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Hi
My daughter and I recently flew back from Las Vegas with BA to Gatwick. Flight was over three hours late arriving due to a technical fault with the original aircraft due to collect us. BA have very quickly agreed to provide compensation at £260 per customer but I assumed that this would be €600 per customer.
The rules say they can reduce the compensation by 50%:
‘…if we can offer you an alternative flight route to your final destination with a new scheduled arrival time that doesn’t exceed the original scheduled arrival time by:
– Two hours for flights of up to 1,500km
– Three hours for all flights within the EU of more than 1,500km, and for all other flights between 1,500km and 3,500km
– Four hours for all other flights.’I don’t think the first two bullet points are relevant because the flight was over a much longer distance, but the third bullet point could be. However we weren’t offered an alternative flight. Was the onus on us to ask if an alternative flight was available or has the compensation been reduced for another reason.
I’d appreciate your advice.
I think so yes. On flights that distance it’s £260 for delay of over 3 hours and £520 for over 4 hours.
Since it’s not over four hours you’re not eligible for 600EUR (or £ equivalent) are you? So should be happy with getting £260 surely?
A delay of two-plus hours for flights of 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) or less
A delay of three-plus hours for intra-EU flights of more than 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) and for all other flights between 1,500-3,000 kilometers (932-1,864 miles)
A delay of four-plus hours for all other flightsYes, I think the confusion is with the length of delay. You don’t get the full £560 unless the delay is 4 hours +.
For a flight of that length the delay needs to be more than 3 hours for 50% compensation to be paid and more than 4 hours for the full payment
BA are correct.
To give credit where it’s due, BA have improved tremendously in this area. We had 2 x £260 paid within 3 weeks earlier this year, whereas our previous compo claim, in 2019, took CEDR intervention to convince them to cough up £560 each for a 5-hour delay.
Many thanks all for the speedy responses.
I’ve just been a bit confused about the four hour point, because on the BA Expenses and compensation page, that seems to be talking about an alternative flight route. Does the ‘alternative flight route’ mean the actual flight that we took (which was the scheduled journey rather than an alternative). Or am I completely reading this wrong or reading the wrong bit?
I think it’s for changes to your original booking on an alternative flight number which means you are delayed less than 4 hours but more than 3.
As it was just your original flight that was late I thought it’s 4 hours or nothing and I wasn’t aware of the 50% for 3 hr vs 4 hour delay. I’m sure an expert will be along soon
As above, we got £260 each for a delay of just under 4 hours to DXB in December. Not claiming to be an expert, just my “lived experience” as they say!
@TGILoyalty – see my answer above
BA wouldn’t have paid out if that wasn’t the correct interpretation of the various court rulings,
@TGILoyalty – see my answer above
BA wouldn’t have paid out if that wasn’t the correct interpretation of the various court rulings,
Thanks. I think I left this page on read too long before posting and missed some important detail.
I’ll keep that in mind for future delays.
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