Reply To: 2-4-1 cabin downgrade – overbooked flight

[AJA]

JDB wrote:

QwertyKnowsBest wrote:

For those that know and out of interest, if the passengers choose to fly with another carrier (assuming available of course) in a business class cabin, would BA be liable for the cost to be reclaimed?

There is no provision within the APR for this, although you could try to make out some sort of contractual claim, but given the high cost of last minute business tickets, it’s not one I would risk. What airlines will potentially agree is to rebook people the next day and pay for the hotel by way of compensation.

@QwertyKnowsBest I’d agree with @JDB especially since in this case BA was still providing seats on the original flight (just in a lower cabin) – hence the right to downgrade reimbursement. If however you have been denied boarding by BA or an EC airline or other airline departing the UK (or the flight is cancelled) then there is of course the part of the regulation where the airline has to get you to your destination at the earliest opportunity.

Therefore if there was another airline with business class seats available to get you back to LHR as close to your original schedule but BA chooses instead to offer you seats the following day on their own plane then you are within your rights to insist BA reroute you on the other carrier. If they don’t agree then you could of course accept the flights the following day and get the airline to pay duty of care (hotel and food and non-alcoholic drinks) and claim delayed flight compensation. That might need you to go MCOL to get the compensation.