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Do you have timeline turned on on google maps on your phone? You should be able to pull off your location history as further evidence for them. Not that you should need to!
I am against taking selfies on principle, but your experience is making me rethink that. Has it come down to this that we need to photograph ourselves with boarding gate screens in view and on planes, as kidnapped with today’s newspaper?
I once had a client that paid for me to attend an event and once I submitted the paperwork to their accounts payable for reimbursement they said they wanted a picture of me at the event.
I can only say it must be due to BA’s shockingly bad IT!
In this case it clearly has nothing whatsoever to do with BA’s IT – quite the opposite.
It is Iberia who are saying the passenger did not travel, BA are then correctly (as far as they are aware) cancelling the rest of the booking.
As an alternative to the hostage with newspaper selfie, perhaps we should start recording the ‘Welcome aboard flight xxx to yyy’ messages.
One further thought for the OP. Did you have any checked bags?
A reference number for a tracked bag which successfully made the flight would be either a pretty good argument that it’s owner did too or a major security breach.
One further thought for the OP. Did you have any checked bags?
A reference number for a tracked bag which successfully made the flight would be either a pretty good argument that it’s owner did too or a major security breach.
Good question but sadly not, just had carry on luggage.
@sturgeon – I think you may be getting a bit ahead of yourself with talk of £350pp cancellation compensation. From Madrid it’s only £220pp but that relates to the flight being cancelled (i.e. not operating) rather than your booking being cancelled.
It’s also difficult to argue you were denied boarding for a flight you actually travel on. BA also correctly cancelled your return booking, albeit acting on erroneous information. Thus BA has a potential defence.
In order to receive any reimbursement or compensation, it’s important to ask for the right thing and the right amount.
@sturgeon – I think you may be getting a bit ahead of yourself with talk of £350pp cancellation compensation. From Madrid it’s only £220pp but that relates to the flight being cancelled (i.e. not operating) rather than your booking being cancelled. It’s also difficult to argue you were denied boarding for a flight you actually travel. BA also correctly cancelled your return booking, albeit acting on erroneous information. Thus BA has a potential defence.
In order to receive any reimbursement or compensation, it’s important to ask for the right thing and the right amount.
That’s fine, I’m not expecting £350, it’s just what I read upon quick initial research but I can see this should be 250 euros (c. £220) What am I entitled to in this case if their partner erroneously claimed I didn’t board the flight and BA as a result cancelled the return?
I know nothing about EU261 rules but can’t they only cancel my ticket due to extraordinary circumstances outside their control and a no show dispute from Iberia doesn’t qualify as this?
@sturgeon – the cancellation of your booking doesn’t entitle you to anything per se. BA appears to have cancelled your booking in good faith, simply acting on incorrect information from Iberia, so BA isn’t technically at fault.
I’m pretty surprised BA has been unwilling to reinstate your seats and not sure how they will approach reimbursement.
The cancellation of your booking doesn’t come under 261 until such time as you are denied boarding.
@sturgeon – the cancellation of your booking doesn’t entitle you to anything per se. BA appears to have cancelled your booking in good faith, simply acting on incorrect information from Iberia, so BA isn’t technically at fault.
I’m pretty surprised BA has been unwilling to reinstate your seats and not sure how they will approach reimbursement.
The cancellation of your booking doesn’t come under 261 until such time as you are denied boarding.
Fair enough. Whilst we won’t know what they ‘could’ do, all I can do is provide various pieces of evidence before and after my ‘no show’ flight that clearly demonstrate as best as possible I did arrive in Madrid that evening. And that Iberia have made an error, possibly demonstrated by the fact that our seats were double booked and we were moved several times.
I’m happy to take it to small claims court if they don’t fully compensate. I’d love to be able to pull cctv evidence to show we boarded but it’s hardly a serious matter and that would never happen. I wonder if the lounge staff hold records when they scan you in as that’s another data point showing we arrived to the airport and went through security.
Otherwise there are train tickets (albeit no evidence we actually boarded), an uber receipt shortly after landing from Madrid airport, and I can ask our hotel to email confirming the time we checked in. I’m happy to show the what’s app messages between the other passenger and I joking about how shambolic the air stewardesses were when moving our seats repeatedly.
I have a nasty feeling your claim is going to be against IB not BA if the operating airline that will deny you boarding on your return flight is also IB?
If it was a BA operated flight that you were booked on for the return (even with an IB flight code) then you’d claim on BA which would be procedurally easier
I have a nasty feeling your claim is going to be against IB not BA if the operating airline that will deny you boarding on your return flight is also IB?
