"Downgrade" from old 1st to new business class

Back to Forum
Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 31 total)

  • AllOverTheGaff
    Participant

    Having held for 54 minutes last week to speak to BA about this situation, I was told by the World’s Least Favourite Airline that I should be due a refund but that I had to do so via my travel agency. So, I’ve laid into my travel agent via social media and they’ve responded that in fact BA will not refund me these flights at all, only the leg I am on will I be offered a ‘downgrade fee’. Having done a little research, I note the below from the CAA website.

    If you are downgraded, your airline must reimburse you within seven days. The amount you receive is calculated as a percentage of what you paid for your ticket, and depends on the length of your flight:

    For short-haul flights of less than 1,500km, you will receive 30% of the price of the flight.
    For medium-haul flights of 1,500km – 3,500km, or flights within the EU of more than 1,500km, you will receive 50% of the price of the flight.
    For long haul flights of more than 3,500km, you will receive 75% of the price of the flight.

    As the leg I am claiming for is from London to Dubai, I am unsure if this means from the above I am due a 50% or a 75% refund? The original flights on the same booking mean it is well over 3500 km….anyone know?

    Thanks.
    AOTG.


    TimFitzgeraldTC
    Participant

    Hi AOTG

    You should be offered a full refund if you don’t accept the downgrade – the agent should know how to do this. The CAA rules I think you are referring to is when you get downgraded inside 14 days of travel/on the day.

    If they are refunding the cost of the leg in question – you’d need your agent to give you a full breakdown of the fare structure to see what this would be. In terms of miles it is 3403 miles so comfortably over 3500km

    Hope that helps.


    AllOverTheGaff
    Participant

    Thanks so much for your advice Tim. I cannot begin to express to you how unhelpful British Airways are in a case like this. If ever I have encountered a “computer says no” mentality, 99% of the time it is when dealing with BA. My own fault I guess, I know how crap they are and still booked with them.

    I escalated to a manager today (in spite of the original agent being an obtuse moron) and all the manager would do was back up his colleague. It would be quite amusing were it not for the thousands of pounds I am out of pocket.

    Another lesson learned – call you and don’t book BA…..

    🙁
    Rgds.
    AOTG


    christopheL
    Participant

    A very British topic.
    Everything is about money and consideration.
    BA and their customers are both hard with money.
    But BA have a secret weapon : they know that their customers flying what they call « First » are more focused on consideration and recognition than quality of service.


    AllOverTheGaff
    Participant

    [quote quote=945199]A very British topic.

    Everything is about money and consideration.

    BA and their customers are both hard with money.

    But BA have a secret weapon : they know that their customers flying what they call « First » are more focused on consideration and recognition than quality of service.[/quote]

    I’m not sure I understand your post. It is not a typically British request to ask for the service I have paid for – would a German/Frenchman/American/South African be happy to buy a premium product but not receive it? Or like me, would they ask for a refund and book elsewhere?

    BA’s problem, as it has been for donkeys years, is that they care only about the bottom line. Their product offering and customer service are both poor to the point of dismal IMO, but when I checked this particular route, their 1st class fare wasn’t a whole hill of beans more than a rival’s business class fare and the flight timings suited me better so I took the plunge which has led me to this dark and murky path of being between a travel agent stating one thing and BA stating another.

    But the fact remains that I have paid for a flight service which is no longer available because of a change from BA’s end – ergo – BA are no longer providing me with the product I have purchased yet take zero responsibility for this change.

    This is the frustration.
    Rgds.
    AOTG.

    3 users thanked author for this post.

    christopheL
    Participant

    I can understand your frustration because you are not delivered the service you paid for. But as you said in your first post, poor service is BA’s signature dish !

    What I can’t understand is you wanting to get a full refund for the whole 6 leg « ridiculously cheap » ticket (instead of a downgrade fee for the sole LhR-DXB leg) because you were downgraded from the OLD 1st to the NEW CW on this sole 6 hour flight whose timetable was fitting your needs perfectly.

    And because « Not getting Concorde room would actually be an issue » why not spending the full day in the Concord room before flying First in the evening ?


    SimonS1
    Participant

    My understanding is that BA are basically correct here and that OP has no right to cancellation.

    OP has entitlement to 75% of the price of the LHR-DXB leg. The actual amount will depend on the price paid and what percentage of the overall distance is involved. But in rough terms the OP has 4 long haul legs, so 75% of 25% of the price paid may not be fair out.

    If BA don’t cough up then just head to CEDR.

