British Airways Disruption Archives – Page 5 of 6

BA Club World to Club Europe Downgrades

Selected BA medium-haul flights will operate with a Club Europe, rather than Club World cabin, from late January.

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BA Club Europe Seating (Image Credit: British Airways)

A number of British Airways medium-haul flights from London Heathrow which ordinarily operate with BA’s Club World cabin will operate with a Club Europe cabin on selected dates in late January and early February 2019.

No specific reason has been given. However, it’s a safe assumption that aircraft shortages are the cause.

These flights are usually operated with Airbus A321 aircraft with a unique 23 seat business class cabin in an alternating 1-2 and 2-1 configuration. BA has been progressively converting these aircraft into its standard short-haul configuration.

BA Airbus A321 Business Class

This means that Club passengers will not have the benefit of a fully flat bed with in-flight entertainment. Leg room will be reduced very significantly. The meal service routine will also follow the standard of Club Europe.

Affected passengers do have the option of changing their flight to an alternative date. Moscow does also have an alternative daily flight: BA235 / BA234. However, full or partial refunds are not available.

BA is likely to resist any claims for downgrade compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004.

The disrupted flights are as follows. Note this is subject to change. Affected passengers should contact BA or their travel agent.

Amman

Flight BA147 / BA146 – Thursday 24, Thursday 31 January, Saturday 2 February 2019

Beirut

Flight BA149 / BA148 – Sunday 27 January, Sunday 3 February 2019

Moscow Domodedevo

Flight BA237 / BA236 – Tuesday 22, Tuesday 29 January 2019

Update: Tuesday 11 December 2018

BA has since updated its guidance to advise that Club passengers who travel on a downgraded service will be entitled to claim a proportion of the fare as a refund by request after travel has been completed.

Air Belgium to operate Heathrow – Dubai for British Airways

Air Belgium is to operate one of British Airways’ daily flights from London Heathrow to Dubai from 1 November to 14 December 2018.

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Air Belgium Airbus A340 aircraft (Image Credit: Air Belgium)

Air Belgium’s Airbus A340 aircraft is becoming something of a fixture at London Heathrow Terminal 5.

Having already wet-leased an Air Belgium aircraft to cover London Heathrow – Cairo and London Heathrow – Abu Dhabi, Air Belgium will cover one of BA’s three daily return flights from London Heathrow to Dubai from November to mid December 2018.

One outbound flight, BA105 from London Heathrow to Dubai, will be operated by Air Belgium from Thursday 1 November to Friday 14 December 2018. As will the inbound flight, BA104 from Dubai to London Heathrow, from Friday 2 November to Saturday 15 December 2018.

The flight will be operated by an Air Belgium A340-300 aircraft. The overall service standard should be similar to that of BA.

Update 20 November 2018

The extent of the wet lease has now been extended to Saturday 30 March 2019 for flight BA105 and Sunday 31 March 2019 for BA104.

Rebooking Options

All passengers have the option of rebooking on to BA’s two alternative return flights to Dubai (BA107/B106, BA109/BA108) as close to your original date of travel as possible.

Full refunds are not available to any passenger, unless allowed by the original fare rules.

First Class Passengers

There is no First Class cabin on Air Belgium aircraft.

Unless passengers rebook on to an alternative BA service, they will be downgraded to business class and receive a partial refund of their fare. Passengers will still have a First Class baggage allowance, earn the Avios and Tier Points of the First Class fare, and have access to First Class ground facilities such as the Concorde Room at London Heathrow.

Alternatively, passengers can use the value of their ticket towards the purchase of a new ticket to an alternative destination.

Update: BA has since updated its guidance to advise that First Class passengers are entitled to a full refund. Passengers can also rebook on to a BA operated service to Abu Dhabi. However, any consequential costs such as ground transportation will be at your expense.

Premium Economy Passengers

There is no premium economy cabin on Air Belgium aircraft.

Unless passengers rebook on to an alternative BA service, they will be downgraded to economy and receive a partial refund of their fare. Passengers will retain their original baggage allowance and Avios earning entitlement. Some passengers may also be upgraded to business class.

Alternatively, passengers can use the value of their ticket towards the purchase of a new ticket to an alternative destination.

Update: BA has since updated its guidance to advise that premium economy passengers are entitled to a full refund. Passengers can also rebook on to a BA operated service to Abu Dhabi. However, any consequential costs such as ground transportation will be at your expense.

Passengers can check the status of their booking using the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com Affected passengers should contact BA or their travel agent.

Air Belgium to operate for BA on London Heathrow – Abu Dhabi

Air Belgium is to operate British Airways’ daily service from London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi from 15 September to 4 October 2018.

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British Airways is to wet lease an aircraft from Air Belgium to cover its daily flight from London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi from mid September to early October 2018.

The outbound flight BA73 from London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi will be operated by Air Belgium from Saturday 15 September to Thursday 4 October 2018. As will the inbound flight BA72 from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow from Sunday 16 September to Friday 5 October 2018.

