The new HFP chat thread – Monday 6th April

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We have decided to run this new daily chat thread on Head for Points.

Historically, the daily ‘Bits’ articles were the defacto repository for random comments and questions. It is unlikely that the news flow will be so big over the next few weeks that we will need many ‘Bits’ articles, however.

The comments under this article are where you should post questions about travel and, indeed, anything else on your mind. At this tricky time, and given that many of you are stuck at home self-isolating, we want the HFP community to have a place to chat.

Please only comment under the main articles on the site if your comment is directly related to the topic of the article. This has long-term benefits as its keeps the commentary relevant for people who read those articles in the future.

By default, HFP shows the last page of comments under the article. If you want to see the first page of comments and read them all from beginning to end in order, click here: https://hfp2022.headforpoints.blog/2020/04/06/the-new-hfp-chat-thread-monday-6th-april/comment-page-1 The page will refresh with this article but the comments will now show the first page and not the last page.

We will continue to monitor how this is working:

we could potentially split it into a daily travel and non-travel chat thread

we may install some basic forum software

we may start suggesting potential topics for daily discussion

Let’s see how it goes. Take care!

Category

General

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Andrew says:

6 Apr6 April 11:41

My first flight of 9 returns over a 12 months batch of domestic OptionTown flights was due to be taken this Easter. Flight cancelled, non-essential travel banned anyway, elderly parents, who I’d be visiting and staying with, probably on lockdown for 12 weeks.

OptionTown are sorting out the cancellation back to the pool of tickets, I asked for a full refund on the batch on the basis that these are extraordinary circumstances. Flat refusal by BA to allow OptionTown to offer refunds – terms are no refunds once ordered.
- Lady London says:
  
  6 Apr6 April 12:04
  
  Has the route you bought the Option Town “carnet” for stopped flying? If so then can you find out since when?
  
  Is the Option Town package of flight calloffs you bought valid for a certain period within which you can call off flights?
  
  If so then when it’s known for what period or for how many days, when there would have been flights, but there were no flights on offer, I think I would say “you stopped flights for 3 months out of (months the pass was valid) or X/(total days the Option Town pass allowed flights to be booked) therefore I want x% pro rata of my money back and you can reduce the number of flights on the pass accordingly” as a starting point. There are reasons why you could ask for more over that.
  
  If flights are still running on your route throughout the period your pass is valid then it’s stickier but still not possible to argue for a partial refund you would just go about it a different way.
  
  I think you could present a reasonable claim for a refund for the service not being available but I suspect they’d try o give you an extension of validity at best. While I think you’re entitled to more it would be practical to accept that if you could. Give it a go it sounds like you are due something.
Spaghetti Town says:

6 Apr6 April 11:45

anyone topping up their isa today?
- Lady London says:
  
  6 Apr6 April 12:06
  
  @Shoestring will be – but this comment will be deleted 😉
  - Heathrow Flyer says:
    
    6 Apr6 April 12:47
    
    Haven’t heard from him in a few days – where has he got to?
    - Secret Squirrel says:
      
      6 Apr6 April 13:17
      
      Was he banned with the others last week?
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        6 Apr6 April 13:38
        
        I don’t think the others were banned so perhaps he’s taken voluntary leave
        
        Hope everyone’s OK in either case
      - Rob says:
        
        6 Apr6 April 13:39
        
        No-one is banned. It isn’t technically possible. All we can do is force someone’s comments into moderation.
      - Nick says:
        
        6 Apr6 April 23:16
        
        What happened?! Did I miss the fun?
      - Lady London says:
        
        7 Apr7 April 02:24
        
        Oh, some terrible, terrible trolls (fortunately gone or at least no longer signing on as such) were really rude about 8 days ago.
        
