So many threads here ask about compensation. I don’t really understand why. Travel involves problems all the time but why do so many people seek compensation for their problems ?

Okay, I understand the contract issue but why don’t the complainants go with the flow and accept that jetting across the world has difficulties.

People have paid ŁX for.a service that was advertised as providing a certain level of experience.

Where BA have failed to deliver what was expected, advertised and paid for, there should be a reasonable expectation of service recovery to address the shorttall in the service.

This is separate to legally mandated compensation for delays like EU261.

I don't fly specifically with the intention of getting my fare back in compo. In fact the vast majority of my flights have gone well. But when they don't, and when my advanced knowledge of BA gained from this forum makes it clear that it's a combination of cost cutting and incompetence, why the hell shouldn't I want to hold them to account??

Because it’s harder to earn Avios now unless on the highest fares?

Or a feeling that it’s more of an us and then nowadays with BA whereas before it was more of a cosy relationship with the world’s favourite airline?

I’m happy to claim UK261 where appropriate but other than that I try to take the rough with the smooth. The only time other than that was when I absolutely had to work on a flight to JFK and my flight was subbed to an old 777-200 with no wifi and as everything is now on SharePoint it’s v hard to work offline without any warning. And even then I didn’t ask for any compensation, just wanted to rant - but I did get sent some Avios.

Well done OP for posting, this won’t be a popular viewpoint here.

While there are plenty of genuine cases where discretionary compensation / customer service gestures are warranted, there has been compensation creep recently, judging by FT.

Ł150 a head Brunchgate vouchers for flights in 2025 is a classic example. Call me a cynic; but I’m sure there have been plenty of complaints in advance prompted after hearing what was on ‘offer’ from BA.

Some will say ‘why shouldn’t I take it’, I say: you’re shooting us all in the foot.

I’ll standby for incoming ….

EDIT: I’m deliberately not including ‘UK261’ etc. in the above.

I'll respond in two parts:
Statutory compensation (EC261 or similar): I have no hesitation in claiming this where cancellations are due to incompetence, underinvestment etc. and aim to increase the P&L cost of doing it wrong.

Customer service compensation is something I have only sought twice in many hundreds of flights with BA. Once was for a lack of catering - fundamentally, something paid for and not received. The second, and I apologise for the deliberate lack of detail, was for an incident involving some off-duty BA staff who interacted with me in a manner that was out of order. In both cases I was happy to accept a modest quantity of Avios. I have never suffered a non-reclining seat in long-haul F or J, but would be inclined to seek cash or a very substantial Avios sum in that case.

Anything less serious I view as inherent in the business of moving one's self around the planet.

I suppose it depends on what you mean by compensation.

Delays are covered by EU261 and its UK equivalent, and I’m comfortable claiming that as, by-and-large, with the exceptional circumstances caveat for weather, ATC, etc, it means BA did something through omission or commission to cause me to be late by several hours.

Other financial elements of EU261 are really reimbursements, rather than compensation, for things like downgrades or duty of care. I see no issue with claiming for this (ditto things like seat selection fees that weren’t honoured) since that’s really about ‘making you whole’.

I’ve never (yet) had cause to complain for a customer service issue. I do try to live and let live, and not get too worked up about things like first meal choice and so on. But everyone draws the line differently, and I understand there’s some Avios to be made in it, if you’re so inclined.

Personally wouldn’t claim catering compensation before the flight either, but on the basis that BA only pays it once for brunch / supper, I don’t see it makes a difference whether it’s claimed before or after the flight. It’s not like BA is rushing into a U turn that I have seen.

BA has become extremely transactional (unbundling of fares, BoB, paid seating even in J, constant chipping of facilities, F&B and service) so it is hardly surprising that passengers are repaying in kind when the pendulum swings.

Customer service compensation can be a bit trivial..yes there can always be problems when travelling and some you just have to take.

That said, UK261 and EU261 are merely regulated payments that are paid when the problems are caused by the airline.
Duty of care, like what I received 2 weeks ago (see fog thread) is not really compensation but merely a reimbursement of costs made due to issues on the trip. I consider myself lucky that this exists as in this case I did not expect BA to control the weather.

Globalist

Amen to that! I am with you on this - the various rules and regulations (as well as the godawful "influencer" epedemic that has hit the world of social media) has created a compensation chasing culture that is getting out of hand. Seems often that first question is "how much can I milk out of the situation" and only then people care about the solution to the actual problem..

My views have been made clear on the matter previously, but in my opinion, BA are handing out vouchers and Avios like Smarties for relatively trivial things) - people know they will get Avios/vouchers and thus will complain. When they get a simple apology email, they then come on here and ask the boards thoughts and compare to a previous case and then escalate and ask for a “goodwill gesture” which is something that shouldn’t be asked for. A gesture, being just that.

I favour the approach of taking the rough with the smooth. Many will disagree.

obviously for something substantial - such as missing meals, broken seats etc etc then it is “right” to complain.

good grief, there’s even a thread on here, which I avoid, trying to work out “BA’s Avios compensation menu”- really?? People will use that and say “oh I only got 5k Avios” for XYZ but there was a report of someone with a similar issues getting 10k Avios so I shall go back and complain further.

There are lots of things that can be fixed on board but I accept there are also lots that can’t.

sitting silently on a flight in a seat with a plug socket not working and fuming and getting worked up in your mind but not mentioning it to the crew is just silly because you didn’t “want to make a fuss” as one example.

Good luck getting a single Avios when something goes wrong on other airlines - Qatar Airways a great example of that. You’ll be told, point blank, that you’re getting nothing apart from their sympathies.

Finally, handing out “shut up and go away Avios” - really helps no one. BA or the pax. It gives me no confidence that the issue has been dealt with or even read or passed on as appropriate. I used to get this fear with golden tickets and crew thank yous that it just got lost somewhere and the crew never received it. Fortunately a cc who I knew was on my flight last year so I tested it out and they received the feedback via email a month later.

Punitive compensation needed - FlyerTalk Forums

A change of heart if ever there was one!!!!

BTW - forgot to mention, I don’t think anyone is saying there is a problem with the UK261 bits and bobs, more so the other whinges.

Read the marketing guff on the website - and then compare to what is delivered for what you paid...

Simple example from Club World to LAX:

​​​​​​​

So where do you draw the line as to what is a legitimate complaint versus a 'whinge'? Certainly not just on the basis of where statutory compensation is due, otherwise someone in F asking for compensation for an inoperable seat would just be having a whinge, right?

How about when my family and I were stuck in a packed T5 baggage hall for over 2 hours after a LH flight, because BA consistently fails to get their act together over baggage delivery? Am I a whinger for complaining?

Is the brunch and supper thing just a load of whinging and we should suck it up because BA clearly needs the extra revenue? Note that I am not commenting on the rights and wrongs of BA's AI-bot lobbing random Ł150 vouchers at people...

I'm sure we all have a personal view on what is fair to complain about or not. But I'm equally sure we will never codify that nor come to a consensus about it on this forum!