Complaints

This profile includes complaints for British Airways's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  British Airways

  11 W 42nd St Fl 24 New York, NY 10036-8002

• 

  British Airways

  1830 K Street NW Washington, DC 20006

• 

  British Airways

  238 Lawrence Ave South San Francisco, CA 94080

• 

  Open Skies, Inc.

  6322 S 3000 E Ste 150 Salt Lake City, UT 84121-6921

• 

  British Airways

  100-4120 Yonge Street North York, ON M2P 2B8

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/22/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 4/10/2024, I purchase 2 return tickets to ****** (**) . Because the "on line" booking charged me 3 times (verified by cc charges) I did my final booking through a live agent.The overcharge was eventually taken care by the credit card. At the time of the booking I also requested 2 emergency exit seats. The agent confirmed availability and we paid $532 for the seats 41A and 41C. Few weeks later, I check the status of my booking, come to find out that the assigned seats were cancelled and we had no seats and NO notification from British Airways.The excuse given by the airline ranged from "too old (conversation recorded TWICE) ) for the exit seat to an assistance was requested for wheelchair, not true...maybe the assistance was grandfathered from previous flights?The seaTs were specifically prepaid for and requested because one of the passengers was too TALL to fit in a normal seat, but certainly not too old! Regardless of the reason for the cancellation and because British Airways gave our prepaid seats away, we could no longer fly under these conditions. Given that the seats were cancelled by British Airways (for whatever reason) , the fact the agent did not question age or disability and the cancelation was done outside the fully refundable period of 24 hours,( convenient?) I hold British Airways liable and I demand a full refund. In addition, since our seats were given a way and no other similar seats were available ( and I quote BA supervisor 'you can sit anywhere except the exit ) we had to purchase NEW seats on a different airline because it was necessary to complete this trip due to commitments on the other side. New tickets were expensive due to short notice$3900 one way!! I have not cancel the BA tickets while I am disputing their unjustifiable actions.In summary, British Airways took our pre assigned seats away, no warning, within the 24 hour cancelation policy. Why should British Airways dictate/demand to fly with our legs wrapped round our necks?

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/16/2024

  Better Business Bureau:

  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by British Airways regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/18/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I submitted a baggage reclaim/refund request to British Airways on 3/22/24. British Airways lost our luggage on our outgoing flight to ****** for our spring vacation, leaving my son and husband without clothing, and the rest of the family without various items for the entirety of the trip. We were in contact with BA every day during the vacation and they were unable to track the bag, so we were instructed to purchase items to replace what was missing and keep our receipts. We have done this and submitted all of our expenses. BA has yet to reimburse our costs. Not only were we without our belongings and medications for the trip, but now the company is taking far too long resolving this issue that is clear cut: you lost our bag, we replaced our items, refund our costs. BA has our documents, we simply want the case to be finished.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/12/2024

  The following email was sent on 05Aug24:

  Dear ********
  
  The delay to your baggage
  
  Thank you for contacting the Better Business Bureau. Your correspondence has been sent to Customer relations and we have been asked to respond to you directly.
  
  Were sorry to hear your bag was delayed on your recent trip to ******. This isnt what you should expect of us, and we understand why you needed to let us know about it. Wed also like to thank you for your patience while we got back to you.
  
  Thank you for sending over details of the items you had to buy while you were without your bag. Were happy to pay $1,421.58 to cover these expenses. This is the full amount you have claimed, minus the cost of the bag that was delayed. Please send me your bank details, so I can transfer the payment directly to your account.
  
  Bank name
  Bank country
  Branch name
  Bank account: Up to 17 characters
  Sort code: 9 digits. This is known as a routing number (use the paper and electronic sort code)
  
  I look forward to hearing from you soon.
  
  Best regards
  
  ******
  British Airways Customer Relations
  Your case reference is:********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/19/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  I have responded multiple times with banking information and BA has not paid. 

   

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/16/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We travelled to LGW from MCO on 06/18/2024 booking ref *************** and paid using our British Airways *********** We booked on the phone as BA's website had been down for a few days, and we had to book to ensure we could travel for a family wedding. When booking on the phone I advised the operator to encher code ********* so we would get our discount, she declined and kept saying she was already giving us best price. After several attempts I gave up since it was over an hour on the phone and just paid full fare. I entered an inital complaint with BA about a week after we booked, months later nothing but "we havent forgotten about you emails". I recently then added to the complaint due to the abhorrent behavior displayed by the cabin manager on flight BA 2036 06/18/24. Halfway into the flight, he marched back from club world, said to my husband that his blow up neck pillow "is not regulation, you muist deflate that now please honey, it might be regulation on other airlines, but not on british airways" as if BA was some kind of prized pony (it wasnt, the seat was literally falling apart, the flight was late causing a VERY tight, almosty missed transfer). I found his tone and use of informal language to be very patronizing. This was my first BA transatlantic crossing, and boy was it several notches behind my regular virgin, but the credit card offer was too good to say no to. Upon departing the same crew member used the same tone, once again calling my husband honey, in a very informal and belittling manner. Im not sure if he feels this is appropriate since we are gay, but it was not.Following this we had to sprint through the airport to make it to our Faro flight. I was beyond over BA by this point, and will use my avios, and close the card. The customer service, call centers, on board service, app and even check in experince all ****.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/07/2024

  The following email was sent on 02Aug24:

  Dear ***************** *******
  
  An update from British Airways
  
  Thanks for contacting the Better Business Bureau. Your correspondence has been passed to Customer Relations and we've been asked to respond to you directly.
  
