The HfP chat thread – Saturday 25th September

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• Saiz says:

  25 Sep25 September 06:50

  What are my options in this scenario? BA cancelled our flights in late July. Two tickets were booked as reward tickets and the other two in cash. Can I ask them to rebook all 4 for any date within say 6 months? I want to travel to a different city but it is slightly over 300 miles away from the original city. Can I ask for them to rebook for a new city? If they don’t agree, can I still ask for a full refund of cash and Avios?

  • Jonathan says:

    25 Sep25 September 09:42

    Yes, you can ask for new dates. You would only get a new destination within 300miles & if travelling within 2 weeks of original dates. By moving dates 6 months (or any reasonable amount as per EU261) then you have to maintain original destination unless BA no longer fly there.

    • Saiz says:

      25 Sep25 September 09:48

      Thanks Jonathan.

  • Asim says:

    25 Sep25 September 14:53

    There seems to be flexibility in the 300 miles rule if the airport you want is closer.

    I had my flight moved to another airport in the same country but 1000 km away from the original.

    • Saiz says:

      25 Sep25 September 17:00

      Good point!

• The Lord says:

  25 Sep25 September 07:02

  Any one with a virtuo car rental referral?

  • MentalRental says:

    25 Sep25 September 09:08

    Sign up to Virtuo, then use the code spdu4uq to get £20 credit off your first rental.

    • The Lord says:

      25 Sep25 September 09:38

      Cheers. First time trying it, seems a good concept

• YH says:

  25 Sep25 September 07:16

  I completed a set of Chronomics return to the UK tests yesterday and I haven’t stopped getting text messages saying “Hi, your test results are ready, please login to the dashboard” or something similar.

  I’ve received about 50 of these so far, a few an hour. Anyone had this as well? How do I stop it? It’s driving me crazy

  • Tracey says:

    25 Sep25 September 07:33

    Block the number

  • BP says:

    25 Sep25 September 09:35

    I got the same last week. Continued in to the next day!!

  • Mark says:

    25 Sep25 September 13:37

    They’re spamming to register pre-return lateral flow tests that I’m probably never going to use now…. At least not for that purpose given the imminent removal of the requirement.

• A13 says:

  25 Sep25 September 07:26

  I applied for the BAPP card and got approved in August to avoid the increased membership fee. My card year runs from August 24th. The membership fee just posted this morning at £250 rather than the £195 I was expecting / was the advertised rate at application. Anyone else had this?

  • Reney says:

    25 Sep25 September 07:35

    Many people have reported this over the last month. I believe the advice is call amex and it will get fixed, a know problem on their end.

  • CarpalTravel says:

    25 Sep25 September 07:36

    Loads have on here, it’s been a regular question. Contact the CS team, they will sort it for you.

  • A13 says:

    25 Sep25 September 07:48

    Thanks both.

    • CarpalTravel says:

      25 Sep25 September 07:51

      Just to add, don’t take any rubbish about them saying the charge relates to statement date rather than card inception date. Get them to talk with their manager if they do. As Reney said, it is a known issue their end.

• VJ says:

  25 Sep25 September 07:27

  Amex Self Referral, is this still a thing?

  • Reney says:

    25 Sep25 September 07:37

    This is a regular question. I have never done it. I believe the advice is yes it works but highly encouraged not to. Due to Amex in US has shut down many people going years back. And may get implemented in the UK.

    • CarpalTravel says:

      25 Sep25 September 07:38

      I definitely wouldn’t do it, not worth the risk. Get a partner or friend to, but not self.

  • JSemity says:

    25 Sep25 September 09:36

    yes, it works

  • Memesweeper says:

    25 Sep25 September 10:53

    Still a bad idea 😁

• Tracey says:

  25 Sep25 September 07:41

  Earlier in the week I asked the HFP mystic megs for views on whether I should get my booster straight away or wait with future travel plans in mind (to places that could require a recent jab). The results of my NHS seriological test have come back and it turns out I have antibodies! Fairly good going for someone who had their AZ jabs in January and March and doesn’t think I’ve had covid (I test twice a week).

  • Andrew says:

    25 Sep25 September 07:56

    The only thing that concerns me about the booster is planning it so it’s not less than 14 days before potential travel.

