The new HFP chat thread – Saturday 30th May

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• Waribai says:

  30 May30 May 06:35

  Slightly OT. We have LCY-EAS flights with BAon the new route for late August. How likely is it that BA still go ahead with this?

  • Rob says:

    30 May30 May 09:53

    August seems OK at the moment – no LCY cancellations so far. That said, it is always a desperately quiet month for them anyway as no business travel so it wouldn’t surprise me if they waited until September – unless they want to ramp up slowly.

    • Karen says:

      30 May30 May 11:56

      Hi Rob,

      I need to fly to the US (preferably LAX), from London by 8th of July at the latest, for immigration related essential travel. Which airline is my best bet for booking a flight with for early July, with a return trip at the end of the month?

      Many thanks!
      Karen

      • Rob says:

        30 May30 May 12:54

        Virgin is out. BA is your best bet I think – they are doing 1 x daily IIRC so even if one is cancelled you only get put back 24 hours.

      • Lyn says:

        30 May30 May 20:47

        Booking via BA, or even American Airlines, should give you a few options for re-routing in case your original flight gets cancelled.

        I don’t know if you plan use avios? If so, I find the Qantas web-site really useful for checking availability of OneWorld award flights because it shows a calendar of available dates in the different classes for a month at a time. Even if you are buying a revenue ticket it would give you an idea of the routes currently available. You do have to be a Qantas frequent flyer member to search, but it is free to join in the UK.

        • Karen says:

          31 May31 May 12:53

          Thanks for the tips!

  • Michael C says:

    30 May30 May 10:08

    Could always be asked to be rerouted to LGW-BIO if LCY cancelled?
    It’s Vueling, but hey-ho.

    • pauldb says:

      30 May30 May 11:54

      BA and Vueling both operate LGW-BIO.

• Bonzo says:

  30 May30 May 07:24

  I’m in a quandary. I tried to move my Virgin points to Hilton. A hefty amount. Virgin FC told me by text that they had moved them. They never showed up at Hilton. Now VFC say the points never existed in the first place! Fortunately I can show that did via emails from Award Wallet. It’s two weeks since last email from customer services saying they will get back to me. What do I do next? Can I make a small claims claim? I’m guessing I owned the points? Is there an Ombudsman for frequent flyer points? Any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated.

  • Chris says:

    30 May30 May 09:48

    I moved some recently. Requested from Virgin FC over WhatsApp on 2nd May. Showed up on the 14th May in my HH account.

    • Chris says:

      30 May30 May 09:49

      How long has it been?

      • Bonzo says:

        30 May30 May 20:02

        2 months. I was told the points had moved initially. When I queried after 30 days they said the points had never been in my VFC account.

  • ChrisBCN says:

    30 May30 May 10:01

    Picking up the phone and calling them would be a good idea right now!

    • TGLoyalty says:

      30 May30 May 10:21

      Completely agree. Phone is the only way forward.

    • Bonzo says:

      30 May30 May 20:01

      I’m beyond that stage. I was really wondering whether small claims was an option….I can’t see that there’s an Ombudsman scheme which is appropriate?

      • Lady London says:

        30 May30 May 21:56

        phone and escalation is best. something has gone badly wrong. call at the beginning of their opening hours early on the week ideally.

        valuation and proof is messy if you go to court or ombudsman I would really avoid this if poss

        take a look at flyertalk in case anyone else has same issue or in case there’s a contact listed there you can raise it with.

        When you call ask them to escalate

• Mark says:

  30 May30 May 07:32

  Any more news on the Barclays Premier/Avios tie up? Assume COVID has put this on ice for the moment but wanted to check I hadn’t missed it…

  • Rob says:

    30 May30 May 09:51

    It is still happening. We have the details but it is confidential. Let’s just say that the original May launch date is not now happening but it will definitely be launching in the next few months.

    • Isolde says:

      30 May30 May 10:47

      Hi Rob
      Slightly related – do you know when the current BA – AMEX contract is due to end?
      Thanks

      • Rob says:

        30 May30 May 10:51

        No

        • Isolde says:

          30 May30 May 10:54

          Thanks

    • d4ve says:

      31 May31 May 11:07

      Is there and advantage of not having a Barclays Prem to start with? I have one which is not used. Should I close or does it not make any difference?

      • Rob says:

        31 May31 May 11:10

        There will be benefits for existing account holders but obviously you won’t get the big sign-up bonus.

