Jan 1, 2021, 8:29 am
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
May 4, 2022, 2:12 pm
#3601
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: UA 1K; Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Gold
Posts: 828
BA will be looking to offer services in the days before or after the cancellation. Using other oneworld airlines is another option so Qatar is one option for example. So if that works, ring up with that suggestion lined up, so QR1342 to DOH then QR737 to SFO.
May 4, 2022, 2:18 pm
#3602
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: 63,830
Qatar: Oh yes. I can see a recent amendment to policy; "Passengers can be rerouted via Doha so long as the Qatar operated sector(s) do not touch anywhere in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Mexico, China, Japan, Korea, North & West Africa, Levant (Israel), Non-EU Eastern European countries, or countries North of Afghanistan/China."
On the other hand I wasn't aware Lufthansa has been extended, which it has, from yesterday and until 29 October no less, so that's a useful alternative, covering Austrian, Swiss and CityLine.
So both Qatar and Lufthansa Group options may help some travellers, Qatar has some geographical limits but works for places like UK to South Africa, India, South Asia.
Last edited by corporate-wage-slave; May 5, 2022 at 1:24 am
May 4, 2022, 3:31 pm
#3603
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Helvetia
Programs: AS; BA Silver; UA; HH Gold; Sprüngli Connaisseur
Posts: 2,912
Yes, it should allow a check in at SEA, though the robots may at some point notice the connection and do - or try to do - something about it. But you are right to be relaxed about it. I would hope Twitter would reply to you soon, they don't seem too overloarded tonight, but you can send a public message to chase.
I am a bit surprised though, that the agent booked us into ET, especially as the original flights are booking code J. You'd think they could see that from the reservation.
Any other strategies I should be thinking about? LX via SFO, LAX, or ORD perhaps?
May 4, 2022, 3:38 pm
#3604
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: 63,830
You are only allowed one change, hopefully they will fix the CE component since that looks like a mistake unless it's Point of Sale related. As noted, BA does have a rebooking arrangement with LX, LH and OS, so these would be alternatives if you didn't accept something beforehand.
May 4, 2022, 3:51 pm
#3605
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Helvetia
Programs: AS; BA Silver; UA; HH Gold; Sprüngli Connaisseur
Posts: 2,912
You are only allowed one change, hopefully they will fix the CE component since that looks like a mistake unless it's Point of Sale related. As noted, BA does have a rebooking arrangement with LX, LH and OS, so these would be alternatives if you didn't accept something beforehand.
Fortunately, I noticed the ET part immediately, so my answer was to ask to be put properly into CE, and I hadn't accepted the change. PoS is ZRH. Hopefully, they'll fix that and I'm done. I might send another DM suggesting the LX flight at the same time as the BA flight. It's strange that there are no flights to ZRH from LHR on 13 May at 15.00 on either LX or BA. If this doesn't work out then I'd be tempted to just leave it until the checkin desk at SEA.
May 5, 2022, 12:55 am
#3606
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Surrey
Programs: BA Gold, VS Gold, Eurostar CB, IHG Spire, Hilton Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium, Hertz President Circle
Posts: 435
The Right to Care is broad brush, the factor that may apply is why the delayed departure, avoiding the overnight, doesn't work. So let's say you are going for a business meeting and that the delayed option would miss the start of the meeting. You would not have booked the travel originally if that was the outcome. If you therefore have to travel earlier for the purposes of the trip AND that requires an overnight stay, then Right to Care applies.
The expectation is that it's two to a room, but if that's not viable then it can be per person. Two work colleagues would not be expected to share, for example. Even if the £200 is the guideline, you would be best to keep it sensible, not least because BA may initially decline to pay it and you then have to escalate it to see the reimbursement.
The expectation is that it's two to a room, but if that's not viable then it can be per person. Two work colleagues would not be expected to share, for example. Even if the £200 is the guideline, you would be best to keep it sensible, not least because BA may initially decline to pay it and you then have to escalate it to see the reimbursement.
