BA refusing to pay compensation

[hellmannsnotheinz]

Would appreciate advice from anyone with similar experiences

We had two flights cancelled in succession with BA - both with less than 4 hours notice.

It meant that we effectively lost out on two days of our holiday.

They are saying it was due to "unavoidable constraints placed upon our cabin crew" and are refusing to compensate us.

Anyone else in this position and know whether we have a chance of getting anything if we persevere?

I would have thought there was standard compensation (sorry, not helpful) but have you travel insurance? They should have some kind of compensation for missed holiday time. Hope you eventually got there Old had a good time.

Different situation - we missed our flight due to airlines negligence. We managed to get the ombudsman (sorry can't remember proper name) to agree, but the only refund we got were the concrete costs - replacement flight the next day, and taxis. We didn't get anything for missed night in hotel, and 1 days car hire.

I think if the reason the flight was cancelled was not their fault they don't pay compensation. Best checking though and not take my word.

Definitely push it. Airlines don’t have to pay compensation if the reason for the cancellation was outside their control. This includes things like strikes, volcanoes erupting etc. Cabin crew issues are squarely within their control. Many airlines will try to wriggle out of it but will pay up if you don’t let it go.

google Resolver. V helpful will explain what you are entitled to and help you claim if you are.

I second using resolver. Last time BA cancelled my flight I used this site and got compensation within a day.

Best hope might be that you are eligible for a fixed amount of compensation (used to be ?600 euros) under whatever now, post Brexit, passes for EU261...there are a few websites out there offering guidance, though I suspect they might come with fees attached if you use their services.

Decoding the BA statement it sounds as if they were short of cabin crew (unfortunately that's credible ATM) so they may have a get out by claiming that the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided by any reasonable measures.

Good Luck.

Can you claim on travel insurance instead?