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Hello,
I currently have an avios booking for 3 people LHR-SIN in business in April, it has been moved 3 times due to covid and it was made using a 241 voucher and a lloyds upgrade voucher
My wife is now pregnant and we cannot go due to our own circumstances as she will be too far along to fly, however there is not a single flight to singapore in business at all on rewardflightfinder
The 241 voucher booking seems to be a bit more flexible, but I was told that I can only fly to SIN on the upgrade voucher or cancel and loose the voucher
Because its a juggling act finding out what is possible over 2 different BA reward phone lines with different T&C’s I was wondering if anyone had any advice on what our options might be?
The only flight BA are flying to Singapore this summer season is the BA15 flight that continues to Sydney so CW rewards seats will be extremely difficult to get your hands on – November onwards should be easier. I believe RFF isn’t working – use seatspy or BA.com instead. However you may run into issues trying to push the dates out further as you’re supposed to fly within 1yr of booking and it’s a bit YMMV as to how this plays out with rebooked tickets.
Otherwise I believe you’d lose the Lloyds voucher – not sure what happens to these in a Future Travel Voucher though – hopefully someone on here could advise
The 2-4-1 is more simple – if you can’t do a straight change to the flights you want you can take a Future Travel Voucher and use this to Singapore or elsewhere before Sept 23. You’ve always got the option to refund out all the cash/Avios for £35pp
BTW congrats on the impending birth! I’ve got 2 on the way and Singapore is actually where we are planning our first big trip to – I used to live there so have friends to visit, everyone loves kids there & you’ve got access to excellent Drs and hospitals if ever needed
- This reply was modified 55 years, 3 months ago by .
You can’t put a Lloyds voucher booking into a FTV. Avios.com CAN move the date (and destination as long as it’s within the same zone) but it may depend on the willingness of a particular agent as someone posted recently that their request was refused.
When you say the flights have been “moved”, were these cancellations? If a flight is cancelled, and you don’t actually accept a rebooking (regardless of what appears in your account), you have the right to be re-routed at a date of your choosing which you might want to look into if applicable.You can’t put a Lloyds voucher booking into a FTV. Avios.com CAN move the date (and destination as long as it’s within the same zone) but it may depend on the willingness of a particular agent as someone posted recently that their request was refused.
When you say the flights have been “moved”, were these cancellations? If a flight is cancelled, and you don’t actually accept a rebooking (regardless of what appears in your account), you have the right to be re-routed at a date of your choosing which you might want to look into if applicable.Yes good point – the BA11 was cancelled, so if you had a booking on that and haven’t rebooked, then you could get what you wanted (though potentially you’d have to take it via BA Legal and then CEDR and MCOL but you’d get there in the end – you’ve a right to rebooking at your convenience). BA15 wasn’t cancelled and very likely wouldn’t be now, lots of dates are actually fully booked in CW in April down to Sydney
Some excellent points here thanks guys
The booking was cancelled due to covid in April 2020, then again in October, April again and then last October we moved it as it was possible to fly but nothing was open, to the current booking in April 2022.
It was originally on the BA11 but recently BA changed the times on the same day and moved us onto the BA15, the 241 booking received an email confirming the change, but the lloyds booking it just happened with no notification. I didnt think such a minor time change would qualify me to any flexibility in rebooking?
Some excellent points here thanks guys
The booking was cancelled due to covid in April 2020, then again in October, April again and then last October we moved it as it was possible to fly but nothing was open, to the current booking in April 2022.
It was originally on the BA11 but recently BA changed the times on the same day and moved us onto the BA15, the 241 booking received an email confirming the change, but the lloyds booking it just happened with no notification. I didnt think such a minor time change would qualify me to any flexibility in rebooking?
if BA changed your flight number then that counts as a cancellation. Meaning you choose any future date that suits you, noting SamG’s comments, and there does not have to be avios seats on the flight you want. Any seat being sold in your currently booked cabin (no matter how you paid for that seat even if you used an upgrade voucher) you have a right to on the date that works for you.
The thing is, to retain these rights to choose you must not have accepted the flight BA moved you to. It will show in MMB but provided you didn’t click or call to accept, you can choose.
