with new eVouchers. These are usable online. Complex cases still get FTVs, which require a phone call to book. In both cases, you need to apply online through the Cancellation Options in MMB, and both will generate an email typically within a few minutes. This is how to tell the difference
1) eVouchers will get an email entitled "Your British Airways eVoucher"
This will then have a line like this and the online ability is mentioned in the email text:
Your eVoucher details
125-1234567890 / GBP48.87 / WAGE-SLAVE /
2) FTVs will get an email entitled "Your British Airways Future Travel Voucher"
The relevant line then shows:
Voucher code(s)
125-1234567890
It doesn't take much, by FT standards, to turn a booking too complicated for the automated eVoucher. POUGs, flight changes, TCP, seat payment, pay payment with Avios, UuA. 48 and 72 hour Hold bookings all stop it. But if you made a simple single or return booking, point to point, on BA.com and didn't change it, then you should get an eVoucher.
If you obtain an FTV, deploy it on a new booking which BA then cancels, then you can get a refund of the cash from the first booking that led to the FTV. Or an Avios refund without redeposit fees if it was a redemption.
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 2023 (now extended from April 2022 including existing FTVs), 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. If you us,ed an FTV to pay for this now cancelled service then you can have a refund back to the FTV's original booking.
Online forms: manual process which may take many weeks
link to webform to claim a refund (UK) or link to webform to claim a refund (US)
Paid Seating Refund:
link to webform to claim a refund (UK)
02 - If your flight is not cancelled but you no longer wish to travel
Commercial booking: If you are eligible for Buy with Confidence, you can have an FTV valid until 31 August 2022 (this has been extended several times). Rebooking may lead to a fare recalculation but no change fee. Travel must be fully completed by this date.
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 30 April 2022, 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: https://ba.com/confidence
Bookings made using Lloyds Upgrade Voucher
You should expect to receive:
A full refund of Avios and money paid plus 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.
03 - How to find out the status of your voucher and the amount it contains
Use the Qantas website and look back to your original PNR. Step by step guide by corporate-wage-slave
04 - Future Travel Vouchers versus eVouchers
FTVs cannot be used online (and are not really vouchers), whereas eVouchers, issued for simple bookings, can be used online.
BA are now issuing eVouchers directly in simple cases, and also proactively replacing existing FTVs with new eVouchers. These are usable online. Complex cases still get FTVs, which require a phone call to book. In both cases, you need to apply online through the Cancellation Options in MMB, and both will generate an email typically within a few minutes. This is how to tell the difference
1) eVouchers will get an email entitled "Your British Airways eVoucher"
This will then have a line like this and the online ability is mentioned in the email text:
Your eVoucher details
125-1234567890 / GBP48.87 / WAGE-SLAVE /
2) FTVs will get an email entitled "Your British Airways Future Travel Voucher"
The relevant line then shows:
Voucher code(s)
125-1234567890
It doesn't take much, by FT standards, to turn a booking too complicated for the automated eVoucher. POUGs, flight changes, TCP, seat payment, pay payment with Avios, UuA. 48 and 72 hour Hold bookings all stop it. But if you made a simple single or return booking, point to point, on BA.com and didn't change it, then you should get an eVoucher.
If you obtain an FTV, deploy it on a new booking which BA then cancels, then you can get a refund of the cash from the first booking that led to the FTV. Or an Avios refund without redeposit fees if it was a redemption.
BA Covid-19 Flight cancellations, rebooking, and refunds | Help and advice thread
#2041
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,821
I am currently on an AA operated BA flight. I am unable to select a seat since it looks like the flight LAX to MIA on AA 340 this Thursday August 12 is full. The full trip is from LAX to BCN and am arriving on the 14th of August and returning on the 15th of August. Would BA allow me move flights to a day earlier? Will I have any issues on an oversold flight?
Thanks
Thanks
AA 340 LAX 11:25p → MIA 7:37a
F1 A0 C0 J0 R0 D0 I0 Y7 B7 H7 K7 M7 L7 G7 V7 S5 N5 Q0 O0 E7
F1 A0 C0 J0 R0 D0 I0 Y7 B7 H7 K7 M7 L7 G7 V7 S5 N5 Q0 O0 E7
Have you checked the AA forum threads regarding obtaining seat assignments and being unable to select a seat?
#2042
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: LAX, SNA, LGB
Posts: 453
I am in biz and let me clarify that all seats are taken and i don’t see any of them as blocked so can not choose seat.
#2044
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,986
I think to answer your question, no BA won’t be pro actively allowing you to change flights in these circumstances.
