Downgraded….£30 compensation!

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  • openfly
    Participant

    A few days ago my BA LHR-AMS was cancelled.

    I was rebooked on the next flight and collected my new boarding card.

    It was only as I approached security that I noticed that I had been downgraded to a middle seat in economy from Club Europe…nothing had been said at the desk, no apology, no explanation, but that’s BA these days. I went back to the desk in the First Wing to be told that the flight was full and that is the only seat available.

    I enquired about a refund. Oh yes, you get a credit voucher for £30, as though they were doing me a favour.

    I decided not to travel due to “flight disruption” and received a proper refund.

    £30 for a downgrade… that can’t be correct!!

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    capetonianm
    Participant

    It can happen that the lowest fares in C are lower than the full Y fares. Since it is impossible for a passenger to have a retroactive view of availability and the resulting fare level for a specific journey, it is hard to make a valid comparison.

    £30 seems is ludicrous, even if it is the correct calculated difference, but my guess would be that it’s just a standard amount that they offer for a s/h downgrade. If they wanted to be fair and treat customers decently, but we know they don’t, the compensation would be that nominal amount, plus a voucher for an upgrade on a future s/h segment. Until Alex is consigned to the scrapheap of aviation history where he belongs, BA will not change its niggardly attitude.

    4 users thanked author for this post.

    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    Openfly

    Out of interest, as you cancelled the trip.

    EC261 and a court case (see reference at the end) says you are due a percentage of the fare for the sector involved (pro rated if one of two or more flights with connections), but that is on the base fare and doesn’t include government/official taxes. In this case it would be 30%.

    Given the low base fares that BA charge for some discounted CE tickets, I could actually believe that £30 could be correct (= £100 base fare, before taxes, for one way only), but if it happened to me, I’d want a full breakdown so that I could see that YQ (carrier imposed fee) is included in the base fare (and thus the compo) and not finessed as a tax.

    However, the £30 is required in cold hard cash, not a voucher (unless you agree to that).

    This is an area where I don’t think EC261 is great, the airlines are incentivised to downgrade you, as the penalties are very low on flights under 1500km. Even for 1500-3500km, the compo is only 50% and often that may not reflect the total fare differential between the classes.

    http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?docid=180681&mode=req&pageIndex=1&dir=&occ=first&part=1&text=261%252F2004&doclang=EN&cid=363385#ctx1

    3 users thanked author for this post.

    GivingupBA
    Participant

    I would be absolutely hopping MAD if I was only offered 30 quid (being a voucher only makes it worse) for being downgraded from Business to Economy, on any airline, no matter how short the flight – what an insult, not worth having and not fair no matter what the pricing rationale is by BA.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    I see the snowflake reporting of inappropriate comments is still occurring, post my mini break.

    There’s nothing inappropriate about capetonianm’s comments on Cruz, it’s his opinion and not offensive in anyway.

    Time for me to take another break, can’t be doing with this type of rubbish.

    7 users thanked author for this post.

    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    [quote quote=895824]It can happen that the lowest fares in C are lower than the full Y fares. Since it is impossible for a passenger to have a retroactive view of availability and the resulting fare level for a specific journey, it is hard to make a valid comparison.[/quote]

    For me, the reason I fly Business and pay extra, is for the extra space afforded by having no-one next to me on s/h flights. Take that away and I’d also choose not to fly. I hope at least you quaffed a good quantity of food and drink in the lounge Openfly?

    [quote quote=895885]I see the snowflake reporting of inappropriate comments is still occurring, post my mini break.
    There’s nothing inappropriate about capetonianm’s comments on Cruz, it’s his opinion and not offensive in anyway.
    Time for me to take another break, can’t be doing with this type of rubbish.[/quote]

    Fully agree with he first part FDOS, but not the second. Your break has been long enough, time to come back with your acerbic (said in the nicest possible way) wit and general knowledge 😉

    PS. Many apologies, I just reported your post when I meant to copy and quote it!!! Maybe the same happened with whoever reported Cameroonians post? It has happened before.

    7 users thanked author for this post.

    canucklad
    Participant

    One other thing to consider openfly…..
    Firstly, it’s a scandal that BA’s modus operandi is as welcome to their customers , as holding a fox convention in a chicken coop.

    What I think you should consider is the price differentiation at point of purchase, not point of refund. Buying a ticket in “Y” at the last moment, is definitely at the apex of its fare!!
    And if you add on your CE entitlements that price will go up, and up. Not forgetting the cost of your stale sandwich and warm lager!!

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    capetonianm
    Participant

    I would be very sorry to see FDOS leave us, his contributions are valued and useful. I am not saying this because he and I often agree, we also often disagree, but we are all to here to express and share opinions, even if they are unpalatable to others.

    I do not mind at all if people disagree with me and report my posts, but what really annoys me is that people do so anonymously, which is cowardly (do they think I’m going to come and attack them with a panga for disagreeing?) and unhelpful. I’ve said before that reporting posts should require a name and a reason.

    7 users thanked author for this post.

    CathayLoyalist2
    Participant

    Capetonianm +1


    capetonianm
    Participant

    It has just occurred to me that someone might have thought that ‘niggardly’ is a pejorative term for black persons!


    TheRealBabushka
    Participant

    Who cares about £30. The loss of 30 TP would be more of a concern!


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    [quote quote=896068]Who cares about £30. The loss of 30 TP would be more of a concern![/quote]

    Won’t happen, ORC (original route credit) will provide those, though it might (probably will) require a call to customer services.


    openfly
    Participant

    @FDOS….interesting info. Are you saying that if a flight is cancelled then the Tier Points are still earned? I will contact BA and claim the Original Route Credit….thanks.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    [quote quote=896151]@FDOS….interesting info. Are you saying that if a flight is cancelled then the Tier Points are still earned? I will contact BA and claim the Original Route Credit….thanks.[/quote]

    No, I’m not saying that, they will not credit you for flights not flown – however if you are re-routed onto another airline or downgraded, they will top up the tier points so you don’t lose out.


    TiredOldHack2
    Participant

    [quote quote=895970]It has just occurred to me that someone might have thought that ‘niggardly’ is a pejorative term for black persons![/quote]

    I have used ‘niggardly’ in meetings, on occasion, and the frozen faces are wondrous to behold.

    Nothing compared to careful use of the word ‘ligger’, though. That’s a dying term now, mostly used by ageing journalists, like me. It means ‘freeloader’: in hackery terms, somebody who’ll go to the opening of an envelope if here’s free food and drink. Actually, Charlie Peattie, who draws the ‘Celeb’ cartoon in Private Eye, signs himself off as ‘Ligger’ on that strip.

    Anyway, the phrase ‘the ligger in the food pile’, used correctly and at the right time, is marvellous, if you want to irritate the usual right-on bleeding hearts.

    2 users thanked author for this post.
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