The HfP chat thread – Thursday 26th August

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• GoodExperience says:

  26 Aug26 August 12:34

  Advice needed please. If my wife has a BA 2-4-1 companion voucher that expires on 1st October 2021, is it correct that she can book an Avios flight between LHR and EDI for example redeeming the voucher, then cancel for a Future Travel Voucher, then use that voucher to book Avios flights in late October. Would that work?

  • AJA says:

    26 Aug26 August 12:37

    Yes. Although she will have to phone BA to redeem the FTV against the flights in late October.

• Harry T says:

  26 Aug26 August 12:38

  Posting here as well, in case it gets missed on the MAN article:
  Is the fast track security at Manchester worth paying an extra £3.75 per person for? This is an offer I’ve been given as an add on to the official Manchester airport car parking, which also seems well priced at £67.15 for eight days.

  Any promo code suggestions for official MAN parking also gratefully received.

  • Blair says:

    26 Aug26 August 13:08

    Yes worth it

    • Harry T says:

      26 Aug26 August 13:19

      Thanks! Have ordered. I don’t use MAN very often at all.

  • AL says:

    27 Aug27 August 00:21

    MAN’s a mess. The new T2 is currently better but that’ll go downhill when all the LCCs get back to full schedule. Anything you can pay to MAN to make the experience better is worth it, IMO, as a regular MAN user. Just avoid the Escape lounge.

• Harry T says:

  26 Aug26 August 12:39

  I seem to recall a testing provider was offering day 2 tests for £20 for NHS workers with an NHS email address. Please could someone remind me which company that was?

  • BP says:

    26 Aug26 August 12:49

    Everything genetic. https://covidtests.everythinggeneticltd.co.uk/details.php?ttr=21

    • Harry T says:

      26 Aug26 August 12:51

      Thank you!

  • BP says:

    26 Aug26 August 12:49

    Tests arrive within 2-3 days of ordering.

• Mark says:

  26 Aug26 August 12:42

  I have an American Airlines ‘flight credit’ following a cancelled flight last year because of covid. It expires in October and clearly we’re not going to be able to fly to the USA before then. Does anybody know if AA are willing to extend these, particularly for foreign nationals who can’t currently fly to the States? Thanks.

  • Blair says:

    26 Aug26 August 13:32

    US law allows any US origin flights to be cancelled quibble-free within 24hrs. Could you book say Miami to Mexico using the voucher plus cash, then cancel? See what you end up with.

    • Mark says:

      26 Aug26 August 15:21

      Thanks, Blair – I had considered that but wasn’t sure what their cancellation policy is moving forward. If it’s law, I’ll give it a try. Cheers.

• Blair says:

  26 Aug26 August 13:10

  Apologies for asking what may be basic knowledge to Londoners, but these long queues at LHR for border force – are they passengers terminating at LHR or also passengers connecting onwards? I’m inclined to find an alternative route back to MAN if connecting at LHR means queueing for so long I miss my connecting flight and my baggage disappears into the Heathrow black hole.

  • Sam G says:

    26 Aug26 August 13:13

    Separate border check for UK connections

    • Blair says:

      26 Aug26 August 13:30

      Is it likely to be spottable where that is amongst a sea of humanity? I am not experienced transiting LHR

      • Pete M says:

        26 Aug26 August 13:31

        Just ask and don’t join the (possibly) big queue, Blair 🙂

      • ChrisC says:

        26 Aug26 August 15:18

        If you are connecting then follow the purple connections signs.

    • Pete M says:

      26 Aug26 August 13:30

      I am not sure if it has gotten worse, but when we flew in on Monday afternoon the queue snaked around the terminal, but we were out in about 20mins. They’d move big groups of people forward at once into the e-gates holding area and most gates were working. The queue to see an officer took up the rest of the immigration area and wasn’t looking good at all (which we presumed was why they were holding people outside the immigration hall).

• SteveD says:

  26 Aug26 August 13:11

  I may have missed this (though I was looking for it specifically) so apologies if it’s a repeat:

  BA have a points sale. 50% bonus on purchases. Expires Monday.

  • Guernsey Globetrotter says:

    26 Aug26 August 13:19

    Yes – it has been running a while – was a great way to leverage the 2p per avios flash sale this weekend, which many of us did ! 🙂

  • NP says:

    26 Aug26 August 16:08

    Does the purchase count as BA spend with Amex, so bonus points for the transaction?

    • Guernsey Globetrotter says:

      26 Aug26 August 16:29

      Unfortunately not – you’re buying them from Avios Group Limited, which whilst a part of IAG does not trigger the bonus spend.

      • Rob says:

        26 Aug26 August 16:33

        Who is it going through as now? BA has stopped using points.com.

        • Guernsey Globetrotter says:

          26 Aug26 August 17:42

          On my Amex transactions it literally reads “Avios Group (AGL) Limit Crawley”. The earn on the BAPP for this transaction only attracted the standard 1.5 MRs, whereas I got 27 for every £9.60 cash + 20,000 avios BA ticket I bought with those miles 😉

• BJ says:

  26 Aug26 August 13:17

  Datapoint: Just called to cancel SB Nectar card. I did not seek nor was I offered any retention incentive. They confirmed a few comments by readers here that we need to wait only 90 days before we can reapply (and get another bonus). Added to my list of New Year resolutions.

  • WaynedP says:

    26 Aug26 August 13:49

    Why wait until New Year when 90 days takes you to end November.

    Your Christmas shopping could contribute to your new sign-up bonus.

    • BJ says:

      26 Aug26 August 17:50

      It’ll ultimately depend what the bonus is at tge time and whether it is a spend once or spend multiple times requirement. Also, still clinging to (fast-fading) hope I might yet be overseas for most of December.

  • Vit says:

    26 Aug26 August 14:56

    Still waiting for my first card. Annoyingly, needed to send in a couple certified copy of ID and proof of address….

    • BJ says:

      26 Aug26 August 17:52

      They are a real pain when the whole process does not get completed online for whatever reason.

• Ian_H says:

  26 Aug26 August 13:19

  Announcement due imminently from IAG about LGW operations according to @seanm1997 on twitter

  • Rob says:

    26 Aug26 August 13:37

    I have it. BA short haul will not return. LEVEL, Vueling, Lingus or a new brand will replace it. New crew, new low pay contracts at a guess.

    • ankomonkey says:

      26 Aug26 August 14:14

      LEVEL – are they still flying?!?!

    • ChrisC says:

      26 Aug26 August 15:21

      What would that mean for existing bookings from LGW.

      I have a few AMS in CE both as stand alone trips and as ex EU positioning.

      • John says:

        26 Aug26 August 15:28

        Most likely moved to LHR or maybe LCY

        • Rob says:

          26 Aug26 August 15:57

          My Salzburg flight was moved lock stock – same times, same flight number, same seats.

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