Flight delay and cancellation compensation, BA ONLY

JPears

Update on my claim. BA have offered settlement, almost in full. They're just quibbling about the interest claimed.

Legal bod sent the original offer to the wrong email address..... 2 weeks ago...

Numpties.

YouStayClassySD

YouStayClassySD said:

Thanks - I've asked twice for confirmation of the cost of this unused part of the flight.
Just couldnt wait any longer so booked the train. i'll hopefully get this from them and take it from there.
Glad to know that my extra costs can be covered.

I submitted my claim for the train fare etc on 8 October. Apart from an acknowledgment I've heard nothing since.
What's my next option?
I feel like I'm shouting into the abyss...

eskbanker

YouStayClassySD said:

YouStayClassySD said:

Thanks - I've asked twice for confirmation of the cost of this unused part of the flight.
Just couldnt wait any longer so booked the train. i'll hopefully get this from them and take it from there.
Glad to know that my extra costs can be covered.

I submitted my claim for the train fare etc on 8 October. Apart from an acknowledgment I've heard nothing since.
What's my next option?
I feel like I'm shouting into the abyss...

Small claims if they're no longer responding - CEDR is also an option but can take longer....

YouStayClassySD

eskbanker said:

YouStayClassySD said:

YouStayClassySD said:

Thanks - I've asked twice for confirmation of the cost of this unused part of the flight.
Just couldnt wait any longer so booked the train. i'll hopefully get this from them and take it from there.
Glad to know that my extra costs can be covered.

I submitted my claim for the train fare etc on 8 October. Apart from an acknowledgment I've heard nothing since.
What's my next option?
I feel like I'm shouting into the abyss...

Small claims if they're no longer responding - CEDR is also an option but can take longer....

Thank you - I think I will do small claims now as I'm really fed up! 

mojo293

Was in New York last week on a BA holidays booking (NCL-LHR-JFK and same return). The day of check-in for our return flight to the UK, I received a text from BA stating the flight was cancelled, no reason, and little other information. 

I logged into the BA App which had options for rebooking the affected flight, but nothing about additional accomodation. So checked and the earliest alternative was a day later than our scheduled departure, so we'd need a hotel room for an extra night (supposed to be checking out following morning).

Anyway, our hotel had availability, so I rebooked the affected flight, but this would be through their partner airline, American Airlines, but crucially, flying from JFK-LHR, and our connection back to NCL was also from LHR, but slightlly later than the original flight.

Once this was confirmed, I booked the room for the extra night. Once back in the UK, I submitted a cliam to BA for the cost of the room for that one night, and in fairness, they responded next day apologising and confirming they will reimburse me the hotel room cost ($455 converted to £s) to my bank.

So everything worked out in the end, but did have a stressful couple of hours whilst we worried when we'd get back to the UK, and/or whether we'd have to find alternative accomodation in NY, and for how long.

easty

If BA says that the reason for the delay was a "slot delay restriction at Heathrow", then is that the end of the matter and there's no point questioning it?

In July last year we were due to fly Edinburgh to Heathrow to Chicago to Tampa.

Arriving to check in at Edinburgh we were informed that due to staff shortages there were a number of passengers who would not be able to travel. We were lucky enough not to be kicked from the flight. However, we were late boarding, and then once on the flight were informed we'd be sat on the tarmac for a couple of hours. 

This is the slot delay apparently.

The issue I have with it is that - if we'd been boarded on time, and took off from Edinburgh on time, would we still have had a slot delay? How can I possibly find out?

As it is, we arrived in Heathrow late, but our connecting flight was also running late. We were at customer services in the terminal for 45 mins asking to be allowed to get on our connecting flight, and being refused permission, before it left without us.

We were told there was no other flights available to get us to where we wanted to go for 4 days. Then we were offered flights to New Orleans that day, but that we'd have to make our own way from there to Tampa. So we took that option, rather than wait 4 days. 

We should've landed in Tampa at 6:32pm, we actually got there at 12:20am the next day. Almost 6 hours late, and after having to pay $192 extra each for flights from New Orleans to Tampa.

I applied for compensation from BA - and have been told twice now - No, it's not our fault, there was a slot delay, you're not entitled to anything.

eskbanker

easty said:

Arriving to check in at Edinburgh we were informed that due to staff shortages there were a number of passengers who would not be able to travel. We were lucky enough not to be kicked from the flight. However, we were late boarding, and then once on the flight were informed we'd be sat on the tarmac for a couple of hours. 

