BA Aircraft Change

[A340Yumyum]

Originally Posted by El Grifo

Not a single whisper about being being denied boarding.
That Stinks !!
El Grifo

Could they possibly be assuming you’d use your common sense?
Again, the flight IS operating ; I don’t see how that can be ambiguous.

[easyflyer83]

Originally Posted by A340Yumyum

Could they possibly be assuming you’d use your common sense?
Again, the flight IS operating ; I don’t see how that can be ambiguous.

Plus, it is the passengers responsibility to assess and ascertain their eligibility to enter a country, not the airlines.

[OC37]

A perhaps valid point has already been made if this B787 flight is the flight that you booked and paid for, ie regardless of the aircraft type is it still the same flight number and operating to the same times? ... Down my way there is a notoriously bad loco here where it is in their T&C's that should the flight become cancelled then one is entitled to a refund, a few times now I have booked way in advance to achieve silly fares for plans to then change, can't cancel but then the loco changes the schedule by perhaps as little as 10 minutes, "Aha, got you" and sure enough I have been allowed to cancel and received refunds.

But I note on BA's website:

"Apply for a voucher

If your flight has been cancelled you can claim a voucher to the value of your booking. Your voucher will be valid for travel until 30 April 2022 and can be used as payment, or part payment, for a future booking.

Your new trip booked with your voucher must be fully completed by 30 April 2022 (departure and return). You will receive your voucher by email within seven days of your application"

Now that isn't in the spirit of things, that one can spend their hard-earned money buying a product for the seller to withdraw that product from sale for the seller to only offer an alternative product that one doesn't want and with no refund of monies offered, I've had a couple of previous problems with the World's Favourite myself so I understand the brick wall mentality that you are dealing with, I'll never utilise their services again but everyone to their own, and I doubt you'll ever manage to change that brick wall of a supposed customer service.

This is all on the presumption that the flight no's and/or the scheduled timings may have changed, credit card has been mentioned but those are subject to credit agreement laws which is kind of a different subject, I pay by debit card, indeed with a foreign bank also, and it is possible to make a 'chargeback' claim thru a debit card payment, if you and your wife genuinely can't travel then your monies are presently lost anyway so you have nothing to lose by attempting a chargeback.

With my bank I need to complete a form, ticking boxes and all that, and one of the areas I need to select between is "goods not received" or "goods not as described", or similar, your purchase was for two flight bookings on those dates and at those times, should BA have changed those flights and times then your applicable selection would be "goods not as described" with perhaps a stumbling block being that you agreed to there being no refund whatsover available in the T&C's at the pre-COVID time that you booked.but it's worth a try.

Good luck

P.S. This link makes for some interesting reading:

British Airways: how to cancel, rebook or get a refund on your flight ...

"If your flight is cancelled, you are entitled to a full refund, as per existing British Airways policies."

[missy]

Buying an airline ticket is one of the most lop sided contracts you can ever enter into. It's all covered in the T&C, none of which you can dispute or change in any whatsoever. Good luck and safe travels.

[OldLurker]

Originally Posted by OC37

"If your flight is cancelled, you are entitled to a full refund, as per existing British Airways policies."

But it seems that the flight hasn't been cancelled, only a change of aircraft type.

Apparently the OP simply booked the flight and chose seats, presumably online, without informing BA of any special requirements. In his place that's probably what I'd have done – I probably wouldn't have thought of the contingency of change of aircraft. But I think that if the OP had told BA at booking time that he required a particular type of seat (aisle), giving reasons – medical or any other – then that requirement would have become part of his contract with BA (there's a legal phrase which I forget) and when the aircraft type changed, BA would have been obliged to provide equivalent seats. That's my understanding of UK law – I gather that the OP was in Spain, and I don't know what effect that would have had.

[El Grifo]

"Buying an airline ticket is one of the most lop sided contracts you can ever enter into. It's all covered in the T&C, none of which you can dispute or change in any whatsoever. Good luck and safe travels"
Think Missy brings this to a conclusion in a perrfect way !
Thanks those of you who made genuine, honest responses !
As always, Pprune is a fountain if knowledge !
If anything develops in either a positive or negative way I, for sure will return !
One thing is for certain, I shall not give up !
Thank you all once again !
Saludos
El Grifo

[easyflyer83]

What I will say is RE: your wife’s condition, you are able to stipulate, even on boarding, the seat that is the most suitable (in your class) and under legislation, the airline must oblige, subject to safety regs.

[El Grifo]

Thanks easyflyer !! All grist to the mill :-)

PDR - Always one, often you 🤪 !!!!!!!

