BA changed my flights but no email

[Tracy]

Looks like BA have changed my flights but no email and the booking has disappeared from my bookings on BA website under my account. I can find it by searching booking reference. I was booked on 17th March to fly GLA-LHR-GCM in club world using a 241. This has been changed to GLA-LHR-MIA on BA all economy, then MIA-GCM on AA on economy too. Arriving in GCM about 1.5 hours after original routing time.
What are my options?

[ChrisC]

Patience is a virtue. Cancellations / changes often appear in MMB before emails get sent.

Few weeks ago I noticed a cancellation, rebooked myself, got the rebooking email long before the cancellation of the original flight one came through.

Your options are

(a) accept the re route – but I wouldn’t take the downgrade

(b) do some searches for other options on BA / AA in Club / Business and then put those to BA;

(c) rebook for another date and

(d) take a refund.

[dougzz99]

I think the emails are sent in batches to try and control the load in the call centres.

[Tracy]

Thanks, I will wait and see what transpires….while looking for other options. I have 2 trips booked one in December and one in March and now both have been changed 🙁

[meta]

If they don’t send an email or inform you in anyway and it is 14 days or less before the flight, you are due 600 euros / £520 compensation. I’d wait that long really and wouldn’t bother contacting them until then.

[Tracy]

@meta, flight is not until March. This is a 50th birthday trip so I want to make sure its sorted. Looks like my LHR-GCM flight was not cancelled, it was moved forward 10 mins making my GLA-LHR connection 55 mins so they cancelled my whole booking and rebooked via Miami…I think I’d prefer to be rebooked on my original LHR-GCM flight and travel down to LHR the night before this flight, is it a reasonable ask for BA to change the regional flight to day before? Should BA be on the hook for the hotel night?

[Skywalker]

Tracy wrote:

Thanks, I will wait and see what transpires….while looking for other options. I have 2 trips booked one in December and one in March and now both have been changed 🙁

At least they haven’t been cancelled (yet)!

[Tracy]

@Skywalker don’t tempt fate lol….

[ChrisC]

Tracy wrote:

@meta, flight is not until March. This is a 50th birthday trip so I want to make sure its sorted. Looks like my LHR-GCM flight was not cancelled, it was moved forward 10 mins making my GLA-LHR connection 55 mins so they cancelled my whole booking and rebooked via Miami…I think I’d prefer to be rebooked on my original LHR-GCM flight and travel down to LHR the night before this flight, is it a reasonable ask for BA to change the regional flight to day before? Should BA be on the hook for the hotel night?

I’d certainly request the day before flight and it shouldn’t be a problem to put you on that and restore the rest of the booking as planned.

The rebooking bots don’t always identify those sorts of options.

Not sure about BA paying for a hotel as flying the day before would be at your request since the flights havn’t been cancelled but just rescheduled.

[Carlos]

Avoid taking a refund, they dodge all their obligations to re-route you that way

[NorthernLass]

Hi Tracy, yes BA messes around with this route every year! Call and they will rebook you – there shouldn’t be a problem flying to LHR the day before – in fact it makes for a more relaxed departure and you will have time for breakfast in the B lounge (they don’t feed you much on that flight, the first meal will be lunch). If you go via MIA it will be a lot more hassle plus you’ll need ESTAs if you haven’t got them already, so it’s worth paying for a LHR hotel IMO. I’ve been booking the Sofitel for around £170 pn which I used to think was expensive but now compares quite favourably with other hotels given the added convenience!

[Tracy]

thanks @ChrisC

@NorthernLass Sofitel for me is £200 for the night 🙁 but it seems this would be the best option as even via Miami the connection isn’t much over an hour so any delay from Glasgow could impact that flight too…I also have option of changing to Edinburgh as it leaves 15 mins earlier than Glasgow flight and we already have ESTAs but our return flight arrives into Glasgow so not good for parking and it is on a separate ticket so BA probably wouldn’t change it to arrive in Edinburgh arghhh!! ….decisions decisions

[Tracy]

not going to take a refund, I would lose my 241!

Carlos wrote:

Avoid taking a refund, they dodge all their obligations to re-route you that way

[Lady London]

dougzz99 wrote:

I think the emails are sent in batches to try and control the load in the call centres.

Yeah, however emails aren’t always received at any time.

Tracy is right to get onto this.

[Tracy]

@Lady London, think I’m just so keen to get it sorted as its a 50th birthday trip…

[NorthernLass]

@Tracy, is the MIA routing all on the same day? What time does your AA flight arrive in GCM? I would still avoid it though, as you’ll have to contend with US immigration as well as GCM (though GCM obviously isn’t nearly as bad, especially if you arrive late afternoon/evening). If there are long queues you risk missing your AA connection (though those are often late departing IME!) and then most likely have to sort out your own MIA hotel for the night.
I’d only consider that routing if I was going to stay in MIA for a couple of days (this can be a good option if you want to go shopping).

The Sofitel will feel worth it when you’ve had a good night’s sleep before your GCM flight – don’t forget it’s 12 hours so you arrive shattered even if you’re in CW if you have a very early domestic connection the same day.

[Tracy]

@NorthernLass the MIA is all in one day leaving on the original Glasgow flight at 6.45am, the LHR to MIA flight only leaves half an hour after the BA flight I was originally booked so now a connection time of 1hr25mins. AA flight arrives in GCM 6.35pm whereas original flight arrives 4.55pm. There is a 2hr connection time in MIA. I am tempted to just accept the new changes but make sure I am upgraded again to business. I don’t sleep all that well before travel and sleep even worse if not in my own bed so maybe better to just get up early and leave from Glasgow, I will appreciate getting off the plane in Miami too albeit a bit stressful with immigration and getting bags if they don’t go straight through to GCM…

[NorthernLass]

Bags should be checked through, otherwise 2 hours would really be pushing it. Make sure they are tagged all the way through at bag drop.
The 90 minute hop MIA-GCM is actually delightful – you fly over the Florida Keys and Cuba with amazing views, you’ll definitely want a window seat.

[Tracy]

@NorthernLass I’m a terrible flyer, I’ll be hoping for an aisle seat, don’t care what the view is lol. Will definitely check that the bags are checked all the way through…last time I flew AA they cancelled our DCA to BOS 9pm flight at nearly midnight and we were pushed back to the next am flight with 3 youngish kids, was hoping to never fly AA again. Still have nightmares of my eldest daughter throwing up in the bathroom sink of a Hilton room at 1 am with tiredness/stress after the long haul flight plus hanging around the airport for hours before the domestic flight was finally cancelled and rescheduled to 6am the following morning…had to claim for hotel rooms, taxis etc from travel insurance as AA wouldn’t pay out.