Victory at last after BA/AA 'One World' Fiasco
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Victory at last after BA/AA 'One World' Fiasco
For anyone who has been on the receiving end of absolutely appalling BA / AA 'One World' treatment, this sorry tale might hopefully help in their efforts to obtain redress. After 7 months we have finally won full refunds, but only after the direct involvement of the (Canadian) Transportation Commissioner.
In early October 2006 I booked 4 B.A. reward return flights from Toronto YYZ to San Juan SJU, dep 15 Dec 2006 and returning 23 Dec 2006. As the flights were operated by American Airlines, we had to book these via the B.A. telephone reservations ($80) rather than free on BA.com. The B.A. booking clerk confirmed that the tickets would be issued electronically and sent to us by e-mail. When I asked if anything else was required, I was specifically told ‘No, you’re good to go.’ Later that day we received the BA confirmation e-mail showing our booking confirmation reference number, confirmed flight numbers and seat numbers.
On 15 Dec at 4.40 AM we checked in at the AA desk in Toronto. The AA staff called up our BA booking confirmation. The exact booking details were all in the AA system. We were utterly astonished when we were REFUSED BOARDING by the AA check-in personnel. According to AA check-in personnel, BA had specified to AA that AA were to accept only PAPER tickets, rather than the electronic ones that BA had issued us with.
What happened next was disgraceful. When we explained that BA had only e-mailed our documents and that we were flying to San Juan to start a cruise, our print-out of the BA e-mail confirmation was just pushed back at us with a curt ‘This is not our problem. You need to speak to BA.’ I immediately called BA on 1-800-AIRWAYS while standing at the AA check-in desk and was shocked to get a recorded message saying that the helpline hours had been changed and would not open until 07.00EST, half an hour AFTER our scheduled departure time(!) At this point a second AA check-in person stated that AA could reissue the tickets electronically, but she would first need the AA Duty Manager’s approval. She then returned with the message: “We will not re-issue the BA tickets here. The only way you are going to San Juan today is if you pay for your flights.” By now it was 5.15AM. Leaving my wife and two young children at the AA desk, I ran to the BA terminal to see if the BA ticketing/check-in desks were open and someone from BA could sort out their fiasco. The BA desks were all closed and there was no emergency telephone contact number available.
I returned to the AA desk to find my wife and children in tears. The AA Duty Manager had responded to further calls from his check-in staff with the following message, quote “If you don’t pay for your flights, you will miss your cruise. All our later flights are full!" Faced with this ultimatum from the AA Duty Manager, my wife had handed over her credit card to guarantee the BA booking. Instead of using the card as a guarantee, AA immediately charged $2,673.52 for our already-paid BA flights and transferred us onto another flight to San Juan via Boston also departing Toronto at 06:30.
At Boston we were finally able to reach the BA helpline. The helpline staff confirmed the BA booking error, specifying PAPER tickets to AA. They were very apologetic, but were also surprised that AA had not reissued the tickets electronically in Toronto. As by now we literally had to board the next flight to San Juan, they promised to correct and re-issue our booking for the return flights. Despite later calls from hotel business centres and the cruise ship business centre, no messages were received from BA until 17 December when reissued e-tickets arrived by e-mail with a message to apply for a refund for the outbound flights on our return. The return bookings were accepted by AA on 23 December.
Upon our return we applied for a refund, expecting this to be a formality. We received the snottiest brush-off imaginable from BA Customer Services, stating that they had mailed paper tickets to us on 2 October. This was an OUTRIGHT LIE. Amusingly upon our return, paper tickets had arrived at our home address issued by BA in Florida on 6 Dec and mailed on 7 Dec, just 3 working days before we left for Toronto.
In the meantime AA had contacted us stating that they were right to charge for the airfares as BA (their supposed 'worldwide partner' remember) had not issued us with paper tickets. Put simply, AA blamed BA and BA blamed AA leaving the poor
passenger ripped off and in total limbo.
Having spelt out all the above to BA we were then advised they would pass the matter to their legal dept for resolution. This is BA-speak for filing and forgetting. After six months, despite reminders, not a squeak had been heard from them.
Fortunately, I had copied the whole matter to the Canadian Transportation Commissioner. This appears to be a little-known govt dept on this side of the pond. After 3-6 months of paper shuffling their agent got into gear and the results were stunning - out of the blue in July a full refund appeared from AA for the $2.7k duplicated charge. Days later BA suddenly coughed up for the additional costs incurred, booking refund and points credit. Ours apparently is not an isolated case. While BA and AA might be able to offer electronic ticketing to their own customers, it seems their booking personnel are not able to do the same competently when booking flights on each others networks - a pretty basic requirement for any alliance, you might think.
So for anyone in a similar mess, the message seems to be:
Keep full details of everything - documents / phone calls / e-mails.
Stick to your guns and don't give up after a few months - this is exactly
what they count on.
Go through the Customer Service route, but don't expect them to resolve anything. It will definitely help though later with agents / legal matters if you show you tried to get a remedy by the proper channels.
Once you get a rememdy, feel free to advise others on pprune!!!
Good luck!
