The HfP chat thread – Thursday 10th December

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Frankie says:

10 Dec10 December 08:22

Just had my British Airways LHR to BNA flight cancelled for next September (10th)! Looks like they’re moving to flights only on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
- Ben says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 08:36
  
  Same here
  
  Was due to fly on a Wednesday in June in F with the half price Avios sale. Nice little bargain.
  
  Now been moved to club world on the Thursday. What are my options? Accept the flight? Or could I route say via Chicago and get a connecting flight to Nashville on AA?
  
  Would BA allow that?
  
  Thanks
  - Jonathan says:
    
    10 Dec10 December 08:56
    
    Since you’ve had a cancellation then you can ask for rerouting in F on a date suitable for you. You shouldn’t get much pushback on going via Chicago.
    
    If you had just been downgraded on the same flights then there’s no right to rerouting to preserve First.
    - Lady London says:
      
      10 Dec10 December 13:03
      
      or fly it and then claim the 75% refund you are due (do in that order). extensive posts on each day going back 1–5 days about this
    - Hugh says:
      
      10 Dec10 December 17:28
      
      Is that 100% definite rule? My F flight to YVR has just had an equipment change so I have been downgraded to J. I was vaguely contemplating trying to get moved to SEA, but looks like I don’t have that as a right.
KBuffett says:

10 Dec10 December 08:22

Has anyone stayed at Corinthia London recently? Is it safe, well staffed etc?
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 09:57
  
  I can’t imagine why any luxury London hotel wouldn’t be safe.
- AndyW says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 10:17
  
  Yes, and absolutely.
  - KBuffett says:
    
    10 Dec10 December 11:29
    
    The cleaning regime described by one of the readers here (who said he’s involved with documenting their cleaning policies) sounded woeful. Theory vs Reality
Ant says:

10 Dec10 December 08:48

Received my Meliá gift cards from Germany but when I try to register them online it gives me an error.
Called Meliá but the lady said they cannot do it on the phone and need to email them privacyatmelia.com but haven’t heard back yet.
Anyone had a similar problem?
- QRA says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 09:52
  
  If you have tried to allocate them under “Receive my Gift” then it will cause an error. If they are Amazon points got to page 2 under points and click on the Amazon tab and follow from there.
- TomD says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 11:17
  
  On the gift cards…to ‘maximize’ the validity I should register it 6 months after I get it right?
  - Super Secret Stuff says:
    
    10 Dec10 December 16:17
    
    Correct
gerry says:

10 Dec10 December 08:58

Hi, my outbound flights to San Jose in March have been cancelled, I booked via BA sale on 50% Avios offer using companion voucher.

I spoke to them last night and options giving where, refund via a FTV which I don’t want to do as will then need to rebook at double the avios or change to flight which is completed by end of June 2021, but she indicated I could change to another location with same zone.

Anyone else had any other experience ?
- Rhys says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 09:03
  
  There’s no reason under EU261 why they can’t rebook you past June 2021, so if you wanted to travel later I would push this.
  - gerry says:
    
    10 Dec10 December 11:53
    
    Do they need to honour reduced sale rate booked ?
    - Lady London says:
      
      10 Dec10 December 13:08
      
      you pay nothing more and no change fee if BA cancelled your booked flight.
      
      Not even if you only paid avios, 50% avios, and/or used a 241 or any other voucher. They are not allowed to charge you.
      - GERARD CREAMER says:
        
        10 Dec10 December 13:10
        
        Thanks Lady, just contacted them are they are not budgeting, i have tried to reroute to Vancouver which is in band 5 also and they stated its not possible as it is more than 300 miles from Costa Rica (original destination), any suggestions on how to sort this, go round in circles on call centre
      - Lady London says:
        
        10 Dec10 December 14:32
        
        @Gerard you have the right to be rebooked by BA free of any charge by an alternative route or on another airline on or reasonably near to your booked day if they’re not flying you on it any more even if the replacement flight costs more. This is a legal right.
        
        See various cases and postings in this daily thread about rerouting for today a f past 4 days but frankly today especially meta’s post and yesterday is probably in enough.
      - ChrisBCN says:
        
        10 Dec10 December 14:49
        
        Hang up, call again. Don’t pay them a penny – you are entitled to be rescheduled to a date of your choosing. Ask for a supervisor if they continue to mess you around.
        