• Tim says:

  30 May30 May 07:56

  As all travel from the UK has to be essential talk about leisure flights is currently just talk! I have 12 seats booked on LGW to SZG on 18/7!

  • TGLoyalty says:

    30 May30 May 09:06

    It doesn’t have to be at all depends on where you live in the UK you are free to travel as far as you want and FCO advice is advice not law.

    • Alan says:

      30 May30 May 17:37

      As long as you have enough cash to cope with not having travel insurance of course.

• Johnas says:

  30 May30 May 08:02

  Tokyo getting culled? I think you need to go back to bed

  • Robert says:

    30 May30 May 09:18

    Ha very true, finally worked out my error, I had NRT still saved in my favourites and that was recently pulled. Updated to the new airport and it works fine.

• John W says:

  30 May30 May 08:05

  Out of interest, what is the general opinion of Business class price development going forward ? – There are some business class flights for dates I want around Christmas for £1600 on my preferred Airline Qatar (credit points to BA) – Only downside it is EU departure not UK. ( Which I have done many times)

  • John W says:

    30 May30 May 08:06

    Sorry , would help if I said, flights to BKK

    • Lady London says:

      30 May30 May 14:28

      Do people think BA is taking the p *** cutting Business and First Class offering on board to practically zero? or are they being more sensible than other airilines like QR and LH who are still maintaining their offering just serving ir slightly differently?

      • The Savage Squirrel says:

        30 May30 May 14:42

        If it’s safe to serve a tray of food …. then it’s just as safe whether it’s good or crap. So a plastic sandwich is just being mean.

      • ChrisBCN says:

        30 May30 May 15:09

        They seem to be operating on the principle that the people who are flying HAVE to take that flight so they don’t need to bother with service. It would stop me making future bookings though until they announce an end to it, I guess once more airlines return they will be forced to provide a service again. Pretty insulting really but probably most people aren’t aware of the cuts.

      • Peter K says:

        30 May30 May 19:30

        I suppose it depends on your personal appetite (no pun intended) to risk and the airlines appetite for risk.

        A sandwich can be held in the packaging with gloves on and eaten without touching the outside of the container with your mouth (I’ve seen it done), a plated meal has no doubt been touched more and potentially more risk of contagion.

        Do you take that risk? Does BA risk someone saying that’s how they got COVID-19, via a plated meal, and taking them to court (it could happen)?

  • BJ says:

    30 May30 May 08:13

    John, CW reward seats to BKK just popped up within the past hour for Thursday 10 December if those are any use to you.

• Bonzo says:

  30 May30 May 08:10

  Anyone know how long comments have been subject to moderation on here?

  • Rhys says:

    30 May30 May 09:04

    We approve the first comment and then you can post as much as you like. It reduces spam a lot.

    • Darren says:

      30 May30 May 19:17

      Did you see what you did there, #python

      • Peter K says:

        30 May30 May 19:49

        Boom boom 😁

  • Peter K says:

    30 May30 May 12:07

    Years

• Graham says:

  30 May30 May 08:22

  Just had a late June flight to Faro cancelled Anyone have an idea when BA will publish what their flight schedule will look like in July 2020 ?

  • BJ says:

    30 May30 May 08:31

    Looks like things will remain uncertain for UK travellers for a while yet. Greece opening from 15 June for visitors from 29 countries but UK is not one of them. Doubt other countries will see UK much differently until incidence of Covid-19 in UK falls further.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      30 May30 May 09:08

      Neither are Italian or Spanish travellers allowed in. I believe they are likely to open up to more countries in July time.

      • BJ says:

        30 May30 May 09:39

        More countries will open up to more other countries all the time as outbreaks within countries are brought under control. Hopefully such decisions will be made largely on public health grounds as opposed to political or economic grounds. If so, a principal factor will be Covid-19 incidence and at the moment we have no idea whether it will be low enough in UK in July, August or whenever to give other countries sufficient confidence to welcome UK travellers back. It will depend on how high other countries set the bar, and how successful we are in the UK in reducing incidence. I’ve always suspected that temperature is important, if true then hopefully that will help as we move into summer. However, it seems likely that the speed and extent to which the lockdown has been eased will be the main factor controlling the shape of the outbreak in the UK in the short term.

        • Rob says:

          30 May30 May 09:43

          Temperature is only an issue in that breath droplets carry further in cold air. Given how good the weather has been since March I doubt it will make any extra difference.