It may be possible that AA will want to offload people on the day. You may want to ask AA on the day of you can move and if they are oversold they may do that for you. Otherwise there isn’t anything else you can do.
It may be possible that AA will want to offload people on the day. You may want to ask AA on the day of you can move and if they are oversold they may do that for you. Otherwise there isn’t anything else you can do.
#2045
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: 63,843
I am currently on an AA operated BA flight. I am unable to select a seat since it looks like the flight LAX to MIA on AA 340 this Thursday August 12 is full. The full trip is from LAX to BCN and am arriving on the 14th of August and returning on the 15th of August. Would BA allow me move flights to a day earlier? Will I have any issues on an oversold flight?
#2046
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: LAX, SNA, LGB
Posts: 453
I booked the flights after a previous one was cancelled. The original booking was a BA marketed AA operated flight. Given my short turnaround time in BCN I am not sure that i will make the trip at all if i were rebooked onto the next flight. Should i speak to AA about being moved to a different flight?
#2047
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,986
As noted, there is no point unless you speak to AA on the day and they happen to be looking to offload passengers from your flight.
Neither BA or AA are going to be interested in changing flights for you a few days before.
It isn’t actually clear the flight is oversold.
Neither BA or AA are going to be interested in changing flights for you a few days before.
It isn’t actually clear the flight is oversold.
#2048
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,821
You could set up an EF seat alert or call AA and ask about the seat map. BA isn't going to move you to an earlier flight just because you aren't able to select a seat at this time.
#2049
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,262
As your flights were booked through BA, I can’t see AA being able to help at this point. You can change without fees, however a fare difference would be charged if applicable, worth a call to BA to enquire the cost and ease of this. Failing that, cancel it all to a Future Travel Voucher under book with Confidence
Last edited by mikeyfly; Aug 8, 2021 at 4:02 pm
#2050
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: 63,843
If it's a BA ticket then normally it's BA you talk to, unless there are problems on the day, in which case it is over to AA. If it's oversold - which may not be the case by the time they throw off the non-revs - then AA usually has a well established mechanism for dealing with it. I'm kind of struggling in a sense - if you don't want to go then ask for an FTV, but if you booked it with just a few hours in BCN then it must have been obvious from the start that any delays (etc) would scupper your arrangements. If that happens then AA will rebook you as best they can.
#2051
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: LAX, SNA, LGB
Posts: 453
If it's a BA ticket then normally it's BA you talk to, unless there are problems on the day, in which case it is over to AA. If it's oversold - which may not be the case by the time they throw off the non-revs - then AA usually has a well established mechanism for dealing with it. I'm kind of struggling in a sense - if you don't want to go then ask for an FTV, but if you booked it with just a few hours in BCN then it must have been obvious from the start that any delays (etc) would scupper your arrangements. If that happens then AA will rebook you as best they can.
#2052
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,986
Whilst having a plan B may be prudent, I suspect you will be on the flight you actually booked and there won’t be any issues on the day.
#2053
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: LAX, SNA, LGB
Posts: 453
#2054
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 33
My LHR-ZRH flight at has been cancelled on 25/8 at 0935 in J, booked with Avios. The MMB rebooking options give a 1535 flight the same day, which gets me into ZRH too late for a meeting, or a 0935 flight the previous day, which I can't take either due to meetings.
I asked the Gold line for a rebooking option with IB at 1850 on 24/8 with an overnight in MAD which would get me into ZRH at 1105 on 25/8. The agent said my only options were to take the BA flights offered or a refund. He couldn't rebook on IB with an avios ticket in these circumstances. He couldn't offer the LX flight as it was ticketed after 22/6. Is it worth trying again or do I have to take the refund?
I asked the Gold line for a rebooking option with IB at 1850 on 24/8 with an overnight in MAD which would get me into ZRH at 1105 on 25/8. The agent said my only options were to take the BA flights offered or a refund. He couldn't rebook on IB with an avios ticket in these circumstances. He couldn't offer the LX flight as it was ticketed after 22/6. Is it worth trying again or do I have to take the refund?
#2055
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: 63,843
I suspect the agent hasn't had a chance to read the memo which came out a few days ago. The Lufthansa Group (or rather the LH, LX and OS bits of it) rebooking guideline was extended to 31 October in respect of both travel dates and ticket issue. Give it another go and mention that you have heard that the LH rebooking guidelines have recently been changed. Under that guideline BA flights are still the preferred option and yes it includes Avios bookings.