What can I claim from BA?
Discussion
Hi guys. Just caught up after two weeks holiday in the states. Unfortunately, before we left we get caught in the BA strike and suffered a 24 hour curtailment. Whilst I'm not into this "compensation culture" I suffered a few losses as a result and wondered where BA will draw the line.
- One night in hotel, pre-paid before we left
- One days hire car, pre-paid before we left
- Airport parking was significantly more expensive due to last-minute booking (bit tenuous to claim??)
Been left stranded for a variety of reasons in a number of places over the years. You won't get anything off the airline other than out-of-pocket costs to cover your living expenses where you're marooned. So if the flight's delayed/cancelled in the UK overnight you'll get a hotel room (or reasonable accomodation costs reimbursed) and a meal, or costs to go home again and come back next day or whenever. The only thing in addition I've ever managed from an airline is left-luggage for ski gear I didn't want to drag back from the airport to the hotel and back. One time I was marooned at Heathrow and stuck in the Renessance I took a taxi/tube into London for something to do; they won't even cover that. You get a bed for the night, food, and transport to/from the hotel - end of.
The airline simply will not cover consequential loss - they will just point you towards your travel insurer. April before last I had an extremely expensive suite booked in San Francisco for the night of arrival before we drove up next day to the mountains. BA cancelled the connecting flight (not due to strike though), so I lost the room and 1 day's car rental etc., plus day in SF before heading off.
Now this should have been covered by travel insurance, only here's the rub - when I made the claim they asked why the flight had been cancelled. Not sure all the passengers knew, but it turned out one of the flight crew had called in sick and they couldn't get a replacement in time. I volunteered the information to the insurer - sick pilot - only to then be told that falls under the category of 'operational reasons', and 'operatons reasons' aren't covered by travel insurance! If I'd just played dumb and said I'd no idea as to why the flight was cancelled I'd been quite a few hundred quid better off.
No dount much more difficult to play dumb when there was a strike on, but be careful about volunteering too much information about the reasons to the insurers as they'll come up with any number of excuses to get out of paying. I've heard of folks having insurance claims refused when they made a BA booking after the strike ballot - strike wasn't therefore unforseen etc.
The airline simply will not cover consequential loss - they will just point you towards your travel insurer. April before last I had an extremely expensive suite booked in San Francisco for the night of arrival before we drove up next day to the mountains. BA cancelled the connecting flight (not due to strike though), so I lost the room and 1 day's car rental etc., plus day in SF before heading off.
Now this should have been covered by travel insurance, only here's the rub - when I made the claim they asked why the flight had been cancelled. Not sure all the passengers knew, but it turned out one of the flight crew had called in sick and they couldn't get a replacement in time. I volunteered the information to the insurer - sick pilot - only to then be told that falls under the category of 'operational reasons', and 'operatons reasons' aren't covered by travel insurance! If I'd just played dumb and said I'd no idea as to why the flight was cancelled I'd been quite a few hundred quid better off.
No dount much more difficult to play dumb when there was a strike on, but be careful about volunteering too much information about the reasons to the insurers as they'll come up with any number of excuses to get out of paying. I've heard of folks having insurance claims refused when they made a BA booking after the strike ballot - strike wasn't therefore unforseen etc.
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