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Hello, we’ve just had an email to advise that our flight to Gatwick on Monday has been cancelled; we’ve been rebooked onto a later flight (10 hours difference), flying into Heathrow instead and downgraded from business to economy. Wondering if anyone can help answer some questions please.
We’re flying with two kids and land at 10.45pm; too late to get across London to pick up our car from Gatwick and then drive home…. Will BA the cover hotel at Heathrow and the taxi to pick up the car, do you know? And the extra nights parking at Gatwick?
Also, we flew out business class and have three cases over the economy weight limit (that we’re fine in business). As we’re in a hotel we need to bring home what we bought with us. Will BA allow us to travel with this extra weight on an economy ticket given the downgrade?
Finally, I know we can claim some expenses and compensation for the cancellation, but as we’ve been downgraded too, any thoughts here? We booked using avios and I’m keen to at least get some of them back, not to mention the extra tax paid.
Thank you.
It depends how much effort you want to put in while on holiday, but you’re entitled to be re-routed in the same cabin class if your flight is cancelled so you could try calling BA and asking if there’s a better alternative for you. You don’t say where you are – are there flights on any other carriers on Monday?
The EU/UK261 threads might be helpful if you have time to read them.
I’m not sure about the luggage, I’ve heard of being being downgraded and refused lounge access though.
Keep hold of any emails/bookings showing your original cabin class in case the check in staff take issue with the extra bags. Additionally, if you do take the replacement flight, you will all be entitled to downgrade compensation which has also been discussed at length here.
BA should cover your extra expenses.
There are many knowledgeable people on here so hopefully you’ll get more specific advice tonight or in the morning! BA seems to be plagued with delays and cancellations right now – I am keeping an eye on my own flight home on Tuesday!Also have you checked in MMB to see if you can change to another flight yourself?
I think what I would do is look to see if there was a better alternative, and if so ask BA to rebook me onto it. They are more likely to do this if it’s another BA flight or partner airline.If you tell us where you are we may be able to give you other rerouting options. How amenable are you to connecting on the way home if it means getting to LGW rather than LHR? Though with young kids you may not – understandably – want that.
BA will reimburse cost of the LHR hotel and then getting to Gatwick plus any extra meals you may have to take. Given it seems the new departure is much later in the day than the original I’d be asking your hotel if they have a day rate to enable you to stay in there comfort. BA should also reimburse this.
BA won’t cover the extra parking. If you let the car parking people know you’re going to be late due to flight cancellation they may not charge you the extra – they are used to this sort of thing.
Luggage – tell them at checkin you’ve been downgraded and they may honour the club allowance. If they ask you to pay just pay – there is no point in arguing. Keep the receipts and then claim back from BA with the other expenses.
Compensation – depends on the reason for the cancelation. So keep any emails you have and do a screen shot of the flight status screen in the app as that sometimes gives the reason for cancellation.
Downgrade – yes there are provisions to reimburse a % of avios and cash you paid but it is distance dependent (another reason for knowing where you are)
TBH your focus at the moment should be getting back home without too much hassle.
The compensation and reimbursement claims can wait until you’re back home as there is no urgency to make them and we can give more advice on doing that later.
Thank you so much, very much appreciated! We are in malaga. I’m working about the expenses part know so I can try and figure out our options (ie drive through the night to get home or get a hotel).
I really appreciate your advice. I’m planning to call BA asap. There goes that relaxed holiday feeling!!!
To add – I think the 45 min taxi from Heathrow to Gatwick is preferable to a connecting flight but my worry is more that we are now flying late on Monday and won’t be home until Tuesday when we are due back at work Tuesday morning – with no spare annual leave to cover it… so ideally an option to get us back into the UK earlier on the Monday would be ideal. Thanks again!
Thanks for the info that it’s Malaga.
Checking the BA flight status app there are 3 more flights to LGW that day that depart after yours (the 10.55) but trying to book a flight shows no club seats available for one person let alone 4 and the same with economy and no flights with connections available either.
I had a quick play and even splitting yourself into two groups of one adult and one kid doesn’t open anything really suitable either.
I’ve not checked the likes of easyJet who do fly to LGW (and also Luton which would be a one seat train ride to Gatwick) but BA won’t rebook you onto those (and then it gets complicated claiming those costs off BA). But I would assume they are full as well.
I had a look I can’t see any better option on BA. If they’re getting you back to London the same day I don’t think it’s going to be considered reasonable to try claim back Easyjet .
