Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

  • taylor90 26 posts

    Hi. My BA flight to MEX has just been cancelled just as a parked up at the airport. The flight was due to depart in 3 hours. What are my options?

    I have an internal flight in Mexico and a separate hotel booking not through BA.

    It was a 241 redemption.

    BA Flyer IHG Stayer 2,769 posts

    You need to check the app to see if you have already been rebooked.

    There are also a couple of customer service desks that can help in T5A departures and if you are in a lounge there are also service desks who will try and help as wells

    taylor90 26 posts

    If I accept refund am I still entitled to compensation?

    slidey 353 posts

    Are you still wanting to get to MEX? If so, under no circumstances accept a refund.

    What flight have BA rerouted you on? (and what cabin type are you booked in)

    If you still want to fly today, ask them to reroute on one of the other one world carriers if youre willing to take an indirect flight or to be rebooked on the aeromexico direct flight this evening (they’ll refuse that cos they dont like to follow their obligations). If they refuse, are you willing to book a cash ticket and then claim the money back from them at MCOL?

    BA Flyer IHG Stayer 2,769 posts

    If I accept refund am I still entitled to compensation?

    No.

    Note also that BA aren’t responsible for any separatly booked flights / hotels / car hire etc etc

    NorthernLass 9,496 posts

    As per @slidey, under no circumstances accept a refund or give any indication that you accept the cancellation.
    If you need to fly today, ask the ground staff to re-route you, if you haven’t been re-routed on an acceptable service.
    Try and get the reason for the cancellation as this will have some bearing on eligibility for compensation.

    taylor90 26 posts

    Ok so they are offering alternative routes which a ridiculous connecting in the states. First is sold out tomorrow.

    If I actually don’t want to go anymore right now is my only option to ask for a refund?

    taylor90 26 posts

    If I accept refund can I still claim compensation?

    BA Flyer IHG Stayer 2,769 posts

    see my answer above

    NorthernLass 9,496 posts

    No! If you accept a refund you give up all your other rights and also won’t get anything back for your internal flight or hotel.
    But if you definitely don’t want to travel, your best option might be to move it to a different date when you might. Surely they could re-route you through MIA with just one connection to MEX though?
    What are they saying is the reason for the cancellation?

    taylor90 26 posts

    How long in the future could I ask them to rebook?

    NorthernLass 9,496 posts

    Also – if they try to tell you there has to be avios availability to re-route you, that is nonsense!

    NorthernLass 9,496 posts

    You don’t have to do anything till you decide – tell them you are not accepting the cancellation then you can look at your options at leisure and ask BA to re-route you as per UK261 legislation. Do some reading about this on here.
    Make notes of what was said, when and by whom in case BA try to refund you and say you accepted the cancellation.

    yonasl 1,055 posts

    BA has to offer:
    – rerouting (a new flight to your destination)
    – a refund
    – a voucher

    Separately:
    If the cancellation is due to them they also have to pay a certain amount in compensation.

    Accepting any of the 3 first options doesn’t take away your right for compensation.

    But if you accept a refund or voucher then you are not their problem anymore.

    If you accept a new flight they have duty of care and need to pay for a hotel/food/etc.

    As people are saying, you don’t need avios availability just seats to be free.

    Lady London 2,310 posts

    If I accept refund am I still entitled to compensation?

    compensation, possibly. Depending on how sustainable BA’s reason for saying the reason for cancellation was out of their control is, such as weather or ATC, as compared to how sustainable is your persistence to get compensation you have a right to.

    More seriously taking a refund loses your right to have them rebook you either now or on a future date convenient to you : legally that choice of now or your later preferred date, being up to you not the airline.

    I’d suggest you check if there is a useful reroute being flown by anyone, not just BA, before you decide which option you pursue. BA is obliged to reroute you on other airlines if they can’t offer you a flight soon enough themselves. But again your own sustainability will be needed to get this.

    Lady London 2,310 posts

    How long in the future could I ask them to rebook?

    In theory, 1 year. Can be longer but within 1 year is generally held as reasonable.

    If BA says only within 3 days or 2 weeks, say, another area where BA policy does not match what (overriding) law gives you, then this too is rubbish. You get to choose the date that is convenient to you to rebook “reroute” not them.

