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| Flight on time? | 6.5/10   |
|---|---|
| Customer service | 4.8/10 |
| Comfort on flight | 5.3/10 |
| Quality of food | 4.9/10 |
| Value for Money | 4.8/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 4.8/10 |
| Overall Rating | 4.9/10 |
By julian Halls
on 25th Feb 2008
| Flight Date | May 2008 |
|---|---|
| Flight From - To | UK to Portugal |
| Ticket class | Economy |
| Flight on time? | 8/10 |
| Customer service | 2/10 |
| Comfort on flight | 8/10 |
| Quality of food | 8/10 |
| Value for money | 0/10 |
| Overall value | 1/10 |
 julian Halls's recommendation | |
Efficient and good info links to subsidiary products such as car hire, baggage allowances ,hotels etc
Bit pushy on the make money categories and have a re booking policy charges regime which beggars belief. See below. BA Flight change penalties
In November 2007 I booked 2 return flights with BA to Faro in Portugal for a total cost of £340.60
This was bit steep but given the promises of superior service etc etc I thought it was going to be worth it.
Unbeknown to me my Daughter then decided to book her wedding the day of our departure which meant that I had no choice but to change my flights. As 2 months had gone by and it was January, even though my flights are in May this I accept was going to cost me £30 to change each.
Unfortunately what was also hidden in the pages of conditions was that I was also liable to pay the difference in the fare as well.
I pressed the button and was advised that the cost of the change, the sum I now have to pay extra is£537.80 making a grand total of£878.40 for 2 flights to Portugal.
This is a flight cost increase of 160 % in two months and means that the cost of my return flights is now £818.40 as opposed to £340.60
I complained and got a standard sorry you are not happy reply, please fly with us again. I complained again in slightly more forceful terms and although they clearly read my letter this time they absolutely refused to budge and said that it was in the conditions which I accepted. You have no choice !
Slightly indignant I asked if I could cancel and was advised that I could do so and in consequence I would lose the entire fare save taxes which for legal reasons they have to give back to me. One suspects they would have kept them if they could. Apparently this is standard practice for cheap flight offers.
I did not ask for all my money back and I did expect to be charged for the change but to suggest that the cost of the flights go up as you approach the departure date, whilst being true does not apply 4 months out, as they will clearly be able to re sell my seats at the increased rate. The fact that I had booked early and had the temerity to change basically meant I have been severely and quite unfairly charged for the privilege. Any sensible reasonable company would have a sensible reasonable change charging policy. Quite clearly BA has (is) neither.
The intransigence of the system to complaint was also beyond belief. I was fobbed off at first by a member of staff who clearly has not the slightest influence on the change flight changing Policy and who also had not even read my letter, as evidenced by finishing his letter by telling me to fly with them once again.
The second letter I wrote did at least get a reply which suggested it had been read but as expressed above " you accepted the conditions so tough luck " You have absolutely no choice !! In my humble view the present conditions are tantamount to a breach of the unfair contract terms Act, but being BA are Trading Stanadards getting to take them on ? What do you think?
The moral of the story is very clear. If you book early with BA, because it is cheap, make sure you not have to change your flights under any circumstances.
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