EXCLUSIVE: British Airways cancels return to Kuala Lumpur with four weeks notice

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

• cercwc76 says:

  12 Oct12 October 09:32

  Thanks for Rob and hfp expert advices that i have been followed since last night. My booked flight is LHR-PVG then KUL-LHR after xmas using 241 In the worst case BA cant reroute to the booked day and need to get refund. May i know can i use the refunded inbound 241 only for future booking say next year after taking the outbound flight or the inbound one must be booked before fly outbound otherwise i will loss the 241 inbound?

  • JDB says:

    12 Oct12 October 09:42

    You need to have the return booked before flying the outbound and once you have flown the first segment, you will be able to change the date (within ticket validity and subject to availability) but not the route. I fear the Shanghai route must be at some risk as well.

    • cercwc76 says:

      12 Oct12 October 10:13

      Thanks for the info. If Shanghai route is cancel might be reroute to HK or guangzhou via southern airline? I dont mind any of them as my destination is to Sichuan province but need to know soon as i will be flying next month and needed to book the domestic flight.

      • JDB says:

        12 Oct12 October 11:31

        BA won’t generally allow a change of gateway over 300 miles away. From Beijing or Shanghai they reroute with QR or China Southern.

• Tony says:

  12 Oct12 October 09:32

  Manage your booking keeps giving an error message and phone gives a can’t take your call message. Customer Care 0 points.

• BJ says:

  12 Oct12 October 09:38

  @Rob, we’ve been here so many times before and as usual the comments are full of so many stories of customers being intentionally misled by BA staff on their rights. Am I missing something? Is there any reason why BA and other airlines cannot be compelled by law to inform passengers of their legal rights in such circumstances and abide by them? If there is no reason why don’t governments make it happen, and is there any that does already? As a travel journalist do you think that such legislation is now needed or do you feel the current situation works fine?

  • JDB says:

    12 Oct12 October 09:47

    @BJ – BA is complying with the law (Article 14) – passengers are informed of their rights in the cancellation email via a link that is considered to be an acceptable method of communication. The problem is nobody bothers to read/understand them before calling BA.

    • Darren says:

      12 Oct12 October 09:51

      It may be helpful if the agents were cc’d in the email to help there understanding.

      • JDB says:

        12 Oct12 October 10:11

        @Darren – the problem is manifold! Like bank call centres and other similar staff, BA agents are appallingly badly paid and trained so don’t attract a high calibre of staff. They do still have some experienced staff who know the rules, know the systems and are very efficient, they are just getting a bit thin on the ground. Another issue is still having too many staff working from home so they don’t pick up the news of route cancellations and new policies so easily. If you get a green agent and a vague passenger, it generally won’t go well.

        • Jake says:

          12 Oct12 October 10:16

          @JDB I agree with you concerning staff wage and quality etc however there is a significant and important distinction between a) good quality customer service which BA are unlikely to pay for and b) the appropriate application of the law.

          In your example you wouldn’t expect bank call centre staff to provide legally incorrect financial information so BA should not provide the same in their industry.

          In short BA should ensure their legal requirements are met by their staff consistently.

        • Dave1986 says:

          12 Oct12 October 10:21

          “Another issue is still having too many staff working from home so they don’t pick up the news of route cancellations and new policies so easily”

          They still receive emails though right? Every company I’ve ever worked for makes announcements that way rather then tapping you on the shoulder in the office and telling you

        • BJ says:

          12 Oct12 October 10:24

          During and post covid BA split the CSA into two groups it seems because I recall a sun-option for vouchers and something. I got the impression this was to route mire compkex queries to mire comoetent and experienced agents while newer staff with less training and experience handled simpler more routine matters. Still, my feeling is that even competent experienced agents are pushing nonsense they know to be just that and that is the problem.

        • JDB says:

          12 Oct12 October 10:54

          @Dave1986 – yes, emails are a way of communicating information to WFH staff, but like customers, they also don’t bother to read stuff. They aren’t well paid and aren’t motivated, so putting the dog out is prioritised. In the office a lot of information is learned from colleagues and briefings. WFH staff in many organisations are getting left behind.

        • JDB says:

          12 Oct12 October 11:00

          @Jake – unfortunately bank staff like BA staff do consistently give out incorrect and legally incorrect information as do even their more senior trained complaints staff. We have plenty of experience of this. Three people of rising seniority say no and offer nominal compensation for a serious error, fourth person actually understands the issue and the law and offers £50k. 90%+ of customers have given up before getting treated appropriately.

        • Dave1986 says:

          12 Oct12 October 11:01

          “ the office a lot of information is learned from colleagues and briefings”

          Briefings are done online on teams etc

        • JDB says:

          12 Oct12 October 11:36

          @Dave1986 – yes, I’m fully aware of all the remote means of communication, but also aware that too many staff working remotely don’t take these remote meetings seriously. It’s a big issue many companies are dealing with. It’s interesting talking to company management and youngsters on this topic who have spotted that WFH doesn’t always work for the business or the employee losing out on promotions and opportunities.

        • Darren says:

          12 Oct12 October 12:24

          JDB, I agree wholeheartedly.

    • Jake says:

      12 Oct12 October 09:53

      That’s not the sole problem though is it. Another major factor is that call agents (who in the emails customers are recommended to speak to) are not sufficiently trained with what BA legally has to offer…

      • No longer Entitled says:

        12 Oct12 October 10:03

        Or they are sufficiently trained in positioning what BA wants to offer.

      • BJ says:

        12 Oct12 October 10:30

        Do you really believe all the stories you have read in the comments here should be taken as face value as the consequence of poor training? I think it far more lijrly thry are the consewuence of reducing costs to BA and other airlines in such circumstances.

