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
#916
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 928
No sure how ethical this is, but this thread has got me thinking and BA are grateful of custom I’m assuming !
You can book avios flights right now for May. Do people think these will get cancelled? I’m looking at DXB. I would then use the rebook to use dates further on in the year that suit me, where avios availability is not there, eg school hols.
Does this work? I will use my moral judgment on the other stuff 😂
You can book avios flights right now for May. Do people think these will get cancelled? I’m looking at DXB. I would then use the rebook to use dates further on in the year that suit me, where avios availability is not there, eg school hols.
Does this work? I will use my moral judgment on the other stuff 😂
#917
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
#918
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 928
An avios booking can just be cancelled though by me can’t it, so apart from the cancellation fee, I don’t see the risk ?
#919
Join Date: Mar 2020
Programs: British Airways GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond & Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,612
Situation: MAN-LHR-WAW return booked for May. Booked using 3 vouchers plus cash. Email notification that one segment was cancelled.
What I want: I want to rebook in Oct for the WAW FT do. If possible via HEL (MAN-HEL-WAW) which is offered online, but unable to change, because.....
Challenge: The booking wasn't ticketed due to an admin oversight by BA! so cannot change online.
Im expecting a call back from the Newcastle team. Unsure how this will go?
What I want: I want to rebook in Oct for the WAW FT do. If possible via HEL (MAN-HEL-WAW) which is offered online, but unable to change, because.....
Challenge: The booking wasn't ticketed due to an admin oversight by BA! so cannot change online.
Im expecting a call back from the Newcastle team. Unsure how this will go?
#920
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
#921
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
One scenario is they will simply rebook as you wish. The other is that they will say because it was unticketed you can only have the refund. I think the latter is policy, but it's rare to be enforced.
#922
Join Date: Mar 2020
Programs: British Airways GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond & Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,612
I didn't catch the name of the team in Newcastle, any ideas?
#923
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
#925
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 928
Sorry, one more question re rebooking an avios flight. If BA cancel your booking, will they allow you to rebook on any future flight, regardless of avios availability? IE will the open up inventory?
Also, if they don’t cancel the flight, but you want to change dates to later in the year (ie because travel is not legal etc), will they open up any seat in the same cabin or does there have to be avios reward availability?
Thank you !
Also, if they don’t cancel the flight, but you want to change dates to later in the year (ie because travel is not legal etc), will they open up any seat in the same cabin or does there have to be avios reward availability?
Thank you !
#926
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,977
Sorry, one more question re rebooking an avios flight. If BA cancel your booking, will they allow you to rebook on any future flight, regardless of avios availability? IE will the open up inventory?
Also, if they don’t cancel the flight, but you want to change dates to later in the year (ie because travel is not legal etc), will they open up any seat in the same cabin or does there have to be avios reward availability?
Thank you !
Also, if they don’t cancel the flight, but you want to change dates to later in the year (ie because travel is not legal etc), will they open up any seat in the same cabin or does there have to be avios reward availability?
Thank you !
if not cancelled and you are therefore doing a voluntary change then you need availability as normal.
have a look at post 694 in the thread which should hopefully give some more details.
#927
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: BA, LH, AF, TK
Posts: 213
Last year I had an OTA booking (lastminute.com) and the return flights were cancelled after the outbound ones had already been flown. They offered a date change, cash refund or voucher refund with a small additional bonus. I accepted the latter as the value was more generous than I had been expecting for a partially used ticket. They informed me months ago that the refund was "slightly delayed" and finally this week I received another email that it was ready to be paid. However the amount now stated is far lower than the value stated on the initial email (75% less!) I would not have accepted the lower value and would have opted for the flight change.
Before I call the OTA, any advice on where I stand with this seemingly blatant "bait and switch"?
Before I call the OTA, any advice on where I stand with this seemingly blatant "bait and switch"?
#928
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 560
Your companion voucher may get extended, but that's an unknown at the moment.
You could book for the end of April 2021 and if cancelled by BA you can move to April 2022 wiithout needing availability or going via an FTV, it's just rebooked under the current policy
If your flight operates then you get an FTV, your companion voucher is extending to 2023 but you would need Avios availability for the new flight.
Beware maybe bookings, you may be creating a lot of knots for yourself here.
You could book for the end of April 2021 and if cancelled by BA you can move to April 2022 wiithout needing availability or going via an FTV, it's just rebooked under the current policy
If your flight operates then you get an FTV, your companion voucher is extending to 2023 but you would need Avios availability for the new flight.
Beware maybe bookings, you may be creating a lot of knots for yourself here.
Thanks
#929
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,977
Last year I had an OTA booking (lastminute.com) and the return flights were cancelled after the outbound ones had already been flown. They offered a date change, cash refund or voucher refund with a small additional bonus. I accepted the latter as the value was more generous than I had been expecting for a partially used ticket. They informed me months ago that the refund was "slightly delayed" and finally this week I received another email that it was ready to be paid. However the amount now stated is far lower than the value stated on the initial email (75% less!) I would not have accepted the lower value and would have opted for the flight change.
Before I call the OTA, any advice on where I stand with this seemingly blatant "bait and switch"?
Before I call the OTA, any advice on where I stand with this seemingly blatant "bait and switch"?
Are you able to provide any details, so maybe route, cost, what part was refunded, what was quoted initially and what was given?
#930
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 928