    I do find some of the questioning of the OP a bit silly though. The ticket was booked in good faith, no doubt in order to allow him time to perhaps have a shower and resfeshments in CCR. That is very different to spending 12 hours in CCR, I wouldn’t wish that on my mother in law.


    christopheL
    Participant

    Would you wish your mother in law paying for spending 6 hours in the old « First » class instead of 6 hours in the new CW ?
    Naughty boy !!!


    SimonS1
    Participant

    [quote quote=945528]Would you wish your mother in law paying for spending 6 hours in the old « First » class instead of 6 hours in the new CW ?

    Naughty boy !!![/quote]

    No, but I don’t see what that has to do with this case. OP paid for First and got Business.


    AllOverTheGaff
    Participant

    No, but I don’t see what that has to do with this case. OP paid for First and got Business.

    Indeed, it was a good deal in 1st class, it isn’t at all a good deal in business. And I am not accepting BA’s interpretation of what that leg of the flight fare difference will be, I guarantee I will be offered a miserly sum and frankly, BA’s 1st class is passable, and I mean that it only just passable, but their business class is rubbish. I won’t pay them to fly business as they have cheapened the product and the staff on board by-and-large don’t give a toss.

    So, I shall leave it in the hands of my credit card company now as I have raised a dispute with them and give a guarantee that regardless of fare in the future, none of my travel arrangements will be with this airline.

    Rgds.
    AOTG.


    AllOverTheGaff
    Participant

    So, these flights are upon me now and it rather looks like I am being given no options but to accept the flights. I now need some advice:

    It is highly likely I won’t need the leg to / from Dubai – to remind everyone this is my routing:

    13th Nov – Leg 1) ABZ – LHR –
    13th Nov – Leg 2) LHR – GRU
    24th Nov – Leg 3) GRU – LHR
    25th Nov – Leg 4) LHR – DXB
    2nd Dec – Leg 5) DXB – LHR
    2nd Dec – Leg 6) LHR – ABZ

    Sadly, and I know I am opening myself up for ridicule, the fare I got was from the most woeful agency it has been my misfortune to deal with – a company by the name of TravelUp – if you get nothing else from this thread, please take my advice and avoid like the plague. I have completely given up on getting anywhere with these shysters. So, now I am asking some free advice from you guys:

    I no longer really need Leg 4, 5 or 6 and this is the leg BA have changed from 1st class to their new suite offering. I am considering booking a separate BA flight to ABZ or EDI (or maybe even a FlyBE) and just coming back on Nov 25th and not taking the Leg 4, 5 & 6 parts of my ticket. I can fight the case for refund post flight, for now I am considering if this will work before I book the new flight from LHR. Will the agent in Sao Paulo only book my bag to LHR if I ask? I can explain I no longer need to go to Dubai.

    Also, would there be any point in waiting and asking them to change once I get to LHR? Again, I would make the bag request at GRU.

    Any help appreciated, any “you should have done this” is a bit late, I am where I am.

    TIA.
    AOTG.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    We should be in the same lounge on the 13th in T5.. happy to drown sorrows over a glass or two…

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    AllOverTheGaff
    Participant

    [postquote quote=976985][/postquote]

    Hey Martin, Concorde Room is my lounge of choice at LHR if you fancy a bite to eat / champagne?

    KR
    AOTG.


    SimonS1
    Participant

    Once the journey has started the ticket will be under the airline’s control so you can ask for a change. That may or may not work for you depending on the change fees and any re-pricing applicable, if indeed the ticket is changeable. Worth asking I guess.

    You may or may not be successful in getting your bag checked to LHR. If it is one ticket then BA’s practice is to check bags through, however there are many examples of staff at outstations being flexible (many of them work for several airlines in a day, and may not give a shit about BA’s policy).

    Also I understand these discounted tickets put together by online agents can sometimes be a mixture of different coupons, even if presented to you as one ticket.

    Remember one other thing. Your bag will not go to Dubai without you, so if you are feeling unwell on arrival at LHR you can offload yourself. Your bag will inevitably be returned to you at that point. Technically if you walk away at that stage your ticket could be re-priced….if booked on ba.com this is rare, but the chances are a bit higher with an agency involved as they can reclaim any cost from the agency (and threaten loss of their ticketing facilities). If charged the agency will definitely pass it on.

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    [quote quote=976989]Hey Martin, Concorde Room is my lounge of choice at LHR if you fancy a bite to eat / champagne?[/quote]

    Will be in the Concorde from around 10.30am – on 13th. Departing after lunch..

    I do NOT want a repeat of my August experience when I missed my flight after bumping into a friend in the lounge…. 🙂

Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 31 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Be up-to-date
Magazine Subscription
To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below
Polls