        I wasn’t even sure they weren’t actually writing some wind-up posts pretending to be Shoestring. @Shoestring is a much more sensitive soul than he looks.
rams1981 says:

6 Apr6 April 11:55

Heatjrow express – had a few tickets left on my carnet. They cancelled and provided a voucher lasting a year. Good service.
Ross Mitchell says:

6 Apr6 April 11:56

Advice needed on 2-4-1 cancellation
Have flights booked for early May to Charleston, but I expect these to be cancelled.
My first thought was to seek the refund, but that would only give me 6 months left on my companion voucher. Based on that I’m probably better getting the 12 month voucher.
Thoughts?
- Lady London says:
  
  6 Apr6 April 12:29
  
  Personally I would think about rerouting. Either soonish date to roll the dice on a further cancellation while I think about it or far out if I really want to travel there.
  
  Refund option is yours but does not protect you from price rises (cash ticket), “tax” rises or non availability of avios seats in future (if avios booking).
  
  Voucher also unattractive, as well as the usual reasons, because we don’t know what games or “dirty tricks” or restrictions BA will invent, for those in the future.
  - Ross Mitchell says:
    
    6 Apr6 April 13:03
    
    Thanks
    Any idea when BA will release flights for next May?
    - Secret Squirrel says:
      
      6 Apr6 April 13:17
      
      355 days out!
- Anna says:
  
  6 Apr6 April 12:51
  
  Companion vouchers are being extended by 6 months if that helps.
- AJA says:
  
  6 Apr6 April 13:20
  
  Ross, is the 6 months on your companion voucher the original expiry date of the voucher or after it’s been extended by 6 months? I think I would still go for the refund if the reroute doesn’t work for you, bearing in mind the reroute option is only for a period of -3 to +14 days from original date of travel.
  With the e-voucher you still have to find Avios availability to be able to use it and you have to call up to book rather than just book online as usual with an Avios booking.
  - Ross Mitchell says:
    
    6 Apr6 April 13:55
    
    I’m at the end of my companion ticket validity so the 6 months = the covid extension. Hence why I’m thinking about the 12 months via the voucher.
    - AJA says:
      
      6 Apr6 April 14:01
      
      Oh, that’s a tough one. I think in that case I might be inclined to go for the e-voucher unless you are likely to be able to use the “2-4-1” in the 6 month extension window.
  - Roger says:
    
    6 Apr6 April 19:49
    
    Probably not.
    I have a return flight (onward ticket already used, return flight this month is cancelled).
    My return flight date is on the expiry date of supposedly 6 month extn if considered.
    
    In this scenario, Avios team is suggesting that 241 will be compensated by extra avios for unused section. Not sure it will work though this way.
    - Chrisasaurus says:
      
      6 Apr6 April 22:20
      
      Potentially decent arbitrage opportunity if it were true…
Trevor says:

6 Apr6 April 12:58

Hi folks
We have BA LHR to Chicago May 22 with return from Miami on June 12th. I’m waiting for the cancellation[s] to claim a cash refund. How close do they get to the flight date before cancelling?
Thanks
T
- AJA says:
  
  6 Apr6 April 13:12
  
  It is usually anything up to T-36 hours. But are you sure your flights will be cancelled? I think both MIA and ORD are part of the 13 authorised entry points into the US?
  - Trevor says:
    
    6 Apr6 April 13:24
    
    Well I think there is only 1 flight a day to ORD in April [on a 777 and we’re on a 747]. If the US or we extend the no-fly rule then even if it flys I can’t get on it. What happens then?
    - AJA says:
      
      6 Apr6 April 13:53
      
      If your flight doesn’t doesn’t get cancelled or you get put onto the other flight, and you don’t want to or can’t travel, your option is to request a voucher which you can do up to 1 hour before departure, although practically I would request the voucher 3 hours before departure.
      - AJA says:
        
        6 Apr6 April 13:56
        
        Apologies for the repeated “doesn’t” in my post above!
      - Trevor says:
        
        6 Apr6 April 14:02
        
        Thanks for the advice. I’ll sit on my hands until mid May.
        