Update 25 September 2018:

The period of the wet lease has been extended. BA73 from London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi will be operated by Air Belgium until Wednesday 31 October 2018. As will BA72 from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow until Thursday 1 November 2018.

No specific reason has been given for the wet lease. However, given the route is ordinarily operated with a Boeing 787-9 aircraft, it’s a safe assumption that the grounding of these aircraft is the cause. BA has previously wet leased aircraft to cover London Heathrow – Cairo.

The flight will be operated by an Air Belgium A340-300 aircraft. The overall service standard should be similar to that of BA.

Rebooking Options

All passengers have the option of rebooking on to an alternative BA operated service to Abu Dhabi within 14 days before, or after, the wet lease operation.

All passengers also have the option of rebooking on to a BA operated service to Dubai within 3 days before, or after, the wet lease operation. However, any additional costs such as taxis, will be at your own expense.

Full refunds are not available to any passenger, unless allowed by the original fare rules.

First Class Passengers

There is no First Class cabin on Air Belgium aircraft.

Passengers will be downgraded to business class and receive a partial refund of their fare. Passengers will still have a First Class baggage allowance, earn the Avios and Tier Points of the First Class fare, and have access to First Class ground facilities such as the Concorde Room at London Heathrow.

Alternatively, passengers can use the value of their ticket towards the purchase of a new ticket to an alternative destination.

Premium Economy Passengers

There is no premium economy cabin on Air Belgium aircraft.

BA has advised that most premium economy passengers will be downgraded to economy and receive a partial refund of their fare. Passengers will retain their original baggage allowance and Avios earning entitlement. Some passengers may also be upgraded to business class.

Alternatively, passengers can use the value of their ticket towards the purchase of a new ticket to an alternative destination.

Affected passengers can check the status of their booking using the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com

Air Belgium to operate for BA on London Heathrow – Cairo

Air Belgium is to operate British Airways’ daily service from London Heathrow to Cairo over three days in early September 2018.

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BA has confirmed that it is to wet lease an aircraft from Air Belgium to cover its daily flight from London Heathrow to Cairo over three days in early September 2018.

The outbound flight BA155 from London Heathrow to Cairo will be operated by Air Belgium from Monday 3 to Wednesday 5 September 2018. As will the inbound flight BA154 from Cairo to London Heathrow from Tuesday 4 to Thursday 6 September 2018.

As its name suggests, Air Belgium is based in Brussels and it flies from Charleroi Airport in Southern Belgium to Hong Kong three times weekly.

The flight will be operated by an Air Belgium A340-300 aircraft. The overall service standard should be similar to that of BA.

Premium Economy Passengers

Oddly, in its update for the travel trade BA have advised that there is no premium economy cabin on the Air Belgium aircraft.

However, the Air Belgium website indicates that it does in fact have a premium economy cabin!

BA has advised that most premium economy passengers will be downgraded to economy, but with their original baggage allowance and Avios earning entitlement, to be added retrospectively. Affected passengers will be entitled to claim a refund for the fare difference. Some passengers may also be upgraded to business class.

If this is not acceptable to any passengers, there is the option of rebooking onto an alternative BA operated service between London and Cairo on an alternative date. Affected passengers can check the status of their booking using the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com

Qatar Airways to operate for BA to Delhi, Kuwait & Muscat

Qatar Airways is to operate BA flights between London Heathrow and Delhi, Kuwait and Muscat from early June to August 2018. There will be significant changes for all passengers.

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Qatar Airways Logo (Credit: Qatar Airways)

Qatar Airways is to operate selected British Airways flights from London Heathrow to Delhi, Kuwait & Muscat between June and August 2018.

This is in response to additional maintenance requirements to the engines of BA’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet which has already resulted in extensive cancellations to Doha as well as Los Angeles, San Jose and Tokyo Narita.

Flights operated by Qatar Airways will be operated by Qatar Airways A330 aircraft and its pilots and cabin crew. The aircraft will not have a First Class or premium economy cabin. In addition, there will be differences to special meals and other aspects the in-flight service. All flights will continue to operate from London Heathrow Terminal 5.

Rebooking options are available to passengers, including on alternative routes and airlines. However, these depend on which cabin you are booked in.

Please note this guidance is based on BA’s advice first issued to the travel trade on Monday 4 June 2018. It has already been subject to change and will no doubt continue to be so.

Affected Routes & Flights

Delhi

Qatar Airways will operate BA’s daily Boeing 787-9 service to Delhi:

Flight BA143 London Heathrow – Delhi (Saturday 9 June – Monday 20 August 2018)
Flight BA142 Delhi – London Heathrow (Sunday 10 June – Tuesday 21 August 2018)

BA will continue to operate flights BA256 and BA257 between London and Delhi with a Boeing 777-200.