May 5, 2022, 1:21 am
#3607
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: 63,830
BA is actually happy to rebook us onto the morning LH flight which avoids an overnight stay altogether. However, they are saying LH baggage policy applies, not BA. With BA we have 2x32kg and sports equipment (bikes) are included within that whereas LH is 130 EUR per person for the bikes. Is this a clear cut case where we can ask for reimbursement from BA?
May 5, 2022, 1:53 am
#3608
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,021
Sorry, I don't have answer for you. Did they give a reason for the cancellation - or just an email that it was cancelled? I have flights booked this November from Houston, Texas-Heathrow-Nairobi and return. I feel your pain as this happened to me in June 2020 and June 2021 and finally switched to KLM. I have my safari paid for and if I have to worry about another BA cancelled I will be heartbroken.
Why all the BA cancellations? Diminished crew? I wonder is the passenger load is a factor also. But how do they know that for your flights in August and September of this year.
Why all the BA cancellations? Diminished crew? I wonder is the passenger load is a factor also. But how do they know that for your flights in August and September of this year.
I hate to think of all the leg work you will have to do. I checked Qatar and their flights are no good for me. 23 hours to get from Houston to Nairobi!!! I flew Qatar once back in 2016 and I did have to spend the night in Doha airport hotel. Don't want to do that again.
I'm not happy. This is the third trip out of 3 for 2022 that BA have messed up. Couple that with expiring 241 vouchers that we can't use due to lack of availability of reward flights and high taxes and charges on rewards, BA isn't looking an attractive airline.
May 5, 2022, 2:58 am
#3609
Join Date: Apr 2022
Programs: BA
Posts: 2
Quick question, our flight to SFO booked through BA Holidays has been cancelled, MMB says we can pick an alternate flight but no option to do this, cant get through tot speak to anyone, when does BA contact you to discuss alternate flight
May 5, 2022, 3:54 am
#3610
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: 63,830
For BAH that's different, MMB won't always work due to the other components sitting in the ticket which are not flight related. So the usual next stage is to wait a few days for an email from BAH, 4 days is common, which will have a proposed alternative and email address for confirmation. It really isn't sensible to call BA just after mass cancellations, unless you are flying in the next 2 or 3 days. Moreover leaving your rebooking gives you more flexibility, including cancellation / refunds, so unless you are travelling very soon I would leave it for a bit.
May 5, 2022, 7:28 am
#3611
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 6
An overview of my cancellation and compensation experience with BA
I had originally booked a flight for March 31st out of LHR to CDG at 13.20. Got an email on the 25th saying my flight was cancelled and I could rebook. Rebooked it to the 11.00 flight. The day before my flight I checked in and got my boarding pass. The evening before I decided to check my booking before going to sleep. No particular reason why I did that, I just was double checking I guess. See that the flight has been cancelled. Never received an email or notification or anything. Quickly manage to rebook on the 09.00 flight on what looked like the last seat available.
Thankfully the flight itself was rather uneventful but I did have to start my trip way earlier because of all the changes in the itinerary. I decided to file for compensation because my original flight was scheduled to leave at 13.20 and I eventually had to get the flight at 09.00. Got an email today saying I am entitled to 125 euro of compensation. Thought it was going to be 250 but they cited some rule that if the flight is less than 1500km or something they can half the compensation.
Anyways, thankfully got sorted out okay.
I had originally booked a flight for March 31st out of LHR to CDG at 13.20. Got an email on the 25th saying my flight was cancelled and I could rebook. Rebooked it to the 11.00 flight. The day before my flight I checked in and got my boarding pass. The evening before I decided to check my booking before going to sleep. No particular reason why I did that, I just was double checking I guess. See that the flight has been cancelled. Never received an email or notification or anything. Quickly manage to rebook on the 09.00 flight on what looked like the last seat available.
Thankfully the flight itself was rather uneventful but I did have to start my trip way earlier because of all the changes in the itinerary. I decided to file for compensation because my original flight was scheduled to leave at 13.20 and I eventually had to get the flight at 09.00. Got an email today saying I am entitled to 125 euro of compensation. Thought it was going to be 250 but they cited some rule that if the flight is less than 1500km or something they can half the compensation.
Anyways, thankfully got sorted out okay.
