Reply To: BA cancellation. Advice sought.

[Lady London]

QwertyKnowsBest wrote:

Of course much posted here re this kind of issue. I wonder what the passenger should have done to protect their rights.

They found a more suitable alternative flight, BA could not or would not book them onto that flight, so they made their own arrangements. Note the CAA reminded BA and other airlines recently that they are required to consider rerouting passengers they’ve cancelled onto the flights of other airlines, and not just to their own flights, if they don’t have flights of their own when passenger still needs to travel.

Interested how better to manage such situations?

I agree. Passenger stated they still needed to travel as close as poss to the time booked, gave BA a chance to provide that by requesting it (and incidentally having helpfully identified a flight that did have seats that met that need which they are entitled to have) and BA refused.

So the passenger, having stated their need, which was key to the purpose of the trip, gave BA the opportunity so is now free to provide for themselves the alternative travel which they were legally entitled to have BA provide.

One might quibble if BA had offered a short delay and travel same day but they didn’t, and generally it’s fine for passenger’s circumstances or purpose of the trip meaning an offer of travel on a later day is not acceptable. @NorthernLass the passenger does not have to justify their needs, by default they have the right to say they still need to travel as near as poss to same time and certainly same day.

Why do people think they are the ones who have to conform to the needs of an airline that has just messed them around? and most of the time the airline has done this for their own commercial/operational purposes but impact on the passenger is far greater. This is why EU261 was brought in.

Do 2 separate claims – 1 for cancellation £220 per seat, the other all costs for alternate travel. I’d put in receipts for meals during that extended travel time too.

Sadly read on here many threads BA will lie and stonewall and delay but you have a very good chance if you persist.

You could shore things up by calling BA and requesting a copy of the recording of the call made to them – this will be good evidence of BA’s refusal. You have the right under Data Subject Access Rights , do it sooner than later.