Vueling flight to Rome cancelled (booked with BA)

[Rhi]

Hi, I’m struggling to work out what, if anything, I’m entitled to in this situation. Any advice appreciated.

Last Friday, our flight to Rome from Gatwick was initially delayed, and later cancelled. It was due to depart 20.10. We dropped checked bags, entered the gate area, waited for a couple of hours while they worked out if the flight would depart (at this point it was showing as delayed), and were told at approx 21.45 that the flight would be cancelled due to ‘technical issues’. After about an hour, we were walked back through to collect luggage and left landside to wait by the check-in desks (I arrived there 22.25). By 23.20 there still seemed to be no clear communication about what was going to happen other than the flight would not depart and we would eventually be re-routed. I struggled to see options for re-routing myself online as I booked with BA and so while others spoke about being able to do this online, I couldn’t get it to work. Regardless, the earliest options people were seeing were Sunday.

Eventually some staff came along but there were 170 odd passengers trying to get sorted and no-one seemed to think the queue was relevant, and some passengers were being quite aggressive.

At this point I lost patience so booked us into an airport hotel myself. From there, I booked us a flight to Naples the following morning, which cost more than the original flights. We eventually arrived to Naples around 16 hours later than we were due to arrive to Rome.

I’ve tried Vueling’s online options for trying to claim refunds / compensation but it keeps telling me the connection has been lost, and regardless, I’m not entirely sure what I’m entitled to.

Can anyone help? Am I entitled to compensation, new flight/hotel reimbursement, or just a refund for the cancelled flight? Or literally nothing? Additionally, am I right to be pursuing Vueling for this rather than BA?

I wish I’d have waited it out at the airport now to make their staff deal with it, but I was at the end of a wildly stressful week, it was almost midnight and I had been up since 4.30am and I had just had enough by that point!

Thanks very much in advance.

[SamG]

Hotel, the new flight and the cost to get back to Rome + any food and drink (no alcohol usually) whilst waiting

+ compensation as it was a tech issue

You do need to pursue this with Vueling rather than BA

*Do not* accept a refund from Vueling as that would be instead of the rerouting

[SamG]

Next time (hopefully never again!) one option on a BA coded ticket would have been to find an open office (e.g. USA) by phone and they should have been able to rebook you on a BA flight. Potentially would have needed you to go to LHR

[Rhi]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that. I have emailed Vueling given their online chat function keeps dying on me. I expect I’m in for a several month battle!

Also noted on the “next time” info. Thanks again!