British Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (Image Credit: Heathrow)
British Airways has put in place a flexible rebooking policy for all passengers due to fly to / from the USA up to and including Saturday 11 April 2020.
This follows a decision by the Trump Administration to place travel restrictions on travellers from countries which are members of the Schengen travel area. This applies to all flights departing for the USA after 23:59 ET on Friday 13 March.
Passengers can rebook on to alternative BA flights to the USA up to Saturday 1 August 2020. Passengers can also change their departure, stopover and arrival airport. However, any consequential costs will be at passengers’ expense.
At the time of publication, refunds are not permitted. However, passengers can exchange their ticket for a voucher for future travel.
This policy also includes flights booked through BA on its codeshare partners American Airlines, Finnair and Iberia. Finnair has also announced it is cancelling all flights to the USA from 14 March to 12 April.
Also, at this time, BA flights to the USA are scheduled to operate. In the event your flight is cancelled, you will be entitled to a full refund.
Passengers can check the status of their booking using the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com. You can also contact BA by telephone to rebook . However, call volumes are very high. Unless you need to rebook urgently, it is best to wait.
If you are booked to fly with BA to / from the USA on a codeshare booking through another airline, such as American Airlines, you will need to contact the airline that issued your ticket to be rebooked.
Following the decision by the Trump Administration to extend restrictions on travel from the Schengen area to the US to the UK & Ireland from 00:00 ET / 04:00 GMT on Tuesday 17 March, BA is allowing passengers who are mid-journey and want to return home early to rebook. You can contact BA by telephone to rebook. However, your chances of getting through on the phone are very slim.
British Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (Image Credit: Heathrow)
British Airways has put in place a flexible rebooking policy for all passengers due to fly to / from India up to and including Tuesday 14 April 2020.
This follows a decision by the Government Of India to withdraw tourist visas from Friday 13 March until Wednesday 15 April 2020. Travellers of all nationalities from certain countries must also enter quarantine for a period of 14 days.
Passengers can rebook on to alternative BA flights to India up to Saturday 1 August 2020.
At the time of publication, refunds are not permitted. Nor are changes of departure airport / destination. However, if you have not yet started your journey, you can use the value of your ticket as part-payment for a future booking within 12 months of your original intended date of travel.
Also, at this time, bar frequency reductions between Heathrow and Mumbai, BA flights to India are scheduled to operate. In the event your flight is cancelled, you will be entitled to a full refund.
Passengers can check the status of their booking using the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com. You can also contact BA by telephone to rebook. However, call volumes are very high. Unless you need to rebook urgently, it is best to wait.
If you are booked to fly with BA to / from India on a codeshare booking through another airline, such as American Airlines, you will need to contact the airline that issued your ticket to be rebooked.
London Heathrow Terminal 5 (Image Credit: Heathrow)
British Airways has cancelled virtually all flights to and from Italy up and until Saturday 4 April 2020.
All BA flights to and from Bologna, Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa and Venice are cancelled. As are many flights to other airports such as Rome.
This follows news that Italy has been placed into quarantine to control the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Any BA passenger due to fly to and from Italy up to 4 April is entitled to a full refund, regardless of whether your flights is cancelled.
BA is also allowing passengers due to fly to and from any airport in Italy to fly to / from alternative BA airports in Europe. These include Geneva, Grenoble, Innsbruck, Lyon, Munich, Nice, Salzburg, Zagreb and Zurich. Passengers will be required to make their own way to / from the airport.
Affected passengers can check the status of their booking using the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com and should contact BA or their travel agent.
Note if you are booked to fly with BA on a codeshare booking made through another airline, such as American Airlines, you will need to contact the airline that issued your ticket for advice.
As this is a fluid situation the above guidance may be amended at any time.
British Airways First Class Cabin (Image Credit: British Airways)
British Airways has transferred its winter seasonal route to Male, Maldives from London Gatwick to London Heathrow from the start of the winter season in October 2020.
