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More evidence of British Airways prioritising Avios bookings for downgrades?

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A month ago I ran this article speculating that BA has begun to target Avios ticket holders for downgrades.

This would be economically rational.  Under EU regulations, a downgraded passenger is automatically due a 75% refund on that leg of their ticket.  For a cash passenger, that is expensive.

For an Avios passenger, it is not expensive to downgrade.  All the airline has to do is refund a few points.

British Airways BA 777X 777 9X

For an Avios passenger travelling on a 2-4-1 voucher, the downgrade is free to BA.  It has been telling some passengers that as their ticket cost zero Avios, the refund is 75% of zero which is, erm, zero.

After my original article there was some debate about whether this is actually happening.  Some BA staff told me that it isn’t easy to tell whether a passenger is on a 2-4-1 ticket or not, although it is easy to spot those on redemptions on the manifest.  Some agents have implied that it is functionality in FLY, the new check-in and passenger management system, which now allows this policy to be implemented.

It is worth noting that the person involved in my original article issued a Small Claims Court against British Airways after being refused any compensation.  As per this page of Flyertalk, it appears that BA chose not to fight the case and settled for the unspecified amount the passenger demanded.

In the last couple of weeks, two more readers have contacted me with linked stories.

The key one came yesterday from a reader.  I always weigh up news I receive by email from readers to see how truthful and verifiable it seems, but this is one I trust implicitly – the person involved is a regular commentator and has even written a guest article for the site in the past.

If you read the comments on HfP yesterday, you would have seen his regular updates as the situation developed.

This is what he said to me by email:

“At Edinburgh to start our trip to Gatwick and then what was meant to be Club World BAPP 241 reward seats to Male.  At checking in for EDI-LGW we have been told we have been downgraded, either both to World Traveller Plus or just me with my wife staying in CW.  We have been told that BA has oversold the flight and it’s because we are on reward tickets that we have been selected to be downgraded.”

Here is another email I received two weeks ago:

“I have read your article re 2-4-1 downgrades and it almost exactly mirrors our experience.  The Duty Manager was adamant her instructions were to target Redemption ticket holders first.  Given that our seats were showing as still allocated to us that morning (albeit not available to be printed due to “system error” at the hotel), it appears BA have chosen to sell more CW seats on the day . . . knowing they had a supply of 2-4-1 pax ready to be downgraded

It is a largely win-win situation for BA . . .  if there are any no-shows, no skin off their noses, but hey, why not sell an equivalent number of CW seats to exactly match the number of 2-4-1 holders on every flight!  Cheap trick but as I learned in over twenty years with them, the internal “bar” is set at the greediest money-earning opportunity.”

The reader above is not one I have met but I have no reason doubt the accuracy of what he sent me.  He had even paid to reserve specific Club World seats but even that did not protect him from being downgraded.

To clarify, there is no specific proof that this is going on.  No BA employee has yet sent me a copy of the relevant memo or email.

Do let me know if you are also impacted by this and have been told that the staff that you have been downgraded specifically because you are on an Avios ticket.

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Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (353)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • elwe says:
    25 Feb25 February 23:51

    EU261 is quite clear than 75% of the cost is due as a refund, including airline points systems. It is therefore quite clear that 75% of the 241 voucher is due as a refund. Since this was the difference between booking one seat and booking two, it is clearly the cost of the second seat.

    I would think 75% of the taxes and fees on the second seat are also due back, unless EU264 only covers the fare.

    If BA can’t manage to refund 75% of a 241 they should simply round it, which would be a whole 241.

    In any reasonably well argued case a judge should find this way. If I were claiming I would ask for the validity period to be the same as it was at the time of booking the downgraded flight. I can’t see a judge finding that unreasonable.

    This is the reason BA are folding court cases. They don’t want to set a precedent. While people let them get away with it they will continue.

  • Johan says:
    26 Feb26 February 01:13

    OT – does anyone know if breakfast is included in the HHonors WEEKEND NIGHT CERTIFICATE that comes with the credit card?

    • Alan says:
      26 Feb26 February 02:15

      No, standard redemption rooms (which is what you get with the voucher) don’t include breakfast. If you’ve got Gold or Diamond status you obviously do get it though.

  • Mikeact says:
    26 Feb26 February 07:40

    Having ploughed through all 200+ posts, I just wanted to clarify my position.The ‘arguments’ seem to be centered around the 2for1 voucher. My wife and I are currently in New Zealand and due to fly back from Australia to the UK at the end of April .We have never aspired to the heady heights of a 2 for 1.
    However, we are travelling back in Club World on two Avios seats.
    Are we saying that, ‘beware, you or your wife, or both, could be downgraded, at the behest of BA with absolutely no recourse at all while boarding in Sydney? ‘
    My wife would be absolutely gutted and probably wouldn’t talk to me again.

