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BA Covid-19 Flight cancellations, rebooking, and refunds | Help and advice thread

Old Jan 1, 2021, 8:29 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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
  • 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.
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BA Covid-19 Flight cancellations, rebooking, and refunds | Help and advice thread

Old Aug 20, 2021, 6:34 am
  #2191  
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: BER
Programs: BA GGL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,842
hey there, im sorry because this has definitively been asked before.

i have a ticket for outbound 10/08 and inbound 10/20 for a EU-USA travel. i got an "UN" segment and are therefor eligible for moving the flights up to 1 year from outbound. Although this policy is quite generous, it is not suitable for me because i need it 10/20/22 which is 12 days after the 1 year period.

am I allowed to "split" the outbound into BER-HEL-LHR in ... lets say May (to be within the 1 year) and then do the rest (here: LHR-JFK-LAX) and the inbound in October (after the 1 year has elapsed)?
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Old Aug 21, 2021, 3:23 am
  #2192  
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: 63,474
Originally Posted by TheJayHatch
Looking through the thread I confess I am confused. I think I am allowed to change both legs, under BA's T&Cs, Will I be permitted to re-book into F on any alternative OB connecting flight, regardless of fare bucket? If so why won't it let me under MMB (which doesnt even seem to have the re -booked OB details, or at least wont allow me to see them without changing the MSY-LHR leg). Ive called BA Gold line, and been told by the recording message they are too busy to take my call.
Yes you can rebook to other dates, but as mentioned upthread once you have changed a booking, added vouchers, done anything unusual to it, MMB's functionality gets more restricted, hence you need to call up. You only get one free change per cancellation, which you have had, hence MMB isn't letting that be moved. However the return also being cancelled means that no longer applies. Lines are busy because there are a lot of cancellations and as soon as flights get cancelled people ring in.

It really goes back to not making changes immediately something happens. You will end up in a cycle of unnecessary work while you end up mothering the booking, flights are not filling up so it's usually best just to leave it until nearer departure time. And beware maybe bookings. A maybe booking is any flight that you are not 101% going to take.
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Old Aug 21, 2021, 3:27 am
  #2193  
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: 63,474
Originally Posted by efincomputer
I've just had a flight cancellation in Feb for the JFK-BOS leg of a SFO-JFK-BOS-LHR-DUB trip (no issues on the outbound trip at the moment). That leg was on BA metal, upgraded from CW to F using Avios. If I call up to reschedule the return flights (keeping it all within a day or two of the original times), should BA allow me to book an F flight back from JFK, rather than BOS, and change the routing to SFO-LAX-JFK-LHR-GLA, given that BOS is within the 300 mile rule from JFK? I don't want to drop the 40TPs on the return journey, hence the insertion of the LAX leg, but could live with losing it if I had to?
Yes, but maybe do it in say mid January? That way AA' won't be changing their flights quite so often. The 300 mile rule relates to changing gateway, which you aren't doing, you are rerouting and the restriction there would be Maximum Permited Mileage (MPM). And your new proposal won't affect that. If you're only doing it for the TPs then there are easier ways to get 40 TPs, and you increase uncertainty when you add complexity.
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Old Aug 21, 2021, 3:30 am
  #2194  
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: 63,474
Originally Posted by Nephoi
am I allowed to "split" the outbound into BER-HEL-LHR in ... lets say May (to be within the 1 year) and then do the rest (here: LHR-JFK-LAX) and the inbound in October (after the 1 year has elapsed)?
Yes. The first sector needs to be within 1 year, so just BER-HEL needs to be moved before that time, the rest of the booking can take up to a year from that first leg (May 2023). But beware maybe bookings, unless you really love replanning trips all the time.
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Old Aug 21, 2021, 9:43 am
  #2195  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: YVR
Posts: 1,846
Trying to Cancel for Avios Refund

I need to cancel an AS partner award flight that departs in 5 days because of the US extension of the border closure. I went to cancel online, but only get the option of a voucher.

I've tried calling twice, only to get disconnected at the one hour mark.

Any tips to reaching a human BA Executive Club? Am I wasting my time?

I don't think I'd be able to use the voucher, so I really want the points redeposited!

