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Hi All
I’m a longtime lurker, first time poster. There’s some really great info on the HFP website, but I couldn’t find an answer to a query I have. I was hoping someone might be able to help?My partner and I have a holiday to the Maldives booked for next week, using avios for the flights. We’re flying Belfast to Male via Heathrow, return. We were lucky enough to get business class avios flights, although the outbound (overnight) I had to upgrade from the economy seats initially booked, after I made use of a seatspy notification.
Anyway, as originally booked, the return flight landed at Heathrow T5 at 18.05 Friday 31st January, with the connecting flight to Belfast departing T5 at 19.20. This had the 75 minutes transfer time which I understand is the minimum in T5. Tight, but it was what it was.
Subsequently, BA notified me of a schedule change on the connecting flight back to Belfast, with it now departing at 18.50, only 45 minutes after the flight from Male lands. I realised this was an issue,where it seemed unlikely that we would make our connecting flight, Thats the last flight of the day back to Belfast. I decided to let it sit for a while, to see if there might be some other schedule changes, or if BA might follow up with me.
That didn’t happen, so I called BA last October and explained the situation. The BA rep understood the issue, but didn’t offer any specific advice other than to wait until closer to the time, and call back.
Before I do that, I thought I’d try and get a better understanding of what my options are? I realise that there is an outside chance that we could still make the connecting flight. If our Male flight is on time and if the Belfast flight is delayed, it is the last flight of the day after all, and it may well be a shuttle back and forth, then I guess there’s a chance of catching it.
But otherwise, there’s a good chance that we will miss this connecting flight. This would be through no fault of ourselves, as far as I’m concerned, as it was BA who post booking made the schedule time change.
So, I’m wondering what happens in these circumstances? I assume that BA will have to book us onto the next flight with available seats, at no cost to us? Is that correct?
The next flight isn’t until the next day, Saturday. There are no other airlines flying Heathrow to Belfast.
If so, a couple of more questions :
a) Would BA have responsibility for booking and paying for a hotel for us overnight?
b) The next BA flight is at 06.55 next day. Would we have to accept 2 seats on that flight if offered by BA, or could we ask for a time later in the day, which wouldn’t involve getting up at the crack of dawn?Thanks in advance for any information on this from people’s experiences in similar situations.
I would double check to see if the current itineary has been ticketed and would call if it hasn’t.
I’m not 100% sure what you mean, but just checked the booking on the app, and all 4 legs outbound and return have a ticket number starting 125, so I’m assuming that it is all ticketed.
So in that case …. where does that leave me?@NIB – assuming this is all on one ticket, it’s odd that BA’s systems haven’t picked up the failed connection and offered alternatives and the advice given to you in October by the BA agent simply to wait is bizarre. The 45 minutes isn’t permissible and unless the flight arrived really quite early you wouldn’t reach security in time for the 35 minutes conformance limit.
In these circumstances (again assuming one through ticket) BA will be liable to pay the reasonable costs of a hotel and dinner/breakfast but wouldn’t usually book this for you, so you would need to book and claim afterwards. There’s no official limit, and although BA indicates around £200 that should really be per person. Just don’t go crazy and the same applies for dinner. Keep all the receipts for the claim. To the extent you incur any other costs by virtue of the delay such as extra parking, dog in kennels etc. BA isn’t strictly liable but will often pay.
BA won’t make you travel on the 06.55, it’s up to you to choose.
Surely OP will be eligible for maximum delay compensation if they miss the connection due to BA changing the schedule, and can’t fly home until several hours later?
A few years ago our flight from JFK was delayed setting off, arrived back at LHR 2 hours late, but we missed our connection a got back to MAN 5 hours late. We both got the full 600 euros compo, as it was then.
We had a similar issue last year. The changed flight times meant we were not going to make the domestic connection later the same evening. I contacted BA who agreed the time was too short. The next available LHR-INV was the following morning which we were then booked onto. So far all very good!
BA then gave us the runaround that we would be liable for the overnight hotel at our own expense. The conversation then ensued that as it was BA who mucked up the times, then BA were responsible and I would be submitting full receipts. The agent then stated she could see her way to offering us £100 towards the cost, but that was all. The end result ( sheer persistence) was BA booked the Sofitel , sent confirmation of the booking, and I subsequently claimed for the evening meal which was reimbursed in full.As per JDB above, so long as you get the next flight sorted, you can book the hotel etc yourself and claim back after.
The flights are all on one through ticket. I did see reference on BA website to going to a one world global support team desk in the event of a missed connection, but advice was a bit ambiguous as to what might happen. So, I imagine that we’d try and find that desk if we missed the connection.
That’s interesting to hear that we could book a hotel and claim back. I got some informal advice from a friend who is much more of a frequent flyer than I am, and he thought that whilst BA would take responsibility for rebooking you on the next available flight, we’d have to sort out the hotel costs ourselves.