    • Crafty says:
      26 Feb26 February 07:48

      There is always a very small risk of that, whether booking cash or Avios.

      This article’s findings suggest that risk becomes greater for an Avios booking, and greater still for a 2-4-1 booking; and in each case the default compensation offered will be incrementally more ungenerous.

    • Ro says:
      26 Feb26 February 11:00

      If you get downgraded with an avios booking, where both of you have paid avios, the compensation can be a bit easier to claim because you have paid a set amount (the avios + taxes/carrier charges) that is definable and you would be covered clearly by EU legislation.

      The ambiguity comes with the 2-4-1 because what BA do is downgrade the “companion” who they argue has paid nothing, so is due a percentage of nothing.

      If you were to get downgraded on your award flight you could try and argue that they should put you in the same class at a later flight.

  • CV3V says:
    26 Feb26 February 09:04

    Wonder if BA’s lawyers are reading the posts in preparation of their response. Could be quite a few rewrites going on.

  • Cate says:
    26 Feb26 February 09:49

    Another possible consideration is the wording of the T&C’s that the companion has to sit in the same cabin as the voucher holder. Is that a Term or a Condition of using the voucher? My understanding IIRC is that a Term is mutually negotiable by both parties but a Condition is legally enforceable by either. If it’s a Term then surely they have to give reasonable notice that they intend to negotiate and not wait for Anon to turn up at the airport.

  • Oonagh cacioppo says:
    26 Feb26 February 10:08

    If being downgraded can you request a later flight but remain in Club or First due to bring in too much pain to sit upright for + or – 12 hours?

    • JamesW says:
      26 Feb26 February 13:33

      That is absolutely what I would need.
      If the answer is no then I’d not feel able to take the flight and would have to make alternative arrangements, booking a last minute business class fare with another airline – I can’t afford that but I would HAVE TO if I was stranded somewhere 🙁

      • mark2 says:
        26 Feb26 February 15:26

        If you were stranded why would you HAVE TO travel business class?

        • JamesW says:
          27 Feb27 February 13:16

          Chronic pain issues in my neck & back mean I would be in agony after a couple of hours stuck in an upright chsir . I need to be able to shift positions a lot and lie down too.
          Don’t give a sh*t about champagne, fancy food or a bigger TV.

  • stuart says:
    26 Feb26 February 11:16

    As coincidence has it, my wife’s 2-4-1 came through this week. In the email it describes:

    When you book a Reward Flight (departing and returning to the UK) on any British Airways mainline flight with a BA flight number, your Voucher gives you a second seat for a companion, on the same flight and in the same cabin.*

    What’s that little * all about? T&C’s at the bottom the email perhaps, where on the first line (looking all new and out of place) reads:

    “Companion Vouchers are subject to availability.”

    Could this mean “availability at time of booking” or “availability at time of flight”?

    Also, something that’s a bit different from expected (my CAPS):

    “Companion Vouchers must be exchanged for a RETURN ticket and all outbound travel from the UK must be taken before the expiry date of the Voucher(s). ”

    and:

    “Return flights MUST BE booked at the SAME TIME as the outward journey is booked.”

    Both of which seem contrary to what is the commonly perceived wisdom…

    • Genghis says:
      26 Feb26 February 11:53

      Yes – and also contrary to the Terms and Conditions that I accepted when I took out the card and they need to give me 3 months’ notice of any amendment.

      • Cate says:
        26 Feb26 February 12:44

        +1

      • JamesW says:
        26 Feb26 February 13:36

        Oooh, interesting. What are the card Ts& Cs you refer to ? Where can I find them ?? (Obviously in the TS & Cs but something more specific would be great !).

        • Genghis says:
          26 Feb26 February 14:45

          If a term is not mentioned as part of the T&Cs you accept, then it is not a T&C. I.e. no mention in the T&Cs I accepted of return being booked same time as outbound.

    • Andrew* says:
      26 Feb26 February 14:45

      That clause isn’t ‘brand new’… a little digging through old emails shows it’s been there since at least September next year…

      More importantly, is it being enforced?

  • Anon says:
    26 Feb26 February 14:24

    Hi folks,

    It’s dark here at the Conrad Rangali now, sunset was lovely as was complimentary afternoon tea and Happy hour.

    Just got off the phone with a very nice & caring, attentive lady in the Manchester BAEC office confirming our missing bag will be here tomorrow, huge relief to see that when it gets here, our options for evening wear will be less restrictive that the snorkeling shorts I’ve been wearing for the last 2 nights… 🙂

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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