Have I been bumped?

[bungalow]

Hi, I am due to fly BA, BHD-LHR-ATH tomorrow morning at 06.35, but when I try online check in this morning I get the “Sorry, we are unable to offer you Online Check-in, please try later” message.
More tellingly, I still haven’t received the check in email reminder from BA.

I travel frequently and all passenger information is correct, but it’s an Avios booking and I’m wondering am I being bumped to the later 09.40 flight.

My flight BHD-LHR (BA1431) is showing as scheduled, but I have a long 7hr connection in London as my LHR-ATH leg (BA0638) doesn’t depart until 15.15.

I guess that raises a number of questions.
If I’m being bumped to the later 09.40 flight, firstly it would be good to know, not least because I’m going to have to be up and out by 3.30am to meet to 06.35, an extra 3hrs in bed would be nice rather than spend it in the airport.

And if I am bumped back, what is my compensation position – if any? If I’m over 3hrs late into LHR, but still in time to make my Athens departure and arrival, does compo just work on your final destination arrival time?

I’d appreciate any input from those with experience of this, as I’d to get my ducks in a row as it were if I’m to have an issue at the airport. Should I give them a call even?

TIA

[NorthernLass]

It’s final destination which counts on a through booking. Unfortunately you probably won’t know whether you’ve been bumped till you get to the airport, but it could be simply an IT issue and you can’t assume anything. If you no-show for your first leg, BA will cancel the whole outbound trip (again, if it’s a through booking).

[SamG]

Neither flight is full so it’s certainly an IT glitch. Try checking in for each flight separately

[bungalow]

Sorry yes, it’s a through booking.
I would ordinarily suspect an IT glitch on MMB, only for the fact I haven’t received the check in reminder either.

[tobynow]

Given the flights aren’t full it’s probably a series of IT glitches. Definitely go and check in for your scheduled flight and enjoy your trip

[bungalow]

Thanks folks for all the replies, still no luck, but will try again when the Athens leg opens.
Yamas!

[tiriavpo]

Often, with these connecting flight check in issues, the advice is to select just the first sector – but it doesn’t sound like you are getting that far in the check in process?

[bungalow]

Neither the app nor online MMB will let me do that, when I click through to check-in on my first leg it takes me to the full itinerary, both flights listed, Heathrow leg telling me “Sorry, we are unable to offer you Online Check-in for this flight, please try later”, then Athens leg telling me “Sorry, Online Check-in is not available for this particular flight because you are unable to check-in for an earlier flight in your itinerary”!

[HampshireHog]

Do you have an e ticket number for all legs? Have you made changes to the booking?

[bungalow]

same e-ticket number and booking ref right through, no changes made since I booked end of Jan

[TGLoyalty]

It happens unfortunately sometimes because the system believes they must see your passport before you can travel.

If you were bumped they’d tell you your flight was cancelled and the new itinerary.

Any plans for your layover? Out to Windsor?

[supergraeme]

Not a visa issue, by any chance?

[bungalow]

TGLoyalty wrote:

It happens unfortunately sometimes because the system believes they must see your passport before you can travel.

If you were bumped they’d tell you your flight was cancelled and the new itinerary.

Any plans for your layover? Out to Windsor?

Won’t be leaving the airport unfortunately, catch up on some final emails before switching the phones off for 10 days, then enjoying the hospitality of T5B Galleries 🙂

* I know the Athens flight won’t leave from 5B gates, but prefer it to the main Galleries, and glad of the short walk.

[bungalow]

supergraeme wrote:

Not a visa issue, by any chance?

Nope, UK & Irish Passport holder

I vaguely recall one other occasion this may have happened, and think the full check-in procedure opened for me 24hrs before the connecting flight departure time. Sadly I’m only BA Blue so have to wait 🙁

I connect in LHR a lot so this is definitely not the norm, I’ll see what happens at 15.15 when the Athens flights opens…

[supergraeme]

We don’t have visa issues either but have been blocked from checking in online a couple of times in recent years. It wasn’t anything interesting, so hopefully it isn’t for you.

[NorthernLass]

I couldn’t check in online last summer, although OH and son on the same booking could! I got on to BA chat and they told me I was required to undergo extra security clearance, which was nonsense for where we were, so they clearly just say anything to make you go away! When we got to the airport the ground crew had no idea what was causing it and just checked me in manually.

[TGLoyalty]

bungalow wrote:

TGLoyalty wrote:

It happens unfortunately sometimes because the system believes they must see your passport before you can travel.

If you were bumped they’d tell you your flight was cancelled and the new itinerary.