        T
AG says:

6 Apr6 April 13:11

FYI – For those who requested a voucher for an avios flight, a data point:

Prior to learning about the Javascript work around, I requested a voucher for a cancelled avios RFS booking I had made for £30+9k avios.

Last week I had to call BA (about another booking) and asked about the value of the voucher since it was an avios booking and the rep said the voucher “would have a value of £30 and 9,000 avios”.

Today I received the voucher confirmation email, but I also received the avios back into my account… so either that’s a mistake and voucher is still worth £30 + 9k avios or the voucher is only for the cash portion (which would make sense).
- AJA says:
  
  6 Apr6 April 13:15
  
  I think it’s a mistake and you’ve been lucky to get your Avios back. I understood that with the e-voucher option for an Avios booking they effectively kept your Avios and cash back from your original booking to be used against a future booking.
  - Secret Squirrel says:
    
    6 Apr6 April 13:22
    
    Are all the 777’s being used on the new LHR – MLE route been refitted with Club Suite?
    - TGLoyalty says:
      
      6 Apr6 April 13:41
      
      They were planned to be. Who knows what’s going to happen now.
  - BlueHorizonuk says:
    
    6 Apr6 April 13:27
    
    I dont think you are right. The travel voucher is for the cash part only. Avios would still be refunded back to you, they would convert the Avios into cash (this would be a disaster to their cashflow)
    - BlueHorizonuk says:
      
      6 Apr6 April 13:27
      
      *wouldn’t
    - Rob says:
      
      6 Apr6 April 13:37
      
      No, you’re wrong.
      
      The vouchers are NOT really vouchers. They are frozen tickets. If you had a 2-4-1 to Italy using a mix of cash and Avios, your voucher can ONLY be used for a 2-4-1 trip to Italy (or an equivalent in the same distance zone) using Avios and cash.
      
      It is madness to take a voucher if your booking involves a 2-4-1 and fairly mad if it involves Avios at all.
      - Ross Mitchell says:
        
        6 Apr6 April 13:56
        
        Madness due to lack of flexibility I guess?
      - Rob says:
        
        6 Apr6 April 14:50
        
        Yes – especially if you want to use your 241 for something more ambitious if we get a glut of seats later in the year.
Anna says:

6 Apr6 April 13:21

Media reporting that FCO is advising against all foreign travel, indefinitely 😢
- Rob says:
  
  6 Apr6 April 13:38
  
  That doesn’t legally mean anything, but it does help some people claim on their insurance.
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    6 Apr6 April 13:45
    
    It does mean your medical cover is voided or you have to fight for cover if you decide to travel for essential reasons though.
    
    FCO advice will be updated as soon as they know more and can literally be updated in hours of new news and easing of restrictions.
    
    FCO is doing the right thing right now to keep people at home.
    - Kev 85 says:
      
      6 Apr6 April 14:01
      
      Does it mean you might not be covered for future trips now?
      
      Eg if I booked a trip today for November as I booked at a time when the foreign office was advising against travel indefinitely
      - Anna says:
        
        6 Apr6 April 15:11
        
        You need to check your policy.
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        6 Apr6 April 16:47
        
        Re travel interruption for COVID19 I imagine it will as it’s a known event and a risk to book.
        
        For medical I really can’t see it.
Alex Metcalfe says:

6 Apr6 April 13:28

Anyone had a refund through from Avanti yet? Cancelled 6 upcoming bookings a couple of weeks back, but no monies received yet.
- AndyGWP says:
  
  6 Apr6 April 14:53
  
  Nothing here yet – the earliest I cancelled any tickets was 22nd March though
  
  A friend mentioned to me they are telling people it will take up to 28 days to be processed (IIRC) – not sure how he found that out though
  - Alex Metcalfe says:
    
    6 Apr6 April 19:46
    
    Thanks