El G.

[Kiltrash]

Assumming you have a valid ESTA. Have you checked the US have not cancelled as they are not accepting UK or Spanish Nationals. . Have you tried the US Embassy and forgetting the medical issues but you no longer wish / able to visit.
If you no longer have a ESTA then how can BA accept your checkin. I know they will say it's up to you to have a valid Visa, but if the US have cancelled yours .....

[S.o.S.]

Thank you folks for an interesting discussion, very helpful. And you all managed to just keep away from 'the line' although I was hovering on the Delete key at one point.

[Cough]

Just in case you end up able to fly (medically, and politically), the back row in economy in BA's config on the 787-9 has 2 abreast seats on either side. Window/Aisle... If your wife's condition improves you may wish to reserve those seats...

BA 787-9 seating plan

[Paul Lupp]

From what I understand having checked about UK citizens flying into the USA some weeks ago as I was supposed to go for a work trip in May....

If you have an existing ESTA and try to fly to the USA, your ESTA will be cancelled and next time, you will have to apply from scratch. You won't even be allowed to check in, let alone board.
If you have a valid ESTA, don't attempt to fly to the USA, and its expiry date will be preserved.

Somehow the BA check in system is linked to valid ESTAs - possibly it is the same with all airlines.
My ESTA expired shortly after I was due to fly to the USA but at the moment you cannot apply for an ESTA.
There may still be passenger planes flying from the UK to the USA, but most are full of cargo where the seats would normally be, the seats having been removed.

Safety first, and at the moment that means stay at home, no matter how important to you the reason may be to want to vist the USA.
Take care

[Hartington]

I'll ask again because I can't see an actual, factual answer.

Are the flight numbers that you are being offered identical to the flight numbers you booked?

[El Grifo]

Hi Hartington,
I was butting out before the thread went down the tubes :-)
Same flt numbers, different aircraft !
Just to answer others, as a Travel Photgrapher of 23 years standing, flying long haul as well as medium for all of those years, I am fairly clued up on paperwork etc.
Full and comprehensive insurance in place, ESTAS renewed prior to expiry of previous. Communicated with US Immigration Authorities who confirmed non-entry.
Assumed I had everything covered !
Unlike one or two here, I did not see this thing coming !
To the vast majority of responders who were of great help,
I thank you !
If anyone has any more points of relevance, I of course would be happy to hear !
Saludos
El Grifo :-)

[nonsense]

The Americans with disabilities act applies to non Americans flying into and out of the USA on non US carriers too, as I discovered in 2005 when nobody wanted to let me bring a CPAP machine on board.

The airline is required to make reasonable accomodations to allow your disabled wife to fly. All she's asking for is an aisle seat; that's hardly a difficult or unreasonable request, even on the day of the flight! As you've given them plenty of notice of your requirements, there *ought* to be no problem ensuring she can have one, just one!, of the many suitable seats on the aircraft.

If Americans can fly with an emotional support horse, surely arranging to provide your wife with one of the 4 in every 9 seats adjacent to an aisle isn't beyond the capacity of British Airways! If they insist that it IS too difficult, start muttering "Americans with disability act" (there's sure to be a UK equivalent too), followed perhaps by "MS society".

[a_ross84]

This why I haven't flown with ba for 20 years.

Absolutely awful airline.

[El Grifo]

Thanks nonsense !
However, we as UK passport holders and residents of Spain, we are denied entry into the US .

El G.

[Buswinker]

Points that remain to be addressed:

has the flight number changed? Yes or no

your reason for not travelling- wife’s medical condition? Or US entry restrictions?

it seems you approached your insurance company with “US entry restrictions” as your reason for not travelling. Not 100% sure that they’re in the right to not help you on this basis. However, there is extensive mention of wife no longer being able to travel because of medical condition- in which case you need to be explicit with the insurance company that this is the reason you’re no longer travelling

everything else is white noise and important points are being lost in it

try and distil your argument into 2 or 3 short, declarative sentences, and try again

[El Grifo]

Thank you for the kind invitation, but in light of the existing content of the thread, I am sure you can extract all of the relevant information you require !
El Grifo

[cxorcist]

Without reading all of the above, I think your best bet is to make a play (given the circumstances) for your own row, meaning window and aisle seat with no one in the middle seat. Better yet, take the center row and get two aisle seats and therefore two aisles to access. Better still, upgrade to World Traveller Plus and avoid the middle seat altogether on the windows.

PS... With all due respect, especially given your age and health considerations, maybe international travel right now with a killer Chinese virus out there is a bad idea. I’m sure no one in the wedding party would hold it against you.