If it was a BA operated flight that you were booked on for the return (even with an IB flight code) then you’d claim on BA which would be procedurally easier
The OP has said that the return is on BA, but that doesn’t particularly help as BA isn’t at fault but has simply acted as any airline would upon notification of a no show. It’s not quite as simple as it might appear, even once it is conceded that the pax did actual travel on the outbound flight.
I have a nasty feeling your claim is going to be against IB not BA if the operating airline that will deny you boarding on your return flight is also IB?
If it was a BA operated flight that you were booked on for the return (even with an IB flight code) then you’d claim on BA which would be procedurally easier
The OP has said that the return is on BA, but that doesn’t particularly help as BA isn’t at fault but has simply acted as any airline would upon notification of a no show. It’s not quite as simple as it might appear, even once it is conceded that the pax did actual travel on the outbound flight.
I’d still expect that after raising a formal complaint and demonstrating supplementary evidence that shows it’s very likely I was on that flight even though they protest that I wasn’t, that they admit it was a mistake and as Oneworld partners BA compensate as the ticket was purchased from them but IB pay out. They’re so steadfast on the fact we were no shows I don’t know why they’d change their minds.
I’m guessing I can claim on travel insurance though. Should I be doing that first and let it start to process to then claim for compensation via BA, who sold the return ticket? I can put the compensation claim into IB at the same time as BA and they can figure out who’s responsible.
The problem here maybe compounded by two different IT systems unlike say Lufthansa Swiss Austrian, or Air France and KLM who share Amadeus with identical booking references.
Really they IB should be using the same as BA integrated but that would be a huge project …the migration of all dataSlightly off topic but I’ve noticed IB allocating seats in advance for free unlike BA sectors.
The problem here maybe compounded by two different IT systems unlike say Lufthansa Swiss Austrian, or Air France and KLM who share Amadeus with identical booking references.
Really they IB should be using the same as BA integrated but that would be a huge project …the migration of all dataSlightly off topic but I’ve noticed IB allocating seats in advance for free unlike BA sectors.
Good if they do allocate seats for free but I’ve noticed this morning since checking in and obtaining boarding passes they’ve changed our seats. I imagine this happened on the outbound hence us finding others in our seats but there has been no notification of the change so I’ve no idea how a passenger is meant to know unless they check the app again. I also wonder if this contributed to us being ‘no shows’.
If the booking was made via BA, then surely they’re on the hook for it, irrespective of whether it was IB or BA that messed up internally.
Whenever I’ve had a BA booked IB flight, it’s been the same poor check-in experience: start on the BA app/website, but get punted over to IB, even though it’s a codeshare flight with a BA flight number.
I had the experience of someone else being in my seat on a BA booked IB flight LHR-MAD a while ago, onboard they just moved me, but that means we both flew on a BP with the same seat on it. My BA return wasn’t cancelled, now I wonder if the other person came a cropper if they had a return!
BA are clearly at fault. JDB is once again defending the indefensible.
Did you check in hold luggage? The case tags would prove that you were there and checked in the bags, which is a couple of steps on from getting a boarding pass
BA are clearly at fault. JDB is once again defending the indefensible.
Both of your assertions are incorrect. I’m not defending anyone, but unless you grasp the facts properly and address the problem with a comprehension of those facts and the responsibility/liability of the parties, you won’t get a proper resolution. Countless claims fail because of incorrect finger pointing and overstatement of case.
If you booked with BA, then it is BA’s issue. There will be many data points BA/Iberia have that provide evidence you checked-in and boarded the flight. I’d suggest asking BA to look again, and reimburse you the cost of new tickets plus some compensation (probably Avios). Indicate otherwise you will raise a Small Claims case in 7 days, including asking for compensation.
As for EU261 compensation, I’d drop it as it will only confuse the issue. Technically, the flight wasn’t cancelled and you weren’t denied boarding. In actual case you knew you didn’t have a valid ticket and that it was cancelled – EU261 doesn’t really concern itself with ticketing issues.
I’d be surprised if BA don’t just pay you once you’ve reached the right person.
OP entered into a contract with BA. BA are in breach of contract.
Legality aside, a decent airline would have honoured the return ticket given the uncertainty as to their data.
This is why I now try to get paper tickets issues at the airport and hang to them.
