BA flight cancelled but they are now quibbling over expenses – any experiences?
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I was due to fly to BOS from LHR in June but the flight was cancelled on the day of departure due to a technical fault. BA have offered to pay the correct amount of EU compensation.
BA offered to pay expenses for an overnight stay so that I could get the BOS flight the next day. My understanding is that they would pay for a hotel room, meals and transport, all within reason.
They have finally (after 2 months) offered to pay the expenses in full excluding the taxi from the hotel in west London to LHR the next morning, calling it “consequential losses.”
To me, the taxi was necessary as a direct result of their flight cancellation so can’t be classed as consequential. Does anyone have any experience with BA similar to this please?
Thanks
*** One original reply, plus 1/2 further edited versions of same post, all lost here. ***
Nothing contentious in them that a normally reasonably programmed firewall would block. There were even 2 carefully differently spelled versions of the word bv115h1t – neither of which would normally be blocked
I really can’t type it all again one fingered on a phone for a 4th time.
I’d write that back and see what they say, perhaps they think it was to/from home or something as their rejection reason is a bit odd!
I’d write that back and see what they say, perhaps they think it was to/from home or something as their rejection reason is a bit odd!
I wouldn’t get bogged down in what BA say re ‘consequential loss’ because if you say it isn’t, they will come up with another reason not to pay. I think they will take issue with the fact that it was a taxi from West London – why not a hotel at the airport. There is also no obligation to pay for a taxi vs public transport so you need to justify the cost on the basis of it being “necessary, appropriate and reasonable” so write to them again on this basis. If they still say no, which is quite likely, it’s unfortunately presumably not a sum worth litigating.
I put this in the daily chat also. hoping i can get some help;
Hi Folks
BA cancelled our flights from AMS to LHR on on August 17. Flight before us and after us left fine and we had to come back next day.
They have declined EU261 saying it was because of weather. How does one check if the cancellation was actual “exceptional circumstance”? thanks and appreciate the help
BA bullsh1t again.
They 100% owe you transport both ways. As well as l meals at local.restaurant prices for all mealtimes during any extra waiting time till you board ypur rwplacemsnt fkight. Thete is no doubt aboit thos.
They do prefer to try to pay only for public transport and not taxis but there are plenty of reasons wby a taxi might be reasonable in a particular case.
They also owe you internet costs btw.
Soundsike they are chiselling hkping ypu’ll say you won’t fight for the rest rekying on your lack of time etc.
Firstly make sure ypu claimed ALL meals and refreshmsnts It would be nice to remember a receipt you had forgotten and to add it to your claim with ypir reply letting them know if they try these tactics the money they owe may get bigger not smaller.
Send them a very firm mote back giving them 10 daya to pay in full according to your very clear rights to rri.bursement of all the expenses you require tobe rei.bursed under duty of care provisions of the legislation following their cancellation. If full payment of all monies claimed is not received by [state due date] you will take formal action for whivh ypu will also be recovering all costs from them in addution.
Judging by the lack of threads we get on here re: BA and expenses and my personal experience I think they’re generally pretty reasonable so it’s worth trying again with them.
Otherwise agree, nothing to say you’re supposed to have trekked about on a bus to save a few quid after their inability to get you to where you are going so LBA & MCOL would be my next steps too
@wiseoldman you could perhaps throw it to one of the companies for a %. There was a lot of poor weather and resultant ATC delays over the summer so they may have a leg to stand on here unfortunately. Of course they always owe you expenses@SamG MCOL for a taxi, the only item apparently not paid and when compensation also paid?
One always needs to be careful when spending or thinking one is spending other people’s money. The OP should set out why the cost of this taxi meets the “necessary, appropriate and reasonable” test in the context of why it was appropriate to stay in West London, rather than near the airport thus increasing the cost significantly. Also, the OP should demonstrate they took a taxi rather than public transport to get to the airport for their aborted trip. For example, we read here of people setting off on expensive trips planning to tap in/out at Hatton Cross to save a few pennies, it’s not reasonable to do that when you know you are paying but taking a taxi when you thing BA is going to pick up the tab. If the OP can show this and add other reasons, eg lots of luggage, small children/prams or disability etc. then they may pay.
Indeed, depends where in West London, why they were there and how much we’re talking. But there is nothing that says you need to take the cheapest transport and personally if I’d been reasonable about it (an Uber from the closest reasonably priced hotel and I had bags) I’d happily take them to task over it. A Blacklane from Paddington Station maybe less so!
Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.
To clarify: we were a group of four flying to BOS. Our A380 sat on the tarmac at LHR for hours while they tried to fix a fault but eventually gave up. BA no longer book overnight hotels for you – you’re left to your own devices these days. We collected our luggage and then tried to book a local hotel, but all were full. Eventually, having looked at options in Reading and even further, we found two rooms at the Hilton Kensington (some say Shepherds Bush) and grabbed them before they went. We shared rooms rather than book four separate ones.
Our group of four got an Uber to the hotel and an Uber back to LHR in the morning. We all had luggage to check-in. Given all this, I don’t think the expense claim for £55 for the Uber to LHR is unreasonable, but BA obviously do.
I recently had 2 x £20 taxi fares accepted for a late arrival and missed connection. Lhr to Renaissance hotel and back.
@SamG MCOL for a taxi, the only item apparently not paid and when compensation also paid?
One always needs to be careful when spending or thinking one is spending other people’s money. The OP should set out why the cost of this taxi meets the “necessary, appropriate and reasonable” test in the context of why it was appropriate to stay in West London, rather than near the airport thus increasing the cost significantly. Also, the OP should demonstrate they took a taxi rather than public transport to get to the airport for their aborted trip. For example, we read here of people setting off on expensive trips planning to tap in/out at Hatton Cross to save a few pennies, it’s not reasonable to do that when you know you are paying but taking a taxi when you thing BA is going to pick up the tab. If the OP can show this and add other reasons, eg lots of luggage, small children/prams or disability etc. then they may pay.
Thanks @Sam G. they did not quibble about expenses at all and apid for all claimed meals and taxi etc and all dealt within 3 weeks surprisingly. IF there was away to check for actual reason for flight cancellation that would make everyones life easier but still want to push for the EU261 claim as i dont trust them. Thinking on passing on the claim to online firms for a commission. any suggestions which firms are good? and ones to avoid?
Go straight to the top…his email is not difficult to find. it just involves using his middle initial. I’ve done this a couple of times now sending the email below and had a positive response from his office within a few days.
“Dear Mr Doyle,
I am most disappointed by the response of Mr/Ms…xxxx from the customer relations team below. We were delayed for xxx hours. Our receipts for (items)xxxx are very modest and total xxx euros. which we expected to be refunded in full as per the duty of care terms in Article 9 of EC261. To effectively barter us down to xxx or quibble over a necessary taxi expense is a complete contravention of these regulations and morally reprehensible.
Please kindly reassess this claim to avoid us having to escalate the matter.
Yours sincerely,
xxx
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