If an airline (BA)changes their flight schedule....

[Annabell]

I booked flights with BA for next year and now they have changed their departure times. They actually cancelled my booked flight and put me on an earlier flight on that day.
Unfortunately, the new times won't suit me so I asked about the possibility to re-schedule to the next day's flight and now they are asking me to pay a changing fee of (150 euros)
I feel this is ridiculous....
Can an airline just change their times and as passenger you just have to agree to the new times ? And if you want it changed then you have to pay such an huge amount as changing fee.....
Has anyone have any experience with this before ?
Can I just not accept to be put on an earleir flight ?

 

[orangetiggs]

we had this with virgin and air jamaica last year and yes as its over 6 months they can do it and make you pay.

its in their terms and conditions that they can change flight schedueles so many days out

 

[Claire L]

Generally airlines and tour operators can change alot of your holiday and are not obliged to pay you anything unless really close to the date of departure.

Claire

 

[thumper1970]

I'm afraid they can do whatever they want - the only contract you have with them is that they will get you from A to B on the day in question; It is a problem with booking early, in that the airlines only have a rough clue as to what their schedule will be, and there are often several changes before the day.

Most go without issue, but sometimes, there's quite a drastic alteration.

 

[Annabell]

Well... I do understand that sometimes things has to be changed and I am definitely not asking them money because the schedule is changed.

But I feel totally unfair that I have to pay a changing fee if the airline changes their schedule. I could understand the charge if I had initiated
such a change request and ofcourse I am willing to pay if I had initiated
such request but in this case, the airline initiated the change first.
It is unfortunate that I could not meet the proposed new times
and therefore request a change for the next day's flight.

reading the responses.. it seems a general accepted practice....
an airline has the right to change anything and even make you pay for the changes... I just can't believe it.. is this customer service ?????

 

[Claire L]

BA have offered you a new time on the same day and that is all they need to do. Is there no way you can get there for the earlier flight?

Claire

 

[orangetiggs]

thats all virgin offered us and it was our honeymoon! we had to change destination althogether to get something that worked for us

 

[dolphingirl47]

I have to say that that really shocks me. I work for an airline as well. Unfortunately schedule changes are becoming increasingly more common and not all are caused by the airline. If we make a schedule change, we routinely try to accommodate the customers on an alternative flight the same day. If this is not an option for whatever reason (including that the customer cannot make that alternative flight), then we would offer a flight a day earlier or later and no penalties would be charged.

Corinna

 

[wayneg]

If its not until next year there is also the possibility your original flight will be brought back.
We booked with Delta last Oct to go this August, had 8 or 9 changes, flights cancelled & brought back. If I had paid full price for economy(about £600pp) then I would be livid now but I have Business class for £465pp so as long as they get me there next Thurs and get looked after I have just accepted all changes.
Airlines can do just about what they like unfortunately. Friend of mine was going to Cancun from Man in Oct, Now going from Gatwick as they scrubbed the Man route(day) he wanted.
Might be worth trying to speak to someone higher up. Are they direct with BA or thru an agent?

 

[Tony Toon]

I agree with wayneg that it might be worth speaking to someone else. We booked flights 4 years ago with USAirways through netflights (airline network then) and then hit a major problem and needed to change names on tickets. The tickets were cheap no changes allowed and although netflights were very helpful our only option was to cancel and lose our money then rebook. A letter explaining the situation to USAirways direct gave netflights the necessary authority to make changes at no extra cost.

Mrs TT

 

[Annabell]

I have already contacted BA directly but they wouldn't talk to me because I have booked with a travelagent. All matters relating to my booking has to go
through the agent and the agent just tells me to pay the 150 changefee...
not to be negotiated at all...

My last hope seems to be that more schedule changes to come up and that I can be booked back to my originally booked flight. As wayne mentioned...
it is possible that more changes would come up ....
But I think that's just wishful thinking.

Anyway, I am glad that at least one person (Dolphingirl) agrees with me that such practice is shocking.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Well, From BA's Conditions of Carriage

"9a1) The flight times shown in our timetables may change between the date of publication and the date you actually travel. We do not guarantee these flight times to you and they do not form part of your contract of carriage with us.
9a2) Before we accept your booking, we or our authorised agents will tell you the scheduled departure time of your flight and it will be shown on your ticket or itinerary and receipt. We may need to change the scheduled departure time of your flight after your ticket has been sent to you or to change the scheduled departure terminal for your flight. If you give us or our authorised agents contact information, we or they will try to let you know about any changes.