Any plans for your layover? Out to Windsor?

Won’t be leaving the airport unfortunately, catch up on some final emails before switching the phones off for 10 days, then enjoying the hospitality of T5B Galleries 🙂

* I know the Athens flight won’t leave from 5B gates, but prefer it to the main Galleries, and glad of the short walk.

With that much time I’d deffo walk to T5B aswell

[bungalow]

Been trying all day here, just switched browser and tablet to try, and briefly, very briefly, I got a page up which said something like “we are unable to check your Covid 19 online **** , so we’ll have to do so at the airport”, or words to that effect.
Was displayed just for a few seconds then straight to the same page and message I’ve been getting all day telling me i’m not able to check in, try later.

I’ve tried it a few times since but the page hasn’t shown again.

Covid 19???!

[bungalow]

FINALLY!!
4.26pm and I’m allowed to check in for my 06.35 flight!
Like it never happened!

Many thanks to everyone for bearing with me.

[bungalow]

Sorry for resurrecting this thread, but I’m just back from my trip and had further flight issues, so could do with some advice.
As I said at the outset, wife and I were booked Club Europe BHD-LHR-ATH, with the BHD-LHR leg at 06.35 connecting to LHR-ATH 15.15 – they were Avios reward seats.
To recap, My initial problem arose as neither the BA App nor the website would give me access to check-in 24hrs before (06.35), and after trying continuously all day I finally got access at 16.26, by which time all the Athens passengers already gotten access and booked their seats – which left us sitting at the very back row of Club – ROW 11 !

When the first drinks service came around they had no Baileys left (wife does like her Baileys), so had to settle for white wine the whole way. Then, when the food service came round they had NO MEALS FOR US EITHER – just us! Apologising, they offered us to choose something for free from the Economy menu, but after selecting they came back to say all the economy food was also gone! Another apology and a final offer of one of the crew meals each, which was what we had to settle for, some chicken in a silver metallic dish, no tray, no tea/coffee, no dessert, that was it, a silver metallic tray and a wooden knife and fork!
The lead cabin crew said he would type up and note the complaint, and if I logged into my BA Account in a few days I should find a reference number. It’s 11 days later and I can see no mention of it, nor even where to look.

We transited LHR yesterday coming home and I took it up with the BA help desk, whereupon I was given some complaint literature and a card with an email addy and phone number on it, she said better to call and explain all rather than email.

I haven’t done either yet, never complained before, so thought before I do I’d ask in here first for the best course of action, and what I should expect by way of compensation.

Row 11 and no food or preferred drink was definitely not a good club experience.

[AndrewT]

Row 11 – someone has to sit there. Nothing to complain about.

Preferred drink – several alternatives available. Probably unlikely to get a positive response.

No meal – clearly an unacceptable cock up. Run with that and don’t confuse the complaint with other minor items which are unlikely to go anywhere.

[zapato1060]

Wow, this was akin to a slap in the face. For starters (no pun intended) hope you got the name of the lead cabin crew member! As for further I will leave it to the capable hands of the experts on here.

[PeteM]

Why would he need the name of the CSM? It’s not their fault BA don’t load enough meals and it sounds like they did their absolute best to remedy the situation!

A simple, factual complaint should get you upwards of 10k Avios per person. @AndrewT’s advice is spot on.

[yonasl]

AndrewT wrote:

Row 11 – someone has to sit there. Nothing to complain about.

Preferred drink – several alternatives available. Probably unlikely to get a positive response.

No meal – clearly an unacceptable cock up. Run with that and don’t confuse the complaint with other minor items which are unlikely to go anywhere.

I accept the preferred drink only that unless the whole cabin was drinking Bailey’s how many bottles had been loaded to start with?

I think it is fair to make a complaint on the basis meal was not served (to offer economy or the crew meals is even worse than saying “sorry we got nothing and will refund you”) and that drinks ran out on the first service. It shows there was something odd with how the plane was loaded.

I think that 10k or more avios pp would be a fair stating point.

Disregard all the other issues as they will just muddy the waters.

[AJA]

Go to this page

https://www.britishairways.com/travel/feedbackclaims/public/en_sg/select/f&d

Fill in the basic issue which is on board flight no BAxxx from LHR to ATH on xxMar2024 there was no food loaded for you and your wife in seats 11x and 11y booking ref (5 digit PNR) in Club Europe.

Explain that although crew tried to remedy problem by initially offering something from economy they were unable to do so as that had also run out.

You were offered and accepted crew meals but feel that it is not good enough as it also inconvenienced the cabin crew Who must’ve gone without. And plainly not up to the standards you were expecting.