Last edited by Faratti; May 5, 2022 at 7:40 am
May 5, 2022, 9:34 am
#3612
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Helvetia
Programs: AS; BA Silver; UA; HH Gold; Sprüngli Connaisseur
Posts: 2,912
Thanks again for the quick answer CWS!
Fortunately, I noticed the ET part immediately, so my answer was to ask to be put properly into CE, and I hadn't accepted the change. PoS is ZRH. Hopefully, they'll fix that and I'm done. I might send another DM suggesting the LX flight at the same time as the BA flight. It's strange that there are no flights to ZRH from LHR on 13 May at 15.00 on either LX or BA. If this doesn't work out then I'd be tempted to just leave it until the checkin desk at SEA.
Fortunately, I noticed the ET part immediately, so my answer was to ask to be put properly into CE, and I hadn't accepted the change. PoS is ZRH. Hopefully, they'll fix that and I'm done. I might send another DM suggesting the LX flight at the same time as the BA flight. It's strange that there are no flights to ZRH from LHR on 13 May at 15.00 on either LX or BA. If this doesn't work out then I'd be tempted to just leave it until the checkin desk at SEA.
May 5, 2022, 9:46 am
#3613
Join Date: Dec 2019
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 573
Well I've had a refund relating to the Late February "IT Meltdown" from BAH but they have completely cocked it up.
Weekend Break Flights and Hotel booked from EDI to DUS via LHR out Friday 25th February return Sunday 27th February - cost £224.
Only got as far as LHR on the 25th then Flight to Dusseldorf cancelled - the following morning one Saturday 26th was also cancelled - they had put me up overnight at LHR on Friday, I was then left to fend for myself incurring expenses to get back to Edinburgh as no one at the Airport would help and the BAH Helpline was jammed.
You'd think as I mentioned to them this was an open and shut case for a full refund of the £224 paid for the Holiday as per the PTR's.
Somehow they have concluded I am only entitled to £100 odd back ? - You couldn't make it up - wish I'd just done a chargeback.
They mentioned my details would be passed over for any compensation/expenses due, I had already given them the claim reference number. The lack of synchronicity between BAH and BA needs to be addressed. Why should a claim like mine have to be bisected in this manner ?
Weekend Break Flights and Hotel booked from EDI to DUS via LHR out Friday 25th February return Sunday 27th February - cost £224.
Only got as far as LHR on the 25th then Flight to Dusseldorf cancelled - the following morning one Saturday 26th was also cancelled - they had put me up overnight at LHR on Friday, I was then left to fend for myself incurring expenses to get back to Edinburgh as no one at the Airport would help and the BAH Helpline was jammed.
You'd think as I mentioned to them this was an open and shut case for a full refund of the £224 paid for the Holiday as per the PTR's.
Somehow they have concluded I am only entitled to £100 odd back ? - You couldn't make it up - wish I'd just done a chargeback.
They mentioned my details would be passed over for any compensation/expenses due, I had already given them the claim reference number. The lack of synchronicity between BAH and BA needs to be addressed. Why should a claim like mine have to be bisected in this manner ?
May 5, 2022, 10:36 am
#3614
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 33
<strong>FOR THOSE WITH RECENT BA CANCELLATIONS: QR (Qatar) and Lufhansa rebooking options</strong><br /><br />Qatar: Oh yes. I can see a recent amendment to policy; "Passengers can be rerouted via Doha so long as the Qatar operated sector(s) do not touch anywhere in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Mexico, China, Japan, Korea, North & West Africa, Levant (Israel), Non-EU Eastern European countries, or countries North of Afghanistan/China."<br /><br />On the other hand I wasn't aware <strong>Lufthansa</strong> has been extended, which it has, from yesterday and until 29 October no less, so that's a useful alternative, covering Austrian, Swiss and CityLine.<br /><br />So both Qatar and Lufthansa Group options may help some travellers, Qatar has some geographical limits but works for places like UK to South Africa, India, South Asia.
Now that would have been a nice option following BA cancelling my Madrid to LHR flight in February - for which I still haven't had my claim paid for.
May 5, 2022, 10:47 am
#3615
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: 63,830
I suppose the choice of wording is odd, I don't think I've seen it on other customer advisories. I think it just means "goes via".