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Some friends just landed into Heathrow this morning on a BA flight to find their connecting flight to Manchester had been cancelled. The new flight is this evening (it’s a sunny day in London today so not all bad).. but started to research what they might be entitled to.. any help gladly appreciated!
First thing to know is why the flight was cancelled.
Then where was their departure point as assuming the cancellation reason is in scope the total distance of the trip determines the compensation sari on that may be due.
Reason is crucial.
As per Flyer/Stayer, if they came in on a long haul flight, compo will apply to that. This happened to us a few years ago, NYC-LHR was delayed 2 hours for tech reasons, but it meant we missed our MAN connection and got home 5 hours late and we both got 600 euros (as it was at the time). Had to go to CEDR but that’s another story!
Claim all meals during the extra wait assuming it crosses mealtimes – get receipts and submit after your flight for reimbursement. At reasonable Heathrow outlet prices as that’s where you’re stuck.
BA is doing this trick of putting people on the last flight of the day on a domestic connection, when BA cancels their earlier domestic connecting flight, too often. We’re seeing reports of even when they haven’t also cancelled other flights in the day that the cancelled person could easily make, BA is putting them on the last flight still leaving hours and hours of unnevesdary extra wait.
Presumably in case BA also decides later to canvel those other flights still running that depart earlier than the last one. But having such long unnecessary waits just to keep BA’s options open, especially if someone has just landed off a longhaul flight, then must wait all day to suit BA, or if they had to get up at crack of dawn to make the shorthaul flight they landed on then have to wait till last flight is selfish and unreasomsble of BA.
So claim everything.
They’ll be expected to eat in the lounge if eligible – and actually my in-laws who had arrived late from a PE flight last year were given lounge access during their 9-hour wait for their re-scheduled MAN connection, presumably because BA thought this would cost them less than paying out for meals. Though of course they had no guarantee that the in-laws wouldn’t drink the lounge dry!
They’ll be expected to eat in the lounge if eligible – and actually my in-laws who had arrived late from a PE flight last year were given lounge access during their 9-hour wait for their re-scheduled MAN connection, presumably because BA thought this would cost them less than paying out for meals. Though of course they had no guarantee that the in-laws wouldn’t drink the lounge dry!
This is a very common sense approach from BA, I like it a lot. Would much prefer to be in a lounge rather than a busy terminal hoping to be repaid in 4 months time!
@ Lady London it’s not a BA ‘trick’ to just shove people onto the last flight.
There are certain practicalities that you seem to ignore.
When I looked this morning just before I commented to see what other flights were available there were zero club seats available today on any MAN flight until later tonight and even economy was available only on some as well.
They certainly do it proactively on occasion; I’ve spoken to utterly fed up fellow pax a couple of times who’ve been booted off their earlier connections for no apparent reason (apart from that BA was then selling those earlier flights for £00’s).
@ Lady London it’s not a BA ‘trick’ to just shove people onto the last flight.
There are certain practicalities that you seem to ignore.
When I looked this morning just before I commented to see what other flights were available there were zero club seats available today on any MAN flight until later tonight and even economy was available only on some as well.
@BAFIS There aee just too many reports of this happening to people flying BA and connecting at LHR and it’s been going on for too long and clearly is a pattern so deliberate.
Of course there will be some days when intervening flights may be full, and some routes where there are no intervening flights. Such as Newcastle where they’ve reduced the flights a lot from previous.
But people have reported seeing seats being sold on flights much sooner, that they could more than readily connect to, departing at, say, 12 noon or 3pm, when their incomng flight from the US landed at 6.30am and they were originally booked to connect onto a flight at, say, 10am that was cancelled, and saying BA refused to put them on those earlier connecting flights where seats are still being sold amd making them wait till the last flight of the day, say, departing 6.30pm or 8pm if they are lucky.
Then people need to be a bit more assertive and say “look you’re selling seats on XX flight why are you making me wait” and then escalate to a supervisor. There also at least one duty manager (if not more) so involve them as well.
And then follow it up with a formal complaint cc’ing Sean Doyle and the CAA into it as well.
Heck in these cases I’d even contact Simon Calder.
Until more people complain BA won’t do anything about it. Just acquiescing means BA won’t change a thing.
We finally gave up when it was taking longer in Heathrow to connect to Edi/Gla than it had taken to fly from Denver!
The absolute classic: we cannot change Avios tickets on the day (after they had changed us off our chosen flight!)
Fortunately, we travel hand baggage only. Our solution – when not travelling via Madrid:
Outbound: fly down to London the day before and enjoy a night out.
Inbound: Ticket back to London, and buy a same day change single LHR-Scotland for the first convenient flight. If the flight is very late departing, but it is still not midnight in the UK, get our son to rebook us. If flight a little delayed en route, then rebook as soon as we land.But with Finnair, Iberia and Qatar out of EDI, along with Jet Blue, Etihad and Emirates…..I think it is bye bye BA.
@OP – flyertalk reports the cancellation as “BA1370 MAN – ODRY – odour event investigation.” – the Y in the code indicates BA have marked it as compensation eligible and a claim will be paid out quickly
if you misconnect BA will rebook you to the next available flight at that time. This may be downgraded to ET. On a busy day what can happen is in the meantime someone else cancels or misconnects so it appears that BA put you on a late flight on purpose. They’re not proactively monitoring so you can do this yourself and ask to be moved or you can push BA to put you on standby for earlier flights also
Unfortunately often there is a large gap in the day so can still end up with some long waits , they can also rebook you to LNER
I’d be inclined to go and get the train and claim that back.
Then people need to be a bit more assertive and say “look you’re selling seats on XX flight why are you making me wait” and then escalate to a supervisor.
100% agree. UK261 is pretty clear on this. Of course they could still refuse boarding at the gate due to overbooking, but I wonder if this wouldn’t then be *another* claim. Not so much a case of “he who shouts the loudest” as “he who asserts his rights most forcefully”.
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