British airways refund

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: Coronavirus travel disruption - latest info and your rights.

FloraSkye

I booked a flight to New York with British Airways in February, for travel to a conference in August 2020. I need to cancel as the the conference has been cancelled.  But BA say they will only allow refunds due to Coronavirus if you booked after 3rd March.  How can they not pay out for people who booked in February when no-one knew the extent of disruption this pandemic would cause?

mr_stripey

CarolHawley said:

I booked a flight to New York with British Airways in February, for travel to a conference in August 2020. I need to cancel as the the conference has been cancelled.  But BA say they will only allow refunds due to Coronavirus if you booked after 3rd March.  How can they not pay out for people who booked in February when no-one knew the extent of disruption this pandemic would cause?

It all depends on whether that flight operates or not. I guess August is still some time away and it is possible flights will be back to normal by then. In which case, your flight will go and unless you booked a flexible ticket, you won't be able to get a refund. 

Aylesbury_Duck

CarolHawley said:

I booked a flight to New York with British Airways in February, for travel to a conference in August 2020. I need to cancel as the the conference has been cancelled.  But BA say they will only allow refunds due to Coronavirus if you booked after 3rd March.  How can they not pay out for people who booked in February when no-one knew the extent of disruption this pandemic would cause?

I think the problem you have is that your flights are independent of the conference and therefore it's not technically a cancellation because of covid-19 anyway.
Personally, I disagree with your final sentence.  I think it was very clear back in February that this was going to be a pandemic with major consequences, even if it wasn't officially declared as such until March and even when leaders like Trump were dismissing it as trivial.  It was simply the timing.  It arrived in the western world much sooner and in much greater numbers than envisaged.  

Caz3121

CarolHawley said:

I need to cancel as the the conference has been cancelled.  

Probably best to wait and see if the flight is eventually cancelled or the waiver times change
Currently they are allowing vouchers for voluntary cancellations for travel booked up until 31st May. (or refunds for cancelled flights)
At this time if the flight is scheduled to operate you would be referring to the fare rules of the ticket you purchased

scamp57

My flight to Croatia on 24 May has been cancelled, as well as the return. I’ve made several attempts at telephoning BA, as I want a refund, but keep getting the telephone loop message that tells you to go to the website which then tells me to phone. I’m getting the impression that this might be a deliberate attempt by BA to stop refunds, and mitigate losses during the crises. I’ve made a complaint via the website, but who is to say that’s not on a loop also, as all staff have been laid off? Any ideas anyone,or having the same problems with getting your money back?

bradders1983

The fact you were not due to fly for another 7 weeks means you are not a priority by any definition.

Caz3121

not sure if it is still the case but BA were dealing with travel dates in the next 72 hours. I had a cancelled flight 10 days before travel, waited a week (didn't try to contact them) 3 days before travel, phoned, waited 40 mins on hold and got the refund sorted

jamesthemonkeh

Hey all, I hope you are keeping well and don't mind my question.
I was booked to go to Tokyo in May.  Obviously this won't happen, though my flights are not cancelled.
As soon as the voucher system was announced, I thought I should apply for it.  And I have received vouchers.
However, I am now regretting it as the flights to Tokyo for later in the year are nearly twice the price as what I paid.  Clearly British Airways are planning on scamming everyone with vouchers with inflated flight prices.
What are my rights?  Can I insist on the money being refunded back in my account?  Can I insist on them honouring the price they sold flights for?  Or am I screwed?
I do still have a travel insurance policy which I haven't cancelled, for this trip - not sure if that would help?
Thanks
James

Aylesbury_Duck

I think you're stuck now that you've accepted the vouchers.  Your insurance won't help because you've accepted a refund. 

The only thing you can try is asking BA if you can change your mind. 

Apollo007

Hello, My BA flights were cancelled due the recent crisis and although BA pledged for a full refund they have proceeded to issuing a travel voucher contrary to my request for the refund. I have contacted BA and their response is negative saying that I cannot get a refund now that a voucher has been issued. Is that justified? Has anyone else had similar experiences? Many thanks in advance for any advice.