Swanhunter

As posted above, I had an attempted inoluntary downgrade (Gold) so status doesn't always count.

dmahon

I am here in EZE after a rather awful flight. I was told that 17 (yes, seventeen) passengers were downgraded from CW or rebooked and this obviously rolled backwards down the plane. There were several other people in the same situation as me that are attending the same conference in EZE. As well as travelling to conferences ourselves, several of us are involved with organising them (usually with a few thousand delegates and a large swathe of industry people tagging along) and I think it unlikely that BA will be the suggested airline if they p*ss off the organising committee). At check in every other passenger boarding the plane was beeping when the boarding card was scanned and they were been taken aside and offered a little blue envelope containing a VISA card. I was also told that a gold card holder from First was also bumped down into CW, so you are not immune!

When I first heard (at check in) that there was a problem, I enquired about a rerouting via Air France (I was a bit converned, given that someone recently called them Air Chance) and was told that was possible - but it was likely that I would be upgraded at boarding so I sat tight. If they had told me just how overbooked it was, I would have taken the offer before it became too late.

I was sat next to someone else that had been bumped and the guy behind me had also been bumped. The guy on the other side of me happened to be someone I knew, with his wife (yes, they sat me in the centre section, in the middle). I chatted to the guy next to me and it tuned out that his two companions had managed to stay in club world, despite having no status and having paid a lower fare than me. They did check in a few minutes earlier (but weren't allocated a ticket). None of us had been able to OLCI.

The crew were OK, but obviously busy and all we managed to get was a few glasses of champagne when we asked for them. The crew from GRU-EZE were exceptionally nice however, and I managed, along with a lot of other passengers (presumably bumped but continuing to EZE), to get moved forward for the final leg. After I asked the CSD, they also moved my friend and his wife forward too. I have never flown WT+ before, but I found it little different to WT and I wouldn't recommend bothering with it. I paid for Club because I have a busy few days ahead of me and didn't want to arrive with a stiff neck. In addition the AVOD was broken and the reading lights in the entire cabin section were broke - either permanently on or permanently off!

I paid just over £3200 for my ticket. I received a £200 ex-gratia payment on a visa card (which I don't seem able to get to work in the local cash machines - but I can't get my own card to work either). I signed for it and added "I am not waiving my rights to EU compensation". I enquired about an upgrade to First on the return journey and was told that it will be added against my name should space be available, but the guys on the desk at T5B didn't really seem that sincere and I don't think they were adept with the ticketing system. I have also mentioned it to the ground staff at EZE although I don't think they have as much leeway to do things as those at LHR - though the girl I spoke to said she would try, and she is on duty when I return on Sunday.

All in all, if I get my 75% back, the £200 off the VISA card, some miles and an upgrade to First (or rather more miles instead) then I will continue to book BA. If I don't, I will try Lufthansa, KLM and Air France, who all fly to their main hubs from my regional airport and thereafter round the world.

TravellerFrequently

Sorry to read about your experience - unpleasant at anytime but especially so on such a long flight and when you are travelling for business.

I have found Customer Relations very responsive in the last 12 months, so hopefully they will treat you very favourably indeed.

I hope that your return journey is less stressful and much more comfortable!

Globaliser

I've also been astonished by the reactions that I've had from Customer Relations over various things, so I also hope that they will sort you out satisfactorily.

It just goes to show, though: when it goes wrong, it can go wrong spectacularly. I'm always amazed that it doesn't happen more often.

dmahon

Well, BA have replied quickly to my complaint (within 30 minutes): Here is their reply to my complaint regarding involuntary downgrading and my request for compensation of 75% of my ticket price:

I have now quoted the advice from the CAA web page in my reply and suggest she contacts her supervisor and the legal team if she is giving out incorrect advice.

EDIT: Oops, missed the fact that they would deal with the reimbursement seperately. I have already sent an apology for my sharpness (and told them it is due to my awful experience on their flight). Still, she could have acknowldged that the EU regs also provide for payments for involuntary downgrading.

YVR Cockroach

It'd be a lot cheaper (goodwill as well as monetary) that way. The US DOT holds a fire to the feet of U.S. airlines for IDB which is why they give somewhat generous bump incentives (something regulators outside the U.S. don't do). I got a $1,000 travel voucher out of AA for an oversold MIA-GRU years ago, + confirmed UG the next day.

jimcbob

Is this not just confusion between reimbursement (of 75% - should happen automatically) and compensation (fixed fees)?

HIDDY

Welcome to Argentina dmahon at least the weather is sunny and warm.

The Visa cash card if it has been activated should work okay by using the pin supplied we were given one last year and had no problem using it - try any ATM showing the Visa symbol. The ATM's of both Banco de la Nacion or Banco de la Provincia de Buenos Aires should accept your own personal card as they have the Cirrus option.

Enjoy your stay. ^

Quebec5

For me the BIG question relates to "more than 3500km == 75% of price of ticket"

What exactly is the definition of a 'ticket'

Is it one way / two way / inc fuel surcharges / in taxes etc etc

and what happens if it is a Miles Ticket ?? - Does it then become 75% of the Miles ?

EDIT : AskBA seems to define a 'ticket' as the 'sector' - but they do not define the 'fare' as inc oe ex taxes, fuel charges etc etc - and again is it a fair assumption that a downgraded miles ticket would refund 75% of the 'sector' mileage used to purchase the trip : i.e. a LHR-LAX one way downgrade from Club to WT+ would result in 37,500 miles being given back ?!?


If we are unable to accommodate you in the class for which you booked to travel, you will receive immediate compensation at the airport in the form of cash or voucher for further transportation.
In addition, the person who purchased your ticket should contact the office where the ticket was purchased to claim a reimbursement of a percentage of the sector fare where the downgrade occurred.

The Saint

Oh dear, what a shocking communication from BA.

It's like the bad old days of ask BAngalore. I thought those days were behind us.

And 17 downgrades. The revenue management team screwed that up royally.

dmahon

Thanks. I will go outside in a minute for a short walk.

I was worried initially with "reimbursement" that they would try and fob me off with (3200/2)-(todays cost of a one way ticket in WT+) i.e. nothing. The EU regs actually use the word reimbursement though, so we'll see if there is a cheque waiting for me on my return.

Gaz

With this many downgrades, was there nothing they could have done prior to the day of the flight - ie: contacting customers, seeing if any were willing to travel a day earlier or later, or on a different carrier? 17 is a lot - surely they ccould have foreseen this problem and attempted to deal with it earlier.

justin_krusty

Maybe the Nigerian Royal Family turned up at the last second again
Seriously, if it was 17 that does sound like a right c0ckup, although none of us are really surprised either...

jimcbob

If you want a really helpful answer, have a look at Question 27 in

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air_po...q_and_a_en.pdf

The footnote and the text are not as consistent as they might be...

dmahon

Thanks - worked out the problem now - the machine only seems to allow a maximum withdrawl of 320 pesos. I'm not quite sure how far that will get me, but it will have to do for this evening!