Qatar Airways launches free flight ticket changes FOR ALL whilst S7 launches full refunds

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• David Cohen says:

  7 Mar7 March 03:45

  Possibly also worth updating that KLM has followed suit too, and is the first of the big three European groups to offer free changes to all as well. Not quite as generous as QR in that it only runs to the end of May but still better than the rest.
  https://www.klm.com/travel/gb_en/prepare_for_travel/up_to_date/flight_update/index.htm

  • Joseph Heenan says:

    7 Mar7 March 10:37

    Thanks for posting this – I need to book a business trip in May so looks like KLM will be getting my money unless BA move very quickly to match.

• Tom says:

  7 Mar7 March 04:12

  Hilton is supposed to be a level above DoubleTree.

  In reality I often find it reversed especially in the UK. Mind you DoubleTree at MK Dons has fallen from grace.

  • BJ says:

    7 Mar7 March 06:07

    Agreed, if it were not for Doubletree in the UK I would not have returned to Hilton after too many disappointing stays and two horror shows. I had high Hope’s for the new Hilton Aberdeen TECA as it is a full service hotel but having tried it twice already, I still much prefer the Doubletree City Centre. My favourite hotel overall in London when factoring in all aspects and value for money or points was Doubletree Westminster; unfortunately they have now closed the lounge so that rules it out.

    • TripRep says:

      7 Mar7 March 08:29

      BJ – you saw the DT TreeTops has closed, redundancies for staff, etc?

      • BJ says:

        7 Mar7 March 10:46

        Yes, sad for the staff as it appeared to come out of nowhere. Stayed at that hotel for first time last year. Turned up to discover it was a dog-friendly place and there were loads of them there. Had to be moved three times in an effort to find a quiet room. Place and rooms were very cold, old and tired, wouldn’t have gone back even if it wasn’t full of barking dogs. I think it was actually the Hilton Aberdeen IIRC before being rebranded; typical of everything that was wrong with Hilton in the UK until recently.

        • RussellH says:

          7 Mar7 March 10:51

          Yes, it was definitely a Hilton in the past. It was the first Hilton I ever stayed at, quite some years ago now. Not at all luxurious, even then.

          There does seem to be a vogue at present from rebranding Hiltons as DTs at present – the Hilton we stayed at in the Netherlands for New year was in the process of refurbishment as a DT at the time.

  • Crafty says:

    7 Mar7 March 07:33

    Is it? I’d love to see the internal brand standards guide. I agree that throughout the UK (with a few exceptions) the DT properties tend to be preferable.

    I actually assumed the two brands were supposed to be on a par in terms of “premiumness”, but with different rule sets.

    • Sandgrounder says:

      7 Mar7 March 08:17

      I think this too, although the main Hilton brand has some disitinctive landmark properties, on average they seem to be pitched about the same. Doubletree makes it easier for owners to switch franchise from another brand with a refresh rather than a total refurb.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      7 Mar7 March 08:20

      Hilton globally is the better brand and has higher standards.

      Doubletree was/is the conversion brand

      However the Hilton’s in the uk were/are so bad that pretty much every conversion/refurbishment is being labelled a doubletree.

      There are still new Hilton’s being opened but it’s properties like Bournemouth and Wembley

      • BJ says:

        7 Mar7 March 08:31

        Yes, this is the key point. I took Tom’s comment to be referring to the UK where Hilton group would remain poor were it not for Doubletree and Hampton. I’ve stayed in two HGI in the UK and I was not impressed by those, don’t really get the point of that brand. Newer Hiltons like Wembley and TECA are ok but uninspiring.

        • Lady London says:

          7 Mar7 March 15:43

          +1. I view Hilton brand same as Holiday Inn – too likely to get old buildings with problems. Usually run offering a higher services available level than DT and HIX etc – I really like Hilton standards of management generally – but often Hilton’s or Hol Inns can’t really solve the problems of the old buildings they are in. Such as often the former Jury’s hotels. I find these main brands overpriced and tend to avoid booking them. At a lower level IBIS is mostly same issue in the UK.

  • The Savage Squirrel says:

    7 Mar7 March 08:50

    I always assumed it was because Doubletree was Hilton’s “growth” brand so tended to be newer and refurbed properties, while Hilton proerties tended to be establsihed (which in reality meant old and not refurbed for ages).

    • Lady London says:

      7 Mar7 March 15:46

      In the US I’ve found Doubletrees to be old rebranded and converted buildings too. Prefer Hyatt low end brands in the US to most except some new HIXs.

      • Rob says:

        7 Mar7 March 16:10

        DoubleTrees are allowed to have external window air con units. No other Hilton brands can. Hence their proliferation and condition.

  • Nick_C says:

    7 Mar7 March 09:05

    Hilton UK used to be a premium brand. Ladbrokes devalued the brand when they bought it in the 70s and renamed all their motels as Hiltons. Although the UK and US companies have long been reunited, I think the damage to the Hilton brand has never been fixed, hence the need to introduce new brands like Conrad.

    Personally, I find the plethora of brands within Hilton and Marriott very confusing, and never really know what to expect. E

    • RussellH says:

      7 Mar7 March 10:47

      I doubt if adding the Reo Stakis Hotels in 2000 was a big help either, even if some were OK.

