Reply To: BA flight cancelled. Downgraded from Club to Traveller on earlier flight.

[JDB]

raynerdom wrote:

they have replied from an email address that doesnt accept incoming mail and given me 5000 avios! i guess this is par for the course? they have completely ignored my request for reimbursement. they gave me a number to call where the operator told me that i had to make the claim online. they are just sending me round in circles. any idea as to the best way to contact them?

This is fairly typical! I would respond to the message via the button and say that you note the ex gratia payment of 5k Avios for one passenger but there were two of you. More importantly they have failed to respond to your request for downgrade reimbursement under Article 10 and show your calculation of that [it may not be possible to calculate precisely, but that doesn’t matter] x 2 and the total. All the previous stuff about it being involuntary etc. Note in your email that this should have been paid within seven days of your initial request and further that BA is in breach of Article 14 in not only failing to inform you of your rights but then failing to accord those rights within the prescribed deadline set out in Article 10. There is no dispute as to the facts surrounding your downgrade so BA’s failure to pay the statutory reimbursement is inexcusable. Tell them that in the absence of confirmation of payment within 14 days (and give the date that is) you will take the matter to MCOL or CEDR and claim interest plus revive your cancellation compensation claim.

The CEDR rules at 2.1.1 don’t actually seem to provide for dealing with downgrade reimbursement as one would expect it to be listed there but it is potentially covered under 2.1.5. If they won’t take the case you will have to go to MCOL. If they force you to take them to court or arbitration, I would press for the cancellation compensation at the same time. It’s a long shot but they will have to evidence the ‘exceptional circumstances’ and that they took all reasonable measures to avoid it.