    Yes, I know it’s the third jag, but I can imagine tiresome conversations at boarding, immigration or repatriation.

  • Andrew says:

    25 Sep25 September 08:09

    Everyone that’s had the jab will have antibodies!

    • meta says:

      25 Sep25 September 08:16

      Exactly. You need to do a T-cell reaction test in addition to the antibody level one.

    • Tracey says:

      25 Sep25 September 17:54

      Antibodies wane. Talking to some of the doctors at the vaccine centre today, they had also done similar tests and found that that they no longer had antibodies.

• Paul says:

  25 Sep25 September 08:00

  Heathrow is all set to charge £5 per visit to drop off outside T5. Saw the charging paraphernalia and signs last night. The per visit warning suggest you won’t be able to drive around as you’d be charged £5 each time. It is scandalous that they are getting away this on back of already extortionate passenger airport fees.
  Separately, another awful domestic flight with BA . Despite a near empty terminal and just 5 / 6 flights after 8pm the Glasgow flight was again late with usual late inbound/missing passengers/couldn’t give a damn excuses from BA. Their attitude to domestic services is contemptible.

  • BuildBackBetter says:

    25 Sep25 September 09:01

    It’ll be acceptable if they reduced the cost of Heathrow express or connect at the same time.
    Except families and physically disabled, a lot of people can take public transport but choose to use car.

    • Paul says:

      25 Sep25 September 10:39

      You don’t live west of Heathrow. What public transport?

    • Lady London says:

      25 Sep25 September 19:54

      Nah. At the same time in their quest fot passengers to use greener ways of getting to flight departures, at the same time as bringing in a £5 car access charge, Heathrow removed the previously free bus travel within the Heathrow area.

  • JDB says:

    25 Sep25 September 09:10

    The £5 drop off charge will go towards reducing what you call the « already extortionate passenger airport fees ». You can of course choose other airports if you don’t like the charges, but are a number of good reasons why the charges are higher at LHR vs LGW for example. One is the business rates bill – £120m vs £30m, but there are many other justifiably higher costs of operating LHR. If you look at the facts rather than guessing that the fees at LHR must be extortionate, you will see the real picture.

    • John says:

      25 Sep25 September 10:03

      These fees should be paid by airlines who can, if they think the market will bear them, add them to the cost of flights.

      • Doug M says:

        25 Sep25 September 10:36

        Why should all the people that use public transport pay the fee for the car drivers?

        • Mark says:

          25 Sep25 September 13:43

          But if it’s going into general operating costs / debt repayment it doesn’t relate specifically to car drivers. Its just a politically acceptable way of raising additional revenue without pissing off the airlines.

    • Paul says:

      25 Sep25 September 10:43

      That’s delusional. When has Heathrow ever reduced a charge. It would be acceptable if there was good public transport from all points, not just central London.
      And it not just drivers, the taxi drivers (private cabs) are again being screwed over after a year with reduced income. They didn’t borrow to pay dividends.

    • Tom says:

      25 Sep25 September 14:55

      “The £5 drop off charge will go towards reducing what you call the « already extortionate passenger airport fees ».”

      Lol! Best laugh I’ve had in a while. Of course it will…

    • Lady London says:

      25 Sep25 September 19:58

      Oh dear JDB do you seriously nelieve the new £5 charge will ever go to reducing any other charge at all?

  • J says:

    25 Sep25 September 09:26

    I was very slightly miffed about this looking at the signs on my last Heathrow drop off, but a really nice guy from Heathrow was explaining to drivers what was going to happen. He explained some of it, I nodded along with an “OK”, and he said “well, no it’s not OK, but I get what you mean” with a smile. And that experience had put me at complete peace with the new charge. Heathrow seem to get the balance right in a way Gatwick/Stansted/Luton don’t.

  • AL says:

    25 Sep25 September 10:55

    Similar experience on the LHR MAN on Thursday evening 1745. Late, “no staff” excuse. As a colleague I bumped in to at the gate said, though, more civilised than the WCML.

  • Barnaby100 says:

    25 Sep25 September 12:06

    The signs are covered with him bags this morning

• Clive says:

  25 Sep25 September 08:03

  Trading news that Qatar are bringing back lounge access to R Class fares

  • Andrew says:

    25 Sep25 September 08:22

    Let’s hope it’s true.

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