Paid for BA Club Europe, get economy Aer Lingus, compensation?
Jan 19, 2019, 10:37 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 20
Paid for BA Club Europe, get economy Aer Lingus, compensation?
My wife was recently due to fly DUB-LCY on BA in Club, but when they changed the aircraft to Stobart Air she took advantage of their offer to change to another service.
They offered Aer Lingus to LHR. However the service was economy, no priority boarding, no fastrack security, no meal, no option to choose a seat (they gave her 19E) etc. She is BA Gold and she's also pregnant, which is why she paid for Club.
We had a long phone call with a very rude BA customer service agent, who is refusing to offer any downgrade compensation, after initially suggesting that it was due. What is correct, should she keep challenging it?
Thanks
They offered Aer Lingus to LHR. However the service was economy, no priority boarding, no fastrack security, no meal, no option to choose a seat (they gave her 19E) etc. She is BA Gold and she's also pregnant, which is why she paid for Club.
We had a long phone call with a very rude BA customer service agent, who is refusing to offer any downgrade compensation, after initially suggesting that it was due. What is correct, should she keep challenging it?
Thanks
Jan 19, 2019, 10:43 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,492
Jan 19, 2019, 10:47 am
#4
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,804
If she chose this service then I can't see she has much option of reimbursement let alone compensation. I guess she wasn't properly informed about the EI service, but a quick ping here would have quickly shown up the issues. Aer Lingus is reinstating a very limited number of business class flights next year (mind, there are quite a few unfulfilled improvements pending with that airline) but it's essentially a one class airline in shorthaul. Normally the agents are amendable to seat changes if asked and there are options still left, but she can call up too for that.
The main thread on downgrade reimbursement is in the EC261 thread in the Dashboard, but there's not much point looking there unless BA told her to move to another flight. The Stobart wet leases did offer Club Europe.
The main thread on downgrade reimbursement is in the EC261 thread in the Dashboard, but there's not much point looking there unless BA told her to move to another flight. The Stobart wet leases did offer Club Europe.
Jan 19, 2019, 11:33 am
#6
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: London Stratford, E7
Programs: BAEC Gold! Thanks to FT
Posts: 3,378
Club Europe on Stobart Air is arguably better than CE on the standard cityflyer aircraft as it is former Virgin Australia metal which had a dedicated business/first class cabin in a 1-2 configuration. If she was travelling by herself a bigger single seat would in my opinion be better than Cityflyer,
Why did she change was it the fact that she didn’t want to fly Stobart Air or to change to a more convenient flight time using Stobart Air as an excuse/opportunity for this?
Why did she change was it the fact that she didn’t want to fly Stobart Air or to change to a more convenient flight time using Stobart Air as an excuse/opportunity for this?
Last edited by KeaneJohn; Jan 20, 2019 at 12:13 pm
Jan 20, 2019, 2:47 am
#8
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BKK
Programs: Mucci Chevalier de la Brosse a Cheveux Dore, SK *GfL, BA Gold, WY G, HH DIA, IC Plat Amb., Hertz PC
Posts: 3,702
I am wondering the same as most others here - why ask to change in the first place?
If asking to change to another flight and accepting the offer of rerouting, having been informed that it was a flight operated by Aer Lingus (meaning all economy), then she should have no ground for any compensation - it was a voluntary change. If BA had involuntarily rebooked her that would have been a different story.
If asking to change to another flight and accepting the offer of rerouting, having been informed that it was a flight operated by Aer Lingus (meaning all economy), then she should have no ground for any compensation - it was a voluntary change. If BA had involuntarily rebooked her that would have been a different story.
Jan 20, 2019, 4:00 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,531
Just to add to those who say that choosing that alternative flight and routing effectively doesn’t open a right to any compensation
Jan 20, 2019, 7:14 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 20
Thanks for the responses.
