From Dailymail · · 1m 40s
BA downgraded us then scrimped on compensation
BA downgraded seats for Avios users, then gave less than owed: Sally sorts it.
In brief
BA downgraded seats for Avios users, then gave less than owed: Sally sorts it. BA downgraded a passenger's seats after they paid with Avios points and a voucher, but the passenger got £994.38 compensation from CEDR after a dispute. Originally reported by Dailymail.
Flight downgrade
My husband and I flew from Costa Rica to London in January.
Avios payment plan
We had planned a year in advance to use Avios points and a two-for-one companion voucher to buy premium economy tickets.
Check-in issue
We were unable to check in online for the flight, so got to the airport early to be sure we would get our seats.
Seat downgrade
BA changed the plane to one with a different seat configuration and could not put us in premium economy.
Downgrade claim
We believe the downgrade wasn’t random and that we were discriminated against because we had paid using points, not cash.
Compensation claim
BA returned our points and gave a small sum of money after the downgrade.
CEDR complaint
We raised a claim with the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) after BA refused to compensate fairly.
BA's calculation
BA calculated our entitlement at £145 plus 27,750 Avios points, saying the companion voucher had no value.
CEDR's calculation
CEDR decided we were entitled to £994.38 on top of the £213 we’d already received.
Payment received
The money was in our account eight months after the downgrade.
What happened next
Those in similar situations should take heart that fair redress for unwanted downgrades is possible.
The big picture
BA downgraded a passenger's seats after they paid with Avios points and a voucher, but the passenger got £994.38 compensation from CEDR after a dispute.
