Reply To: HELP! Avios redemption with Finnair cancelled

[SamG]

johnl wrote:

SamG wrote:

johnl wrote:

SamG wrote:

Agree- not required by my reading of that policy. That is not well known at BA though for sure – hence worth calling back and directing them to it and asking for the QR reroute

Thanks SamG. That page is a treasure trove. Trying to get my head round the iterations but I think there’s enough there to rebut them.

Lady London, your knowledge and amazingness knows no bounds.

Indeed it is. It is the “Oneworld Prime” bit you are looking at in this scenario 👍

So their Twitter team finally got back to me a week after first trying to contact and I showed them the screengrab and link you suggested and they said it didn’t apply to this situation as that guidance is for within 24 hours.

Then they did the most shady thing I’ve seen in a while. They told me I only had 24 hours to rebook the tickets that were on offer otherwise they would be released. Obviously held them to task. Told them what flights I wanted. They said they weren’t on offer.

This was a fluid twitter DM conversation until I mentioned EU261.

They didn’t reply. I chased two hours later. No reply.

Been 2 days. Still waiting…

“Available when a oneworld flight has been cancelled within the past 24 hours”

I guess then this sentence is badly worded. This doesn’t actually surprise me based on my understanding, this isn’t a BA problem, Finnair are the operating carrier and the Eu261 responsibility lies with them.

BA as the agent can’t really go about rebooking into revenue classes on other airlines unless Finnair has a rebooking policy in place.

Unfortunately miles tickets issued by another carrier are a well known pain point. I had one in Asia that the operating airline wouldn’t rebook me into revenue space and I just had to get a refund.

I think your options are

1) try work on getting the LHR flights amended or arrangements made for your layovers

2) have one last push with BA and AY directly. Inform them you’ll be enforcing your right to reroute at the earliest opportunity. Then research legal options – I’m not sure if you can enforce against any Finnair entity here in the UK. My hesitation is you’d need to buy the QR tickets and being rerouted on the next AY isn’t hugely unreasonable in isolation. Make sure you’re happy that it’d 100% go your way. There is another thread here where an arbitrator didn’t enforce the rules

3) get an Avios refund. Spend them on your sainsbury shopping and buy the QR tickets for cash. Often they are so cheap (and don’t forget you’d also earn Avios) – might not work out badly !