Kuwait

Qatar Airways will operate BA’s daily Boeing 777-200 service to Kuwait:

Flight BA157 London Heathrow to Kuwait (Saturday 9 June – Saturday 30 June 2018)
Flight BA156 Kuwait to London Heathrow (Sunday 10 June – Sunday 1 July 2018)

Muscat

Qatar Airways will operate BA’s daily Boeing 787-9 service to Muscat:

Flight BA79 London Heathrow to Muscat (Saturday 9 June – Monday 20 August 2018)
Flight BA80 Muscat to London Heathrow (Sunday 10 June – Tuesday 21 August 2018)
Continue reading “Qatar Airways to operate for BA to Delhi, Kuwait & Muscat”

How to submit a claim for expenses following BA flight cancellations

How to submit a claim for hotel, meals and ground transportation expenses following BA flight cancellations on Sunday 10 December 2017.

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On Sunday 10 December 2017, there were extensive cancellations to British Airways flights at London Heathrow due to snow. These continued into Monday morning due to aircraft and crews being out of position.

If you have incurred expenses on hotels, meals, ground transportation and communications you can submit a claim for these online:

You can simply do this by submitting a claim through the BA website.

You will need to have details of your booking to hand, and be able to submit copies of your receipts (either by post or electronically) and provide details of an account to which the refund should be transferred.

In terms of submitting a claim for compensation under EC Regulation 261/2004 there is general guidance on compensation and a claim form on the BA website. BA has not, to our knowledge, made any official comment on the eligibility of passengers affected by cancellations to make a claim for expenses.

Separately, BA is allowing all passengers due to fly on Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 December the option of a full refund or to rebook up to Monday 18 December. This is regardless of whether your flight is cancelled. To check the status of your booking, use the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com Also, see ba.com for the latest flight operations news.

BA Cabin Crew Strike Suspended

The planned strike by BA cabin crew has been cancelled.

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British Airways has confirmed this afternoon that the planned industrial action by some London Heathrow cabin crew from Friday 16 June 2017 to Monday 19 June 2017 has been cancelled.

This means that all flights from all airports are due to operate as scheduled and there will be no planned cancellations. This also means that any changes to bookings over the planned strike period can only be made in accordance with the fare rules at the time of booking.

This does not preclude the possibility of any further industrial action but Unite, the union which represents BA cabin crew, is required to give 14 days’ notice to BA.

Update 16 June: A further 16 days’ industrial action has been called for Saturday 1 July to Sunday 16 July

Are you looking for more up to date information on possible flight disruption? Visit our Disruption Advisory Page for more information.

How to claim for hotel & travel expenses following BA flight cancellations

How to claim from British Airways If you have incurred expenses following cancellations and delays to your flights.

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British Airways Logo (Image Credit: British Airways)

The fall out from BA’s weekend IT meltdown continues with the share price of its parent company IAG falling on the stock market and the airline facing questions over its decision to outsource many of its IT functions.

One issue that is likely to run and run is what damages affected passengers are entitled to and what expenses BA is liable to reimburse.

How to claim expenses from BA:

If you have incurred expenses on hotels, meals, ground transportation and communications you can submit a claim for these online:

You can simply do this by submitting a claim through the BA website.

However, BA has remained silent on entitlement to claims for compensation under EC Regulation 261/2004 and refunds for passengers who booked alternative flights themselves

After Saturday’s cancellations BA did eventually rebook passengers on to other airlines.

However, many passengers took matters into their own hands and booked alternative flights directly with other airlines. These would be substantially more expensive than through reciprocal agreements between airlines. See for example:

It's a full refund for substitute flights I'm after https://t.co/rQsCAmSdaH

— Jancis Robinson (@JancisRobinson) May 30, 2017

BA has not, to our knowledge, published a formal policy on this. We suspect that this, and the matter of EU compensation under EC Regulation 261/2004, is likely to run for some time yet and will probably not be resolved without passengers instigating legal proceedings.

However, in terms of submitting a claim for compensation under EC Regulation 261/2004 there is general guidance on compensation and a claim form on the BA website.

Update: Since this article has published BA has confirmed that it will consider claims for compensation under EC Regulation 262/2004. The airline will also consider claims for refunds who booked themselves onto flights operated by other airlines.

BA Computer System Crash: Heathrow & Gatwick Flights Monday 29 May 2017

Guidance for passengers due to travel from Monday 29 May 2017

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British Airways Logo (Image Credit: British Airways)

Following the crash to BA’s computer systems worldwide on Saturday 27 May 2017, BA has issued the following guidance to affected passengers and passengers due to travel from Monday 29 May 2017.

This guidance is as of 09:30 BST Monday 29 May 2017 and may change overnight/early morning as the situation remains fluid.

Travel on Monday 29 May 2017

Continue reading “BA Computer System Crash: Heathrow & Gatwick Flights Monday 29 May 2017”

BA Computer System Crash: Heathrow & Gatwick Flights Sunday 28 May 2017

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British Airways Logo (Image Credit: British Airways)

Following the crash to BA’s computer systems worldwide on Saturday 27 May 2017, BA has issued the following guidance to affected passengers and passengers due to travel from Sunday 28 May 2017.

This guidance is as of midnight Sunday 28 May 2017 and may change overnight/early morning as the situation remains fluid.

Travel on Sunday 28 May 2017 and Monday 29 May 2017

Continue reading “BA Computer System Crash: Heathrow & Gatwick Flights Sunday 28 May 2017”