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AIBU?

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Original poster

To be really p****d off with British airways and my travel insurance

159 replies

NeedSomeAnswersPlease · 29/08/2024 13:08

Long story short our flight on Monday into Gatwick was cancelled. Instead we were booked to fly into Heathrow.

So we lost £250 on train tickets from Gatwick to home - train company and ticket issuer won't refund. Travel insurance refuse to refund as BA should be refunding. BA have refused to refund. Same with the £250 we spent on new tickets from Heathrow into London and then on to home.

So now we're basically £500 out of pocket without any recourse to receive a refund! Wtf do we do?!

OP posts:
Original poster
NeedSomeAnswersPlease · 29/08/2024 16:09

Refund is on the way. Not the full £500 but £400. Really surprised that as soon as I said I wanted to make a complaint it was done, yet they couldn't earlier?

Lesson learned on my part though for sure!

OP posts:
Gogogo12345 · 29/08/2024 16:05

Ohnobackagain · 29/08/2024 15:39

@NeedSomeAnswersPlease if your flight was cancelled with less than 14 days’ notice and you got to your destination more than 3 hours late you can usually make a claim even if they get you close to your destination. Use the free Resolver tool on Money Saving Expert - unlike some law firms you won’t be charged if you’re successful (or if not successful) …

Ubut if she had actually gone to her destination she wouldn't have been ore than 3 hours late so a moot point

sunsetsandboardwalks · 29/08/2024 16:03

BA is responsible for the costs of getting you from Heathrow to Gatwick (your original destination) - they're not responsible for any part of your onward journey to Devon.

The fact that you chose to go straight to Devon rather than via Gatwick (and therefore using your original tickets) isn't their problem and they're not obligated to pay for your choice.

KrisAkabusi · 29/08/2024 16:01

An airplane ticket is a contract to get you from Point A to Point B. Legally, it doesn't even have to be by air, they could put a bus on as long as they tell you beforehand and give you the option of going or not. BA changed your destination airport. They are still responsible for getting you to your original destination, which they would have done by refunding any train or taxi expenses between the two airports. Youve interpreted that to mean any train tickets, but its not the case. You might be lucky, going public on twitter might actually get a refund. But that would be BA going beyond what they are required to do.

Zen · 29/08/2024 16:00

Can you get a refund on your unused train tickets from the train company?

Sorry x post with yours above saying non refundable, I didn’t know that was a thing.

Original poster
NeedSomeAnswersPlease · 29/08/2024 15:59

pizzaHeart · 29/08/2024 15:57

I agree that you gave BA a way out of it at least because you put wrong figures.
You basically asked them : Im entitled to get £500 refund from you, surely?
And they answered: Nope.
And they are right in their answer to this question. You are not entitled to £500 refund from them. Put them a different claim ( re word your question) and you might be entitled to refund from them.

By the way so were your train tickets non refundable? Are you sure? Because sometimes they are not refundable but you can change time for the small fee which is equally good.

Yep non refundable, hundreds to change them - just a balls up all round, it was my fault for booking them early but it was the best deal

Twitter is seeming more positive though

OP posts:
pizzaHeart · 29/08/2024 15:57

I agree that you gave BA a way out of it at least because you put wrong figures.
You basically asked them : Im entitled to get £500 refund from you, surely?
And they answered: Nope.
And they are right in their answer to this question. You are not entitled to £500 refund from them. Put them a different claim ( re word your question) and you might be entitled to refund from them.

By the way so were your train tickets non refundable? Are you sure? Because sometimes they are not refundable but you can change time for the small fee which is equally good.

Original poster
NeedSomeAnswersPlease · 29/08/2024 15:51

@KrisAkabusi then they need to make that clear?

OP posts:
KrisAkabusi · 29/08/2024 15:51

Anthologist · 29/08/2024 15:49

That's not what the OP says.

Show quote history

It's not, but it is so unlikely any normal airline policy, that I believe she is mistaken or has misinterpreted it.

Anthologist · 29/08/2024 15:49

KrisAkabusi · 29/08/2024 15:48

They would have meant trains between the two airports, not to any destination of her choice. That will definitely be spelled out in any communication from them.

Show quote history

That's not what the OP says.