Last edited by pokee; Aug 21, 2021 at 10:06 am
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Old Aug 21, 2021, 11:48 am
  #2196  
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: BER
Programs: BA GGL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,842
Originally Posted by pokee
I need to cancel an AS partner award flight that departs in 5 days because of the US extension of the border closure. I went to cancel online, but only get the option of a voucher.

I've tried calling twice, only to get disconnected at the one hour mark.

Any tips to reaching a human BA Executive Club? Am I wasting my time?

I don't think I'd be able to use the voucher, so I really want the points redeposited!
ba chat on ba.com
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Old Aug 21, 2021, 12:20 pm
  #2197  
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 65
Originally Posted by aprilscot
I have taken my original outbound flight but my return to London has been cancelled and I have been rebooked onto a flight from a different airport (EWR to JFK). Can I ask to be rebooked onto an AA flight from PHL instead or even a BA flight from MIA?
I guess that's a no then?
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Old Aug 21, 2021, 12:26 pm
  #2198  
 
Join Date: Aug 2021
Programs: BA, AA, UA, VS, DL, EI, Hilton, Marriot
Posts: 67
Originally Posted by aprilscot
I guess that's a no then?
You can ask. Change of gateway within 300 miles so not MIA.
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Old Aug 21, 2021, 2:30 pm
  #2199  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: YVR
Posts: 1,846
Originally Posted by Nephoi
ba chat on ba.com
I've tried chat multiple times, and it keeps telling me to call when I get past the automated bot.

Is there some trick to connecting with a live agent on chat?
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Old Aug 21, 2021, 2:49 pm
  #2200  
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: BER
Programs: BA GGL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,842
Originally Posted by pokee
I've tried chat multiple times, and it keeps telling me to call when I get past the automated bot.

Is there some trick to connecting with a live agent on chat?
copypasting "speak to an agent" usually does the trick

tell the robot something he doesnt unterstand.
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Old Aug 22, 2021, 2:20 am
  #2201  
 
Join Date: May 2005
Programs: BA Gold, AA PLT PRO, AGR, Strawberry (Nordic Choice), Marriott Bonvoy
Posts: 4,150
My elderly parents are booked LHR-BDA / BOS-LHR in economy. They chose the day flight BOS-LHR which BA has cancelled and they are very unhappy to have been moved to the red-eye.

If they have to take a red-eye, Id like to get them into business class. They (and/or I) have enough AA miles to redeem each of them a 57k+taxes/fees ticket for the BOS-LHR leg. Can they refund just the return leg without repricing LHR-BDA to an expensive one way fare and rebook the return as a separate PNR in business using their AA miles?

if not, what do you recommend?
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Old Aug 22, 2021, 2:45 am
  #2202  
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: 63,474
If the BOS-LHR service is cancelled, then yes, they can remove that sector and get an involuntary refund on it. If the fare was more loaded. cost-wise, to LHR-BDA (as I would also expect) then the refund for BOS-LHR may be unimpressive. It wil also take a lot of time to calculate this refund.

Other options
- Look at whether it is cost effective to buy Avios to cover a CW trip
- Ditto, but keep original booking and UuA to WTP
- Keep original booking and do a fare difference to WTP or CW.
- I don't know if the dates of travel but see if the JFK day flight is operating, either oneworld or Virgin - may need a new booking though.
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Old Aug 22, 2021, 3:38 am
  #2203  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Central Scotland
Programs: BAEC Gold, Miles & More Silver, Privilege Club Silver
Posts: 544
BA Holiday in November to Singapore inward flight cancelled. What are my options are they just a refund or a FTV ?
Advice appreciated, thanks in advance.
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Old Aug 22, 2021, 3:40 am
  #2204  
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: 63,474
You can also do a rebooking to other flights, if that's available / viable.
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Old Aug 22, 2021, 3:49 am
  #2205  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Central Scotland
Programs: BAEC Gold, Miles & More Silver, Privilege Club Silver
Posts: 544
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
You can also do a rebooking to other flights, if that's available / viable.
Very flexible on travel dates will I need to pay any price difference as prices have gone up considerably since original booking.
Thanks for the advice.
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