The route will operate from Sunday 25 October 2020 to Friday 26 March 2021. Flights continue to operate three times weekly, with broadly similar flight times.
The route will be operated with a larger Boeing 777-300 aircraft, with the addition of a First Class cabin.
As the route will operate under a new flight number any passengers with an existing booking will be notified that their flight has been cancelled and they have been rebooked on to the flight from Heathrow.
BA does also codeshare with Qatar Airways to Male via Doha and it is possible to passengers to combine direct and indirect routings if that is more convenient.
Any passengers with existing bookings can check the status of their booking using the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com and should contact BA or their travel agent.
London Heathrow – Male
Flight BA61 Depart London Heathrow 18:15 – Arrive Male 09:40 (Wednesday, Friday & Sunday) Flight BA60 Depart Male 11:45 – Arrive London Heathrow 18:10 (Monday, Thursday & Saturday)
London Heathrow Terminal 5 (Image Credit: Heathrow)
British Airways is continuing to cancel flights to regions around the world affected by Coronavirus.
The number of routes subject to cancellation is accelerating very significantly as counties impose entry restrictions. Given how very fluid the current situation is both in the UK and around the world it is not possible to have any clear visibility on flight cancellations more than 24-48 hours ahead.
During April and May 2020, BA is expected to cut its flight schedules by at least 75%. This will mean very many aircraft will be grounded and there will be a very limited skeleton service.
Given the increasing rate of border closures and entry restrictions, it is plausible that could at most be a limited skeleton service in April and May.
All passengers due to travel up to Sunday 31 May 2020 also have the option to change their booking without any fees, or exchange their ticket for a (non-physical) “voucher” for future travel. More details are at ba.com
At present, full cash refunds are only permitted if your flight is cancelled, or if BA has a specific policy in place for the region you are flying to / from, such as Italy.
If you are due to travel within the next 30 days to a region that is subject to travel restrictions, you do also have the option of changing your arrival / departure airport. 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 and should, if necessary, contact BA or their travel agent.
There is currently an extremely high volume of calls to BA’s call centres and, taking into account how quickly things are changing, unless the matter is very urgent (eg for travel within 72 hours), it is better to see how events unfold.
London City Airport
BA will suspend all flights at London City airport from Monday 23 March to Saturday 4 April 2020.
Passengers whose flights have been cancelled will be re-accommodated on flights at London Gatwick and Heathrow.
Argentina
BA’s daily flight from London Heathrow to Buenos Aires is cancelled from Monday 16 March 2020.
Cyprus
Flights to Larnaca and Paphos are currently suspended.
Czech Republic
As of Saturday 14 March 2020, flights from London Heathrow to Prague are continuing to operate, but with some cancellations, in spite of local entry restrictions.
China
BA’s flights from London Heathrow to Beijing and Shanghai are suspended.
BA had planned to resume a limited service in April. This is now very unlikely.
Denmark
Flights from London Heathrow to Copenhagen are continuing to operate, but with very significant cancellations due to local entry restrictions.
Germany
Flights to Germany are currently operating, but with extensive cancellations.
Hong Kong
BA continues to fly to Hong Kong, but with a reduced frequency of one flight a day.
Flights BA27 & BA28 continue to operate. Flights BA31 & BA32 are cancelled.
India
Flights from London Heathrow to India are currently suspended.
Israel
Flights from London Heathrow to Israel have been reduced from twice to once daily following entry restrictions by local authorities.
Flights BA165 & BA164 continue to operate. Flights BA163 & BA162 have been cancelled.
Italy
BA flights to all of Italy are cancelled until Saturday 4 April 2020 at the earliest.
Regardless of whether your flight is cancelled you are entitled to a refund or to rebook to up to and including Sunday 31 May 2020.
Passengers looking to leave / return to Italy can change their flight to / from the following airports: Geneva, Grenoble, Innsbruck, Lyon, Munich, Nice, Salzburg, Zagreb and Zurich. This is subject to local authorities allowing cross-border transit. BA has also secured a rebooking agreement with Alitalia for passengers looking to leave urgently.