        Don’t accept anything you don’t want, you will get what you are entitled too eventually.
      - Lady London says:
        
        10 Dec10 December 16:02
        
        could be a route BA’s dropping (although I think there must be cargo business from there).
        
        If so then they are responsible for a ticket on another airline.
rjn21 says:

10 Dec10 December 09:15

Amex shop small has appeared this morning in ‘my offers’ on all our family’s BAPP, primary and secondary cards.
- meta says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 09:23
  
  Yes, two days ago for me and my partner, but we had issues saving it. Now, we can. A few other offers mentioned here in the past few weeks have also appeared on some cards. I did complain to Amex and I suspect this is linked to the removal of some offers due to lockdown and the system inadvertently turning off all offers.
  - Pete says:
    
    10 Dec10 December 09:33
    
    I’ve been having a long-drawn conversation with AmEx complaints about this – will report on the eventual outcome.
- Rum says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 09:50
  
  Yes I got it too. I also raised a formal complaint with Amex last weekend. Saved the offer without any problems. Now let’s see if it triggers. No other offers, but happy to report that at least Shop Small is back.
- Phil says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 10:19
  
  Landed on my BAPP Supplementary today as well. Though it was on my wife’s BAPP from Friday. My guess is their customer service has seen a spike in people contacting them and they’ve forced it out to all cards.
PK says:

10 Dec10 December 09:17

Can we check in hand baggage and checked luggage with BA.I want to travel light on the aircraft as I am going to put few liquids/gels in hand luggage.
- Andrew says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 09:30
  
  Yes, you can.
  
  There may be an extra charge depending on your ticket. In normal times, on a busy domestic, BA will often invite you to check you hand luggage free of charge.
Idontfly says:

10 Dec10 December 09:20

With the FT reporting no travel to EU for British passport holders after Jan 1st, will BA start cancelling their flights to the Canaries? Thinking of leaving before the new year but now worried about not getting home!
- meta says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 09:26
  
  They might, but they might not. You wouldn’t have any rights (unless booked on BA Holidays) other than taking FTV.
- Andrew says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 09:33
  
  Government might run repatriation flights.
- Anna says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 09:40
  
  Individual EU member states can make their own decisions on this – I doubt very much Spain, Greece or Italy for starters will be barring UK holiday makers after the beating their tourism industries have taken this year.
  - Idontfly says:
    
    10 Dec10 December 10:02
    
    Thanks that’s my hope, booked flights with BA, otherwise will have to fly via Lisbon back home using TAP
  - marcw says:
    
    10 Dec10 December 11:33
    
    So far all countries have been following EC recommendations.
    
    I think Spain will follow EC recommendation banning UK residents, unless they have direct relatives living in Spain.
    - meta says:
      
      10 Dec10 December 11:45
      
      I believe only Croatia and Hungary haven’t been following at all times. Greece also briefly. In any case, I can’t see it happening before May/June when the summer season starts.
      - Anna says:
        
        10 Dec10 December 12:15
        
        The Canaries and Costa del Sol are year round destinations. If UK nationals were banned from there between January and April the economic impact would be huge.
      - The real John says:
        
        10 Dec10 December 12:29
        
        Croatia did its own thing because it is not in Schengen. Not sure Hungary did – they didn’t allow Americans in for tourism certainly
    - Anna says:
      
      10 Dec10 December 11:47
      
      I disagree – think of the outcry there was from Spanish hoteliers and restaurant owners because of the effect on business when the UK introduced the quarantine requirement for returniing to the UK from Spain in July. There are a lot of people in the UK who wouldn’t forget such a spiteful gesture and continue taking their business to destinations like Turkey, Egypt, the UAE and the Caribbean if they are compelled to change to these destinations in 2021. The only way they will ban UK visitirs is if Brussells agrees to compensate them for the financial loss – and I can’t see Germany, France etc agreeing to that.
      - marcw says:
        
        10 Dec10 December 13:13
        
        You know Spain is getting a massive chunk of the coronavirus recovery EU budget? There’s a reason for that.
        The Spanish budget for 2021, which was approved last week, is 57% higher that the 2020 (or 2019) one.
      - Anna says:
        