In early October 2006 I booked 4 B.A. reward return flights from Toronto YYZ to San Juan SJU, dep 15 Dec 2006 and returning 23 Dec 2006. As the flights were operated by American Airlines, we had to book these via the B.A. telephone reservations ($80) rather than free on BA.com. The B.A. booking clerk confirmed that the tickets would be issued electronically and sent to us by e-mail. When I asked if anything else was required, I was specifically told ‘No, you’re good to go.’ Later that day we received the BA confirmation e-mail showing our booking confirmation reference number, confirmed flight numbers and seat numbers.
On 15 Dec at 4.40 AM we checked in at the AA desk in Toronto. The AA staff called up our BA booking confirmation. The exact booking details were all in the AA system. We were utterly astonished when we were REFUSED BOARDING by the AA check-in personnel. According to AA check-in personnel, BA had specified to AA that AA were to accept only PAPER tickets, rather than the electronic ones that BA had issued us with.
What happened next was disgraceful. When we explained that BA had only e-mailed our documents and that we were flying to San Juan to start a cruise, our print-out of the BA e-mail confirmation was just pushed back at us with a curt ‘This is not our problem. You need to speak to BA.’ I immediately called BA on 1-800-AIRWAYS while standing at the AA check-in desk and was shocked to get a recorded message saying that the helpline hours had been changed and would not open until 07.00EST, half an hour AFTER our scheduled departure time(!) At this point a second AA check-in person stated that AA could reissue the tickets electronically, but she would first need the AA Duty Manager’s approval. She then returned with the message: “We will not re-issue the BA tickets here. The only way you are going to San Juan today is if you pay for your flights.” By now it was 5.15AM. Leaving my wife and two young children at the AA desk, I ran to the BA terminal to see if the BA ticketing/check-in desks were open and someone from BA could sort out their fiasco. The BA desks were all closed and there was no emergency telephone contact number available.
I returned to the AA desk to find my wife and children in tears. The AA Duty Manager had responded to further calls from his check-in staff with the following message, quote “If you don’t pay for your flights, you will miss your cruise. All our later flights are full!" Faced with this ultimatum from the AA Duty Manager, my wife had handed over her credit card to guarantee the BA booking. Instead of using the card as a guarantee, AA immediately charged $2,673.52 for our already-paid BA flights and transferred us onto another flight to San Juan via Boston also departing Toronto at 06:30.
At Boston we were finally able to reach the BA helpline. The helpline staff confirmed the BA booking error, specifying PAPER tickets to AA. They were very apologetic, but were also surprised that AA had not reissued the tickets electronically in Toronto. As by now we literally had to board the next flight to San Juan, they promised to correct and re-issue our booking for the return flights. Despite later calls from hotel business centres and the cruise ship business centre, no messages were received from BA until 17 December when reissued e-tickets arrived by e-mail with a message to apply for a refund for the outbound flights on our return. The return bookings were accepted by AA on 23 December.
Upon our return we applied for a refund, expecting this to be a formality. We received the snottiest brush-off imaginable from BA Customer Services, stating that they had mailed paper tickets to us on 2 October. This was an OUTRIGHT LIE. Amusingly upon our return, paper tickets had arrived at our home address issued by BA in Florida on 6 Dec and mailed on 7 Dec, just 3 working days before we left for Toronto.
In the meantime AA had contacted us stating that they were right to charge for the airfares as BA (their supposed 'worldwide partner' remember) had not issued us with paper tickets. Put simply, AA blamed BA and BA blamed AA leaving the poor
passenger ripped off and in total limbo. Having spelt out all the above to BA we were then advised they would pass the matter to their legal dept for resolution. This is BA-speak for filing and forgetting. After six months, despite reminders, not a squeak had been heard from them.
Fortunately, I had copied the whole matter to the Canadian Transportation Commissioner. This appears to be a little-known govt dept on this side of the pond. After 3-6 months of paper shuffling their agent got into gear and the results were stunning - out of the blue in July a full refund appeared from AA for the $2.7k duplicated charge. Days later BA suddenly coughed up for the additional costs incurred, booking refund and points credit. Ours apparently is not an isolated case. While BA and AA might be able to offer electronic ticketing to their own customers, it seems their booking personnel are not able to do the same competently when booking flights on each others networks - a pretty basic requirement for any alliance, you might think.
So for anyone in a similar mess, the message seems to be:
Keep full details of everything - documents / phone calls / e-mails.
Stick to your guns and don't give up after a few months - this is exactly
what they count on.
Go through the Customer Service route, but don't expect them to resolve anything. It will definitely help though later with agents / legal matters if you show you tried to get a remedy by the proper channels.
Once you get a rememdy, feel free to advise others on pprune!!!
Good luck!
Last edited by er340790; 9th Aug 2007 at 01:20.
Join Date: Oct 2004
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American Eagle SJU - Anguilla comes in a similar category of sh*te service. You arrive late on AA from Miami and are told that the a/c will wait for connecting pax as it's the last flight of the day. Bullsh*t, they leave stand early to get to their hotel nice and early on Anguilla. Lies all round, noone could give a sh*t. All pax left standing and told to get a hotel and "meal" voucher from service desk. The "meal" referred to is McD. or BurgerKing. The SJU airport hotel is a dump.
AA = BS.
AA = BS.
