Club Europe downgrade after cancelled flight

[dst87]

Flying EDI>LHR>HAM today and the LHR>HAM leg in club was cancelled. Ba have rebooked me (5 hours in T5 is a joy, right?) but in economy.

What should I expect from BA on this? Will it be automatic or do I need to fill out a form somewhere? Is it even worth it (Avios redemption with 2-4-1 voucher).

Amazingly, the new flight arrives just under 3 hours after the original so that avoids any compensation (I think).

[Ash]

Re the 3hrs….it’s not the landing time (scheduled or actual)…the clock stops when plane reaches the gate, not when it lands on the tarmac.

[Grant]

As far as the downgrade is concerned, you will need to go through the claim process with BA, but you should be entiltled to reimbursement of 30% of the full fare for each passenger on the downgraded leg. Ignore the 2-4-1 element and calculate it as if everyone paid full Avios fare. If you want, you can refer to Mennens Formula to attribute a cash value to the Avios (1.6p, IIRC) and ask BA to reimburse you in cash or you can just ask for the Avios back. There is a good thread / wiki on FT (‘The BA compensation thread) which covers this in lots of detail.

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

There are many threads on seeking reimbursement (not compensation) for the downgrade.

You need to apply via the online claim form. Always worth claiming.

The EU/ Uk261 cancellation provisions also apply and they are slightly complicated and don’t follow the usual delay rules. Since you will arrive more than 2 hours than your original flight then you are due around £220 each. That assumes the reason why the original flight was cancelled isn’t exempt.

@ash – for delays it’s not arrival at the gate, it’s the time when the first passenger is able to leave the aircraft so that could be via steps and bussed to the terminal.

[JDB]

dst87 wrote:

Flying EDI>LHR>HAM today and the LHR>HAM leg in club was cancelled. Ba have rebooked me (5 hours in T5 is a joy, right?) but in economy.

What should I expect from BA on this? Will it be automatic or do I need to fill out a form somewhere? Is it even worth it (Avios redemption with 2-4-1 voucher).

Amazingly, the new flight arrives just under 3 hours after the original so that avoids any compensation (I think).

In addition to the other comments above, just check whether the 30% reimbursement due under UK261 is actually greater than the difference between the fares – it often isn’t on these short routes. Also, when doing the calculation, you need to add the £13 difference of APD between economy and Club. When RFS is involved and the cash figures are quite low, the Mennens formula doesn’t really work and the meaning of that judgment is anyway disputed.

[dst87]

Thank you all for the insight. Our replacement flight was also delayed taking us to just over 3 hours delay from our original scheduled arrival time.

I didn’t realise the EU/UK261 rules were different for cancellations vs delays so this is useful. I’ll get on with that claim, as well as whatever I’m due for the downgrade.

From someone in the queue to board who was also on the earlier flight, a lot of his friends got bumped completely (who had no status). Seems my lowly bronze may have been the deciding factor in even getting on that flight!