9a3) If, after you buy your ticket:

•we make a significant change to the scheduled departure time of your flight;
•you find this change unacceptable; and
•we or our authorised agents cannot book you on another flight which you are prepared to accept;
we will give you an involuntary fare refund.

and

9b3) If we:

•cancel a flight;
•delay a flight by five hours or more;
•fail to stop at your place of stopover or destination; or
•cause you to miss a connecting flight on which you hold a confirmed reservation;
you can choose one of the three remedies set out immediately below.

Remedy 1
We will carry you as soon as we can to the destination shown on your ticket on another of our scheduled services on which a seat is available in the class of service for which you have paid the fare. If we do this, we will not charge you extra and where necessary, will extend the validity period of your ticket.

Remedy 2
We will carry you to the destination shown on your ticket in the class of service for which you have paid the fare at a later date at your convenience and within the validity period of your ticket on another of our scheduled services on which a seat is available. If we do this, we will not charge you extra.

Remedy 3
We will give or obtain for you an involuntary fare refund.

We will give you additional assistance, such as compensation, refreshments and other care and reimbursement, if required to do so by any law which may apply. We will have no further liability to you.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Well, From BA's Conditions of Carriage

"9a1) The flight times shown in our timetables may change between the date of publication and the date you actually travel. We do not guarantee these flight times to you and they do not form part of your contract of carriage with us.
9a2) Before we accept your booking, we or our authorised agents will tell you the scheduled departure time of your flight and it will be shown on your ticket or itinerary and receipt. We may need to change the scheduled departure time of your flight after your ticket has been sent to you or to change the scheduled departure terminal for your flight. If you give us or our authorised agents contact information, we or they will try to let you know about any changes.

9a3) If, after you buy your ticket:

•we make a significant change to the scheduled departure time of your flight;
•you find this change unacceptable; and
•we or our authorised agents cannot book you on another flight which you are prepared to accept;
we will give you an involuntary fare refund.

and

9b3) If we:

•cancel a flight;
•delay a flight by five hours or more;
•fail to stop at your place of stopover or destination; or
•cause you to miss a connecting flight on which you hold a confirmed reservation;
you can choose one of the three remedies set out immediately below.

Remedy 1
We will carry you as soon as we can to the destination shown on your ticket on another of our scheduled services on which a seat is available in the class of service for which you have paid the fare. If we do this, we will not charge you extra and where necessary, will extend the validity period of your ticket.

Remedy 2
We will carry you to the destination shown on your ticket in the class of service for which you have paid the fare at a later date at your convenience and within the validity period of your ticket on another of our scheduled services on which a seat is available. If we do this, we will not charge you extra.

Remedy 3
We will give or obtain for you an involuntary fare refund.

We will give you additional assistance, such as compensation, refreshments and other care and reimbursement, if required to do so by any law which may apply. We will have no further liability to you.

So it looks like BA works to the same rules and guidelines that we do when it comes to schedule changes. This leaves two possibilities why they are trying to charge you: either the res agent at BA is incompetent or the travel agent is dishonest. Travel agents know only too well that airlines are not supposed to deal with the customer directly prior to departure if the flights were booked through a travel agent. I have seen travel agents charging customers GBP300 in change penalties when the fare rules state that changes are permitted free of charge.

I think the time has come to request a conference call between the OP, a supervisor at BA and the travel agent. I would quote them the conditions of carriage and then see how they react.

Corinna

 

[tink too]

Well... I do understand that sometimes things has to be changed and I am definitely not asking them money because the schedule is changed.

reading the responses.. it seems a general accepted practice....
an airline has the right to change anything and even make you pay for the changes... I just can't believe it.. is this customer service ?????

BA did this to us 2 years ago. I had book directly with them early and then nearer our travel date, they cancelled our connecting flight from our local airport to London. They "rescheduled" us without notification but it only left us 45 minutes to get from Heathrow to Gatwick, check in all over again, get rid of our luggage and go through customs! Something the BA website said to allow 3 hours for!

I called BA and asked to change our connecting flight to the night before so we could stay overnight in London. They wanted to charge me for making this change. When I pointed out that we could not make the transfer between airports in 45 minutes, they finally backed down and changed our flights free of charge, but stressed that I'd have to pay for the overnight hotel myself!

I think the time has come to request a conference call between the OP, a supervisor at BA and the travel agent. I would quote them the conditions of carriage and then see how they react.

I have to agree with dolphingirl here - quote them their own T&C's and then see what they can sort out for you!

Good luck.