Flight Cancelation Rebooking Options (Amex 2-4-1 Voucher Expiry Question)

[timmyg]

Hello,

I have a return flight booking for April (NCL <–> NAS) made using a BA 2-4-1 Vouhcer. The outward NCL –> LHR leg has been cancelled by BA and I have therefore been automatically rebooked onto the next available flight (I have not accepted this yet)

Whilst I still have sufficient connection time after the rebooked flight to get to the next LHR –> NAS leg, I would instead like to take the opportunity to rebook all flights onto completely different dates due to limited hotel availability (and high prices!) on my original dates.

I think that the 2-4-1 used for the booking expires in June (unsure of exact date). If I attempt to rebook to later date than this (e.g. November), will the BA agent pick up on this and reject the request and/or charge the full Avios amount that it would be without the voucher?

Thanks in advance to anyone that can clarify this.

[Anna]

BA will probably agree to move you within a few days either side of the original booking but you might have to justify needing to change to a completely different time of year which would make any kind of claim difficult to pursue. (I know Eu261 specifies you can be rerouted at your convenience, however it’s not as if there are no other flights to NAS during this period). You would be entitled to a full refund, however as you’ve realised, your 241 would come back with the original expiry date.
The Caribbean region is expensive full stop post-pandemic so I don’t know how much cheaper you’d find accommodation on different dates.

[JDB]

@Anna is right. BA has already complied with its statutory obligations by rerouting you in a manner that is objectively reasonable. If you wish to be opportunistic, you will need to fall back on BA’s goodwill or any options they offer in MMB. Realistically, the Bahamas is always going to be horrendously expensive and bad value because it has established a certain ‘brand’ so I’m not sure when you would want to move to unless super out of season which would be a different experience.

[Matt]

Have a look in MMB – you should have an option to change the dates of your flights. If that works then you can probably pick whenever you like. If it doesn’t work and you need to phone up then you will find it harder. A few days (up to 2 weeks I think) will be done without issue. Up to 12 months after you booked is the limit for BA normally – it will be an uncertain fight to go later than that (if you have a good reason eg school/work/illness you’d have a better chance).

When your companion voucher expires doesn’t generally matter for live bookings I think – that will only be an issue if you get it refunded.

[timmyg]

Thanks all for sharing your thoughts.

To answer @Anna and @JDB, my hotel of choice has very low availability on the existing dates and significantly cheaper room options are available on alternative dates (still expensive, but much less so!).

I guess that describing what I am trying to do as ‘opportunistic’ is a fair accusation, but it doesn’t feel ‘unreasonable’ although that is clearly subjective.

As suggested by @MAtt I have spent some time in MMB and I have found available dates I could rebook to in August so there is apparently more flexibility than just a few days/weeks either side of my existing booking.

The issue for me is that I would prefer the first NCL –> LHR leg to be the evening before the following morning LHR –> NAS flight so I can get a few extra hours sleep that night. These layover options are not being offered in MMB so I will have to call an Agent to arrange this.

[NorthernLass]

If you can change the dates via MMB without speaking to BA then go for it.
NAS departs from T3 now (thought that could change, of course), so it’s definitely best to stay overnight at LHR, have a good night’s sleep then enjoy the T3 lounges (assuming you have access).

[timmyg]

Just wanted to provide some closure for this as it might help someone else in a similar position.

As mentioned above, I needed to call BA to rebook as I was not being offered a layover option (similar to my original booking) when attempting to use ‘Manage My Booking’ for this. As mentioned above however, I was able to select dates long before and long after (I was able to find an option to rebook in August even though my original booking was April!)

Having identified cost-preferable hotel availability just two weeks earlier than my original booking dates, I first rang the rebooking number provided in the BA cancelation email. The agent I spoke to was very strict, stating that they could only move the flights +/- 3 days from the original booking dates. I pointed out the available MMB options but this made no difference. All they would do is provide me with the telephone number of the ‘Revenue Team’ as I think they were basically saying the flights would need to be re-costed…. even though I clearly stated it was an Avios booking!

I then decided to try my luck calling the BAEC Silver line. After 50 minutes of waiting, I was greeted by a polite and friendly agent who promptly rebooked me onto my outward and return flights of choice without any issues, exactly two weeks prior to the original booking dates! (No additional Avios, taxes or fees).

Happy days!

[NorthernLass]

Thank goodness it’s sorted. I will be on that flight on August 4th, incidentally, en route to GCM! It’s insanely hot and humid at that time of year but we’ve ended up being constrained by school holidays again!

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

With any sort of avios booking your first point of call is exec club and not the general number.

Even if the email says call a particular number always call exec club.

The cancellation emails are generic for cash, avios and holiday booked flights.