  Were sorry to learn about your experience when you recently travelled with us from *******. This isnt what you should expect when you travel with us, and we understand why you needed to complain. Wed also like to thank you for your patience while we got back to you about this.
  
  Its disappointing the British Airways **** Signature card offer didnt work for you online. This offer needs to be redeemed by following certain steps and using the link provided on Chases website. We dont often get many complaints about this so were sorry for your experience.
  
  As were unable to trace they steps you may have taken to avail this offer, and we can see you did make the booking with us over the phone, wed like to offer you an eVoucher for $400.00. This is $200.00 per person and more than the discount you would have received for the tickets you had purchased from ******* to ******. There are full details about how to use this here .
  
  ******** ******* **************
  ***** ******** ********************
  ***** ******* *******
  ****** *******
  ******** ** ****** ****
  
  We mention the fare rules of our tickets on the price quote page so our customers are aware how much in fees it will cost to change the booking. All customers must accept the fare rules to proceed further and complete their booking.
  
  We offer proactive upgrades on first come first basis and theyre dependent on availability. Were sorry the upgrade you were looking for wasnt available when youd tried to book it as it had been taken up by another passenger.
  
  We dont underestimate how important food and drink is to your enjoyment of the flight, and in our World Traveller cabin, we aim to deliver a meal that exceeds expectations. We clearly didnt meet our usual standards this time. We refresh our food and drink menus in World Traveller cabins every month and use feedback like yours to guide us as we do. *** shared your comments with my colleagues in the Catering team to help us improve the choices we offer.
  
  We understand travel can be stressful sometimes, so were particularly disappointed our crew didnt meet our usual high standards of professionalism. Ive shared your concerns with the relevant managers, who will take appropriate action straight away.
  
  Thanks for taking the time to let us know about this and once again, please accept our apologies for this experience.
  
  Best regards
  
  ***
  British Airways Customer Relations
  Your case reference is:********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/08/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
  
  

  I am not necessarily satisfied that they have only responded to my complaint as it was done through the BBB but have happily ignored the complaint I previously put in till this point. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************
  
  
  
   
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/12/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have filed two reimbursement claims with British Airways. 1.) we had a 22 hour flight delay that resulted in an overnight stay at an airport. I was told to file a claim for expenses, which I did on 5/3/24 2.) my luggage was delayed/missing for 7 days. I was told my multiple customer service representatives to buy what I needed and I would need to file a reimbursement claim and I would be reimbursed. I filed this claim on 5/3/24 I often cannot get through to anyone on the phone. Today I was able to and they said claims take ***** days. It has now been 71 days and they told me to continue to wait at least another 10 days.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/06/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by British Airways regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/12/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Left 5/12/24, flight BA5709. ******* and missed connecting flight in ****** (they did not wait). We paid for Business class. Almost 30 hours later, left Philly to ******. Missed connecting flight again. Delayed into ********* and missed Airbnb reservations. Luggage was left in ******. Didn't get until Day 5 of our cruise. We paid for upgrade seats that we did not get. Had to pay for ************** and lost $$ with missed reservations. All because the connecting flight would not wait 10 minutes. We deserve compensation because we paid for a service we did NOT receive. I have been back and forth between British Air, who says we have to go through American Air for compensation. And American Air says we have to go through British Air since that is who we booked through. Full incident report attached, bill to ********************, had to pay for laundry services since we did not have our luggage first week of the cruise, missed reservations, Uber costs back and forth to airport dealing with luggage, etc. It was a nightmare! All we are asking if rightful compensation for a product we did not receive (Business class we paid for versus Economy we received) as well as compensation for costs like airport hotel and Uber.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/05/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by British Airways regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/12/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My wife and I flew to ****** *****, making a layover in ****** on 6/14/24. Due to several delays and the original flight to the connecting final destination, our baggage 2 bags never came. We file a missing luggage claim at the **************. They gave us a case # **********. Five days later they sent us to our hotel in ***** my wife luggage. As of today my luggage still is missing. Based on their records they sent my luggage on 6/23/24 to my home in ******* they sent the wrong luggage. I rejected it. Now they records show they sent again on 6/26/24 on Flight ******. Im still waiting for my luggage

