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Hi,
I’ve had a notification from BA today that my DUB-LHR-AUH flight has had an aircraft swap , and so my LHR-AUH leg has been downgraded from F to old CW (to 787-8 with no F cabin). Flight is in August.
I’ve got the option to either accept the downgrade, or change the date. Unfortunately, the only days with another F cabin, is either the next day, or 2 days earlier. 1 day later is not acceptable as it would make the holiday too short, and 2 days earlier adds about £500/120k Hilton points to the hotel booking, so unsure if I want to spend that much extra.
So, if I did call to accept the downgrade, do you think they let me cancel the DUB-LHR leg, and book direct from LHR instead for no charge? I was only starting from DUB to avoid APD, but don’t really want to do DUB leg for old CW, when J has RFS pricing.
And if I did travel on CW, do you think they will let me select the seat for free as a goodwill gesture? I had already selected my seat in F, and with old CW, the seat will make a big difference. I have no status.
In terms of reimbursement, I had booked the DUB-LHR-AUH using my 241 as a solo traveller, for 41.5k avios (full price would be 83k) plus £118. Am I correct that if I accept the downgrade, I would have to take the original route (i.e., not change it to start in LHR), and then I could be entitled to 75% avios and taxes back, so even with the 241, I should get 62,250 avios back?
As it would have been my first time in F, I am quite a bit disappointed, so alternatively, do you think they might let me change it to DXB instead?
I know I only get 1 chance to make a change for free, so don’t want to rush into any decision, and to consider all my options.
Thanks!
Go via Doha on QR (DUB-LHR-DOH-AUH)
They should allow the reroute via DXB but probably wont pay for the cab transfer
@aq.1988 – lots of questions here and there is then the question of what the APR says about downgrades and what BA might be willing to do which is more generous than statutorily required. These are set out here:-
A downgrade gives no automatic rights to any form of rerouting, merely the right to reimbursement at what is effectively a penalty rate which incorporates an element of compensation. The regulations are much more about getting people moving quickly after disruption rather than their comfort.
It is highly unlikely that BA would agree to reroute you via Doha on QR. The issue re Dublin is really entirely separate and it would require BA to disburse c.£190 cash for the APD and c. £50 PSC which you are asking them to do for nothing; not entirely reasonable. I think it is also unlikely they will pay for taxi transfers when they have offered you a flight to your apparently desired destination. BA also won’t cover extra hotel nights to go earlier.
You should contact YouFirst and see what your options are and decide from there.
The cabin closure has just been processed there are
No guidelines yetEdit: Thanks for the advice. If they were agreeable to DXB in F, then I would be happy to pay my own taxi to get to Abu Dhabi.
Guess I need to get on to YouFirst to see what my options are.
@aq.1988 – as above, you don’t have any statutory rerouting rights following a downgrade however early or late it is notified. BA’s guidelines are in the link I provided. They are more generous than BA is obliged to offer but their generosity isn’t boundless.
@e14 – there are standard guidelines in place; there won’t be anything different specific to this flight.When I got a downgrade from F on a trip via DOH in February I called YouFirst and they let me re-route on F via DXB for no extra charge. I was en route to MCT so they just changed the flights.
EDIT: they said if I was on a cash flight they would have looked at moving me to QR First via DOH, but as I was on an avios redemption they would not consider it, which is fair enough.
indeed it would appear this is permitted given the ruled mentioned in the link that JDB provided.
Thanks for the comments so far. I just called YouFirst, and they said they would re-route to DXB if I wanted, even though its more than 14 days until departure.
So I’m just going to have a think overnight if it’s actually worth the hassle to still fly F! As I’m already doing a positioning flight to Dublin, to then fly DUB-LHR-DXB, with a further cab to Abu Dhabi, starting to feel like it might be too much hassle. I could cancel, and just rebook LHR-AUH in CW, and hope for another chance to fly F.
Well GGL will be disappointed that there is no separate policy forthcoming
Well GGL will be disappointed that there is no separate policy forthcoming
Prepare to be disappointed then as there isn’t.
BA won’t let you just drop the DUB legs. They will reprice the trip as an ex LHR for a change made in advance.
Flying extra legs is part of the consideration when doing the likes of ex DUB and how much you save in cash against the cost of extra flights and possibly hotels versus the ex LHR price and the time taken to do this.
The only time BA has allowed me to drop DUB legs was due to a day before and an on the day cancellations of the DUB legs I was due to fly.
I’ll clarify the GGL team are expecting a policy
I’ll clarify the GGL team are expecting a policy
A policy for what?
Not that the OP is Gold Guest List. He has no status.
“ and 2 days earlier adds about £500/120k Hilton points to the hotel booking, so unsure if I want to spend that much extra.”
August in Abu Dhabi and you’re concerned about paying £250 per night for 2 nights? I would fly early in F as originally routed and not break a sweat over finding a hotel for 2 additional nights. August is Abu Dhabi is dead in terms of business travel and light on leisure too. I expect you could get a decent hotel for £50pn; a great hotel for £100pn.
We’ve written about this before: https://www.headforpoints.com/2020/08/13/british-airways-first-class-downgrade/
Just thought I’d update this.
I decided I still want to travel in F, so am taking a reroute to DXB instead of J in AUH, and so keeping the same travel date. Called YouFirst, and they moved my flight.
@Blair Waldorf Salad, I definitely would have just flown two days earlier, and got a cheaper hotel for those 2 days, but despite flying out solo, I’m actually going to be joined on the trip by my wife and daughter (they’re flying in from somewhere else), and my wife did not like the idea of changing hotel mid-way through the trip.
I know I shouldn’t expect it, but is there any chance I will earn TP’s for this flight now? They moved me to a DXB flight that did not have any avios availability in F. I checked my e-ticket receipt on Finnair, and I’m in fare class U for the DUB-LHR leg, and fare class A for the LHR-DXB leg. Do either of these earn TP’s?
You shouldn’t expect to earn any TPs but you may get lucky. As I have just learnt, fare class is not the only determinant of TP earnings. I had a redemption in I class but earned no TPs because it (unfortunately) was correctly coded on the ticket it was a redemption.
Thanks @LittleNick, yes, I’m not expecting any, but it would be a very welcome surprise, as the 210 for F to Dubai would get me to Silver.
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