    Be aware you only get one chance to choose and can’t change later so take your time to think about it.

    Lady London 2,310 posts

    PS if extra nights are needed on the reroute BA is responsible for their cost too. Practically, you’ll end up having to pay and claim. Also any accommodation needed before you can fly if you need the soonest reroute, they are responsible for.

    Also any extra time waiting or travelling (eg at extra connecting places, now needed due to rerouting) meals 3 per day for normal meals, waiting for your new flights or during new routing for mealtimes occurring during that time. At reasonable local prices.

    So if stuck at Heathrow, anecdotally over a long period £25 for main meals, £200 for hotel, more if prevailing rates are higher (for example general hotel prices being much higher or food eating place pricing wherever you’re stuck or waiting.

    For BA claims keep alcohol off the receipts is safest option. Keep receipts, photos of restaurant menus, screenshots of hotel prices etc for your claim)

    taylor90 26 posts

    I asked and they said the reason for the cancellation was technical issue with the aircraft.

    The options they offered at the first wing were not acceptable to me. They couldn’t offer tomorrow and I really don’t want to go on any date beyond tomorrow unless it’s much later in the year. I can’t extend this trip because I am working and won’t be able to get the time off.

    I am intrigued by the possibilities asking them to book me up to 1 year away.

    I haven’t committed to anything yet. I don’t think I’m going to resolve this at the airport today. I Think I’ll call BA to sort it later as I’m not sure what I want to do.

    Or should I tell them at the desk immediately that none of the re routing options they are offering? I mean I’ve pretty much said that anyway.

    Lady London 2,310 posts

    PS just to be clear, you can take time to make your decision about reroute date or refund, days or weeks, IMV potentially longer (though others may say months and months gets dodgy).

    It’s only if you decide you need rerouting as close to your original flight time as possible, instead of either of the above 2 options, that you’d be making a decision today in which case you’d start by trying to find help in the terminal but may have to end up phoning anyway.

    Lady London 2,310 posts

    Sounds like you’re making the right decision. You can go home now and take your time to choose!

    Remember as all the others above have urged you, do not take any refund as this loses you the option to choose rerouting.

    Rerouting is at zero cost to you regardless of what whatever the flight you end up being rerouted on, on a future date convenient to you (by your choice or their rerouting you now if you chose that) would cost….

    NorthernLass 9,496 posts

    If you have time to search through this site later, there is a really good thread on cancellations where a number of people posted about successes getting airlines to re-route them following cancellations during the pandemic, and exactly how they went about this.
    As long as you can justify why you can only travel on certain dates (work, family commitments, etc), BA can’t refuse to re-route you on a future date of your choice. I think people have even managed it more than 12 months on, e.g. when Covid restrictions made it impossible to travel for a long time, but remember you need a reason that a court would accept if it went that far.

    taylor90 26 posts

    Thank you all so much for your really helpful advice.

    Can I just ask in respect of the return flight do I need to take any action? I.e tell them I won’t be on it. Obviously that one hasn’t been cancelled but since I haven’t flew the outbound does that matter?

    zapato1060 795 posts

    Sorry to tag onto this thread and wish the OP the best.

    My AMS-MAD-SJU flight had a connection of 45 mins between AMS to MAD and due to long passport queues I missed the flight. I was:

    -re-routed to my destination MAD-MIA-SJU next day, as there was no more direct flights
    -provided overnight accomodation
    -lunch, dinner, breakfast

    its fine if not, just querying in the off chance if I am due any comp?

    trevor 9 posts

    Sorry to read that your plans have gone pear shaped.

    In these post covid times also best to check before accepting any reroute if you are eligible to transit in the intervening country. eg going via Miami, the USA requires “aliens” to have an Esta or visa and adults still have to be fully vaccinated for Covid even to transit. Both these things take time if you do not already have them in place.

    Hope it all sorts itself out to your advantage.

    taylor90 26 posts

    @ladylondon

    I made my initial contact with you first today and they have said the rebooking has to be within 14 days… I didn’t have the time to get into a debate today, so I said I will consider my options and call back. Will try again tomorrow

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