I totally believe IB being that stupid. Their customer service is based on South America and many have never been on a plane (I say this because I had endless fights with them where they even went as far as staying one could not book seats in advance or tried to tell me I was on an Ib plane as the flight number was BA – codeshare-).
I recommend you Twitter (yeah!) then with a polite message explaining the situation (provide details such as IB reservation number not BA’s). The people on that account do have a brain and have helped me many times to sort more complicated issues. I suppose what you want from them is confirmation you flew the outbound.
OP entered into a contract with BA. BA are in breach of contract.
Legality aside, a decent airline would have honoured the return ticket given the uncertainty as to their data.
Your first paragraph is incorrect. BA was advised (erroneously) by Iberia that the passenger breached the contract by not taking the first flight, so BA was contractually entitled to take the step of cancelling. BA isn’t responsible for Iberia’s mistake when it’s acting as an agent.
As there are numerous posters talking most prematurely about legal action, one can’t really set aside the legalities, but you are right that BA should have resolved the situation as a matter of good customer service, without fuss once made aware of Iberia’s error. However, that is a different issue!
OP entered into a contract with BA. BA are in breach of contract.
Legality aside, a decent airline would have honoured the return ticket given the uncertainty as to their data.
Your first paragraph is incorrect. BA was advised (erroneously) by Iberia that the passenger breached the contract by not taking the first flight, so BA was contractually entitled to take the step of cancelling. BA isn’t responsible for Iberia’s mistake when it’s acting as an agent.
As there are numerous posters talking most prematurely about legal action, one can’t really set aside the legalities, but you are right that BA should have resolved the situation as a matter of good customer service, without fuss once made aware of Iberia’s error. However, that is a different issue!
Unfortunately BA are just taking Iberias data point for us being ‘no shows’ as fact. I can see why they would but equally this claims the passengers have been dishonest and when I present evidence including timestamped messages about the absolute mess that took place on board with us facing doubly booked seats, the uber receipt showing us leaving the correct terminal at Madrid about 45 mins after landing, email from the hotel confirming we checked in etc plus our Gatwick train tickets and journey history showing we made it to London Bridge on time, there’s more than enough evidence there to show that it’s extremely likely we were on the plane. I hope they have a record of scanning us into the BA lounge at Gatwick too. Otherwise, they’d be accusing of us of being airside at Gatwick, missing our flight and somehow booking a new flight that must have left the same time as our booked flight to somehow arrive at Madrid to take a departing taxi at the same time we would have we been on our original flight. If they do decline to fully reimburse new tickets and the cancelled return I cannot see why a small court claim wouldn’t go in our favour.
@sturgeon – neither BA, nor anyone here is saying you are dishonest!
Unfortunately a BA call centre agent isn’t empowered to act on whatever evidence you offer. Sadly these days people lie endlessly to BA, Amex etc to gain advantage, so the customer’s say so isn’t enough without further investigation.
You will get your money back! In the very unlikely event there’s a problem post here again; it’s not quite as simple as some gung ho posters suggest!
For what it’s worth, there was a poster here a few weeks back in a similar position who claimed to have attempted to check-in on the cancelled tickets, be refused, then travel on his rebooked ones and taken BA to MCOL for the denied boarding!
Sturgeon
“messages about the absolute mess that took place on board with us facing doubly booked seats, the uber receipt showing us leaving the correct terminal at Madrid about 45 mins after landing, email from the hotel confirming we checked in etc plus our Gatwick train tickets and journey history showing we made it to London Bridge on time, there’s more than enough evidence there to show that it’s extremely likely we were on the plane. I hope they have a record of scanning us into the BA lounge at Gatwick too. Otherwise, they’d be accusing of us of being airside at Gatwick, missing our flight and somehow booking a new flight that must have left the same time as our booked flight to somehow arrive at Madrid to take a departing taxi at the same time we would have we been on our original flight. If they do decline to fully reimburse new tickets and the cancelled return I cannot see why a small court claim wouldn’t go in our favour.”Thank you for making me chuckle at the mountain of evidence you have that you took the flight @Sturgeon. I’m very glad your flight back is with BA as, unless there is no one of any authority on duty for BA at MAD today, I am sure they will do the right thing.
Not worth bringing up with BA at all, but if things got really sticky and if you’d been forced to deal with Iberia and could prove you were on the flight, and I think this must be provable, I’d suspect the Spanish authorities wouldn’t be too impressed to know that Iberia couldn’t account for someone who actually was on a flight as this threatens air safety.
Please let us know how it turns out.
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