BA cancelled flights - refund issues

RantyBex

Hi all - I booked flights with BA to and from Dusseldorf in July. They emailed me at the weekend to tell me the return leg had been cancelled but they could put me on the earlier flight that day. Unfortunately, we can't travel on that flight as there is no way of getting to the airport in time for it. I went on the app to cancel, and it said I would be cancelling all flights, if I only wanted to cancel one, I had to ring them. So I did. I basically got told that I wouldn't be able to get a refund for that flight yet, I'd have to take the first flight (that I don't want to cancel and am still happy to take), then ring them to get a refund for the second flight. They were not budging. To me it doesn't seem right that they want to keep my money for 2 months, when they've cancelled the flight, when I could be using that money to book alternative transport. To me it seems they want me to cancel the whole thing and rebook the remaining flight at extra expense. I have emailed their complaints team pointing this out, and how I'm sure keeping my money after a flight cancellation isn't exactly legal, but I'm not overly confident of getting a reply. What are my rights, and is there anything else I can do? I don't want compensation, I just want a refund for the flight they've cancelled.