London City Airport to close until the end of April

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• Michael C says:

  26 Mar26 March 06:14

  Thanks a million to everyone at HFP and all the readers/contributors, both for the help and the entertainment, which is no small thing these days!

• Shoestring says:

  26 Mar26 March 06:32

  No more pets on AA! 🙂

  [American has temporarily changed a number of policies in response to COVID-19. These changes include a relaxed seating policy, reduced food and beverage service, and suspension of checked pets. We’ve relaxed our seating policy to enable customers to practice social distancing on board whenever possible.

  For the safety of our customers and flight attendants, we’re temporarily suspending food and beverage service on flights under 2,200 miles (typically less than 4½ hours). Limited beverages will be available upon request. On flights over 2,200 miles (typically longer than 4½ hours), we will continue to offer a streamlined food and beverage service.

  Because schedule changes increase the risk of leaving a pet stranded, all checked pet service will be suspended beginning March 25. Carry-on pets and emotional service animals are still allowed.]

  • AJA says:

    26 Mar26 March 08:56

    Until earlier this year I had never heard of Emotional Support Animals. Let alone knowing there was a specific rule to allow them to travel with you in the aircraft cabin.!

    There is a fantastic thread on the subject over on FlyerTalk complete with picture of a small horse in the cabin!

    See post #17 with the witty comment “It doesn’t look like a very stable environment to me…….oh wait……”

    https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/2012001-flying-esa-dog-lhr-lax.html

• The Jetset Boyz says:

  26 Mar26 March 07:08

  The army have been doing pilot training for flying into and out of LCY. The plan is to fly people in from other parts of the country to LCY then drive them over the dock to Excel.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    26 Mar26 March 07:17

    surely NEC and BHX would’ve been better placed for a facility like this for anyone outside London to be flown/taken to.

    • Anna says:

      26 Mar26 March 07:25

      We were saying that, much easier for patients to get home once discharged etc if they are nearer their families.

    • Tariq says:

      26 Mar26 March 07:27

      Rumour has it in healthcare circles that a second facility is going to be established at the NEC.

      • Rob says:

        26 Mar26 March 11:12

        It’s announced, in The Guardian this morning.

    • essjay2009 says:

      26 Mar26 March 09:20

      There’s going to be another 10 ish similar facilities set up around the country. They just haven’t decided where yet.

    • Fenny says:

      26 Mar26 March 09:26

      “People outside London”? You’re havin’ a larf, arncha?
      Not sure the 4000 beds at Excel are going to cope with what’s coming in London, let alone the rest of England.

      • Rob says:

        26 Mar26 March 11:02

        NEC is getting the 2nd one.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        26 Mar26 March 11:26

        These flights they are talking about won’t be patients from inside London then will they.

        I was sticking with the points in the article that was posted.

      • Chrisasaurus says:

        26 Mar26 March 13:22

        People inside London appear hell bent on reaching the peak first so Excel makes sense from a geography perspective

  • The Savage Squirrel says:

    26 Mar26 March 07:40

    If the peak passes earier in London than elsewhere (seems likely) it may have spare capacity at that point while other areas are still overstretched. Definitely sensible to use it in that scenario.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      26 Mar26 March 11:28

      Exactly different areas will have different peaks at different times.

      No one has any idea how many people have already had it and have the anti bodies either.

      If you think only the c10k confirmed have it or have had then you haven’t actually been listening to the expert in the daily press conference.

• Paul W says:

  26 Mar26 March 07:16

  I have to be honest, when it comes to Instagram, I am somewhat of a laggard!! I do try and use it, but I am lame at engaging/contributing – meaning I am just a mere observer on instagram.
  #oldman 🙂

  • Fenny says:

    26 Mar26 March 09:27

    I sometimes look at friends’ posts if they link to twitter, but I honestly can’t see the point of having numerous social media accounts, which either lie dormant or have to be maintained. I still use my Livejournal account!

  • Rob says:

    26 Mar26 March 11:16

    Same with me, which is why Rhys is doing it!

• John Dodd says:

  26 Mar26 March 07:20

  BA up to their tricks. I have an e mail cancelling my outward leg on a booking but not the return. I don’t want a return if they cannot get me there so they are being stupid. Do not want a voucher but when you ring their recorded message plays and then you are cut off.

  • meta says:

    26 Mar26 March 07:27

    You can now cancel the whole ticket for a full refund. Use the workaround published a few days ago to do it online yourself.

    • Brighton Belle says:

      26 Mar26 March 07:54

      Is there any evidence yet that Shoestring’s workaround generates the actual cash refund? I can see BA saying customers have violated the refund process by hacking the software logic they implemented and you’re getting a voucher whether you like it or not.

