Heathrow Fire Cancellations

unclebatman

Hi all,

Am posting here as receiving conflicting advice from BA/travel insurer/media. My friend and I were due to leave Heathrow on Friday morning and obviously were just two of many thousands with their travel plans in tatters that day.

As we’d travelled from the North West the previous afternoon we’d booked into a hotel for what we obviously believed was going to be a one night stay. During the uncertainty of Friday morning and with check out looming we extended our stay for an additional night as flights were saying delayed - and only afterwards when ours was formally cancelled did we receive the option to transfer onto what was the first available alternative flight on Monday (tomorrow morning) 

We then did the maths of 2 x train tickets and taxis home and back again plus a further hotel on Sunday evening compared with the cost of just staying in London to find the saving overall would have been less than £100 - just not worth the extra travel and effort to travel home only to come back again the following day.

We managed to keep our hotel room (premier inn) and have incurred what we believe to be very modest food (no alcohol) and accommodation charges. Still, I estimate we’ll be £600 out of pocket. 

What is the correct process here? BA tell us verbally they’re not responsible, our travel insurers won’t speak to us as they tell us the airline has that duty of care and I see mixed messages online and in the news. 

Can anyone provide any guidance on what to do next?

Voyager2002

Try to get something in writing from BA, and show that to your insurer.

It would appear that you were waiting for a delayed departure and so BA were responsible for these costs under their obligation to provide "care": however, there may be some technical reason why this does not apply. In that case BA should explain why, and that explanation should be good enough for your insurer.

Caz3121

If possible I would get the hotel to split the invoice to keep things simple. The night before room cost (Thursday) is your cost and not reclaimable. The Friday and Saturday nights should be reclaimable from BA under Duty of Care together with meals etc
Maybe the confusion with BA is if 'compensation' was mentioned. This is not compensation (it is not due here) but is reimbursement of expenses under their Duty of Care.

eskbanker

unclebatman said:

During the uncertainty of Friday morning and with check out looming we extended our stay for an additional night as flights were saying delayed - and only afterwards when ours was formally cancelled did we receive the option to transfer onto what was the first available alternative flight on Monday (tomorrow morning) 

Did the BA notification mention anything about them arranging accommodation up to the revised departure date?  They're legally obliged to offer this, but that doesn't necessarily mean that passengers can do their own thing and claim reimbursement, although that will often be the most sensible approach and one that airlines will generally support.

When they verbally declined reimbursement, were they aware that you'd extended your stay prior to cancellation being confirmed?

jimi_man

I suspect that you may have mentioned the word 'compensation' and even if you didn't mean it that way, that's how it was interpreted. Just put in a claim for expenses - it explains it here.

https://www.britishairways.com/content/information/delayed-or-cancelled-flights/compensation

It's an Expenses claim not a Compensation claim. For reference BA will usually cover hotels up to around £200 a night, however this can be increased in certain circumstances - i.e. you can't find anything for that price.

unclebatman

Just wanted to thank everyone for their responses on this, and for the delay in my doing so

I was ultimately invited by BA to make a complaint in respect of the expenses incurred, plus any reasonable additional costs. Fair play to them, they acknowledged within 48 hours and agreed to pay all costs, including two sets of tickets for sporting events missed as a result of the delay. 

No one’s fault, not least BA’s but they’ve been excellent in obviously difficult circumstances. Am now awaiting their payment in the sum of around £850 to put things right. 

LibbyLou7921

I’m posting on here as I am struggling to obtain a refund for expenses incurred when my flight from Singapore to Heathrow was diverted to Frankfurt as a consequence of the fire and power outage on the 21st March. 

We landed in Frankfurt at 6am and we were told to collect our bags from baggage claim and make our own way back to the UK. Amongst the chaos we managed to get a Lufthansa flight to Birmingham later that evening. As our car was parked at Heathrow we booked a hotel at Birmingham airport and then train and tube tickets for the following day. All in all it cost us just short of £900 to get home.
I have been unable to find out how to claim for a refund of the costs incurred from Singapore Airlines, there isn’t a form or contact email in their website. I have tried using their feedback form but have not received a reply. As a consequence I have now tried claiming through my travel insurance who want ‘documentary evidence from the airline that I have not received a refund’
I feel like I’m going round in circles. Apologies for the lengthy post but has anyone had any success in finding someone to contact at Singapore Airlines?

mdann52

You can always send them a letter to their registered address on Companies House - https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE023724

Alan_Bowen

They are certainly based on Chiswick High Road but be prepared for a possible disappointment, The 261 legislation does not cover your flight as you were on a non-EU/UK airline flying from a non-EU/UK airport. Any payment will be on a goodwill basis only

mdann52

Alan_Bowen said:

They are certainly based on Chiswick High Road but be prepared for a possible disappointment, The 261 legislation does not cover your flight as you were on a non-EU/UK airline flying from a non-EU/UK airport. Any payment will be on a goodwill basis only

I never mentioned UK261 - It would be a Consumer Rights Act and Montreal Convention claim - the airline have not delivered the contracted service.

An airline cannot simply leave a passenger stranded and not pick up the tab.