To ask WWYD - flight home cancelled

[Twoshoesnewshoes]

Posting for traffic - we are in Sri Lanka and due to fly home on Friday 13th with Qatar airlines, via Doha, to London Heathrow.
we booked through BA -
both BA and Qatar are saying that flights up to 8th March can get a refund.
we think we can fly to Singapore then direct to London- there are not many flights available, and it would cost around £1400 each (double our original flight).

WWYD - should we wait and see if airspace clears over Middle East?
or book another flight while they’re available and hope our original flight remains cancelled?
we can afford it but that will be savings cleared out.
please help
YABU - hold tight, air space may clear
YANBU - book another flight now!

Hi Op, you could fly to Bangkok and then a direct flight to London, but I'd wait and speak to BA first as they have an obligation under English law to get you home.

Good luck...

For background one issue with KUL, SIN and BKK is they are going to the obvious options for people coming up from Oz and NZ looking to reroute (bet right now BA are regretting reducing capacity on that route)....

India routes to the UK tend to attract less long haul connecting traffic but can be pretty busy in their own right.

Hope it gets sorted.

I’d wait. A lot can change in ten days. Unless you are happy enough to take the hit of paying more for the other flights. In which case I’d wait until flights are cancelled and book the more expensive flights via Singapore then.

But I’m a tight arse so I’d find a cheap beach bungalow in Sri Lanka and wait for my original carrier to get me back at no extra expense and tell work sorry, can’t get back.

Depends how understanding work are likely to be. When it was the ash cloud I knew quite a few colleagues who couldn’t get back and work were ok about it.

I would not want to be flying over the Middle East at this time. Who knows what/where Iran will strike next.

via Kenya or SA if you get really stuck.

I would say to hold on as long as you can before you pay for any new flights yourself. If BA cancel your flight, they have a duty to get you on a new flight back. It's too early for them to cancel it yet because nobody knows what will be happening this Friday, let alone next Friday, so best case your flight goes ahead as planned (and if you're not on it you won't get a refund), worst case, BA will have to find a way to get you home. The fact you're with BA and not Emirates etc I think is a bonus as they are governed by EU rules. This page might be useful: holidayexpert.com/your-travel-rights-if-your-holiday-has-been-affected-by-the-middle-east-conflict/

I would wait and see. I have friends who have been in Dubai on holiday and flew back home last night with Emirates. Flights are resuming again.

Hanoi fly to London and its generally a cheap flight between Hanoi and Sri Lanka. You no longer need a visa for Vietnam and Vietnamese Airlines is pretty good.

You need to hold out for the cancellation though unless your prepared to lose the money.

BA will be wanting people who are in a position to to cancel to free up space for passengers who they have to reschedule.

This is worth looking at closely both for the flight you currently have and any other you may book as it may affect what rights you have for any subsequent issues.

I would hold out - they might instigate a rolling deadline of refunds if the situation continues.

DH is currently stranded in Cyprus with easyjet saying next available flight is Saturday. Called the insurers - Nationwide Flex Plus - via Aviva - who were beyond useless. First of all their IVR took me round in circles for 15 min until I kept saying "speak to someone" on the voice recognition then the guy told me this is a new situation and they are waiting for their underwriters to confirm what is and isn't covered so he said he couldn't tell me if they would cover an alternative flight home!

They don't insure war.

Which airline was this with? I’m heading towards a similar situation in a couple of weeks and hoping to just be rerouted.

Being back for work would be the last thing on my mind. Your employer cannot penalise you for being caugh tup in a situation involving a war that is beyond your control. Its not as if you have deliberately extended your trip to nab a few days holiday. Your safety is the main consideration.The worst you should lose is a few days pay. I would try to negotiate another route with the airline of hang on and wait to see what happens. Emirates and some of the other airlines have beenmanaging to get a few flights out.

Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) and Interruption For Any Reason (IFAR) coverage may still cover flight issues.

I would wait, they will rebook you if they do cancel and the 13th is a long way off.

You’d be second guessing with a rebook and it’s not any less likely to get cancelled. You would then be stressed by the rebook, and waiting for the cancellation that might not come. If you do rebook and have a choice, would go via India which has excellent connections from SL. You can also fly direct with SriLankan Air.

I’d wait a bit longer, but in the meantime check what alternatives might be available in terms of work and warn your boss that you might need to ask for some special
leave depending on how the situation develops.

Ok. I'm just going on what Simon Calder was advising on the BBC news.
Perhaps some airlines will be kinder.
However, it's worth trying your suggestions.

I'd sit tight.

One tip, somewhere like Skyscanner may just show the only alternative as Kuwait, but if you go onto Sri Lanka airlines and look where they fly to in say Europe, you might be able to get an independent connection from say Paris to London.

Qatar website has updated until the 10th now and will update again tomorrow. If you're with BA isn't there a direct flight back from Sri Lanka? Or with Sri Lanka/Air india airlines via somewhere?
If you cancel, you won't get a refund so I'd be holding out and hoping the airline cancels or puts you on another flight. I'm due to fly with Qatar in a few weeks via Doha and hoping it gets cancelled so I'm refunded.

Yes I won’t cancel
the BA one
oof trying to get flights from Delhi to London- they are literally disappearing as I try to book - like getting Kate Bush tickets!

@niknakw12

If you're with BA isn't there a direct flight back from Sri Lanka?

From memory it's only been an occasional on BAs network, last time I think it was an extension of their Maldives service, don't think it's on the network at all ATM.

or with Sri Lanka/Air india airlines via somewhere?

Again from memory think there's maybe one Sri Lankan service none-stop a day up to London.

Should be plenty of options via India (suddenly has a thinks bubble about Visas for any transit).

That said I think I'm still in agreement with the view that it's worth the OP holding on for a few days, if their nerves can stand it.

Originally Emirates. Now on a Thai Airways which Emirates booked automatically (same time and class).

Personally I'd get a refund and book a flight the other way, via USA etc. I'm not sure this is going to end quickly unfortunately.