How to get £520 from a canceled flight.

← Back to Kevin's homepagePublished: 2023 November 20Last updated: 2024 March 29

Update: KLM’s process is much better than BA’s; I filed via web form on Feb 13 for a cancelled Miami-to-Amsterdam flight and €600 landed in my account Feb 28.

I had a transatlantic flight canceled on me the night before departure, which under UK regulations entitles me to £520 of compensation (in addition to a refund). It took a few emails, online forms, and months of waiting, but eventually I got it.

I’ve documented below the timeline, my notes, and the exact emails/explanations I sent to the relavant parties.

Hopefully this is helpful for anyone in a similar canceled/delayed flight situation or who is learning more generally how to appear as part of the managerial class (a social strata that, shockingly, is always treated better by The Management).

Initial timeline

• 2023 July 6: I book American Airlines flight 6996 departing July 27 direct London to San Francisco.
• July 26 (evening)
  • AA emails me: “You’ve been rebooked” (to a flight departing 25 hours later and with a connection).
  • I call AA immediately, they confirm the rebooking and don’t have good alternatives. They suggest I call again later to see if new flights have opened.
  • I call AA again 90 minutes later; still no good options, they suggest I call British Airways (the actual operator) to see if I can get on their waitlist.
  • I call BA, the operator seems extremely pissy that I’m calling them when I bought the ticket through American and refuses to do anything. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • I call AA, still no good options, so I request a refund. They email me a link where I can put in a number to request a refund, which I do immediately.
  • I book an entirely new flight, then go to sleep.
• I have my trip, everything is great.
• August 3. AA refunds me.

August 14: I attempt compensation from AA via email

To: International.CustomerRelations@aa.com
Subject: UKInquiry- CAA compensation for cancelled flight

Hello,

I would like to request compensation for a canceled flight:

Record locator: XXXXXX Flight AA 6996, scheduled Thursday, July 27, 2023 from London Heathrow (11:10 AM) arriving San Francisco (2:15 PM).

I was notified via email about 18 hours before the scheduled departure about a rebooking which would have had me flying through Miami and arriving at SFO at 9:30 PM on Friday, July 28, 2023 — about 31 hours later than my originally scheduled flight.

I called AA (+44 0207-660-2300) twice that evening and worked with agents to try and find an earlier flight, but they were unable to assist me, so ultimately I had to accept a full refund and book a flight with another carrier.

My understanding of UK civil aviation rules is that the

• less than 7 day notice
• long-haul flight of over 3,500km
• disruption of 4 hours or more at final destination

warrants £520 compensation. (Source: https://www.caa.co.uk/passengers/resolving-travel-problems/delays-and-cancellations/cancellations/)

I’ve included my UK banking details below. Please let me know if you require any additional information from me to process this claim, and thanks for your help!

Best,

Kevin

(Banking details here)

August 24: AA replies via email

Our records indicate the flight concerns you’ve mentioned were on your British Airways flight. With that in mind, to ensure your concerns are properly addressed, please contact British Airways directly so that they may further assist you.

August 26: I attempt compensation from BA

British Airways has an online form. In classic bureaucratic fashion, the form required that I provide their “record locator” and all the information that could concievably locate (my name, their flight’s origin/destination locations and times, etc.). In the free-text box I added the following information:

I originally purchased the flight through American Airlines.

Record locator: XXXXXX Flight AA 6996, scheduled Thursday, July 27, 2023 from London Heathrow (11:10 AM) arriving San Francisco (2:15 PM).

I was notified via email about 18 hours before the scheduled departure about a rebooking which would have had me flying through Miami and arriving at SFO at 9:30 PM on Friday, July 28, 2023 — about 31 hours later than my originally scheduled flight.

I’ve submitted a claim to AA, but they’ve refused to provide compensation as the original flight was operated by BA.

My understanding of UK civil aviation rules is that the

• less than 7 day notice
• long-haul flight of over 3,500km
• disruption of 4 hours or more at final destination

warrants £520 compensation.

Thanks for your understanding and assistance!

Kevin

Their system then emailed me a case reference number.

October 20: I remind BA

I used the British Airways “update your complaint” form to request an update. Unfortunately I did not make a copy of the message I sent, but it was something like “Hey y'all it’s been two months, anything else you need from me to process this? If I don’t hear from you in a month I’ll escalate this to the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Thanks!”

November 1: BA emails me

Dear Mr Lynagh

An update from British Airways

Thank you for your claim for compensation. We’re sorry that your flight, BA0285 on 27 July 2023 to San Francisco didn’t depart as scheduled. We know your time is precious and we’re sorry that your travel plans were affected.

We’ve reviewed your application and we’re pleased to confirm that you’re entitled to compensation under Air Passenger Rights Regulations. This has been calculated as GBP 520 per customer. Please visit ba.com to find out more about the calculation.

If you provided bank details when you submitted your claim, we’ll transfer the total amount of GBP 520.00 into your bank account within 14 business days. If no bank details were provided, we’ll send you a cheque. Please don’t respond to this email within 48-72 hours, as this may delay the payment from being processed.

We trust this goes some way to make up for the inconvenience to your journey. If we can help in any other way, please contact us. We hope we can welcome you on board again soon.

Best regards

British Airways

November 8: The £520 compensation actually lands in my bank account.

Victory!