Coming back the next day is a bit inconvenient but not unworkable .. it’s more the hassle of getting off a long haul flight and the uncertainty of not knowing if we’re going home that same evening or the next day … with child care arrangements needing to be extended (not impossible, but again just the hassle)etc.
@northernlass I assume that with that option, whilst on your own to book hotel etc, you’d ensure that the compensation would cover all costs you’d incur.One other question … if the Male flight did land on time and the connecting Belfast flight was delayed by say 1 hour, would the time required to reach security or the gate for the Departing Belfast flight be extended accordingly to match the delayed departure?
Or even if delayed, would it not matter as the original times won’t permit the transfer?
Surely OP will be eligible for maximum delay compensation if they miss the connection due to BA changing the schedule, and can’t fly home until several hours later?
A few years ago our flight from JFK was delayed setting off, arrived back at LHR 2 hours late, but we missed our connection a got back to MAN 5 hours late. We both got the full 600 euros compo, as it was then.
No, because they have been given more than 14 days notice of the schedule change. They get Right to Care but no compensation.
@NIB – the 35 minute conformance deadline is based off the scheduled time, not any actual/delayed departure time.Surely OP will be eligible for maximum delay compensation if they miss the connection due to BA changing the schedule, and can’t fly home until several hours later?
From what the OP wrote in their somewhat convoluted post the change was first notified last October so more than 14 days notice so no compenation.
It is however strange that BA havn’t already rebooked the connection flight. I’m wondering if they have been rebooked and it’s showing in MMB but equally the original flight is stll showing. I’m wondering if a rebooked flight IS shpwing in MMB but NIB hasn’t noticed it.
NIB wrote
“I assume that with that option, whilst on your own to book hotel etc, you’d ensure that the compensation would cover all costs you’d incur”
You would be asking for reimburseme of these costs (Right to Care). Reimbursement is not compensation.
You need to get onto BA ASAP to sort this out.
Surely OP will be eligible for maximum delay compensation if they miss the connection due to BA changing the schedule, and can’t fly home until several hours later?
A few years ago our flight from JFK was delayed setting off, arrived back at LHR 2 hours late, but we missed our connection a got back to MAN 5 hours late. We both got the full 600 euros compo, as it was then.
No, because they have been given more than 14 days notice of the schedule change. They get Right to Care but no compensation.
@NIB – the 35 minute conformance deadline is based off the scheduled time, not any actual/delayed departure time.@JDB. Are you sure? As things have been set out, BA have ticketed a route with a certain arrival time. They have notified a change, so notified a new arrival time. So far so good. On the day of travel, passenger misses (impossible) connection and therefore arrives late at final destination. This is entirely the airline’s fault. Does this not give rise to compensation? Just musing – I’m sure you’ll put me straight…
Regardless your flight times of getting off the Male flight and connecting to the Belfast flight are too short . Save yourself the stress and get on to BA asap and get booked onto a flight the next day. No delay compo as more than 14 days notice, but you are entitled to duty of care… BA pays for everything else . See @JDB above . Claim form is on the website and can upload receipts.
Perhaps because it’s now an overnight connection the BA BOT can’t rebook it automatically? But agree with others, call in, get rebooked to the flight you want (within 24hrs of landing) Book a hotel (ideally Sofitel but if absolutely outrageous the Thistle is perfectly acceptable for an overnight with the pods) and put the receipt in after travel.
I’ve checked several times the manage my booking, and only the london – Belfast flight on the rescheduled time of 18.50 on the Friday is showing.
It seems that the only way I could catch the connecting flight is if the Male flight lands early to get to security within the 35 mins I’ve seen referred to. Which seems unlikely.
I will call BA this morning and see what they say.
Thanks for responses.
Dublin would also be an option if you wanted to get back on the right island that night!
I believe at check in you won’t be able to check in due to the illegal connection, so it is best to resolve this now rather than potentially at Male airport !
It doesn’t matter if your male flight is early or the domestic flight is delayed. The connection time is now too short. In fact I think the times changed from 75 mins to 90 mins for connections…
Phone.
Do come back and tells us how you get on.Given you’re going to to Maldives, I’m guessing you have enough to cover a hotel 😉. As others have said, I’d get the booking changed to a suitable flight the next day, and book a hotel now. Uncertainty / chasing flights doesn’t sound like a stress-free end to a fantastic holiday.
BA should cover all your expenses, including dinner/breakfast, taxis and other incidentals. Childcare costs might be a stretch but I’d be asking 😁 Alternatively, you could stay at home and my wife and I can travel instead and work out this stressful situation for you.
