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
#2807
formerly JackDann
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 1,658
My BA11 BHD>LHR>SIN in First on 14/1 has been cancelled (As expected)
I plan to travel to Thailand.
There does not appear to be any other OneWorld carriers with a First cabin travelling to Singapore on this day. Does anyone know what reasonable alternative may be suggested to me or maybe even some ideas of what I can propose to them (When I eventually get through!). I was really looking forward to our 'first First!' experience and got a great deal, so would be a huge shame to miss out on this.
I plan to travel to Thailand.
There does not appear to be any other OneWorld carriers with a First cabin travelling to Singapore on this day. Does anyone know what reasonable alternative may be suggested to me or maybe even some ideas of what I can propose to them (When I eventually get through!). I was really looking forward to our 'first First!' experience and got a great deal, so would be a huge shame to miss out on this.
Anybody got any suggestions on where I stand - Will I just have to take the refund? Not ideal.
Last edited by JD1905; Nov 29, 2021 at 8:50 am
#2808
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LON
Programs: Mucci, BAEC, Eurostar
Posts: 3,293
Just got off the phone with BA - They could offer absolutely no alternative on that day (and actually couldn't even offer anything on any other days), my only option would be a full refund. I did actually give them the option of re-routing me to Bangkok, but as this is outside of 300 miles they wanted an extra £4,000 (and it would have been a downgrade to CW!).
Anybody got any suggestions on where I stand - Will I just have to take the refund? Not ideal.
Anybody got any suggestions on where I stand - Will I just have to take the refund? Not ideal.
#2809
formerly JackDann
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 1,658
They didn't provide this as an option - I'd assume because there is no F availability on QR (the A380 from LHR to DOH I believe is now full in F on that day). If they were to do this and then downgrade me, what is this process like?
#2810
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)
Posts: 8,937
Just got off the phone with BA - They could offer absolutely no alternative on that day (and actually couldn't even offer anything on any other days), my only option would be a full refund. I did actually give them the option of re-routing me to Bangkok, but as this is outside of 300 miles they wanted an extra £4,000 (and it would have been a downgrade to CW!).
Anybody got any suggestions on where I stand - Will I just have to take the refund? Not ideal.
Anybody got any suggestions on where I stand - Will I just have to take the refund? Not ideal.
#2811
formerly JackDann
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 1,658
You write that BA was unable to offer you anything on any other days. How flexible are you regarding dates, and how broad is the "any" that they are unable to accommodate you? Just a thought, maybe they could rebook you for a year later? Or other dates that you'd prefer?
Re-booking for a years time etc wouldn't be an option for me either as I unfortunately am not in a position where I'm willing to let that sort of money sit on flights that I may/may not want to take in a year or so.
Now of course, I completely see from BA's perspective that i'm not being very accommodating here, but the way I see it is that I got a good deal at the time to fly on the dates I needed and i'm unable to find any alternative for anywhere near the price I paid.
One option I am considering is to just scrap the Idea of flying in F completely and pick up a couple of EK return tickets from DUB>BKK for a fraction of the price.
#2813
Join Date: Mar 2020
Programs: British Airways GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond & Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,612
My BA11 BHD>LHR>SIN in First on 14/1 has been cancelled (As expected)
I plan to travel to Thailand.
There does not appear to be any other OneWorld carriers with a First cabin travelling to Singapore on this day. Does anyone know what reasonable alternative may be suggested to me or maybe even some ideas of what I can propose to them (When I eventually get through!). I was really looking forward to our 'first First!' experience and got a great deal, so would be a huge shame to miss out on this.
I plan to travel to Thailand.
There does not appear to be any other OneWorld carriers with a First cabin travelling to Singapore on this day. Does anyone know what reasonable alternative may be suggested to me or maybe even some ideas of what I can propose to them (When I eventually get through!). I was really looking forward to our 'first First!' experience and got a great deal, so would be a huge shame to miss out on this.
#2814
formerly JackDann
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 1,658
75% refund on a downgrade I could certainly live with.
#2815
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,709
If it was converted to an eVoucher then yes. If not, then a call is the only way to use it and cannot be retrospectively applied to an existing booking.
#2816
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Mucci: Classe de la Luxe Eternelle
Posts: 816
Has policy change re: cancellation rebookings? I understood that I could change any sector if one sector was cancelled. YouFirst have told me I can only change the cancelled sector now.
Is this correct or HUACA?
Is this correct or HUACA?
#2817
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,967
change as in move it 300 miles, or keep the same routing and just move to new dates?
#2818
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Mucci: Classe de la Luxe Eternelle
Posts: 816
move another uncancelled sector to a earlier flight that day (they say reprice)
I understood that cancellation meant I could move the entire booking to new dates if need be - so assumed a timing change would be permitted
#2819
formerly JackDann
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 1,658
I've read before that when BA have cancelled, they have then been pretty flexible in allowing travel outside of 300 miles. Is this a case of it depends who you get? As I can no longer get to SIN on my dates it'd be hugely convenient if I could get to HKT or BKK instead.
#2820
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 4
Cityflyer Avios booking cancelled: Reroute options?
Hi would love some help here on ways or ideas to get BA to honour my EU261 rights!
Situation
Avios redemption booking from Southampton to Edinburgh BA2900 cancelled on 12 Dec. it was a one-way booking to get home after a few stops round the south east for Xmas.
Logainair operate the same route at about the same time, so had though under EU261 it would be a fairly easy swap.
Silver Exec telephone line say they can’t book me on the Loganair flight because I paid with Avios for my booking?
I’m sure that they can’t do that, but Exec line say that they don’t have an ability to do the rebooking.
Going up to LHR on the way home would be a reall pain in the a**. Anyone any ideas on how to get BA to do what they should be doing?
thanks v much!
(Ps - started this as a separate thread sorry: Will delete that!)
Situation
Avios redemption booking from Southampton to Edinburgh BA2900 cancelled on 12 Dec. it was a one-way booking to get home after a few stops round the south east for Xmas.
Logainair operate the same route at about the same time, so had though under EU261 it would be a fairly easy swap.
Silver Exec telephone line say they can’t book me on the Loganair flight because I paid with Avios for my booking?
I’m sure that they can’t do that, but Exec line say that they don’t have an ability to do the rebooking.
Going up to LHR on the way home would be a reall pain in the a**. Anyone any ideas on how to get BA to do what they should be doing?
thanks v much!
(Ps - started this as a separate thread sorry: Will delete that!)