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More evidence of British Airways prioritising Avios bookings for downgrades?

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A month ago I ran this article speculating that BA has begun to target Avios ticket holders for downgrades.

This would be economically rational.  Under EU regulations, a downgraded passenger is automatically due a 75% refund on that leg of their ticket.  For a cash passenger, that is expensive.

For an Avios passenger, it is not expensive to downgrade.  All the airline has to do is refund a few points.

British Airways BA 777X 777 9X

For an Avios passenger travelling on a 2-4-1 voucher, the downgrade is free to BA.  It has been telling some passengers that as their ticket cost zero Avios, the refund is 75% of zero which is, erm, zero.

After my original article there was some debate about whether this is actually happening.  Some BA staff told me that it isn’t easy to tell whether a passenger is on a 2-4-1 ticket or not, although it is easy to spot those on redemptions on the manifest.  Some agents have implied that it is functionality in FLY, the new check-in and passenger management system, which now allows this policy to be implemented.

It is worth noting that the person involved in my original article issued a Small Claims Court against British Airways after being refused any compensation.  As per this page of Flyertalk, it appears that BA chose not to fight the case and settled for the unspecified amount the passenger demanded.

In the last couple of weeks, two more readers have contacted me with linked stories.

The key one came yesterday from a reader.  I always weigh up news I receive by email from readers to see how truthful and verifiable it seems, but this is one I trust implicitly – the person involved is a regular commentator and has even written a guest article for the site in the past.

If you read the comments on HfP yesterday, you would have seen his regular updates as the situation developed.

This is what he said to me by email:

“At Edinburgh to start our trip to Gatwick and then what was meant to be Club World BAPP 241 reward seats to Male.  At checking in for EDI-LGW we have been told we have been downgraded, either both to World Traveller Plus or just me with my wife staying in CW.  We have been told that BA has oversold the flight and it’s because we are on reward tickets that we have been selected to be downgraded.”

Here is another email I received two weeks ago:

“I have read your article re 2-4-1 downgrades and it almost exactly mirrors our experience.  The Duty Manager was adamant her instructions were to target Redemption ticket holders first.  Given that our seats were showing as still allocated to us that morning (albeit not available to be printed due to “system error” at the hotel), it appears BA have chosen to sell more CW seats on the day . . . knowing they had a supply of 2-4-1 pax ready to be downgraded

It is a largely win-win situation for BA . . .  if there are any no-shows, no skin off their noses, but hey, why not sell an equivalent number of CW seats to exactly match the number of 2-4-1 holders on every flight!  Cheap trick but as I learned in over twenty years with them, the internal “bar” is set at the greediest money-earning opportunity.”

The reader above is not one I have met but I have no reason doubt the accuracy of what he sent me.  He had even paid to reserve specific Club World seats but even that did not protect him from being downgraded.

To clarify, there is no specific proof that this is going on.  No BA employee has yet sent me a copy of the relevant memo or email.

Do let me know if you are also impacted by this and have been told that the staff that you have been downgraded specifically because you are on an Avios ticket.

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Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (353)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Thomas says:
    25 Feb25 February 08:52

    I guess the question is if this practise is legal and according to terms and conditions or not. The fact that it is terrible customer service and bad publicity surely should not shock us anymore? come on people, we are talking BA here. Stopped flying revenue style with them years ago, Do one or two long hauls with QR, and use the Avios to have a good amount of champagne at Christmas in the fridge, suits me just fine!!!!

  • Mike says:
    25 Feb25 February 08:54

    I’d be interested to know if any of the people travelling on AMEX 241’s had status with BA? As a GGL member, I’d be very surprised if I or my companion were downgraded ahead of a fare paying Blue or Bronze.

    • Andy says:
      25 Feb25 February 09:24

      I’m a Gold and was downgraded on an 241 booking with my wife who is also Gold flying HND-LHR. I was also told it was due to being on an avios booking and that being a Gold member “makes no difference in this case”
      Now the plural of anecdote is not data and it’s possible there were just GGLs on the flight aside from me and my wife (although that seems slightly unlikely).

  • Mr Dee says:
    25 Feb25 February 08:54

    A small claims court action for the cash price ticket of the next flight should be a suitable compensation or that from a decent airline

    • JamesW says:
      25 Feb25 February 09:03

      I agree.

    • Andrew says:
      25 Feb25 February 09:27

      If you refused to be downgraded and BA refused to reroute you (reasonably) then that would be fair but I expect you’d actually have to buy the cash ticket to stand a chance in court which could be pricey. As an example a one way fare to Singapore for today costs £3200 with Etihad. £4700 direct! And of course there’d be two of you if flying on a 2for1. That’s a lot of money to shell out with no guarantee of getting it back.

  • Kathy says:
    25 Feb25 February 08:56

    This is so worrying. I know – because they only release 2 club seats – that I’ll be the lowest-paying club passenger on my flight, after using a Lloyd’s upgrade voucher. If I’ve got a seat it’s impossible for someone else to use a 2-4-1.

    If they oversell the one flight a day to/from SYD, and everyone turns up, what the hell can you do? Over 20 hours in PE is not what I’m signing up for. Can you demand a re-route on another carrier? That would cost them money, though, which is what they’re trying to avoid.

    Is there a way of checking how sold the flight is, so we can be prepared?

  • Robin says:
    25 Feb25 February 08:58

    Oh come on, get real. If a flight is oversold (and yes they all do it) then someone has to choose who to bump

    • Phil G says:
      25 Feb25 February 09:11

      But surely the bump should come with sweeteners. Avios has been earnt using their brands or preferred partners over a long period and vouchers even longer.

      • Anna says:
        25 Feb25 February 09:51

        This is what I mean about needing to be absolutely clear about passenger rights!

  • JamesW says:
    25 Feb25 February 09:00

    Just about to cancel my BAPP and wondered if that’s lose me the 2-4-1 I’ve got sitting waiting to be used ?
    Do I need to use the 2-4-1 before cancelling the BAPP ?
    I guess once its used for a booking (but not flown) it (well the flights) can’t be taken away for cancelling the BAPP ??

    • Mike says:
      25 Feb25 February 09:08

      No, you won’t lose the 241 if you have already earned it and then cancel the BAPP. You will however need another AMEX card to pay the taxes etc. on when you come to use the 241.

  • Nigel says:
    25 Feb25 February 09:05

    Seems like this is definitely something which should be raised with Amex, by as many of us as possible. The voucher is something Amex provides to their own customers in return for card fees and spending – BA are letting Amex customers down by doing this. How much do BA care about their relationship with Amex?

    • Phil G says:
      25 Feb25 February 09:13

      Can someone post an appropriate letter for us all to send to amex, and an email address to send to ?

      • Joan says:
        25 Feb25 February 09:51

        I agree re the letter to
        Amex . I’ve got a 241 flight in CW coming up in May to Miami . We chose this destination specifically because it was one of the few places available with avios at the time of booking . I will be livid if we get downgraded . We had to use the 241 before June or we would have lost it . We have therefore organised our year / holiday specifically round this 241 redemption . I have booked hotels etc . If I knew in advance that we would get downgraded , we would have bought normal flights somewhere entirely different .

    • Maria says:
      25 Feb25 February 09:29

      I agree. I have just paid my annual fee and is this is the case I’d be writing to Amex to cancel my card.

  • Jo says:
    25 Feb25 February 09:09

    What you can do is just ring and downgrade to the free Amex BA card, then you keep the 241 voucher.
    Just about to do this ourselves.

    • TGLoyalty says:
      25 Feb25 February 10:59

      Just cancel it so you can churn the voucher sits safely in your BA account despite what AMEX say

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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