-
Hi everyone,
Reaching out cause I’m looking for my options. I got a reward flight to go to my moms birthday but went literally through hell ! My flight was delayed several time before getting cancelled while we were all inside the plane for 2 hours. Had to sleep at the airport to get the next available flight with a low cost company which I paid with my own money. My question is, should I cancel my booking and claim eu 261 ? But if I do that, will BA pay for the other flight I had to book ? And will I still get my compensation? A bit confused to be honest so would really appreciate some guidance 🙂
You need to give a lot more info here. Where were you flying from/to, what date, did BA offer to move you to another flight? What reason was given for the cancellation? What do you mean, should you cancel your booking, do you mean your inbound (if you haven’t flown yet?)
The fact that it was a reward flight doesn’t affect what you would be entitled to, but you need to provide a lot more detail!So basically was supposed to fly to France for the weekend at 4pm. We stayed stuck into the plane (first cause it was delayed and then it needed to be de-iced) and it took so long that the crew got past their amount of hours. So we all to deplane and wait for solution. Easyjet proposed a reroute for the day after with a layover in Madrid and I would have to go from Gatwick to heathrow at 10pm and sleep at heathrow but it would have mean missing the whole day with mother on her birthday! There was an easyjet flight the morning after and I asked them to book me that flight but they wouldn’t. I was too tired to argue so I caved and booked it myself and slept at the airport. At the same time, I have now a return flight as well, but not sure if it will remain since I’ve not used the inbound. I booked a flight with my points just in case cause I really can’t afford to get stuck there. So now, I’m not sure if I should cancel my flight (but if I do, will I get the compensation + the other flight I booked ) ? Or should I cancel the return I booked in extra ?
On a side note, the way BA treated us was appalling. They gave us a letter saying the reason was operational and to call them but the line was closed. We literally had a mother with a 4 months old by herself who broke down in tears and had to nurse her kid. We had to calm her down and actually yell at the staff before they got her a taxi….never seen anything like this !Sorry meant BA proposed the reroute, im obviously sleep deprived and in a need for a bed 😅
You need to split this into two:
– compensation: this is a payment for your troubles BA owes you if the flight is cancelled or delayed more than 3hrs and it is their fault. BA can argue they couldn’t control the timing of the de-icing BUT they should have a crew on site in the UK so it is their fault they had to eventually cancel in my opinion.– everything else: once the flight is cancelled BA has to propose 1) an alternative route 2 give you a refund if you decide to cancel. Notice that regardless of which you select you still should get compensation.
Now, you say BA offered and alternative route but that was not convenient to you. It obviously has to be and make sense so you picked a different flight. You should I be able to claim and get that refunded. You should also be able to claim the hotel at the airport and any food you ate as long as they are reasonable.
BA may see you as a no show for the new flight they put you in (but from what you say you never accepted either that or cancellation so you basically never took the outbound in their systems). You should however be able to take the inbound back as the outbound was cancelled and therefore never took place. (I would call BA to confirm you can take the inbound and cancel the Avios flight as you can since you booked it less than 24hrs ago).
Best case BA pays everything. Worst they don’t in which case you will have to take spend time escalating this. But remember there are two separate issues 1) compensation requires you to prove the cancellation is their fault and the payment is a fixed amount 2) payment for your expenses is based on their willingness to accept their option was not doable and yours is reasonable.
Good luck and enjoy the time with the family now.
Never cancel your ticket – BA’ll give you a refund and then you are on your own. That’s the end of “duty of care” which covers reroute, hotel, food, phone calls etc.
Never cancel your ticket – BA’ll give you a refund and then you are on your own. That’s the end of “duty of care” which covers reroute, hotel, food, phone calls etc.
So in my case today, when I had to book my own alternative because BA were uncontactable, am I out of luck or will I have a case to get a refund? I had no choice as I had to get my kids back for school tomorrow.
Never cancel your ticket – BA’ll give you a refund and then you are on your own. That’s the end of “duty of care” which covers reroute, hotel, food, phone calls etc.
So in my case today, when I had to book my own alternative because BA were uncontactable, am I out of luck or will I have a case to get a refund? I had no choice as I had to get my kids back for school tomorrow.
Obviously you can’t get a refund and expect BA to pay Eurostar tickets as well. The principle is that it is up to BA to reroute you but if they don’t reroute you/provide a satisfactory reroute you need to contact them or make serious attempts to do so. If you still can’t get any satisfactory arrangements out of them, then you can theoretically make your own and seek to reclaim reasonable costs from them. That is separate from the Right to Care obligations to provide food/accommodation if required in the circumstances.
As @Colin MacKinnon says, if you cancel your ticket you will get a refund but nothing else and the refund may not be half what you paid.
Never cancel your ticket – BA’ll give you a refund and then you are on your own. That’s the end of “duty of care” which covers reroute, hotel, food, phone calls etc.