You only get one chance to choose what you want for your whole booking, when the airline cancels a flight so this is why you must not accept till you’re sure. The date of the flight you booked can pass, you don’t have to make up your mind by then (though it’s a good idea to let them know you are replanning following their cancellation and will let them know, ifbthe flight they cancelled isn’t on the outgoing leg).
This has been very helpful thank you Both
I have spoke to BA and avios and can confirm BA will allow rebooking on any date available within 2 years and avios will allow rebooking up until the year anniversary of the original booking which is 6th of September
We tried to amend today but were told it is not possible to do due to a clause for cash tickets that states it must be within 3 days before and 14 days after the original flight 🙁
I can’t recall the original circs but BA often uses this nonsense to deny re-routing rights. If THEY cancelled the flight and you’ve not accepted an alternative previously, then you have full re-routing rights under UK261, which is discussed daily here!
@davet @NorthernLass is right. BA has no right to make time restrictions in law if they cancelled a flight. This has been covered extensively here including in tbe Daily Chat threads on the website preceding the forum.
Avios have said there is categorically no circumstance where an open cash seat would be offered for an avios cancellation, they offered to allow me to fly to a different airport in the region however all of them have no availability so they still offered me no other options at all than the default one I am unable to fly on. They believe the options of a flight on the same day or to cancel and receive my avios back but with no voucher is acceptable and it is up to me if I want to accept the flight or take a refund
I have raised the query directly as a compliant with BA as avios is just the travel agent but I doubt this will get far
I guess CEDR would be the next option?
Just to clarify before you get the wrong advice – has BA cancelled the flight since you last accepted the change to April or are you looking to change as your circumstances have now changed. The answer is very different in each circumstance.
If the latter you do not have have the full rebooking rights referred to by Northern Lass or Lady London.
If BA cancelled your flight or if they changed any flight number, whatever they or avios or anyone say, you have full rights to choose any other date(s) whatsoever that are convenient to you. Not, that are convenient to the airline.
Avios is talking b*ll*cks and trying to bully you. Yes you can follow the CEDR process or you can MCOL them.
@Sean Mc is right though. To keep your rights you must not accept anything else. You can let the date of the booking go by if they are being that b1oody-minded. Just, make sure they know you won’t be on the outward flight if that’s not the one they changed, as you are replanning following their cancellation and you will have to let them know ( or sue them online via mcol or take them to arbitration via cedr).
If you accepted anything then as @Sean Mc says, you would not have these EU261/UK261 rights and you’d have to do what they say or whatever is in the terms and conditions you would have received when you bought.
@sean MC I was booked on the BA0011 flight which was cancelled and all bookings were moved onto the BA0015 flight later the same day, I have not been notified of the change I just happened to see it in the app, the BA0011 flight still shows in my flights but with status cancelled. I have therefor not accepted the BA0015 option offered.
We are unable to fly the return flight as my partner would be too pregnant at that stage so we definitely will not be taking the fights in their current form and I have made that clear and asked for written confirmation that they are not willing to reach a settlement.
Excellent davet.
In future correspondence or formal steps I’d now want to address both the Avios company and BA jointly on everything.
For MCOL this would mean addressing a Letter Before Action to both, personally in this case I’d give them 30 days to ticket you as you wish as it seems you’ve probably quite correctly been pursuing this with Avios as they have been acting as your Travel Agent. If you bring them in with an LBA I’d not like them to say they didn’t have enough time to catch up. Then your MCOL names Avios and BA as defendants.
For CEDR I am not sure if Avios has chosen CEDR as their arbitrator too. But if so then same principle applies.
It’s borderline in this case as Avios and BA are so close behind the scenes. But hopefully this will get the attention of both parties who can fix it.
Let us know how things go.
PS just to reiterate Avios is still talking complete b*ll*cks.
Ok thanks DaveT – the 2nd bit (pregnancy) has no bearing on the outcomes re rebooking rights (but of course does re your chosen rebooking window) – BA have cancelled your flight so you have full re-booking rights – how you paid for them with vouchers is irrelevant (unless you want refunds).
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