FlightDetective

You seen the BA schedule to Dublin lately? I had an 8:35am departure cancelled and the next BA flight is at 21:05 - which is 12 and a half hours later.

Had to switch to Aer Lingus, so no Club Europe for me.

BERbound

I think I’d definitely be taking the GLA option, multiple flight options and your bags would be checked through. Then I’d try and claim the £50 from BA towards the taxi. Surely better than spending 9.5 hours at LHR?

zanderblue

There probably won’t be a gap of 9+ hours. There will be flights, but most likely no availability. There will be 3 or 4 flights cancelled per day which will obviously create longer gaps between flights but will also reduce seats available on the scheduled flights left to operate.
This is not limited to EDI, I had similar 8+ hour wait at LHR after my original flight to ABZ was cancelled. The OP has my sympathy, it’s an absolute pain to kill that amount of time when you’ve just come off an overnight longhaul. Even worse with young kids in tow.

Bluekjp

I'd bite the bullet on the taxi and slide over to LCY on your stated date of 27 July. LCY is much better set up for flights to EDI. There are 8 flights that day (I counted 12 one day two weeks ago) and it is a cinch to travel through. Everything moves quickly there. You will easily be home well within the 9.5 hours that you'll be waiting around at LHR with potentially restless children. Choose an LCY flight that gives you a stress-free margin and, if you arrive early you have nothing to lose in asking to board an earlier flight. I do this all the time and they always oblige if seats available. If you're still not convinced perhaps you should take into account the BA threatened strike for which current prediction is late July. BA at LCY will not be participating in the strikes and, btw, I have travelled many dozens of times with my wife and 3 children by air when they were younger so I do share your feelings in that area.

corporate-wage-slave

Here is an off the wall suggestion:

The DLR is pretty kid friendly if you get the front of the front. Depending on their age they may love it twisting and turning around the East End. So consider taking a taxi / Uber to Bank and the DLR from there. Book a flight that gives you plenty of time for this. The big disadvantage is getting luggage down to Bank is a nuisance, so the other option is to take the taxi to Tower Gateway and change at somewhere like Limehouse, same platform. LCY is also pretty kid friendly in that the take off and landings are more interesting than most places.

Chiller3333

That explains it. Day of departure cancellations are handled quite differently. I don't think your case can serve as precedent for BA paying for the cab ride

bigshooter

Can they provide transportation to Kings Cross and pay for train tickets to get you home? IIRC that train ride was ~4 hours... not sure how little kids handle trains though (I think they're neat and am a big kid )

Confus

One option that hasn’t been mentioned is checking the LHREDI schedule, rather than just availability. If there’s an earlier flight you’re not being offered (because it’s full), I’d accept the later one but explain at Flight Connections what happened and ask to be put on standby. There’s bound to be someone else who doesn’t make the connection on the day. Obviously this doesn’t work if there genuinely are no other flights running.

MADPhil

I don't think the odds would be very good for a family of five but if you were going to sit at LHR for nine and a half hours anyway you might as well try it

sweetsleep

Well hugh.
Had I not bought a new iPhone and confirmed updating my apps and changing passwords my flight from LHR>FR on July 87 that was cancelled would have totally escaped noticed. NEVER got an email from BAEC or AA about this; Yes it an award flight but this is unacceptable barely 10 days out. Thankfully I have a great award TA who I notified but we are still navigating this s--- show

mnhusker

With kids, have you given any thought to a "day room rate" at any of the hotels that are right at Heathrow?

Gives you a base of operations if you want to go into town, a place to shower and nap if not.

Gives the kids a place to watch TV, go get snacks, and I thinks some even have pools.

My wife and I have done this several times with the Hilton at T4.

All the best.