Kuwait
Flights from London Heathrow to Kuwait have been cancelled from Thursday 12 March 2020 due to the temporary closure of the airport.
Norway
Flights from London Heathrow to Oslo are costing to operate, but with some cancellations, in spite of entry restrictions by local authorities.
Poland
Flights from London Heathrow to Krakow and Warsaw are suspended from Sunday 15 March 2020 due to border restrictions.
Saudi Arabia
Flights from London Heathrow to Jeddah and Riyadh, and between Abu Dhabi and Dammam are cancelled from Saturday 14 March 2020.
This isdue to restrictions on international flights.
Seoul
BA continues to fly from London Heathrow to Seoul.
However, it has cancelled the outbound flight, BA17, from London Heathrow on 8 occasions on 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25 and 27 March 2020. The inbound flight, BA18, is cancelled on the following day.
Again, if your flight is cancelled you are entitled to a refund. There are no other flexible rebooking policies in place for Seoul.
BA Airbus A319 aircraft at London Heathrow (Image Credit: British Airways)
Following reports of an outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Northern Italy, British Airways has introduced a flexible rebooking policy for passengers due to fly between any London airport and the airports below in Italy.
The airports are: Bergamo, Bologna, Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, Turin, Venice and Verona.
Florence, Pisa and Rome are not currently included in the scope of the policy.
Passengers due to travel up to Monday 2 March 2020 can rebook up to Tuesday 31 March 2020.
Passengers can also change their flight to BA operated services to/from Geneva and Zurich airports. However, any consequential costs such as ground transportation will be at passenger’s expense.
Refunds are not currently available, unless allowed by existing fare rules.
Update: BA is now cancelling selected flights to Italy. If your flight is cancelled you are entitled to a full refund.
Note if you are booked to fly with BA on a codeshare booking made through another airline, such as American Airlines, you will need to contact the airline that issued your ticket for advice.
Affected passengers can check the status of their booking using the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com and should contact either BA or their travel agent.
As this is a fluid situation this guidance may be amended or withdrawn at any time.
Update Monday 2 March 2020: This has been extended so passengers due to travel up to Sunday 15 March 2020 can rebook up to Friday 3 April 2020.
British Airways Boeing 747 Heathrow (Image Credit: Heathrow)
British Airways continues to change its long-haul schedules in response to the Coronavirus and weaking travel demand to Asia.
The airline has announced a number of changes for April and May 2020.
As there have been indications from airlines that demand is softening more widely, there may be further changes depending on how the Coronavirus outbreak evolves in the coming weeks.
Also, not all of these changes may be fully reflected in online schedules and bookings at the time of publication.
Beijing & Shanghai Route Suspensions
British Airways currently plans to resume flights to mainland China in mid-April 2020.
BA currently plans to resume flights from London Heathrow to Shanghai on Saturday 18 April 2019.
Flights will initially operate three times weekly, from Heathrow on Monday, Thursday and Saturday until Sunday 31 May 2020. The return operates to Heathrow on the next day.
BA also plans to resume flights from London Heathrow to Beijing Daxing on Sunday 19 April 2019. Flights will initially operate four times weekly, from Heathrow on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday until 31 May 2020. The return operates to Heathrow on the next day.
A flexible rebooking policy remains in place for all passengers due to fly to mainland China up to 31 May 2020.
Hong Kong
BA currently plans to maintain London Heathrow – Hong Kong at one flight a day until Monday 1 June 2020.
Flights BA27 & BA28, which are flown with the Airbus A380, continue to operate. Flights BA31 & BA32 remain cancelled.
Ordinarily, BA27 & BA28 and BA31 & BA32 swap aircraft on Sunday 29 March 2020. However, flights BA27 & BA28 will continue to operate with the A380 until 1 June 2020.
