BA/AA rerouting options to YYC

[modofac]

Hi all, hoping for some insight on what is realistic to expect in the following situation:

Background: I have a BA Holidays booking LHR-DFW-YYC-DFW-LHR including car hire for the entire period for late Jan/early Feb 2025. All flights are in business class (I), operated by American and booked as BA code shares specifically to make the most of the double tier points offer. There used to be 2 flights a day from DFW to YYC, morning and evening – I am booked on the evening flight which connects well with several AA/BA flights into DFW from LHR, but the morning flight is too early for any of them. It seems that AA have now stopped running the evening flight (and, as I believe it sat at YYC overnight, the morning return YYC to DFW as well that I was returning on). I got an email to say the flights are cancelled and MMB isn’t showing any alternate options at all.

In general, I’m fairly relaxed about the route I end up taking but the potential loss of the doubled tier points is something I’d like to avoid/mitigate given the current changes to TP collection years.

Could anyone confirm if, assuming I am offered options on either Air Canada or WestJet, BA will honour the original TPs (including the BA Holidays offer assuming I keep the car hire)?

Alternatively, if I accept a rerouting are TPs awarded based on the new flights only (and if those are non-Oneworld do they not earn TPs), but would they still be doubled under the BA Holidays offer? There are quite a few permutations of LHR – East Coast US/Canada – YYC that could work, but nothing on AA, only connections onto AC/WS (and does anyone know if BA will rebook onto both AC and WS?)

Many thanks in advance

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

YYZ = Calgary,

A look at the wiki page shows AS (Alaska) flies there from Seattle.

As this is a BA Holiday alternatives aren’t usually shown in MMB so you need to call BA holidays to resolve.

To earn TPs you need to fly on a One World airline. They won’t award TPs even if they rebook out of alliance months in advance.

[NorthernLass]

Does it make a difference when the cancellation is? I had a same-day cancellation a few weeks ago on part of a BAH and was re-routed on Air France. I applied for original routing credit of the 80 “lost” TPs and they were awarded with no quibble.

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

NorthernLass wrote:

Does it make a difference when the cancellation is? I had a same-day cancellation a few weeks ago on part of a BAH and was re-routed on Air France. I applied for original routing credit of the 80 “lost” TPs and they were awarded with no quibble.

BA does do ORC for same day irrops but not for changes known about months in advance.

[Andrew.]

YYZ is Toronto.

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

Andrew. wrote:

YYZ is Toronto.

So I made a typo. Have you never made one?

I got the OPs destination – Calgary – correct which is arguably a more important piece of information.

[JDB]

@NorthernLass – yes, both BA’s willingness to reroute on alien airlines and offer ORC is temporal. For the former it perhaps shouldn’t be (but they will sometimes anyway) but ORC is an entirely discretionary remedy so it depends, but as @BAFlyerIHGStayer they won’t generally offer it for long notice changes.

BA has got a bit trickier on ORC in light of too many double dippers. The prospects of getting ORC for a BAH are better than for flight only.

[dougzz99]

YYC Calgary YYZ Toronto, I think BA Flyer messed with a digit, OP says YYC. Firstly, and it can be difficult, do nothing for a bit as AA could/will make further changes in the coming weeks. When ready look on Matrix or Google flights, whatever you like to use, and find a new routing that suits your wants. I’d guess, but have done no research Chicago might work well. Then call BAH and mention the times, not the flight numbers, but ask them to make sure they book BA Codeshares as you want Double TP. In my experience they’re really helpful, and as this is a change as a result of timetable changes they’ll hopefully not care about booking into I class.

[Matt]

How many TP do you need? That should inform your choice of replacement flights.

It should be possible to get LHR-East Coast-West Coast-YYC, with at least the first 2 flights on BA codes if not all 3, which would give you rather more TP than your original route. If you only need what you had planned, then I’d go for LHR-West Coast-YYC, to maximise the proportion of the flight time spent in a flat bed proper business class.

Whatever your preferences of timings, TP, comfort, etc, then pick out the routing you want and phone BAH. As long as it’s a route from LHR to YYC that you can find on offer at any price then they should let you change to it. You only get 1 chance though, so make sure you’re happy with it.

[jj]

Apart from the tier points, loss of the AA route to YYC via DFW is a real bummer. Calgary is surprisingly difficult and expensive to reach from the UK in winter, and flying via DFW, whilst quite indirect, gave a decent length overnight segment that allowed a good night’s sleep. The direct Air Canada route is outrageously priced and ill-timed.

The Canadian Rockies have some of the world’s best skiing. If only they were more accessible.

[jj]

Last year I booked an internal Canada connection with WestJet on a BA cash booking, so that is a possible option. No TP or Avios on the WestJet leg, though.

[modofac]

Many thanks for all of the help and suggestions. I called BA and while the person I spoke to was pretty helpful, they were insistent that they cannot rebook me on Air Canada, only WestJet. I was offered routes via Vancouver or Toronto, both connecting off a BA flight.

The catch is that they don’t seem to be able to book in to business class. For YVR-YYC this is simply because it’s not offered by WS on that route. It’s only a short flight so I’m sure I could survive, but BA aren’t offering any discount on the ticket either so it feels like I’m now overpaying. The timings also mean arriving into YYC at 00:31 in the middle of the night as opposed to 4 hours earlier under the original itinerary which isn’t great.

Connecting in YYZ works better from a timing perspective, but I don’t fancy a ~4hr flight in economy given I currently have an all-business class itinerary. I queried this with the agent asking for Air Canada options instead but was told this wasn’t available. I politely declined and said I needed to think about it…

First world problems and all, but is it correct I effectively have to accept a downgrade to connect onto WestJet, or a case of hang up and try again and I should be successful in getting onto an AC connection (ideally in YYZ) in business?

@Matt – interesting idea, but I haven’t yet found a trans-con connecting route that gets to the West coast in time to make a same-day connection to YYC

@jj – spot on, I’ve flown this route many times now over the years and going via DFW was always the better option for the exact reasons you say after BA canned their direct YYC service

[Lady London]

Is there nothing with AA? I don’t think you’ll get BA to budge on AC.

[e14]

BA standard customer guidelines apply here, and whilst Westjet WS is a logical choice, the issue is that WS doesn’t sell business class that BA can book you into, it’s not BA being awkward

The best routing that you can hope for is LHR-SEA on BA and then SEA-YYC on AS. Calgary in that period seems to be only served by two Oneworld routes AA from DFW in the morning and AS from SEA in the afternoon.

The fact that SEA is schedule to have a nice 787-10 with CS on it during the Winter season shouldn’t sway you either.