Upon reflection it sounds like the best bet was to stay with the Stobart Air service. The reason she asked for a change was due to us being affected twice by the Air Belgium aircraft replacements on the Dubai route. Therefore when notified of another aircraft switch for a short haul flight she just assumed it wasn't a great aircraft.
On a separate note, BA were incapable of selecting a seat for her on Aer Lingus, despite specifically requesting twice she ended up with the random seat allocation. 3 years as part of IAG, I would have thought the systems would at least talk to each other.
Upon reflection it sounds like the best bet was to stay with the Stobart Air service. The reason she asked for a change was due to us being affected twice by the Air Belgium aircraft replacements on the Dubai route. Therefore when notified of another aircraft switch for a short haul flight she just assumed it wasn't a great aircraft.
On a separate note, BA were incapable of selecting a seat for her on Aer Lingus, despite specifically requesting twice she ended up with the random seat allocation. 3 years as part of IAG, I would have thought the systems would at least talk to each other.
Jan 20, 2019, 7:51 am
#11
Join Date: May 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 5,380
That's a big assumption - AA and BA's systems have had difficulties talking to each other for over 20 years!
Jan 20, 2019, 7:56 am
#12
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
This is quite simply not an EC 261/2004 situation. OP's wife asked for a voluntary change for reasons which she considered important to her. BA accommodated her request and that is the end of the discussion.
Whether the new product was the equivalent of the product she originally purchased is a matter of subjective impression, but has nothing to do with whether she is due a refund (not compensation in any event).
Whether the new product was the equivalent of the product she originally purchased is a matter of subjective impression, but has nothing to do with whether she is due a refund (not compensation in any event).
Jan 20, 2019, 8:50 am
#13
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: UK
Programs: BA Blue, IC Spire Ambassador
Posts: 5,228
I don’t want to go against the more knowledgable people here but I am surprised at the responses.
was the OP’s wife told it was a switch to an Aer Lingus operated flight which is all economy? If so, absolutely fair enough. But implicit in the complaint is that she wasn’t aware.
I can see a conversation going something like:
”My flight has changed from BA to Stobart Air, what can you offer me?”
”Oh well let’s see...[tap tap tap]...it looks like all flights from City that day are on Stobart Air now, I can see what’s available from Heathrow if you like...[tap tap tap]...hmm there’s an Aer Lingus flight at 14:10 to Dublin which gets in at the same time as your LCY flight. Do you want me to switch you to that one?”
Now the agent may have been aware that Stobart operate a lot of flights for EI (ie from BHX with BA codes) so could have not fully realised that by suggesting an EI switch they were downgrading the customer.
OP - did your wife receive a revised eticket receipt and did it say economy or business? This may be determinitive from an EU compensation perspective.
But from a customer relations point of view, it should have been pointed out - as presumably the only reason EI was offered was schedule and had it been a BA service the OP’s wife would have been booked into CE?
When did they realise EI don’t have a business cabin on LHR-DUB?
was the OP’s wife told it was a switch to an Aer Lingus operated flight which is all economy? If so, absolutely fair enough. But implicit in the complaint is that she wasn’t aware.
I can see a conversation going something like:
”My flight has changed from BA to Stobart Air, what can you offer me?”
”Oh well let’s see...[tap tap tap]...it looks like all flights from City that day are on Stobart Air now, I can see what’s available from Heathrow if you like...[tap tap tap]...hmm there’s an Aer Lingus flight at 14:10 to Dublin which gets in at the same time as your LCY flight. Do you want me to switch you to that one?”
Now the agent may have been aware that Stobart operate a lot of flights for EI (ie from BHX with BA codes) so could have not fully realised that by suggesting an EI switch they were downgrading the customer.
OP - did your wife receive a revised eticket receipt and did it say economy or business? This may be determinitive from an EU compensation perspective.
But from a customer relations point of view, it should have been pointed out - as presumably the only reason EI was offered was schedule and had it been a BA service the OP’s wife would have been booked into CE?
When did they realise EI don’t have a business cabin on LHR-DUB?