A flexible rebooking policy also remains in place for all passengers due to fly to Hong Kong up to 31 May 2020.
British Airways Airbus A350-1000 Club Suite (Image Credit: British Airways)
In a sign that the financial impact of the Coronavirus outbreak is being felt beyond Asia, British Airways has released 100,000 reward seats in its Club World long-haul business class cabin to members of the Executive Club.
This offer is valid for travel from Monday 24 February 2020 to Friday 31 July 2020. It expires on Monday 2 March 2020
It is theoretically on offer across all long-haul routes but is subject to availability.
It is not unusual for BA to release additional Club World reward seats. However, this is usually done over periods such as Christmas when business travel is seasonally quiet. This is a relatively aggressive promotion over five months.
This does suggest that premium travel demand is softening – some global events have been cancelled as a precautionary measure.
Long time BA flyers may recall some extremely aggressive frequent flyer promotions in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.
BA’s parent company International Airlines Group is due to announce its annual results on Friday 28 February 2020, where it will give an indication of the likely impact of Coronavirus on travel demand.
Members of the Executive Club can view details of this offer on ba.com
British Airways Airbus A380 Heathrow (Image Credit: Heathrow)
British Airways has cut one of its twice daily return flights from London Heathrow to Hong Kong until the end of May 2020.
This move is expected given the large fall in demand for travel to the region.
Flights BA31 & BA32, operated with a Boeing 777-300 aircraft, have been suspended until Sunday 31 May 2020.
Flights BA27 & BA28, which operate with the Airbus A380, continue to operate.
Whilst BA has said these flights are suspended until the end of May 2020, given the current situation, the period of cancellation may well be extended.
From Sunday 29 March 2020 until Saturday 24 October 2020, the two flights are supposed to swap aircraft with BA31 & BA32 operated with the A380. However, BA27 & BA28 will continue to operate with the A380 up to and including 31 May 2020.
Passengers whose flights have been cancelled should be re-accommodated on alternative BA flights.
BA also has a flexible rebooking policy in place for all passengers due to fly to Hong Kong up to 31 May 2020. All passengers can rebook onto alternative BA services to Hong Kong up to Friday 31 July 2020 or obtain a full refund.
Those passengers who have connections to/from Cathay Pacific and Qantas at Hong Kong will need to check their itinerary to confirm they meet minimum connection times.
Passengers can check the status of their booking using the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com and should contact BA or their travel agent.
Cathay Pacific Lounge Closures
Cathay Pacific has also announced that it will temporarily close some of its departure lounges at Hong Kong international airport from Monday 17 February 2020 until further notice.
These are: The Bridge at Gate 35, The Deck at Gate 6; and The Pier First Class Lounge at Gate 63.
The Wing First Class and Business Class Lounges at Gates 1 – 4 and The Pier Business Class Lounge at Gate 65 will remain open.
BA Airbus A319 aircraft at London Heathrow (Image Credit: British Airways)
British Airways is to return to Newquay with a new summer seasonal service from London Heathrow.
BA will fly from London Heathrow Terminal 5 to Cornwall airport Newquay five times weekly from Thursday 2 July to Monday 7 September 2020. Flights do not operate on Tuesday and Wednesday.
This is a return to Newquay for BA after a very long break. BA used to fly to Newquay from London Gatwick until well over ten years ago.
The flight times vary by day. Whilst Newquay will welcome this route for the connectivity it provides to the BA network, as well as a relatively short operating period, the timings are not great for connections.
Flights depart Heathrow early in the morning on Thursday and Saturday and in the evening Monday, Friday and Sunday. Though, this obviously does work well for weekend breaks.
The London – Newquay route has been in the news recently with the decision by Flybe to transfer its four times daily service to Newquay from Heathrow to Gatwick from Sunday 29 March 2020.
Flybe does operate this route with a public subsidy. It is also facing public scrutiny over its financial health. This does put further competitive pressure on Flybe at a time when the Government is considering providing financial support.