        10 Dec10 December 19:30
        
        Well thank goodness we’re not paying for that any more!
  - Lady London says:
    
    10 Dec10 December 13:12
    
    Would be surprised if France would ban Brits as quarantine is requested but voluntary. But perhaps I’m wrong.
    - Polly says:
      
      11 Dec11 December 09:52
      
      Agree. France is the most travelled to destination from the U.K. so l read recently. Let’s hope that will continue..
- Pete says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 09:41
  
  Remember individual countries can theoretically override the EU on this – an interesting test of how valuable the British tourist pound is!
  - Anna says:
    
    10 Dec10 December 09:46
    
    My guess is very. Few of them will be cutting off their noses to spite their faces.
    - Pete says:
      
      10 Dec10 December 09:54
      
      I’m with you, Anna. Although there may be something there about teaching the UK a lesson.
      - Anna says:
        
        10 Dec10 December 10:03
        
        I would bet on Spain for one telling Brussels that either the EU compensates them for the loss of tourist revenue or they will have to allow people from the UK to visit.
      - Andrew says:
        
        10 Dec10 December 11:06
        
        Would Catalonia really try and ban Scots when they both have they same cause?
      - Anna says:
        
        10 Dec10 December 11:20
        
        Andrew – Catalonia is not an EU member state so would currently have no say in the matter! The central Spanish government might actually want to ban Scots though, because at this time they are harbouring a Catalan fugitive from justice …
    - marcw says:
      
      10 Dec10 December 12:08
      
      I guess we will soon know regardless.
  - marcw says:
    
    10 Dec10 December 11:45
    
    My guess is that Spain has no epidemiological reason to include UK residents to enter after 1st January. UK is not a country with a COVID incidence in the grey area.
    Spain has taken a very sharp attitude towards entry restriction. The whole tourism industry is very unhappy with the PCR test pre-departure.
    
    I would have hoped that by now they would accept also antigen tests. Reality is the Spanish Government has not moved, and only allows PCR and TMA (transcription mediated amplification) tests to enter the country (now your certificates can be in german and french as well) and children bellow 6 don’t need to show the test (that’s new and was published earlier today in the BOE).
    - Anna says:
      
      10 Dec10 December 11:49
      
      Why is the tourism industry unhappy with the PCR tests? If they don’t think they are reliable, they could just refuse UK bookings. Yet they aren’t doing …
      - marcw says:
        
        10 Dec10 December 12:05
        
        The main reason is because they are expensive – quite often more so than the flight ticket (go and read all the opinion articles in he Spanish press from the head of Melia, Barcelo, NH,… Iberia, Vueling, and all the hotelier associations in the Canary Islands – main winter destination). Second, they are meaningless (you can still get COVID-19 from the time you took the test to the time you “enter” the country). And of course, the Government of the Canary Islands – which has issues a decree to allow antigens test for international visitors – but guess what, the Gov of the Canary Islands has no legislative power on international border access/restrictions (they do have on “national” borders – and they’ve gone so far to ban national tourism unless they have direct relatives living in the Canary Islands).
      - Anna says:
        
        10 Dec10 December 12:16
        
        So you’re actually saying the tourist industry wants less restrictions on Brits entering …
      - marcw says:
        
        10 Dec10 December 12:33
        
        Not only Brits, any tourists. But then, the travel/tourism industry doesn’t have the powers to convince the Spanish Goverment on legislation (they used to, during the Rajoy / PP mandate, but not in the current Sanchez / coalition / more Federal like Government).
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 10:00
  
  Scaremongering and politicking.
- BuildTheWall says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 11:47
  
  Good. State pension will be spent within UK economy.
  - Anna says:
    
    10 Dec10 December 11:50
    
    Or any of the other places which will allow you to go on holiday there next year!
  - Pete says:
    
    10 Dec10 December 13:38
    
    If only the state pension was enough to go on holiday…!
Graeme says:

10 Dec10 December 09:38

Whatabuy have just sent me dispatch notification of my purchase, which is exciting – mainly because it arrived last Friday.
- Phil says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 10:24
  
  That made my laugh… I get this with my Beerhawk purchases. Always fun to see how rubbish IT systems can be when it doesn’t impact you.
- AJA says:
  
  10 Dec10 December 12:51
  
  You might be extra lucky and get a second delivery!