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/05/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by British Airways regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/11/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased two multi-city airline tickets through BA. Due to the changes that BA made between the time of purchase and June 19th, 2024 I had no choice but to cancel the flight and request a refund. The original date and time of our arrival to our destination was August 11th, 2024 at 2:35PM in *********. BA changed the flight time to arrive on August 11th, 2024 at 08:55PM in *********; over 6 hours later resulting in missing our ground transportation for our trip which would result in a 24 hour loss and incurring additional transportation costs. BA has classified the refund request as a Voluntary fare refund, even though I was not given any other option but to cancel. BA would not cancel over the phone since I placed the order online. 10c) Voluntary fare refunds 10c2) If you have not used any part of the ticket, the refund will be equal to the fare and any carrier imposed charges and surcharges, and taxes, fees and charges you have paid, less any cancellation and reasonable service charge10b) Involuntary fare refunds:10b1) We will pay fare refunds as set out below if we:-make a significant change to a flight time which is not acceptable to you -delay a flight by five hours or more My request to cancel and refund the ticket was made on June 19th, 52 days prior, not to mention attempts to resolve the issue were made in February and again in June. According to BA's own General Conditions of Carriage, I should be entitled to a full, refund less any cancellation and reasonable service charges. Please be aware that this cancellation would NOT have occurred if BA did not make such a significant change to our flight time AND if the delay was not over 5 hours! It seems pretty clear that voluntary or involuntary I should receive a total refund of more than $151.20.Based on the above and the documentation attached I request that British Airways refund the full purchase price of $2,436.60, less the $151.20 I have already received.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/05/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by British Airways regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/09/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My wife and I were on flight BA176 from *** to *** on May 3. On this flight we were assigned seats 28D and 28 H. We wanted to sit together, so we paid $124 to change our seats to 33D and 33E. When we got to the airport and printed out boarding passes, we were assigned our original seats of 28D and 28H. I have gone through the customer service system at ********************** three times to request a refund, because we did not receive the seats we had paid for. They have rejected because they claim their system does not show that they changed our seats. I am filing this claim because I am hitting a brick wall, and I don't think it is fair that they won't refund my money when I didn't receive the service I paid for.I have attached photos showing my receipt for paying for the seat change, and my boarding pass which shows I was in the original seat.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/29/2024

  The following email was sent on 26Jul24:

  Dear *********************
  
  An apology from British Airways
  
  Thanks for contacting the Better Business Bureau. Your correspondence has been passed to Customer Relations and we've been asked to respond to you directly.
  
  Were very sorry to hear you didnt get the seats you had paid for on your flight to ***************. You were right to get in touch with us about this. Wed also like to thank you for your patience whilst we got back to you.
  
  We understand you paid $124.00 for new seats, but you were given your original ones onboard. Wed be happy to reimburse this cost for you. The best way to settle your claim is by bank transfer and it would be helpful if you could send me the following information:
  
  Bank name
  Branch name
  Bank country
  Routing number (9 digits - please provide the paper and electronic sort code)
  Account number (up to 17 characters)
  
  You can send us your information by replying directly to this email. Youre welcome to send more than one email if youre concerned about giving us all your information at the same time.
  
  We're grateful to you for taking the time to write to us and share your experience. It's very much appreciated. I've passed your comments to the relevant departments, and your feedback will be used to help us improve our service and prevent issues like these from occurring again where possible.
  
  Once again, please accept our apologies for your experience on this occasion.
  
  Best regards
  
  *****
  British Airways Customer Relations
  Your case reference is:********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/08/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  British Airways said on their website when I was logged into my flight reservation and in emails they sent me about the reservation that I had to pay for bags and it would be more expensive at the airport. I ended up paying for two bags ($140 total) ahead of time as a result.When I got to the airport and checked in at the bag drop, the British Airways employee told me I did not need to pay for baggage with my fair class and I should contact British Airways on their website.I submitted a formal ticket as described, but the person from British Airways who got back to me told me it was too late and I should have cancelled the payment for the bags before checking in. When I asked if they could verify if I needed to pay or if it was included in my fair class I booked, they told me no. They then stopped responding to my questions entirely.This is a deceptive practice and I would expect many other people are having similar issues with British Airways. I am requesting a refund of my $140 and an explanation as to why I was told contradictive facts by their employees.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/02/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by British Airways regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/08/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  British Airways canceled a flight (BA 52, Booking reference ******) and replaced it with a later flight (BA 48). The later flight does not allow me to catch another BA flight (BA 0378, Booking reference ******). When I contacted BA (on several occasions) I was informed that I would need to pay a rebooking fee to change either of these two flights. BA has also informed me that because I accepted the original flight change that I have no recourse with them. When the original flight was canceled and changed I was not given any options or told that my acceptance would mean that I would have to pay rebooking fees to correct a problem that BA has caused. The original flight departs ******* for ****** on October 31, 2024. I would like an earlier flight on October 30, 2024 and would not like to pay any fees for this change. I object to BA earning fees on a problem which it has caused.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/02/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by British Airways regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************