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Hi,
Long time reader, first time posting.
My fiancee and I were due to fly LHR > NAP on Tuesday (28 June) at 10.35. I have not received an email yet but the BA app is showing this flight as cancelled and checking on the website via Flight Status shows the same. However, going into “Manage My Booking” on the website gives no options and seems to show the flight operating as normal, save only that our seat choices no longer show up (but you can still go into the seat map where they still display). It also seems to be possible to book a ticket in economy through the website.
Clicking on the “Rebooking/refund options” on the app only takes me through to the Manage My Booking section where, again, it does not look like there is anything amiss and there is no option to choose an alternative flight. Calling the Bronze line is hopeless as every option I tried gives a short message before hanging up.
Normally I would take such things in my stride but a) this flight is to attend our wedding and so it is critical that we get there (albeit there is a little wiggle room) and we really need the extra baggage allowance of Club (both for number and extra weight) and b) BA have already messed me about on this booking a couple of times.
Any practical advice for what I can do? This flight is(was) due to leave in less than four days so the automated voice telling us to call back later does not seem helpful. We will be taking our flight to LHR on this booking on Sunday evening – is there anyone at LHR we can talk to when we get there to sort this?
Any help much appreciated in advance.
What an absolute nightmare for your wedding trip! Firstly, are you absolutely sure BA hasn’t already moved you to another flight? Do you have an email relating to the cancellation as this would specify if they have found you an alternative departure. Also if you leave things overnight, BA IT may catch up with itself and find you an alternative flight.
Is your connecting flight on the same PNR? If so just be aware that this may also have been cancelled.
Keep a record of your attempts to contact BA and screenshot everything you can currently see in your booking. At 4 days out, you are absolutely justified in booking new flights, in the same cabin (or with the extra baggage allowance you need), and reclaiming the cost from BA. I would not leave it until the day before your original flight as if there are no other departures to NAP they won’t be able to help you even if they want to.
You may also be entitled to compensation, so it would be helpful if you knew the reason for the cancellation.
Thanks. Sorry what is PNR? Flying JER > LHR on Sunday evening which is our connecting flight (2 days early because BA cancelled our original flight, but at least that was a month ago).
Definitely no email yet which is perplexing. The fact that I can’t get through to speak to someone is deeply frustrating especially as the pre-hang-up message is “we are prioritising customers who are flying within the next 8 weeks” I am flying in the next 4 days!. Duty line not answering either.
There is no alternative flight showing up in my booking so it does not look like they assigned me an alternative (but, eg, the original JER > LHR flight which was cancelled ages ago is still there, just showing cancelled).
It seems like one bit of the IT isn’t talking to another and no one will talk to me….
How bizzare. Usually BA zeros out a flight they’re going to cancel, but as you say they’re still selling it.
There are seats on the 8.15am flight but until it shows as cancelled everywhere I don’t know how much luck you’re going to have getting moved. However if you get through to someone on the phone and tell them it’s showing as cancelled on flight status and that you’re going to your wedding then potentially they’d move you.
Try calling the USA line via Skype
Thanks, tried the USA line but still no luck.
The 08.15 flight LHR > NAP is available to book but it alone costs more than the price I paid for the entire JER > NAP plus Heathrow hotel. Would I be justified in booking that even before I got a cancellation email for the original flights?
Thanks, tried the USA line but still no luck.
The 08.15 flight LHR > NAP is available to book but it alone costs more than the price I paid for the entire JER > NAP plus Heathrow hotel. Would I be justified in booking that even before I got a cancellation email for the original flights?
Do not book that flight.
BA will rebook you. I know it’s hard but you need a little patience for the system to catch up which it should do overnight.
Hi. What a nightmare! Can’t add any more practical info as others have said everything and I can only suggest you try phoning BA at 8am tomorrow morning. As ChrisC says you might find the system updates overnight and you are rebooked automatically however its possible that won’t happen in which case you’ve got to try calling BA.
BA is duty bound to reroute you so you do not need to book anything yourself at this stage.
By the way PNR stands for Passenger Name Record. It’s basically your flight booking reference.
On reading your post at 18:10 I note you’ve written
“Duty line not answering either” which makes me ask are you on a BA Holidays booking?
If so you need to contact them and not BAEC although BAEC should be able to connect you to BA Holidays. There should be a 24 hour contact line for BA Holidays in your booking paperwork which should allow you to leave a message and they will call you back.
Explain the situation and your preference for either the 8am or the later flight.
You can email duty.office@holidays.ba.com or text +44 786 002 2933 while you’re away.
Thanks all for all your help. In the end got the cancellation email at 1am this morning but did not offer any alternatives. Had to call the call centre this morning and now out on the 6pm flight which is a big delay but eh, so long as we are getting there.
Make sure to claim duty of care until your flight. You can claim for food and beverage (that would be breakfast, lunch and possibly dinner too) as well as two phone calls.
You can also claim EU compensation of 400 euros each (unless the flight was cancelled for extraordinary reasons, highly unlikely given it’s not on the very day of the flight).
If you are in CE not sure you can claim food as presumably they’d say you can eat in the lounge? Naples is T3 so you can do a nice Cathay Pacific/Qantas/BA crawl !
Hope there are no further travel hitches and your wedding goes well
You are not obliged to eat in the lounge during your delay. Get yourself a reasonable cost meal – compared with prices prevailing generally – for any mealtime occurring during your extra wait. No alcohol.
Same as if an airline issues a food voucher you are not restricted to that – get yourself the totality of any meals due during your wait and submit receipts in the duty of care part of your claim.
Good to know we can claim compensation – will certainly be doing that! I suppose we can spend Tuesday swanning from lounge to lounge seeing how much champage my fiancée can drink…
Thanks for everyone’s help.
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