V-Flyer

Hi all

Can someone tell me the compensation due for a BA flight that was cancelled 4 hours before departure?

Thanks

David

That depends on the reason for the cancellation and what, if any, the rerouting was. Can you give some more details?

Flight was “just cancelled” alternate offered was 18.00 hours into Heathrow tomorrow night - seemingly earliest available. Highland show causing chaos.

Didn’t quite fit with a 1pm departure with virgin from Gatwick tomorrow.

Advised to try easyJet if I needed to get down tonight. (Which we grabbed last seats at a horrendous price)

David

(Oh and now that’s been delayed an hour )

There's nothing BA or anyone else can do about snow sadly..!

SlimpyJones wrote:There's nothing BA or anyone else can do about snow sadly..!

That’s cheered me up and relieved the stress a little. It’s the Highland SHOW that’s causing chaos.

David

Ok, well your right to compensation will depend on why the flight was cancelled. If it was technical or operational you’ll be eligible under EC261/2004. If it was outside BA’s control - eg weather or ATC - you won’t.

If you ARE eligible, you can claim €250 per person.

IF BA’s alternative wasn’t suitable (which clearly it wasn’t), you may have been able to press them to rebook you on to the EZY at their expense. As you rebooked yourself I suspect all you’ll be entitled to is a refund for the cancelled flight plus any compensation if it’s due.

Thanks Gumshoe

It was a flat out nothing we can do any earlier. If you need to get down tonight try easyJet.

I suspect a little battle will commence but Amex might come to the rescue with their plat insurance

Thanks again

David.

David wrote:

SlimpyJones wrote:There's nothing BA or anyone else can do about snow sadly..!

That’s cheered me up and relieved the stress a little. It’s the Highland SHOW that’s causing chaos.

David

Hahaha, good grief - sorry about that... Serves me right for skim reading and not realising about snow in June...!

David wrote:Thanks Gumshoe

It was a flat out nothing we can do any earlier. If you need to get down tonight try easyJet.

I suspect a little battle will commence but Amex might come to the rescue with their plat insurance

Thanks again

David.

Sounds like the staff had a good cop out for avoiding their employers forking out flights for you under EU261 by suggesting you book it if you absolutely had to fly.

It may be worth putting in a claim and seeing what happens. I suspect because you took it into your own hands your hand has been weakened, but it's worth reading through the legislation and familiarising yourself with it case they try to weasel out of it. They tend to back down when someone fights back armed with the relevant quotes from the legislation because depending on the situation, they can't defend the indefensible when it's quoted back to them what they should be doing.

Good luck!

Strictly speaking they should have rebooked you with another airline if they didn’t have anything on their own network. To say “try easyJet if you have to get there tonight” and leave you to it is shirking their responsibility. They think most people won’t bother claiming so it might save them money.

I had this last year with Ryanair and they left pax to make their own arrangements, refunded us for cancelled flight but refused any help with rerouting and denied recompense when I put in a claim for rerouting costs I incurred. I took it to mediation with Aviation ADR and they upheld my claim and I got the difference back between the cost of my new flight and the refund for the cancelled flight, plus my costs to go to another airport and the €250 pp.
YMMV and it took several months but it wasn’t difficult.

Bretty wrote:Strictly speaking they should have rebooked you with another airline if they didn’t have anything on their own network. To say “try easyJet if you have to get there tonight” and leave you to it is shirking their responsibility. They think most people won’t bother claiming so it might save them money.

It could well have been the airport staff not knowing what to do, but whether it was a helpful (albeit wrong) response or deliberate it's still dodging responsibility. You're right though that they think most people won't bother, but I would also add that they may also think most people who put in a claim won't fight it if it's knocked back.

I had it last year with easyJet when my flight was delayed by 24hrs and they initially refused to pay back my expenses incurred during the delay for food/drink and travel to the airport (this is on top of the standard rate they are due to compensate you in the event of a lengthy delay) as the person handling it tried to claim I incurred those expenses "before/after travel". I replied back pointing out they were incurred during the delay and were only incurred because of the delay, as well as quoting one or two articles of the legislation. Another person responded agreeing to refund me.

Key thing (and it goes for any airline including VS for that matter) is to know the legislation and don't be afraid to quote the legislation itself if they resist paying out and you have legitimate grounds for a claim.

There is nothing in EU261 that says an airline has to book you onto another airline and nor IIRC are there any binding court judgments that say that either.