british airways

graeme_c

booked flights for june 2020 for 2 weeks IN JULY 2019,which were canceled due to covid. didnt ask for refund,rebooked same flight for june 2021,same plane, flight number and seating class[economy plus] quoted section 9b3 on their t&c page and asked for remedy 3 which states there would be no charge to change.The agent said that my flight class had changed from a C to an M and i had to pay £111 to change .Any thoughts  ?

Westin

Are you sure you have the correct fare classes?  There are a few anomalies between airlines but to my knowledge C fare class with British Airways is one of four fares in Club World (Business Class) and M fare class is a category in World Traveller (Economy Class).

British Airways also do not have EconomyPlus. Their premium economy is marketed as World Traveller Plus.  Fare codes in that cabin I believe are W, E, T and P.

graeme_c

on the short haul,in Europe, the difference between economy and economy plus,is that economy plus give you 23kg of luggage,and online seat selection 24hrs before travel.Maybe i got the C and M mixed up,but the actual travel class i paid for
is the same.Just confused with their t&c,s.

Ngozi

Might be for the seat reservation?
Not saying it is but there has been cases where BA refund the flight cost but not money for the reservations so people had to pay again, not sure if thats the case in your situation as you didn't take the refund.
Agent should be more clear and state why your flight had changed class.

Westin

I think BA are saying there is no fee to make a change. You still would be liable for any fare difference between the 2020 flight and one rebooked an year later.

bagand96

I'll make the assumption that the sections to which you refer are from the BA Conditions of carriage:

9b) Remedies for delays and cancellations

9b1) We will take all reasonable measures necessary to avoid delay in carrying you and your baggage.

9b2) These measures may, in exceptional circumstances and if necessary to prevent a flight being cancelled, include arranging for a flight to be operated:

• by another aircraft
• by another airline or
• by both.

9b3) If we:

• cancel a flight;
• delay a flight by five hours or more;
• fail to stop at your place of stopover or destination; or
• cause you to miss a connecting flight on which you hold a confirmed reservation;

you can choose one of the three remedies set out immediately below.

 

Remedy 1

We will carry you as soon as we can to the destination shown on your ticket on another of our scheduled services on which a seat is available in the class of service for which you have paid the fare. If we do this, we will not charge you extra and where necessary, will extend the validity period of your ticket.

Remedy 2

We will carry you to the destination shown on your ticket in the class of service for which you have paid the fare at a later date at your convenience and within the validity period of your ticket on another of our scheduled services on which a seat is available. If we do this, we will not charge you extra.

Remedy 3

We will give or obtain for you an involuntary fare refund.

We will give you additional assistance, such as compensation, refreshments and other care and reimbursement, if required to do so by any law which may apply. We will have no further liability to you.

I think the validity period of the ticket is the key thing here in interpreting that "remedy".   Validity period is explained in section 3b:

3b) Ticket validity period

3b1) Unless it says differently on the ticket, in these conditions of carriage, or in any tariffs which apply, a ticket is valid for travel for:

• one year from the date it is issued or
• one year from the date you first travelled using the ticket, as long as your first flight took place within a year of the ticket being issued.

Given that you haven't travelled, it would appear the validity period of your ticket is 1 year from when you booked, so that expires in July 2020.  Therefore BA will only move you with no extra charge to a flight by July 2020.

I agree with Westin, BA are currently waiving flight change fees, but if there is a fare difference to pay (i.e. new flights next year cost more) then the passenger is liable for these.    BA have cancelled your flight, and you are entitled to the following:

- Rebook onto another flight
- Apply for a voucher (to the value of your booking and valid until April 2022)
- Claim Avios (plus 100% bonus)
- Refund

Flight prices are dynamic and move up and down all the time, so just because the flights for next year are more expensive now, it doesn't mean they always will be.  Why not take the voucher? Or better still take a refund, have the the cash back in your pocket allowing you to book with whoever you want for next year's holiday.