      • Lady London says:

        7 Mar7 March 16:21

        REO Stakis… Bit like Jury’s, never stayed in a good one. Although I think I’d be quite happy with the Doubletree Hatton Cross, which based on reports here is appropriately priced and we’ll run.

    • Crafty says:

      8 Mar8 March 18:39

      Hilton Kuala Lumpur is so good that when we are there my partner remarks it would be better labelled Conrad. QED.

• Mikeact says:

  7 Mar7 March 04:32

  But what about Award tickets ?

• JAMES says:

  7 Mar7 March 04:40

  I know it’s not the intended use of the waiver at all but could it be used to extend my holiday anyone know ?!
  Am in Asia at the moment thanks to a Qatar biz flight from ARN (on the cheap).

• Duncan says:

  7 Mar7 March 05:09

  I called Qatar Airways yesterday afternoon and they knew nothing about this new policy. I pushed the agent for futher clarification but she was adimant saying she could not offer a travel voucher and any changes would be subject to my original booking conditions.
  My travel date to Singapore is just 4 days away and Im keen not to go! All pretty frustrating.

  • Corona says:

    7 Mar7 March 06:56

    Why wouldn’t you go? UK has now more confirmed cases than Singapore.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      7 Mar7 March 08:49

      I would still go and enjoy it being slightly quieter and I believe more people there are getting over it than being infected.

      But be fair it has a far lower population and land mass than the UK so each having say 100 cases wouldn’t be comparable.

      • JAMES says:

        7 Mar7 March 16:19

        Vietnam has been lovely without the usual hoardes of Chinese.

        • Shoestring says:

          7 Mar7 March 16:26

          they’re ‘spitters’ by nature, so I can understand that sentiment, I don’t see it as anti-Chinese – you wouldn’t want a bit of Hubei spit to give you Covid-19

        • Shoestring says:

          7 Mar7 March 16:27

          also ‘hawkers’ by nature and that’s nearly as bad

        • Lady London says:

          7 Mar7 March 17:16

          and that’s just the women 🙂

    • Genghis says:

      7 Mar7 March 21:12

      I’m booked to Singapore in a few weeks’ time. Still plan on going.

      • Shoestring says:

        7 Mar7 March 21:25

        no offence intended to your wife, Ghenghis – sorry

• DS says:

  7 Mar7 March 06:45

  KLM will let you change destination or cancel and get a voucher
  https://www.klm.com/travel/se_en/prepare_for_travel/up_to_date/flight_update/index.htm?WT.ac=hp_carrousel_rebookinglclmar20

• BSI1978 says:

  7 Mar7 March 07:04

  BA does have to now follow suit you’d imagine, won’t be a good look however when it’ll clearly be as a reaction to what others have done. Surely better to have taken the lead on this from the outset to at least generate some positive spin/PR given everything else that is going on.

  • Mr. AC says:

    7 Mar7 March 07:45

    S7 were always selling very flexible tickets for a small surcharge compared to the base inflexible ones, and all the tickets that have luggage are fully flexible by default. For them to make this change is a much smaller step than to BA with their crazy high prices for flex.

    • Alex Sm says:

      7 Mar7 March 08:29

      BA still keep a number of very old and very odd industry features, such as Saturday night stay rule, that’s why midweek return tix are crazy expensive. But British traditions!

      • Alex M says:

        7 Mar7 March 12:34

        I did not notice this Saturday rule when flying to Dme recently- I think they scrapped it.

  • Tom says:

    7 Mar7 March 09:47

    I would be happy to pay change fees if they let me make the changes..I have some non-flexible tickets coming up to the US that I’d be up for cancelling or postponing… Unfortunately I can’t get through to BA to confirm they can’t be changed because they are obviously inundated with coronavirus calls Owing to the brilliance of BA IT equipment I never actually received a booking confirmation in the first place either!

    Does anyone here know what hope I have of being able to change First/Club World tickets under fare class A and I?

• Duncan Stevenson-Price says:

  7 Mar7 March 07:10

  OT: I flew on a BA Ticket EDI > LHR > MIA last month. My domestic leg was delayed and I missed the connection. I was surprisingly re-booked on a Virgin Atlantic flight.

  I didn’t receive Avios for this flight, and the Virgin Atlantic website won’t allow me to the credit the flight their either, as it seems to be flagged as a non-cash flight.

  What’s the typical outcome here? Should I get points _somewhere_? If so, how?

  • Graham says:

    7 Mar7 March 07:19

    I would be looking for the avios and TP equivalent. It’s not your problem they rebooked you to another carrier. Try raising through the exec club first.

    I have to say I’ve found BA CS shockingly poor recently but keep at them.

    • Shoestring says:

      7 Mar7 March 07:21

      https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1768202-original-routing-credit-beginner-s-guide.html

      • Lady London says:

        7 Mar7 March 15:49

        and run your boarding pass past AF or KL if you have a membership just in case.

  • Roberto says:

    7 Mar7 March 07:25

    You should a will get the avios and TP you lost out on. Google “original routing credit british airways” for help and advice.

    I have done it previously.

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