So in my case today, when I had to book my own alternative because BA were uncontactable, am I out of luck or will I have a case to get a refund? I had no choice as I had to get my kids back for school tomorrow.
Obviously you can’t get a refund and expect BA to pay Eurostar tickets as well. The principle is that it is up to BA to reroute you but if they don’t reroute you/provide a satisfactory reroute you need to contact them or make serious attempts to do so. If you still can’t get any satisfactory arrangements out of them, then you can theoretically make your own and seek to reclaim reasonable costs from them. That is separate from the Right to Care obligations to provide food/accommodation if required in the circumstances.
OK thanks no I’m not after both. I’d prefer the reimbursement. But they still have me down to fly on Tuesday, so I’m not sure what to do.
Soso, which BA flight number were you booked on, to which airport and what date?
@THEPUMA if you haven’t accepted the Tuesday flight, you should be able to cancel in MMB but as advised earlier, once you drop they BA is completely off the hook for hotel (including tonight), food, cost of getting home etc.
@THEPUMA if you haven’t accepted the Tuesday flight, you should be able to cancel in MMB but as advised earlier, once you drop they BA is completely off the hook for hotel (including tonight), food, cost of getting home etc.
OK thanks. So given I’m now sat at home, what is my best course of action? Can I not cancel and claim my expenses?
@THEPUMA if you haven’t accepted the Tuesday flight, you should be able to cancel in MMB but as advised earlier, once you drop they BA is completely off the hook for hotel (including tonight), food, cost of getting home etc.
OK thanks. So given I’m now sat at home, what is my best course of action? Can I not cancel and claim my expenses?
It sounds ridiculous, but you can’t do both. If you cancel for a refund, they won’t pay the expenses. If you don’t travel (ie no show at this point) they should pay your Right to Care expenses and maybe reroute costs you incurred to get home. I’m not sure if you were on Avios (that is the name of the original thread) but if you are, in theory you can’t refund the return once you have flown the outbound and this would be seen as a voluntary cancellation even if, in practical terms, it wasn’t.
@ThePuma please take seriously what other posters are taking their time to say to you. In other words, they are trying to save you time looking at the posts here on the Headforpoints site in the Flight Changes and Cancellations section, which you could also do. You’d find all the answers there.
You’re being advised do.not.cancel.
As in, Do.not.cancel.
Or just in case it was somehow missed, DO NOT CANCEL.
You can put your expenses claim in to BA for reimbursement meanwhile referencing UK APR / EU261 duty of care, but DO NOT CANCEL YOUR FLIGHT. Just leave it there in the system.Legally as soon as you cancel, all you get is a refund of what you paid for your flight, only. Which can be less than you think, as well.
That’s it. Nada. Zilch. Zero more.
And knowing BA, a good chance you’ll have to wait for it and maybe chase them for it, as well.As soon as you cancel it, no duty of care.
So no alternative flights or other transport paid. That’s your cost now.
No reimbursed meals if you were waiting through mealtimes.
No hotel if you needed one. Too bad if you paid for one, that is now your cost.
No internet paid during your extra wait.
No transport to and from your extra hotel needed, paid.So go ahead and cancel, if you just want what you paid for your flight, or that part of your ticket, back, and NONE OF THE ABOVE DO YOU HAVE ANY CLAIM FOR if you agree to a refund or cancel ( which will also lead to a refund).
If BA couldn’t get away with blaming your flight problems on the weather, you could separately get compensation of somewhere between £220 and £520 per seat(even on a 241). Even if you took a refund. But BA can say it’s weather. So you’ll never be eligible for compensation. All you’ve got is the separate from compensation, duty of care category things above, that you’re entitled to.
So if you just want a refund, no compensation and none of thoae other costs paid, go ahead and cancel and get just your refund. Which, if only 1 of more than 1 flight on your ticket is concerned, might turn out to be a lower refund than you might have imagined.
Or, leave that flight alone and just submit a claim for your duty of care expenses instead.
You choose.
PS make sure, as well, you don’t accept their proposed alternative flight you can see in the system. Be very careful not to accept it inadvertently. As they are merciless if you accidentally click something that accepts it – you’re not confirmed on it unless you accept it will just disappear if you haven’t checked in, if you just leave it alone.
If you want alternative transport than that, make sure you speak to them or make some other attempt to ask for what you need instead – you need to be “seen” to have given them the chance before taking your own different arrangements (nothing wrong with lining up a backup meanwhile – ideally that you would drop if they agree to provide something more acceptable).
You just need to get their refusal which 99% of the time you will, or be able to prove you made, say, three serious attempts to find someone or get through to them to request them to provide what you need instead.
… such as would get you to your home/destination much nearer to your original travel timing, instead or whatever other requiremdnt you need to fulfil such as being back at work on time or losing less of your holiday or travelling at a time that does not lose you holiday days or waste the purpose of your trip etc.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