This is the slot delay apparently.

The issue I have with it is that - if we'd been boarded on time, and took off from Edinburgh on time, would we still have had a slot delay? How can I possibly find out?

Whose staff shortages were they, i.e. were they within BA's control or were they airport related?  If there were slot delays imposed by air traffic control then that would generally be considered extraordinary circumstances beyond the airline's control, so if there was some delay caused by the airline and some caused by others, it'll be difficult to establish clear liability even if you could work out exactly how much of each was involved.

easty said:

We were told there was no other flights available to get us to where we wanted to go for 4 days. Then we were offered flights to New Orleans that day, but that we'd have to make our own way from there to Tampa. So we took that option, rather than wait 4 days. 

We should've landed in Tampa at 6:32pm, we actually got there at 12:20am the next day. Almost 6 hours late, and after having to pay $192 extra each for flights from New Orleans to Tampa.

I applied for compensation from BA - and have been told twice now - No, it's not our fault, there was a slot delay, you're not entitled to anything.

Even if there isn't a sustainable compensation claim here, BA are still (separately) responsible for the costs of getting you to your booked destination, so they should reimburse that $192.

easty

eskbanker said:

easty said:

Arriving to check in at Edinburgh we were informed that due to staff shortages there were a number of passengers who would not be able to travel. We were lucky enough not to be kicked from the flight. However, we were late boarding, and then once on the flight were informed we'd be sat on the tarmac for a couple of hours. 

This is the slot delay apparently.

The issue I have with it is that - if we'd been boarded on time, and took off from Edinburgh on time, would we still have had a slot delay? How can I possibly find out?

Whose staff shortages were they, i.e. were they within BA's control or were they airport related?  If there were slot delays imposed by air traffic control then that would generally be considered extraordinary circumstances beyond the airline's control, so if there was some delay caused by the airline and some caused by others, it'll be difficult to establish clear liability even if you could work out exactly how much of each was involved.

easty said:

We were told there was no other flights available to get us to where we wanted to go for 4 days. Then we were offered flights to New Orleans that day, but that we'd have to make our own way from there to Tampa. So we took that option, rather than wait 4 days. 

We should've landed in Tampa at 6:32pm, we actually got there at 12:20am the next day. Almost 6 hours late, and after having to pay $192 extra each for flights from New Orleans to Tampa.

I applied for compensation from BA - and have been told twice now - No, it's not our fault, there was a slot delay, you're not entitled to anything.

Even if there isn't a sustainable compensation claim here, BA are still (separately) responsible for the costs of getting you to your booked destination, so they should reimburse that $192.

It was BA staff shortages for the flight crew on Edinburgh to Heathrow. I don't know the exact figures, but they were short X number of flight staff, so were having to bump a load of passengers at the check in desk. I assume there must be some kind of rule/policy that decides you need X number of flight crew to look after X number of passengers.

That's why the original delay was there in my opinion. Instead of a smooth check in process, people were raging at the desk after being told to go get a train instead. 

So, the only thing I know for fact is that we boarded late. Maybe it would've made no difference, and the slot delay was already in place, but do I just take BA's word for that?

Thanks for the info about reimbursing the other flights, I was convinced they should pay that, and included it in my claim originally. I'll go back to them.

eskbanker

easty said:
So, the only thing I know for fact is that we boarded late. Maybe it would've made no difference, and the slot delay was already in place, but do I just take BA's word for that?

I don't think you have much choice really, unless you have contradictory evidence that would stand up in court, and there aren't any reliable data sources in the public domain, especially many months later.  How late did the Edinburgh to Heathrow flight arrive, i.e. how much of the delay did the two hour post-boarding wait comprise?

dinkysarah

On 28 March I was due to fly to Vegas at 9:50am. The evening before while checking into my Heathrow hotel I opened the App and it said your flight has been cancelled (no explanation). I was put on a new flight at 14:25pm on 28th which meant I arrived at my destination more than 4 hours late. I thought my claim would be straight forward but was rejected. The reason given for rejecting my claim was that the flight was  cancelled for 'operational reasons' which frankly doesn't tell me anything. There were no exceptional circumstances that I was aware of and given that the flight was cancelled the evening before it wasn't down to issues on the day. I am obviously not impressed and even less happy because they rejected the claim with no real explanation. I intend to take it to the adjudicator but does anyone have experience of this and what exactly operational issues is supposed to mean, It sounds like a catch all excuse to me!