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BA refusing compensation due to travel agent booking - what are my options?

hi all, I am entitled to compensation from BA for a delayed flight that caused me to miss my connection and arrive 4+hrs late at destination. The flight was booked through an agent but they are refusing to apply for compensation on my behalf because the delay fault was down to the airline (BA). BA keep saying I must go through the agent with their replies to my messages coming every 2-3months apart. Has anyone been in the same situation and what did you do? Will I be better off using those flight compensation companies instead or will they also come up against the same issue? Any advice welcome!

Comments

  • silvercar
    silvercar Posts: 48,702 Ambassador
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    You can claim directly. Do BA understand that it is the flight delay that you are claiming for? Normally for re-routing and changing itinerary  they would direct you back to your booking agent. Compensation after the flight is a claim directly against the operating carrier.

    Long read and guidance here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/2106171-2023-ba-compensation-thread-your-guide-regulation-ec261-uk261.html 
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  • Caz3121
    Caz3121 Posts: 15,735 Forumite
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    not a usual situation. Claims for delay compensation are from the passenger to the operating airline.
    What was the reason for the delay and were both flights on the same ticket? who rebooked you onto a later flight to your destination?
  • Exodi
    Exodi Posts: 3,436 Forumite
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    edited 25 August 2023 am31 7:58AM
    In the past I was directed and successful in claiming directly but I'm not sure if that is relevant to your circumstances.

    What was the delay to the flight? Did you book a single journey or book both legs separately? If the latter, were both legs booked with the same travel agent?

    If, for example, the first leg of your flight was delayed 1.5 hours, which would generally not invoke delay compensation by the airline, but this caused you to miss your second connecting flight with a different airline, I can see why the first airline wouldn't be interested in hearing how they owe you compensation.
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  • DullGreyGuy
    DullGreyGuy Posts: 15,746 Forumite
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    hi all, I am entitled to compensation from BA for a delayed flight that caused me to miss my connection and arrive 4+hrs late at destination. The flight was booked through an agent but they are refusing to apply for compensation on my behalf because the delay fault was down to the airline (BA). BA keep saying I must go through the agent with their replies to my messages coming every 2-3months apart. Has anyone been in the same situation and what did you do? Will I be better off using those flight compensation companies instead or will they also come up against the same issue? Any advice welcome!
    It depends... was it a single continuous ticket to your ultimate destination?

    It sounds like it wasn't in which case how late you got to your ultimate destination is irrelevant, it's how late you BA got you to the destination they were in contract for that matters. By buying split tickets you take on the risk of modest delays meaning you miss connecting flights. 
  • Westin
    Westin Posts: 6,212 Forumite
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    I think full details of your flights, routing and timings would be helpful to those trying to offer up assistance.
  • Hi all, thanks so much for replies so far. It was a return ticket with partnership between BA & Qatar but not booked as a split ticket - it was booked to go all the way through so BA should be liable. It was Leeds to Heathrow to Doha to Jakarta. We left Heathrow 90mins late as they (BA) hadnt gotten the plane we needed fromGatwick to Heathrow in time. This caused a missed connection, 6hours in Doha instead of 70mins, although they did re-book me onto the next flight leaving to Jakarta. I arrived in Jakarta more than 4hours later than I originally should have which is what the website states is the threshold for compensation. 
    Any further views and advice welcome :)
  • Exodi
    Exodi Posts: 3,436 Forumite
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    edited 29 August 2023 am31 10:12AM
    Hi all, thanks so much for replies so far. It was a return ticket with partnership between BA & Qatar but not booked as a split ticket - it was booked to go all the way through so BA should be liable. It was Leeds to Heathrow to Doha to Jakarta. We left Heathrow 90mins late as they (BA) hadnt gotten the plane we needed fromGatwick to Heathrow in time. This caused a missed connection, 6hours in Doha instead of 70mins, although they did re-book me onto the next flight leaving to Jakarta. I arrived in Jakarta more than 4hours later than I originally should have which is what the website states is the threshold for compensation. 
    Any further views and advice welcome :)
    Thanks for following up on this but I don't think this has made things any clearer. 

    Who did you book the ticket with (the 'travel agent')? I understand it wasn't BA.

    I'm not sure I agree with your unwavering insistence that the fault lies with BA. The Travel Agent would have bought one ticket with BA, and a second ticket with QA. BA are not responsible for the subsequent legs of your journey, on a trip coordinated by a different company, on a flight with a different airline. They transported you from Heathrow to Doha as agreed, albeit 90 minutes late. While a 90 minute delay is frustrating, it is below the threshold for compensation for BA (and even if it was over 90 minutes, the reason for the delay would also have to be their fault).

    I share the view of BA that it's nothing to do with them - it's an issue you need to take up with your travel agent who you booked the trip with. A 70 minute connection time is on the low-end but not 'irresponsibly low' - if you have incurred no loss (except 6 hours lost holiday time), I'd be tempted to swallow the inconvenience.

    If it's one of these online budget ticket booker style travel agents that are very common nowadays, they are infamously difficult to get money from. 
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