        • BJ says:

          30 May30 May 09:55

          It could also be an issue in survival time of the virus on surfaces. It could weaken the virus on surfaces too, rendering it more easily destroyed by handwashing etc. I have no experience of viruses at all, but that temperature impacts it in a number of ways is very likely.

        • Catman says:

          30 May30 May 10:11

          I am currently in Thailand, we have had little or no Covid 19 here notwithstanding the millions of Chinese tourists here when the pandemic broke out. It’s hot here is the main reason for no virus.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          30 May30 May 10:23

          Heavy sunlight = UV so perhaps something there too depending on the culture outdoor vs indoors etc.

          UK hospitality scene is by in large indoor with a bit of outdoor space and many other countries it’s completely the opposite.

        • J says:

          30 May30 May 11:04

          Brazil has plenty of sunlight…

        • AJA says:

          30 May30 May 12:00

          @J the trouble with Brazil is the proximity of millions of people to each other. And plenty of sunshine combined with the heat means many Brazilians stay indoors preferably in air conditioning so they’re not as exposed to sun as much as you’d think. Ironically vitamin D deficiency is high in Brazil. It’s only tourists and beachgoers who are directly in the sun.

  • Anna says:

    30 May30 May 09:19

    Spain has indicated that UK travellers will be welcome from July, not sure about Portugal. IMO, flight schedules will depend largely on what happens with the UK quarantine proposal. This is going to be the biggest deal breaker for travel this summer; the uncertainty it is creating for the travel industry is massive and I’m struggling to understand why the government is being so vague on how long it will last unless it really is the case that they want to keep people here for the summer!

    • Spaghetti Town says:

      30 May30 May 11:44

      And so it should last. scientists have already said the measures are being lifted too quickly.

      We don’t wanted any imported cases thank you. Nor would we wish to export any to other countries.

      • Lady London says:

        30 May30 May 13:49

        +1 economics on both ends of journeys are forcing governments’ hands.

        Anyone in a vulnerable group should still be sequestering themselves and trying to avoid travel and people outside of very very few to avoid indirect contacts with the disease. Given the 2 week incubation period each contacts and each of their contacts have. Autumn/winter will be a time for special care.

        But economically, what else can we do? For those not at special risk the losses caused by restrictions are too great for the vast human overpopulation on the planet. Nature has very obviously significantly recovered in many ways once humans stopped destroying it so much in lockdown. This vast majority of humans has to eat. And they must have their holiday no matter who they kill.

      • BJ says:

        30 May30 May 15:04

        Yes. Too many people, including to my surprise many here in HFP community, are a bit divorced from the reality of the situation we face here in the UK. The fact is that we have the highest death rate based on population from Covid-19 of any country in the world. Furthermore, the 7-day average deaths today remain the highest in Europe, significantly higher even than for Italy, Spain and France. Although comparison is difficult due to differences in testing, this suggests it is more likely than not that incidence of Covid-19 also remains significantly higher in the UK than in those other countries. Regardless of which airline plans this and cancels that, predictions of airline capacity, and idiotic press headlines proclaiming Boris has saved our summer holidays, UK travellers are going nowhere until overseas governments believe that we do not pose a significant additional risk to their own citizens, their other visitors and by extension their economy. For that to happen will require current downward trends in the UK to continue which will be dependent on the impact of easing the lockdown. Were the easing of restrictions simply to sustain existing incidence and deaths without causing a second wave, it seems unlikely that this would be sufficient for other countries to relax restrictions on UK travellersre if their rationale is typical of that which led Greece to arrive at its current decision.

    • Crafty says:

      31 May31 May 10:49

      Of course they want to “keep people here for the summer”. We are in the middle of a deadly pandemic. Haven’t you noticed?!

  • Hannah says:

    30 May30 May 09:32

    I think they have ready started. I’ve got a flight back from Amsterdam on 12th July and they’ve dropped the number of flights down from 11 to 4 as of yesterday

    • Harry T says:

      30 May30 May 15:09

      I had flights from NCL to LHR in mid July and they’ve been cancelled (I was very pleased about this because they were for a cancelled event – must say that organisers of the Hyde Park event have done a terrific job refunding everyone for tickets)

  • Dan says:

    30 May30 May 10:50

    I had Faro cancelled yesterday. Was out 10th July, back on the 17th.

    • memesweeper says:

      30 May30 May 14:04

      and mine to Central America early July isn’t cancelled…

      • Lady London says:

        30 May30 May 14:30

        yet

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