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
#436
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: 63,860
Yes, if this was a redemption then you get the cash and Avios replaced from the initial booking that led to the FTV. And the same with part pay with Avios, though that may take a while to be sorted out.
#437
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 805
You can take full refund (both the cash and Avios element) or move the booking to a date within 12 months of original ticketing or take a FTV again.
As C-W-S preaches here, unless there is a definite reason (such as extending a 241 voucher expiry date to April 2022), take the refund but obviously it’s your choice.
#438
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 447
There is nothing definite about this pandemic. If you want a flexible ticket then that's what Avios are for, otherwise you are making an interest free loan to a company that could go bankrupt. But to answer the question, thebasource used to be the best source but there are so many cancellation that it is difficult to work them all out. If your interest is only in the next 2 weeks then
ba.com/flightstatus
ba.com/flightstatus
I'm trying to get Avios seats for fixed dates in Nov/Dec this year that are not currently available, and if a flight is cancelled then I understand I'll be offered a move to dates of my choice, regardless of Avios availability.
#439
Join Date: May 2019
Programs: British Airways Executive Club
Posts: 26
There is provision in EC261 to cover the extra travel cost, and BA interprets that to be public transport based, so the taxi element would be capped at £50. You may be effectively able to stretch that to £100 if you make separate claims. However I'm sure you are aware that DB's rail service is a safer and comfortable way to travel on this sort of trip. BA will only pay this after the event, and will claim - incorrectly - that by accept this arrangement you are not entitled to claim the train fare. In reality BA would pay up either via a Customer Relation claim after travel, or in extremis via CEDR. More information in the EC261 thread in this forum. But suffice to say I would be confident that BA will pay the train fare eventually, and a bit less confident they would pick up anything other than a low taxi fare.
#440
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: 63,860
And I have replied, but the short version is that you should move to CEDR as quickly as possible, claiming under 8.3 and 9.1.
#441
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,272
Thank you - I will do some poking around and see if I can find a pattern I am happy to take a punt on.
I'm trying to get Avios seats for fixed dates in Nov/Dec this year that are not currently available, and if a flight is cancelled then I understand I'll be offered a move to dates of my choice, regardless of Avios availability.
I'm trying to get Avios seats for fixed dates in Nov/Dec this year that are not currently available, and if a flight is cancelled then I understand I'll be offered a move to dates of my choice, regardless of Avios availability.
#443
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,997
Hi. It may not appear in your list of upcoming bookings on your BAEC page, but if you have the booking reference (likely the same as the one on the FTV) then you should be able to view it on ba.com
#444
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: South Glos, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver/OW Sapphire
Posts: 1,159
Could one of you kind experts help me please.
I have a ticket that includes a UUA and I want to cancel in exchange for an FTV.
What will happen to the Avios I used for the upgrade?
I have a ticket that includes a UUA and I want to cancel in exchange for an FTV.
What will happen to the Avios I used for the upgrade?
#445
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: 63,860
- Your cash
- Your Avios
You would then have to use it on another UuA going forward, though anecdotally there is a charade here - the agent looks at your proposed new booking, discovers no Avios availability, so uses the cash to make a booking without UuA and refunds tha Avios.
You also have the option on your old booking, if you are more than 24 hours from the first sector, to refund the Avios in return for a £35 redeposit fee taken from whatever you spent at UuA time. Occasionally this is problematic due to the potential need to refare the ticket, I can't see a consistent pattern here, mostly agents seem to just refund the Avios. It certainly can't be done if you have already started travelling.
#446
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: LON
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,918
Not worth its own separate thread, and admittedly off-topic for this thread, but thought it should be noted that Heathrow had a snow event today and seemed to managed to keep the show on the road for the traffic that was using the airport. A few delays here and there but those didn't seem to be specifically snow related.
A change from the preemptive cancellations of various domestic and regional flights due to snow.
A change from the preemptive cancellations of various domestic and regional flights due to snow.
#447
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,272
Had a lovely walk in snowy Surrey today, and thought back to my former life running a Heathrow hotel in December 2010 and how horrendous that was. I imagine the impact to ops today was pretty near nil
#448
Join Date: Feb 2016
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 343
many thanks, this worked (wasn’t aware of this way of searching). My BAEC was not added, but putting it in did not make it appear in my BAEC MMB, so I guess it will remain in limbo....
#449
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Edinburgh
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 547
Hi all, I've done a quick search but with no success.
I've got a single domestic AA reward flight booked through BA on a trip I can't now take. When I try to cancel on the BA site it's trying to get me to fill out an FTV form but I was under the impression that refunds are free for AA reward tickets just now?
I've got a single domestic AA reward flight booked through BA on a trip I can't now take. When I try to cancel on the BA site it's trying to get me to fill out an FTV form but I was under the impression that refunds are free for AA reward tickets just now?
#450
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,997
Hi all, I've done a quick search but with no success.
I've got a single domestic AA reward flight booked through BA on a trip I can't now take. When I try to cancel on the BA site it's trying to get me to fill out an FTV form but I was under the impression that refunds are free for AA reward tickets just now?
I've got a single domestic AA reward flight booked through BA on a trip I can't now take. When I try to cancel on the BA site it's trying to get me to fill out an FTV form but I was under the impression that refunds are free for AA reward tickets just now?
Nothing has changed regarding voluntary cancellation costs for rewards, so the cancellation is subject to a £35 per person cancellation fee. This is deducted from the taxes/fees/charges you paid. However, if the cash you paid was less than £35 you just lose the cash you paid, you are not asked to cure the difference.
If you went for a FTV then the avios and cash is kept on the FTV for you to use up to April 2022. The advantage of this route is there are no fees deducted.