      • Nick says:

        26 Mar26 March 08:19

        It worked for me yesterday, I got one cash refund and the other was my Avios refunded. It’s till working and I managed to this this on my iPhone. I was having problems at first. Just remember to disable Java Script when you press continue (to refund option page) then you have to allow Java Script again to actually request it. I have the processing page appear and after about 20 seconds confirmation. Refunded to card and Avios back in the bank. Good luck

        • BJ says:

          26 Mar26 March 13:13

          +1, money back on my card in under 48h.

      • Spursdebs says:

        26 Mar26 March 08:27

        It’s not SS but Antonio’s work around. Harry has helped explain it to lots of people but he didn’t come up with it.

        • AJA says:

          26 Mar26 March 08:44

          And the Avios work around is thanks to Willmatt on FlyerTalk. I merely copied it and posted here for those who don’t use FlyerTalk.

        • Shoestring says:

          26 Mar26 March 17:48

          yep & I have made that clear right from the start: Antonio’s insight but he has far better things to do than reply to new people asking the same questions, because for many of us the instructions are initially a bit oo-er worrying

          though when they get a bit of help, most people seem to manage

          I blame people using their mobiles (or people new to HFP reading the Daily Mail article) and not reading the threads/ scrolling up a bit

          it was people new to HFP from DM that I was mainly trying to assist

        • Shoestring says:

          26 Mar26 March 17:58

          as it is the best quality newspaper in the UK & I love their readers 🙂

      • Erico1875 says:

        27 Mar27 March 15:03

        Not for me
        I tried it both ways as suggested. Got a screenshot of the “thanks for requesting a refund We will get back to you etc etc.
        No email. Flights are showing as still waiting my action. 3 out of 4 have cancelled by BA. (All on the same booking ref).
        I am just going to have to phone them

  • Anna says:

    26 Mar26 March 07:28

    They might just be doing it by date – is it 2 separate bookings? I have a return leg I am unable to cancel online at the moment and got an email yesterday saying I will not be flying into MAN T1, even though I now have no outbound flight and wouldn’t be allowed into the destination anyway!!

    • Anna says:

      26 Mar26 March 07:29

      Now be flying*

      • meta says:

        26 Mar26 March 07:41

        I helped a friend cancel their booking for a full refund in the above scenario yesterday with the workaround. But yes, it was on one ticket.

  • Charlieface says:

    26 Mar26 March 16:14

    S.75 claim is the way forward, methinks

• Helen F says:

  26 Mar26 March 08:24

  I need to cancel or rearrange a hotel booking – made using my avios.(Just a hotel no associated flights) It’s a non refundable booking in normal times. Does anyone have any idea how I go about getting this amended or the points refunded?

  • AJA says:

    26 Mar26 March 09:04

    Ordinarily you won’t get a refund but you might try contacting the hotel directly to get them to confirm in writing that they are refunding non-refundable bookings.

    Then use that evidence to contact BA and try to get them to refund your Avios. You could also say to BA you’d be happy with a voucher instead.

    Alternatively if it helps ask the hotel if they would directly give you a voucher for future use or move the booking to a future date.

    Good luck. Let us know if you do succeed.

• Pangolin says:

  26 Mar26 March 10:30

  “First, a big thanks to everyone who is responding to queries from other readers in the comments section. They are a great resource if you are looking for advice regarding your existing flight and hotel bookings, the refund process and more.”

  In the comments section of yesterday’s story about Hilton status extension, I posted a reply to someone who mentioned they had gone from Titanium Elite to Gold and they would now obviously be switching all their stays to Hilton, as their expected downgrade from Diamond to Gold was being waived.

  I simply posted that I was in exactly the same situation and would be doing the same – it was a one-liner.

  The post was removed.

  • Rob says:

    26 Mar26 March 10:44

    Shouldn’t have been. However …. the comments system cannot compress comment threads. If a comment is deleted, all of the comments below it are orphaned – ie if C replies to B who replies to A, but B is deleted, then the comment by C does NOT automatically go under A. It just falls away. In general (and I’m not saying this happened to you, necessarily) if we cut a comment then everything under it needs to be cut as well.

    • Charlieface says:

      26 Mar26 March 16:15

      Maybe change it to deleted in such cases. Is there no way in you software of reassociating the orphaned comments?

      • Charlieface says:

        26 Mar26 March 16:16

        Meaning don’t delete it, just write [Deleted]

        • Rob says:

          26 Mar26 March 17:33

          But when we look censorius ….!

      • Rob says:

        26 Mar26 March 17:33

        No

• Colin MacKinnon says:

  26 Mar26 March 11:36

  HIAL have closed all their airports – Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd

  So that’s Inverness closed now.

  (Emergency flights excepted)

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