I don’t think they’d pay a hotel at Heathrow but they’d pay a taxi back which you could have directly drop you at your car. I’d arrange an Addison Lee to be waiting personally and do that, I wouldn’t want to have another night in a hotel and then the faff in the morning getting back. Note that if you try to check in advance they might say they won’t pay a taxi but plenty of data points around here and FT that they do pay out
Then depending on the reason for cancellation you will get your EU261 compensation and downgrade reimbursement + your meals in Spain whilst waiting (no alcohol)
Bags wise you’ll need to deal with at the airport but otherwise pay any fees and send that receipt to BA as well.
Out of interest what does your eticket receipt now say if you request it at finnair.com ?
Thanks for this. I’ve spoken to BA too and they are giving me absolutely nothing in terms of options…. And giving very little guidance on claiming expenses back. So I guess we take the flight they’ve offered, pay out what we have to pay out and hope for the best the other end…
We have no choice thinking realistically about the hotel; we land at 22.40, by the time we get our luggage we will have a 45 min drive to Gatwick and then a 3 hour drive home…. We just can’t do it 🙁
I’ll check Finnair website now, thank you
Just to add they won’t usually pay car parking overrun, but your travel insurance likely will (subject to excess) and I’d be careful about claiming any hotel expenses in Spain as the duty of care specifies overnight accommodation. But especially with kids I’d be arranging a late check out with the knowledge I’d be having a go with BA otherwise that’d be on me
Also if you haven’t already then you could just not accept the rebooking yet. Those seats are held. Then keep checking and maybe 4 seats will open up earlier and you can call/chat BA for a swap
Ah yes a 3hr drive, that’s different then!
From what I know and read BA are very reasonable about expenses so I’d put everything in with them for a claim but I wouldn’t be checking in the Sofitel unless I was willing to pay myself if it came to it
Thank you. We’ve chosen to accept our fate based on your advice and stick with what was offered. We’ve got a late check out and will see the €90 fee as the price for an extra days holiday if they won’t refund that… and the hotel in Heathrow I can definitely argue as reasonable I think… just the cases to worry about now! Thank you
Did you get your eticket receipt? I wasn’t sure what actually happens when they rebook & downgrade you, if it’s still a business class ticket (with a reservation in economy) then the agent may see the CE allowance and there wouldn’t be any discussion at all.
Good on the late check out.
I would count that as duty of care and claim it from BA.
Same with the LHR hotel. There is a more than reasonable case for BA to pay given you have two kids with you. I appreciate what @SamG wrote about it but I disagree because of the circumstances here.
And even if the flight lands on time it’s still going to be well after 11pm to clear passport control and wait for bags etc.
Oh I agree it’s reasonable and I think BA will pay both. Just that the wording of the regs doesn’t allow for either so I’d hate to see someone fork out for a bill they couldn’t afford and then didn’t get paid back for (like that lady in Paris in the daily mail recently!)
Thank you. I can’t get the E-receipt but I’ll keep trying! Really appreciate all your input, thanks so much!! Nicest forum ever 😉
If you still have your original booking email shows club then show them that.
Oh I agree it’s reasonable and I think BA will pay both. Just that the wording of the regs doesn’t allow for either so I’d hate to see someone fork out for a bill they couldn’t afford and then didn’t get paid back for (like that lady in Paris in the daily mail recently!)
I would agree with @SamG not to spend more on the hotel than you would be OK to lose as it is far from certain that they will pay in these circumstances. I think most of us would agree it would be ‘reasonable’ but BA may view that differently and the test under UK261 Article 9 is ‘necessary’ not ‘reasonable’. BA’s standard argument in these cases is that it’s not their fault that you live three hours away, so they often rely on the the second limb of the 1854 case of Hadley v Baxendale re ‘unusual loss’.
I ought to add that while Article 9 only states ‘necessary’ as the test, subsequent CJEU judgments add two further tests, such that overall test (in order) is ‘necessary, appropriate and reasonable’
If there’s any dispute re baggage and you are told you need to pay just do so and get receipt and claim back from BA afterwards.
I’m also not convinced BA will pay for a hotel at LHR or indeed LGW after your flight, that’s a consequential cost you choose to incur. Their responsibility is to get you back to a London airport. They will pay for a taxi from LHR to LGW to pick up your car but again you will probably have to pay and then claim it back.
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