This new schedule is to take effect over the Summer period.
The development according to British Airways is to increase operational resilience to help provide certainty for customers in the wake of the impact on the aviation industry due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Apologising for the convenience that may be caused, the airline in a statement said it has provided customers with the option to rebook for alternate flights.
“To provide maximum flexibility we’re giving customers the option to rebook onto alternate flights and are utilising larger aircraft where appropriate; enabling more customers to travel as close to their original departure time as possible.
“For some flights, customers may be asked to follow up directly with their travel agent. Should customers no longer wish to travel, they can obtain a full refund as per our Standard Customer Guidelines,” the statement assured.
Several agreements the statement noted are also in place with other carriers to help re-book customers.
“These are currently in place with Qatar Airways, Lufthansa (including Cityline), Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific,” it added.
Against this backdrop, customers have been advised to visit the Trade Support website for full policy details.
Below is the full statement:
Dear Trade Partner,
Aviation has been one of the industries worst hit by the pandemic; airlines and airports are experiencing the same issues, rebuilding their operations while managing the continuing impact of Covid.
As a business, we are focused on three priorities: our customers and valued partners, supporting the biggest recruitment drive in our history and increasing our operational resilience, to help provide certainty for our customers.
To support this, we have taken the difficult but necessary decision to reduce our schedule over the Summer period.
We would like to apologise for the inconvenience this may cause for our mutual customers’ travel plans.
To provide maximum flexibility we’re giving customers the option to rebook onto alternate flights and are utilising larger aircraft where appropriate; enabling more customers to travel as close to their original departure time as possible.
For some flights, customers may be asked to follow up directly with their travel agent. Should customers no longer wish to travel, they can obtain a full refund as per our Standard Customer Guidelines.
We also have several agreements in place with other carriers to help re-book customers. These are currently in place with Qatar Airways, Lufthansa (including Cityline), Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.
Please refer to the BA Trade Support website for full policy details. Partners wishing to rebook customers onto Lufthansa will need to contact us for the ticket reissue.
Please ensure we hold the most up to date customer contact details listed within the PNR or added via “Manage My Booking”, allowing us to contact customers should there be any changes to their planned itinerary.
Our trade support team is currently experiencing higher than normal call volumes and you may experience longer than normal wait times.
To help us prioritise urgent cases, we kindly request for you to only call if your enquiry is related to travel within the next 72 hours.
Thank you for your continued support.
British Airways
