Cancellation – rebooking to LGW not LHR

[Swiss Jim]

Apologies if covered elsewhere – I’ve scanned but cannot see.

My partner’s BA (avois) flight back from Portugal was cancelled with 10 hours’ notice. She was rebooked on the next available flight per BA – two days later.

Needing to get back, she accepted the cancellation and rebooked herself on Easyjet – to LGW not her original destination (LHR).

Reading BA’s expenses policy, it says that travel from LGW home will not be covered. This seems entirely unreasonable to me. Rebooked flight landed past midnight, only reasonable option was a taxi home (as it would have been for a lone female at that time of night – original flight was due to land far earlier). Pre-booked so not rank rates, but still £76. Anyone have any experience with BA on this. I assume if BA refuse I would likely be successful in a claim?

The fact that in rebooking she saved BA 2x nights in a hotel in Portugal BA will be blind to. Also, could she have reasonably claimed to stay overnight at LGW that night (or LHR had she flown there)?

I assume that she accepted the cancellation is irrelevant (it seems she had no choice – the only options being to accept or reject). Also irrelevant that she didn’t try to contact BA (as I suggested – but I also suggested she would struggle to get through).

Finally, I assume the right first approach is to claim via the BA portal? And that she qualifies for the £220 compensation regardless of the fact this was an avios booking?

Thanks.

[meta]

This question comes often and if you search threads and read up you’ll find it. We recently had a thread on this very issue.

She should have contacted BA and give them an opportunity to rebook her on another airline. You need to make reasonable efforts to contact airline and ask them to rebook you, even if they refuse in the end.

From what you’re describing, it seems she also accepted a refund, in which case BA doesn’t have any duty under UK261 and she is due only cancellation compensation 250/400/600 depending on the distance. I think Portugal falls under 400 euros bracket. The cancellation email from BA would have a link to let her know her rights.

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .

[Swiss Jim]

Thank you. I am a bit of a technophobe – not good at searching. Need to ask my son to show me how….

I did advise her to contact BA – she didn’t.

My question I guess is when faced with a “we’ve rebooked you” email and your options are accept or rebook, can you simply ignore this? What happens then if you simply don’t show up for your rebooked flight? In other words, how do you demonstrate you don’t accept the rebooking if you either choose not to contact them or if you can’t get through?

[meta]

Yes, you can ignore this. It’s not a rebooking until you accept it. The booking just sits there.

For any legal action, you do need to contact BA or at least show that you tried to contact them a few times.

[SamG]

Ahh another one, they’re upsetting me now!! @meta is correct, once you accept the refund you’ve accepted one of the possible remedy available and that ends BAs requirements to reroute + duty of care. Compensation not affected and should be claimed from the ba.com complaints form.

Next time she (or anyone else reading) should contact BA, have them note their refusal to reroute at the earliest opportunity in the booking as per your UK / EU261 Article 8 rights. Do NOT accept a refund/cancellation. Unless you accept then you aren’t confirmed on any new flight showing in your booking so you can just leave it (though if possible have BA removed those unconfirmed sectors, just leaving the ticket without reservations.). Sometimes it isn’t possible to get hold of them, screenshot your call records

Then she’d be able to claim the new flights cost + foreign ground transport expenses along with any hotels/meals whilst waiting for the new flight (though not any accomodation expenses or travel home once she arrived back in the UK)

BA are pretty good about paying hotel expenses abroad – so in this circumstance it may be better to fly the next morning to arrive at a reasonable time to avoid incurring extra expense for yourself on transport home etc. Seems silly as it’s costs BA more but that is the way it is!

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .

[Swiss Jim]

Thanks both. Seems I gave her the right advice (a litle guesswork). The fact she chose to ignore it is a shame.!