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Our First class seats were booked for January 2024 through our British Airways American Express card avios/companion voucher scheme. An email arrived from BA stating our flights both out and back had been cancelled and they offered no other alternative but advised us to call or rebook through the executive platform, we found this very strange as on previous occasions when a flight has been changed BA has offered us the next alternative flight in the same class. After calling BA we were advised that the reason for the cancelled flights was that there had been a plane change and first class was no longer available they offered business class on the same original flight numbers and they advised us that along with the downgrade we would have to pay a further 22000 avios but after objecting to this and pointing out that BA were downgrading us they did waiver the extra points but because we really would have liked to travel in first class we stated that we were flexible and that we could fly on alternative flights on the same day but we were told that the protocol would not allow for us to fly on any other alternative flights the customer relations gentleman offered us free seat allocation in business so we asked for any window seats and he picked 12A & 13A when we logged into the seat plan in executive club this plane still has first class? We were also told by the representative that we could claim compensation via the website but when we submitted our claim an email was sent the following day stating that we have to re submit the claim after we have taken the flight. Can anyone advise us if this is normal or should we be taking any further steps prior to our flights.
I’m sorry but I found this dense block of text very hard to read. Please, in future, use line spacing to break up the text.
But on your last point you do have to make any claims after you have flown.
Where’s the flight to and from? May make it easier for others to give options?
Exactly same situation here. 241 First flight cancelled by email. Rang and asked to be moved to F with Qatar, which is the UK/EU 261 requirement. Told not possible as no Avios seats available. This is not relevant – BA’s responsibility is to move you to the same service that you booked with an alternative carrier (details actually available via a link on the email cancelling the flight!).
Escalated to Customer Service Specialist who explained due to plane changes this sometimes happens.
I explained that I had checked the flight and it was a 777 with First.
I asked to be moved to Qatar and he explained that is not an option as my flight “had not been cancelled”!!
I explained that the email was clear -“Cancelled”!
I explained that there was a link on the email that leads to a page on BAs website making it clear that I should be rebooked in F with alternative carrier.
“I am not familiar with all of the pages on our website”!
He said that there was an internal communication problem and it was something he would have to address.
I asked if he was familiar with BA responsibilities under UK/EU 261 – he said ” There is lots of legislation for travel and I am not familiar with all of it”.
Gave up at this stage as the CSS was trained to block any chance of BA undertaking their responsibility – we had Schrodinger’s flight – cancelled and not cancelled at the same time!
I have now moved to Club seats on the same flight and have an email with the downgraded details.
Again under UK/EU 261 after flying we should receive compensation of 75% of the original fare.
I can already hear that conversation “No you were not downgraded – the flight was cancelled”
This must be part of the CSS training.
Sorry for the long post – but I share your frustration.Do these involve flights to/from DOH? If so there are already a couple of threads with some detailed replies.
Did the email from BA actually state the original flights have been cancelled?
You state further down that “there had been a plane change and first class was no longer available they offered business class on the same original flight numbers”
On the face of it the BA rep on the phone contradicts what the email states. I don’t really see how the flight can be cancelled and then reinstated with the same flight numbers.
If the flight was really cancelled then UK261 rights per Article 5 and Article 9 apply which gives you the right to either reroute ASAP in the same conditions as booked ie another flight in 1st, OR reroute at a later date subject to seat availability, OR a refund. This applies even months out. The 2 week deadline is for compensation per Article 7 to be paid in addition. As you rightly observe that doesn’t apply.
You usually only have one chance at this and appear to have accepted the downgrade so unfortunately your options are now limited.
You definitely are entitled to downgrade reimbursement which is 75% of the fare paid (since it was a First Class flight so I assume it’s longhaul).
Article 10 paragraph 2 (c) applies which states
2. If an operating air carrier places a passenger in a class lower than that for which the ticket was purchased, it shall within seven days, by the means provided for in Article 7(3), reimburse(a) 30 % of the price of the ticket for all flights of 1 500 kilometres or less, or
(b) 50 % of the price of the ticket for all intra-Community flights of more than 1 500 kilometres, except flights between the European territory of the Member States and the French overseas departments, and for all other flights
between 1 500 and 3 500 kilometres, or(c)75 % of the price of the ticket for all flights not falling under (a) or (b), including flights between the European territory of the Member States and the French overseas departments
Unfortunately BA does usually insist that you claim downgrade reimbursement after you’ve flown but that is not what the regulation states.
You were absolutely right to insist BA waives the extra 22k Avios charge as they should be refunding you a chunk of Avios rather than asking you for more. BA will also likely claim that Article 10 doesn’t apply as you’ve voluntarily accepted the downgrade so I would ask customer services after you’ve flown and then go to MCOL when BA rejects your claim.
This is another instance where a First booking has been cancelled but the flight itself is operating, so none of the rerouting rights cited above apply – whatever the email may say, a flight cancellation that engages Article 5 and 8 rights has very specific definition. Even if BA had handled it as a downgrade, it still wouldn’t entitle anyone to ask to be rebooked in F on QR – in the event of downgrade, the only remedy is 75% (for long haul) reimbursement that can indeed only be claimed after travel.
BA is playing hardball with this new idea and may meet with some success, particularly if people rebook on a different flight, rather than rebooking themselves on the original. To the extent anyone can get rebooked on QR business, if not first that would be a big bonus and ease not getting the downgrade reimbursement.
This has all become additionally complicated given RFS being offered on Club but not First which requires some careful presentation to get reimbursed properly.
I had exactly the same issue, but upon calling they moved me to the Qatar Airways flight without any fuss in first. Perhaps I was just lucky or it was a kind agent.
When they asked for 22,000 more Avios to re-book into business, I assume this was associated with a partial cash refund? If I’m not mistaken RFS in business permits these higher Avios prices, but only because offset by lower cash portion? If not – how can they possibly demand more Avios to bump you down to business!
That said, there is that weird anomaly where if outbound is First, cheaper to return in First than Business, due to the incompatibility of RFS with a mix of business and first.
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