British Airways has quietly changed its ticketing policy to allow passengers
on even the cheapest fares to rebook if they want to avoid Terminal 5 this
week.
The new policy was posted on the BA website on Friday, but has not been widely
communicated to passengers, and on Friday morning BA press office staff were
still telling journalists that the normal ticket restrictions apply.
The new rules mean that anyone due to travel to, from or through Terminal 5 up
to April 2, and whose flight is operating, can postpone their ticket if they
wish to travel at a later date.
The option is to rebook onto a flight to the same destination on a different
day.
Up until Friday morning only BA customers with the more expensive economy and
business class tickets, which have flexible terms and conditions, were able
to rebook their flights; anyone on a cheaper ticket would be unable to
postpone their trip without losing the money spent on the fare, unless their
flight was cancelled.
A BA spokeswoman told Times Online that she expects few people to rebook
tickets. “The large majority of people will still want to travel,” she said.
The carrier has cancelled 54 flights today, mostly to short-haul and domestic
destinations, and expects to cancel 50 flights on Tuesday.
For the latest on BA’s luggage policy, how to rebook your ticket, how to
get refunds and compensation and the rights of delayed and stranded BA
passengers, click
here.