      • JDB says:

        12 Oct12 October 11:03

        They are trained but a) they don’t remember much for reasons cited above and b) the rules aren’t exactly as clear cut as some here like to make out. BA wins plenty of cases at MCOL and CEDR through passengers over estimating their rights, which are powerful but not unlimited in scope.

        • Dave1986 says:

          12 Oct12 October 13:48

          How do you know they’re trained? Any actual evidence of this?

    • Aston100 says:

      12 Oct12 October 10:11

      Oh JDB… You’ve read enough comments on this site to know BA agents are inconsistent at best, and down right incompetent in some cases.

      • JDB says:

        12 Oct12 October 10:50

        @Aston100 – that is precisely what I said, yes!

        • Jake says:

          12 Oct12 October 11:15

          @JDB – Yes – unfortunately they do in practice but the comment is that you wouldn’t (shouldn’t) expect it.

          The fundamental issue is that BA, appear, to be neglecting to train staff appropriatley to save on a) training costs and b) the costs of meeting their legal requirements.

          It is reasonable for consumers to expect b) to be met as a bare minimum

    • BJ says:

      12 Oct12 October 10:15

      Thanks @JDB, so you would recommend customers have this in hand when they call BA and start citing it in the event CSA start their creative tales? There is also the question though as to whether this email should be enough by itself for compliance. I’m not saying that CSA need to be compellrd by law to inform passengers their rights on a call but surely it is reasonale they be compelled not to misinform or mislead in this this situation? I appreciate there is a grey area there because an agrnt could genuinely unintentionally misinform because it is surely unreasonable to expect everyone to be absolutely correct and accurate all the time. In the stories we so often hear though it is so obvious passengers are intentionally being misled for airlines gain and IMO that should be illegal if legislation can be structured and effectively implemented to make it so.

      • Aston100 says:

        12 Oct12 October 10:19

        BJ I think you should start a thread on the topic of BA staff inconsistencies when handling situations like this.
        Reading some of the comments in this article reminds me of some of the absolute bollocks I’ve been told by them in the past.

        • BJ says:

          12 Oct12 October 10:38

          I’ll pass, others are welcome to take that up. U don’t have the same motivation or focus IvUsed to have in earlier years of HfP. It needs somebody who can do it more justice, ideally a former BA CSA. There are some on here, one of the various ‘Nicks’ springs to mind.

        • meta says:

          12 Oct12 October 13:03

          BA is not entirely complying with the law as it needs to be clearly legible (sending customers to a different website is not it). I refer to Article 14 which contains the following words « clearly legible notice ». It also contains specific text for each individual passenger, provisions for blind/visually impaired passengers and contact details of national enforcement body, etc.

          The link in the cancellation email is also outdated as it only refers to EC261 and has incorrect wording from the said regulations.

          Unfortunately there is no penalty for non-compliance. However, I have used it as leverage in my negotiations with BA before and have also pointed it out in legal proceedings at MCOL throwing doubt in anything BA said.

• Pam says:

  12 Oct12 October 09:43

  If you move to Malaysia Airlines in Economy you probably won’t get any Avios. Not cheap flights either to not earn any.

• Phil G says:

  12 Oct12 October 09:45

  After speaking to the Gold Member ‘helpline’, I was only offered a cancellation or reroute to Singapore, which means paying another £400 to get from Singapore to KUL and back. It seams cash bookings are being offered flights on Malaysian Airlines and my avios booking isn’t.
  Is it lawful to offer different types of booking different options ?

  • Rob says:

    12 Oct12 October 10:04

    No

  • Ryan says:

    12 Oct12 October 11:33

    I’ve paid with cash and also have not been offered the Malaysian option.

  • Kuestrian says:

    12 Oct12 October 16:44

    They were offering Qatar to KUL last night, for reward bookings

• BattMatch says:

  12 Oct12 October 09:49

  I had a revenue flight booked to/from Doha (BA 122/123) for December during the recent sale for £1800 first out, club suites back. Fortunately I spotted the cancellation email when I got up just before 0600hrs yesterday. I was auto rebooked onto the other BA flight with old club in both directions and at less than perfect flight times. To BAs credit I got through to the call centre in about 10 mins and they had no complaints rebooking me onto QR instead in my original booked cabin, which I’m calling a result.

• qrfan says:

  12 Oct12 October 10:08

  I just had BA7 to Tokyo cancelled. Any update on that Rob? Same issue I guess?

  • BJ says:

    12 Oct12 October 10:40

    @Sharon, note this.

  • Sharon says:

    12 Oct12 October 11:13

    What date was it please? I am on BA5 on 11 Nov.

    • Sharon says:

      12 Oct12 October 11:15

      On it thanks Rob.
      Any chance of listing the rules/law that we can quote? Sorry if I have missed it. If my flight is cancelled, are you saying the cancellation email quotes our rights but the agents don’t know them?

  • Sharon says:

    12 Oct12 October 11:15

    What date was your BA7 cancelled please?

    • qrfan says:

      12 Oct12 October 13:35

      27th Nov. I’m told by a reliable source (after I posted my original comment) it’s not the whole route, but a couple of rotations. Rebooked on JAL without calling so not a big deal in the end.

• pauline says:

  12 Oct12 October 10:14

  Also just offered Singapore (from EDI) with no onward journey to KL. (241 march in J) Qatar was refused. He advised hat BA have option to exercise right to get you within 300 miles – I pointed out that was our option not BA’s! We have flights booked from KL to Penang and hotels booked so really don’t want to go via singapore if I have to pay for my own flight sin – kl or sin – penang

  • Lady London says:

    12 Oct12 October 16:55

    Replied but system lost it.

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