IB to drop JNB from end August
Apr 8, 2019, 2:10 am
#16
Join Date: Mar 2016
Programs: BAEC, Ib+, Accor, HHonors
Posts: 609
If you want to change origin/destination, they are not allowing it - in that case they'll suggest refund and book again.
Apr 10, 2019, 7:06 am
#18
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Great Britain
Programs: Air: QR Silver. BA Silver Emirates, Hotels: CC Gold, IHG Spire AMB, Hilton Diamond.
Posts: 1,488
Have had an email saying my booking has been cancelled. Not offered anything else :-(
Last edited by Sisyphus1carus; Apr 10, 2019 at 8:39 am
Apr 12, 2019, 6:17 pm
#20
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Cape Town, ZA
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 61
Over the phone, I’ve succeeded in getting my return IB Avios redemption flights in Business changed for free onto BA, booked into “I” class.
I was able to choose exactly which BA flights I wanted, citing flight numbers, and moved over without hesitation. No questions asked.
Just ask for the BA flights you want, on the same date and same route. Nothing else is allowed.
Ended up with 747 upper deck (by choice) in Row 62. Acceptable outcome.
(IB Avios redemption at just 85,000 Avios return was originally MUCH cheaper than BA would have been for the route I’m on JNB-LHR-MAD-LHR-JNB, so I’m very happy.)
I was able to choose exactly which BA flights I wanted, citing flight numbers, and moved over without hesitation. No questions asked.
Just ask for the BA flights you want, on the same date and same route. Nothing else is allowed.
Ended up with 747 upper deck (by choice) in Row 62. Acceptable outcome.
(IB Avios redemption at just 85,000 Avios return was originally MUCH cheaper than BA would have been for the route I’m on JNB-LHR-MAD-LHR-JNB, so I’m very happy.)
Apr 16, 2019, 3:42 am
#24
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: BA Exec Blue, IHG Spire, HHonor Gold, Accor Platinum.
Posts: 966
Apr 16, 2019, 4:13 am
#25
Join Date: Dec 2014
Programs: OZ Diamond, QR Gold, HH Gold, IHG Plat, Accor Plat
Posts: 669
I was told IB pulled out of LAD to fee up an aircraft to start the JNB route.
But IB did this just as DT started to professionalise under EK management and IB simply couldn't compete with DT who flew B773 with just 9 across in Y at dirt cheap prices.
But IB did this just as DT started to professionalise under EK management and IB simply couldn't compete with DT who flew B773 with just 9 across in Y at dirt cheap prices.
Apr 16, 2019, 3:59 pm
#26
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Great Britain
Programs: Air: QR Silver. BA Silver Emirates, Hotels: CC Gold, IHG Spire AMB, Hilton Diamond.
Posts: 1,488
Had no trouble at all changing even though I was on an Iberia Avios redemption. Respect to Iberia on this one. They made it nice and simple.
Its worked out rather nicely for me. Based in London.
Had MAD-JNB-MAD
Now have MAD-LHR-JNB / JNB-LHR / LGW-MAD.
With new Spanish law (late 2018) if you miss the first leg (MAD-LHR) then the remainder of your itinerary must stay intact. So I really hope something doesn't come up to make me sadly miss my MAD-LHR flight ;-(
Then on the way back having collected my bags at Heathrow I am bound to accidentally miss my onward flight out of Gatwick to Madrid ;-(
A great outcome for me when I expected the worst. Hats off to Iberia for doing the right thing and making it so easy to change. I hope everyone else has such a straight-forward experience.
Not a bad use of 85k (& £157 tax) of the 90k Avios I earnt / bought (!!) in the very reasonable and hopefully soon to be repeated 'Buy But Don't Fly' Iberia promotion last year.
Goes to show how ridiculous BA's Avios prices are and how offensive the surcharges are (BA want almost 4x the taxes & charges !! and 150,000 Avios !! LHR-JNB-LHR)
I hope that everyone can get sorted out easily.
(As an aside, trying to use just 85K Avios for the route on BA according to the BA Avios spend calculator a flight LHR-JNB can be bought for 42k Avios and £1018 and a flight JNB-LHR can be bought for 42k Avios and £858 so in total 84k Avios plus £1876........Not much of a bargain compared to Iberia's 85K + £157 (No, there's not an extra zero missing there) !!
NOTE: although that is comparing two one-way Avios redemptions on BA rather than a simple return, can't be bothered looking that up - or is it the same ??)
Its worked out rather nicely for me. Based in London.
Had MAD-JNB-MAD
Now have MAD-LHR-JNB / JNB-LHR / LGW-MAD.
With new Spanish law (late 2018) if you miss the first leg (MAD-LHR) then the remainder of your itinerary must stay intact. So I really hope something doesn't come up to make me sadly miss my MAD-LHR flight ;-(
Then on the way back having collected my bags at Heathrow I am bound to accidentally miss my onward flight out of Gatwick to Madrid ;-(
A great outcome for me when I expected the worst. Hats off to Iberia for doing the right thing and making it so easy to change. I hope everyone else has such a straight-forward experience.
Not a bad use of 85k (& £157 tax) of the 90k Avios I earnt / bought (!!) in the very reasonable and hopefully soon to be repeated 'Buy But Don't Fly' Iberia promotion last year.
Goes to show how ridiculous BA's Avios prices are and how offensive the surcharges are (BA want almost 4x the taxes & charges !! and 150,000 Avios !! LHR-JNB-LHR)
I hope that everyone can get sorted out easily.
(As an aside, trying to use just 85K Avios for the route on BA according to the BA Avios spend calculator a flight LHR-JNB can be bought for 42k Avios and £1018 and a flight JNB-LHR can be bought for 42k Avios and £858 so in total 84k Avios plus £1876........Not much of a bargain compared to Iberia's 85K + £157 (No, there's not an extra zero missing there) !!
NOTE: although that is comparing two one-way Avios redemptions on BA rather than a simple return, can't be bothered looking that up - or is it the same ??)
Last edited by Sisyphus1carus; Apr 16, 2019 at 4:20 pm
Apr 16, 2019, 4:31 pm
#27
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: UK
Programs: Mucci, BA, AF
Posts: 10,130
I really wouldn't mess around with skipping the MAD-LHR - law or no law - unless you have both a lot of time on your hands and willing to (temporarily?) fork out thousands to get to JNB / forfeit the trip.
I don't think we've had any reports of someone trying this new law with IB let alone applying it to BA...
I don't think we've had any reports of someone trying this new law with IB let alone applying it to BA...
Apr 28, 2019, 2:02 pm
#30
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: PVG, FRA, SEA, HEL
Programs: UA Premier Gold
Posts: 4,783
There is no obligation to re-route on another carrier more than two weeks out. So if an airline drops a route entirely, EC261 only guarantees a refund.
EC261/2004 is in place now for almost 15 years?
How often do I have to repeat that line.
The 14 day period of notice only applies to article 7 compensation.
There is no period of notice for article 8 rights. Article 8 covers the rebooking and refund part.
The airline cannot unitarily walk back from the transport contract. That is one of the major consumer safeguards in the regulation. Even if a route is suspended (and the airport is served by other airlines) it has to rebook.