KrisAkabusi · 29/08/2024 15:48

Anthologist · 29/08/2024 15:40

Well then you just issue a Small Claims Court claim. You took the Heathrow flight on the basis that they had said they'd deal with any costs arising from changing rail tickets etc. Have you actually made it clear to BA that they promised in writing to cover your costs?

Edited
Show quote history

They would have meant trains between the two airports, not to any destination of her choice. That will definitely be spelled out in any communication from them.

Original poster
NeedSomeAnswersPlease · 29/08/2024 15:46

@Anthologist I have sent all screenshots to them on Twitter and asked it to be passed on to a human to actually get an answer

OP posts:
Anthologist · 29/08/2024 15:40

NeedSomeAnswersPlease · 29/08/2024 13:39

There wasn't another Gatwick flight that day, they said in their email that they would cover all incidental costs such as trains

Show quote history

Well then you just issue a Small Claims Court claim. You took the Heathrow flight on the basis that they had said they'd deal with any costs arising from changing rail tickets etc. Have you actually made it clear to BA that they promised in writing to cover your costs?

Ohnobackagain · 29/08/2024 15:39

@NeedSomeAnswersPlease if your flight was cancelled with less than 14 days’ notice and you got to your destination more than 3 hours late you can usually make a claim even if they get you close to your destination. Use the free Resolver tool on Money Saving Expert - unlike some law firms you won’t be charged if you’re successful (or if not successful) …

Original poster
NeedSomeAnswersPlease · 29/08/2024 15:38

LIZS · 29/08/2024 15:34

Could you not have used the Reading to Devon leg anyway? So just needed tickets from Heathrow to Reading?

Nope, train didn't pass through Reading (SWR v GWR)

OP posts:
KrisAkabusi · 29/08/2024 15:37

LIZS · 29/08/2024 15:29

I thought the airline was responsible for returning you to original destination airport, so should have funded taxi from lhr to lgw.

They would have done, but the OP chose not to make that journey. She also chose not to contact them to discuss alternative arrangements from the GP. I can understand her being annoyed, but this is absolutely not all on BA.

LIZS · 29/08/2024 15:34

Could you not have used the Reading to Devon leg anyway? So just needed tickets from Heathrow to Reading?

Original poster
NeedSomeAnswersPlease · 29/08/2024 15:32

Tiswa · 29/08/2024 15:30

What were your initial train tickets and what did you change to? I can’t see why the change between the two airports would mean a difference it getting to an inbetween station?

but no they don’t refund travel just the compensation which will cover it

Original were Gatwick to Clapham junction then to Devon, by the time we'd got across London we may as well have just got a train from Paddington as they're faster and get us home easier. Didn't realise BA wouldn't refund that despite saying they would

OP posts:
Tiswa · 29/08/2024 15:30

What were your initial train tickets and what did you change to? I can’t see why the change between the two airports would mean a difference it getting to an inbetween station?

but no they don’t refund travel just the compensation which will cover it

LIZS · 29/08/2024 15:29

I thought the airline was responsible for returning you to original destination airport, so should have funded taxi from lhr to lgw.

Original poster
NeedSomeAnswersPlease · 29/08/2024 15:27

Tiswa · 29/08/2024 15:22

Also hold on if you had train tickets from Heathrow to the SW surely you only needed to cover the bit from Gatwick to Clapham as ultimately you would be on the same train or have asked the train company if they would cover you getting a later train

but claim compensation it is a minimum of £220 each (depending on distance and delay)

Different operators, again we were going to drag ourselves on the tube

OP posts:
Original poster
NeedSomeAnswersPlease · 29/08/2024 15:26

@HunterHearstHelmsley thankfully yes, I just can't be bothered with any of the rigmarole to be honest. I just don't understand how they justify it

OP posts:
Tiswa · 29/08/2024 15:22

Also hold on if you had train tickets from Heathrow to the SW surely you only needed to cover the bit from Gatwick to Clapham as ultimately you would be on the same train or have asked the train company if they would cover you getting a later train

but claim compensation it is a minimum of £220 each (depending on distance and delay)

DappledThings · 29/08/2024 15:21

NeedSomeAnswersPlease · 29/08/2024 15:19

@DappledThings if they're gonna cancel flights so close to departure I'd assume they'd plan for things like this

Plan like getting you on another flight back to the same city? They did.

They didn't cancel the flight just for the fun of it.