Just to provide an update – called BA and all sorted! Bit of an issue with first call to number ending 787 and massive struggle with communication issues due to strong accent … BA rep’s, not my Northern Irish accent (although from their perspective, perhaps the problem does lie with me)! I like to think my accent is more Jamie Dornan than Ian Paisley; comparison is limited to accent …. Appearance comparison just might perhaps have a different outcome!!
Advised to call Nr. ending 747, and pretty smooth to get resolved. Booked on flight next day at 12.50. They wouldn’t offer me my preferred time of 09.05, because of “commercial availability”, ie. apparently no avios seats available on that flight, although there are seats available to buy. But that’s ok.
I forgot to ask why there wasn’t an automatic reschedule, or why this issue wasn’t picked up before by BA themselves – I know some posters were curious about that – sorry!
I enquired about BA covering the cost of the hotel. I was advised to submit a “compensation claim” with receipts afterwards – I appreciate that the correct terminology is reimbursement rather than compensation – that was the Rep’s term. I was advised that the claim should be successful as the next day’s flight is the first available, so that’s looking positive.
So, I’ve booked the Sofitel at T5 for £179 for a basic double room through BA’s website, but no option to select breakfast. There are no childcare costs for the teenagers, but I’m glad we can now give a bit of certainty to all involved as to when they can expect to be “released back into the wild”!
We’ve never been to the Maldives before, and it’s a bit of a holiday of a lifetime. In terms of who covers the cost of the Heathrow hotel, I suppose the first place my mind goes to in a situation like this is : “BA moved the goalposts, and it’s the principle of it”!
I did consider changing to fly to Dublin on the Friday evening, as there’s plenty of additional later flights that would work for transition. However, by the time we got the express bus back to Belfast, it would be the wrong side of midnight. There would be no real benefit to that (unless we were caught with the hotel and other costs by staying in Heathrow overnight, but that doesn’t seem to be the case), as there is no pressing need to be back home by a particular definite time.
I am really glad I posted my question, and got the responses I did – so thanks very much to everyone, it’s really appreciated! It certainly allowed me to dismiss one option that was still floating around my head, and which my friend had suggested I do.
That option was to “do nothing”, and chance my luck that the Belfast connecting flight would be delayed, and we’d be able to make it. Then, if it was missed, get it sorted at a desk in Heathrow that evening for a flight the next day, and book a hotel. But aside from the uncertainty and stress around that, I can see from the responses received that that simply would not have been a starter from a BA logistical perspective. As I now understand it, it would have fallen at the first hurdle when we tried to check in for our return flight; and / or when we didn’t reach the security gate by the required minimum time, which I also now understand isn’t dynamic to get pushed back to reflect a delayed flight time.
Actually, this is the first post I’ve ever posted on any forum, not just HFP. I’m so pleased that everyone was so helpful and I didn’t get roasted (well, not too much!) So, thanks again!
Well, @NIB, pleased it has all been sorted out and you are happy with outcome. When things go awry, it’s just so stressful. I think we’ve all had situations where the heart sinks and a bit of panic sets in.
I actually think that the agent might have been telling a wee porkie that you couldn’t get on the earlier flight. If seats were available, then you should have got them -Avios availability is irrelevant in this case. Maybe CE was all taken . Who knows, but the cynic in me thinks they were ‘operationally’saving the seats for cash paying customers!
Enjoy the holiday and relaaaaax@NIB – pleased you have got it sorted out and don’t worry about BA paying. The body of the hotel you have booked is entirely reasonable plus you can add the reasonable cost of dinner + breakfast. It’s a very straightforward claim which they would usually pay pretty promptly.
Don’t worry about the terminology either! The EC261 legislation at Article 9 calls it Right to Care (a specific term they have come up with to distinguish this from duty of care) and states
“passengers shall be offered free of charge:
(a) meals and refreshments in a reasonable relation to the waiting time;
(b) hotel accommodation in cases
— where a stay of one or more nights becomes necessary…”They don’t use the term ‘compensation’ so as to avoid confusion with other elements of the rules.
BA telephone staff use the term quite loosely!
@Jill Kinkell & @ JDB – thanks for that! Out of curiosity, I checked availability myself. For the 09.05 flight there is both CE and Economy seats available for cash, but neither available for avios. All other flight times that day availability for both classes for both cash & avios.
If I had of been a bit more savvy, I could have challenged the BA agent & pushed for the 09.05 on basis of avios availability not relevant…. but you live & learn for the next time! In the bigger scheme of things, I wasn’t too bothered, I will appreciate the lie in and still home in time to watch the Ire v Eng 6N match on tv!
Thanks again to all for their help!
@NIB – well done for sorting it. Your partner already has a “hero” even before travel. My only advice for the Maldives is: “everything’s expensive, but slam it on the credit card anyway”. It truly is a “once in a lifetime” experience.
(Disclaimer: I proposed to my wife on a desert island off Baros)
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