cmnmia

A couple months back, I took a long haul flight ex-eu trip with two carriers, one European based and one based in South America. The trip included a connection in EZE and then onto GRU as a final destination. On the original ticket this involved one airline MAD-EZE, & GRU-MAD (Airline 1, European), and with one airline feeding the segment in between EZE-GRU (Airline 2, South American). The airline numbers matched the airlines which I thought was ok for mileage accumulation.

On the out leg departure however, the first flight (MAD-EZE) was delayed an excessive amount of time (maybe 8 hours) due to technical aircraft equipment faults, and this meant an almost certain miss with the connection in EZE. As a result, because the delays were so long, I thought Airline 1 would be happier to re-route me directly and avoid any potential compensation claims, which they did, and I arrived at GRU earlier than expected. The following week however.... I checked in online for the return leg from GRU-MAD online and was denied boarding the flight at the gate. According to the operator, the European Airline (Airline 1), Airline 2 had cancelled the ticket. They said that Airline 2 owned the ticket and it was their responsibility.

So I went to speak to Airline 2 customer services and there was some speculation that Airline 2 didn't know about the re-routing and cancelled the ticket.
But they did this after I had already checked in on the return ticket back to Madrid.

After hours of discussions at GRU airport, with Airline 2 who had supposedly cancelled the flight, at each point both airlines denying any responsibility, with Airline 2 saying they wouldn't touch the ticket as it had nothing to do with them, and trying to pass me to one another, I indicated to Airline 1 that I was calling from Airline 2's service desk and the rude customer service rep should speak to them (rather than palm me off). He came back having originally said, he could not help, but would help. So he returns to say they will fix it (they were the original airline operating the flight), and puts me on hold. After ten minutes or so Airline 2's representatives decide he's taking too long and they just hang up on him.

Ultimately Airline 2 sorted me out a ticket in the same cabin, but it was many hours later, 10+ hours.

The reason I'm writing this is because it has some impact on me - additional hotel cost, and a flight connection back to the UK that was uncancellable - I kind of accept these are the risks with ex-eu, but I had allowed a generous 8 hours for delays and buying a replacement flight on the day or day before are substantially higher. The carrier back to EU was ultimately South American, but the original would have been European. The European airline maintains the ticket was owned by the South American.

I'm wondering if and whether I should pursue a claim for compensation or just be glad I got home.
There is relevance to BA, if anyone wondered as they were the flights I needed to purchase to get back home, which I'm wondering about claiming for.
Insurance may be messy because points were used for the hotel.
Also, when I look up denied boarding claims I find no reason similar to this for being denied boarding - seems to be just be for the most part regarding load.

*Some superficial details have been removed/altered to maintain anonymity.

SK AAR

As apparently LATAM had cancelled the ticket, there is no claim against IB for denied boarding as the ticket was cancelled by LATAM.

cmnmia

Ok thank you. How about insurance claim?

SK AAR

I would expect your travel insurance to cover the costs, but it really depends on the terms of your travel insurance

cmnmia

Ok. Many thanks for your help.

JAXBA

I'll assign generic airline codes to make it easier to try and work out. You had one ticket for MAD-EZE-GRU-MAD on, let's say XX and YY. XX rerouted you MADGRU and YY saw you as a noshow for EZEGRU and so YY cancelled your XX GRUMAD? If it was one ticket (presumably issued by XX), then YY shouldn't have touched your GRUMAD, nor had any control over it, especially if you'd already checked in. Was GRUMAD originally sold as XX but operated by YY? Then a 'noshow' might have possibly fed through, but not likely.

Quote:

The European airline maintains the ticket was owned by the South American.

This really doesn't make sense unless it was issued, or exchanged by YY.

Can you clarify while still keeping personal details vague? If you can, specifying the airlines (so we know what systems they're in/what relationship they have) would help us.

ThatT1Feeling

I’m struggling to understand what this has to do with BA??

cmnmia

I did say: "There is relevance to BA, if anyone wondered as they were the flights I needed to purchase to get back home, which I'm wondering about claiming for.
Insurance may be messy because points were used for the hotel."

I acknowledge it was hidden away at the bottom.

cmnmia

The booking was made through an OTA. Everything was on one ticket. YY customer services said they would not touch the ticket when I showed them my boarding pass.
As far as I could see all elements were operated and marketed by the same airlines. i.e. XX had XX codes, and YY had YY codes.
It said at the top of the page on the screen for XX at the XX boarding gate that YY had cancelled the ticket.

mario

Rubbish. It doesn't matter who cancelled the ticket. OP had a contract to be flown on a specific flight and was denied boarding. IB denied boarding as the operating carrier, so they are on the hook. IB can go and recover costs from LATAM if they wish.

Before anyone says you didn't have a contract anymore: you did. Parties in a contract cannot just unilaterally get out of it on a whim.

IB is also on the hook for any subsistence expenses you may have incurred whilst waiting for a replacement flight.

As for your BA tickets, sadly you can't recover those costs from neither LATAM or IB, so I would claim it on travel insurance.

Be prepared to MCOL this as I doubt IB will accept their responsibility even though EU261 is clear that compensation, when due, is a responsibility of the operating carrier.

jerry a. laska

I think the OP should just identify the first airline (IB, LA, or whomever) and the issues presented in the thread should probably be addressed in that airline's forum.

cmnmia

With respect, I trust the knowledge on this forum much more than on some of the others.

NWIFlyer

There really is zero BA relevance to the substantive query, so at this stage we need to close this thread. OP, if you wish to receive more advice, please report this post using the red triangle and let us know the airlines involved - we can then move the thread to a more appropriate forum.

Thanks.

/mod