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TLDR – 2 Outward economy tickets + 2 return First tickets booked for 155,400 Avios £677.
1 downgraded from First, other received unprofessional service. Hours wasted with BA’s merry-go-round of phone lines.
Accept BA’s offer of £95.90 refund, £700/£500 plus 180,000 Avios or write a letter for final offer /threaten CEDR + Mennens/UK261.
I would appreciate any help from those better informed than I am 🙂
July 2024 – My partner and I booked Economy seats from Madrid to Buenos Aires and First Class seats from Santiago to London (then onward to Manchester) for mid-April 2025.
October 2024 – We received an email saying the flight would be cancelled, presumably due to the Rolls Royce engine issues. We struggled through BA’s customer service lines (after being given incorrect phone numbers to redial, and incorrect information) and with the help of SeatSpy finally managed to book 2 First Class seats about a week after our original flight was due to take off. This involved me calling the US number after the UK number closed and incurring international call fees. However, we received our flight confirmation – 2 First Class seats booked.
Before the flight – We tried to check in a few days before and the website wouldn’t allow us to select seats.
Day of flight – When we arrived at the airport we were told that one of us would be involuntarily downgraded from First to Business/Club World. We weren’t informed what our options were or what compensation would be. We were told we should have checked in earlier, as if that warranted being downgraded. We spent about 40 minutes at the desk asking for more information before we’d commit to checking in and receiving less than what we’d booked with zero information on what BA’s proposed alternative would be. We ended up with very litle time to enjoy the LATAM lounge.
We were told by the Duty Manager at Santiago my partner and I could swap mid flight to share the experience and that the onboard crew would be informed.
Onboard – I boarded to take my First Class seat. I politely mentioned to the attendant that my partner might switch across mid-flight and mentioned that I wanted to let them know and double-check this was ok. The response I received was “Who told you you could do that? You should take your seat sir, before you lose yours”. I responded in a conciliatory way to try and clear the air letting them know that as BA had overbooked our flight and as the Duty Manager had okayed it, would it be something that would be ok. For the duration of the flight, the flight attendant provided the most unprofessional service I’ve received. It strayed into petty, with dagger eyes at every moment and a really condescending tone. I was the only person in her half of first who didn’t have their bed made (at the horror of another cabin crew covering her break, who sorted it for me hours later). My attendant took my breakfast order after other passengers in First (and all of those in Business had been served), then came back to repeat the 3 items I ordered, then got them wrong… then when the correct items arrived, she forgot my coffee. My partner in Business got offered multiple coffees and hot towels… and me nothing. I was reluctant to ask for the wine and snacks I wanted because I didn’t want to inflame the situation further and have any more contact time with this staff member. The worst flight I’ve ever been on, as it was super awkward the whole time. I never normally complain, but approached the duty manager as the service was borderline upsetting, not what was expected of British Class First.
Then we arrived at Heathrow T5 the showers only had cold water that day!
Fast forward to now – We filled in the Involuntary Downgrade form, plus explained the wider complaint. We received an email with a compensation offer. This was incomplete and I wasted ages more dialling the number on the email saying “call this number” to discuss your refund. When I got through, the staff member told me was incorrect, so I’d have to redial). Then when I redialled the staff member couldn’t access my case notes, so was unable to discuss the refund! Awful customer journey. So I emailed instead.
Brass tax – We spent 155,400 Avios £677.24 Taxes, Fees and Charges. A single First Class seat on that flight looks to cost around £4500.
BA said they’d refund us £95.90 and offer us a £700 travel voucher or £500 cash. Plus they’ve refunded us around 90,000 Avios and given us an extra 50,000 Avios in compensation. When I reiterated that my First Class experience hadn’t been covered, they offered me a further 20,000 Avios.
If I total up the £95.90 refund, £700/500 plus 180,000 Avios, I’m just wondering if it’s worth us taking their offer and keeping quiet… or whether to pursue the case through dispute resolution and try and get an improved offer using Mennens/UK261, as the downgraded seat was worth about £4.5k. Could anyone in the know advise me on whether to accept? If not, what should I do next? I would appreciate any help from those better informed.
Downgrade compensation is based on what YOU PAID (in your case if i understand it avios and fees and charges), not the cash cost of an alternative seat so your value of £4500 is meaningless. You suggest you paid 156k avios and £677 for the whole trip and have been offered 180K avios and £595 as well as having taken the flights – and you want more? Mennens would give you 70% of the cost of 1 of the flights.
Whilst I appreciate some of the Avios is likely goodwill for poor service and therefore not actually relevant to the 70%, I agree with Sean Mc. Take it and run.
What a rotten experience. And what a nasty BA cabin crew member you were the victim of – I hope the person is easily identifiable.
If a couple are travelling in First and only 1 is downgraded then that is so mean. As a lot of couples would have looked forward to enjoying the First experience together. Unfortunately technically they can get away with it.
If you were travelling on 1 paid seat with the other on a Companion Voucher then the amount of downgrade reimbursement you are due would be 75% of what you paid for the paid seat for the downgraded flight then the same value would be due again to the 2nd person if they were also downgraded. So basically 2x the 75% reimbursement is due using your seat cost then doubling it if it had been both of you.
So 75% of all cash paid for that leg plus 75% back, of all avios you paid for that leg then the same all over again for the Companion Seat if also downgraded. All cash you paid on that leg counts except for govt taxes and airport charges. Getting back to MAN doesn’t add any avios cost on that route istr either so even though not downgrsded lhr to man I wouldn’t accept any less than 75% of full avios all the way back to MAN being used as the base.
So if that leg cost 120.000 avios in First then you’d be due 90,000 avios back for your seat. If 2nd seat was also downgraded then that would get another 90 000 back even if a companion voicher paid seat. Same for cash paid.
Take the offer it doesn’t cover your victimisation by that crew member but you couldn’t get more by fighting them legally.
But as a sign of my disapproval and because it’s only close enough to the cash they would have had to give you anyway, I”d take the £500,as cash and definitely not a £700 voucher option.
Amd if anyone is still under the illusion that BA is not targetting reward seat bookers to downgrade, this is yet another case.
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