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

  2 Park Ave Room 1100 New York, NY 10016

• 

  British Airways

  551 5th Avenue Suite 725 New York, NY 10178

• 

  British Airways

  P.O. Box 300686 Jamaica, NY 11430

• 

  British Airways

  1830 K Street NW Washington, DC 20006

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:11/28/2022

  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 traveled to **************** via British Airways. Upon retrieval of my bag, there was damage to the front and one of the wheels was totally damaged. British Airways refuses to issue me compensation because I reported it after I got back from vacation and not within a week. They don't understand that people on vacation do not want to waste their time dealing with an issue.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2022

  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.

  Hello, I have been trying to contact British airways and get assistance with my account. When I try to link my ***** Airways privilege account to my British Airways account. ALL MY INFORMATION IS CORRECTLY UPDATED IN MY BRITISH AIRWAYS AND ***** AIRWAYS. However, after I click on the link on ***** Airways site to link my BA account. I put in the correct username and password and then it gives me the option to--(copy and pasted below). It has my OLD CELL ***** AND IS TEXTING MY OLD CELL *****. EVEN THOUGH I HAVE UPDATED MY NEW ***** NUMBER ON YOUR WEBSITE AS INSTRUCTED BY MANY AGENTS ON THE ***** AND. VIA CHAT. No one has been of assistance. My correct phone number is *************** my OLD phone number WAS ***************. NO ONE CAN SEEM, OR WANTS TO HELP ME UPDATE THIS. I ALSO DO NOT HAVE THE CORRECT RECOVERY CODE APPARENTLY. AGAIN THE CORRECT INFORMATION IS ALREADY UPDATED IN BOTH ACCOUNTS.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/18/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/18/2022

  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 family of 5 were booked on a flight with British Airways from ************* to ******** on July 2, 2022. The flight was cancelled 24hrs before take off. We were able to rebook on a flight 24hrs later than our original flight, this flight was also a cheaper flight than our original flight. We applied for the compensation we were due for this cancelled flight on July 2nd but have not heard anything since the one email that day registering our complaint. We have contacted British Airways but have not been able to reach their complaints department as the line is always closed.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/07/2022

  The following email was sent to ********************** on 19Nov22:

  Dear ** ******************** update from British Airways
  We're sorry for the disruption caused to your travel plans due to the cancellation of your flights from ************** to ******* in July. We'd also like to thank you for your patience while we got back to you.  
  
  Weve refused your claim for compensation because we told you about the cancellations at least 14 days before you were due to depart, using the contact details in your booking, **********************. Cancellation notification emails were sent successfully on 30 April and 04 May. Under ** legislation and The Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers Licensing *********** (** Exit) Regulations 2019, we arent liable to pay compensation for this kind of situation.
  Once again, we're sorry you had this experience and we hope to welcome you on board again soon.
  
  
  
  
  
  Best regards
  
  *******
  British Airways Customer Relations
  Your case reference ***********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/17/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  We flew to ****** by British Airways in July. next morning we were flying to ***********. However Our bags did not come for two weeks (our entire trip). So during our trip we had to purchase necessary clothes and toiletries. I sent a claim to British airways with all the receipts, on line on their website according to their instructions on August 6, 2022. I received an automated email giving me a claim number and that they will work on it. It has been 4 months now. I have not received any response. There is no direct number to call to find out the status of the claim. When I call the customer service number they do not have access to this information. I have tried to contact them via fax and also several *********************** to get an update on the status of the claim. I tried to chat on line but they do not have any information on the claim either. I dont know what to do. I have already paid my credit card for the purchases I had to make because they lost the bags. But cannot get reimbursement from them. I tried contact them via social media. I just get a generic reply that we are working on it and thankyou for your patience. I noticed several similar complaints on Tweeter. All I ask is reimbursement for the things we needed to purchase and the money we spent in attempt to get the bags. I am not even asking anything for the damages and the time I spent trying to contact them.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/12/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/17/2022

  Type:Service or Repair 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 daughter and I traveled British Airlines from ****** Airport on June 25, 2022. to **************** in ******, and then on to ************ in ********, and then returning a week later. All of our flights were either delayed or canceled. Our luggage was lost for 3 days between ******** and ****. I turned in all of my receipts, all of the flight information, etc., and I received a case reference number on August 3, 2022 from British Airlines - ********. They owe us over a thousand dollars in food, **************, etc. I have yet to hear from them, even though I have sent several emails asking for an update. They are not available by phone and they won't respond to emails. It took me several hours to upload documents to send to them. This is so frustrating. I'm dealing with breast cancer now, and I could use the money that I had to put out because of the problems with my flights. Please help me!!

  Business Response

  Date: 12/07/2022

  The following email was sent to *************** on 27Nov22:

  Dear *********************
  
  An update from British Airways
  We appreciate your patience and apologise for the delay in responding
  
  Thanks for contacting us about your claim for compensation. We're sorry it was necessary to cancel flight, BA293, on 2 July 2022. We don't underestimate how much this must have disrupted your travel plans.
  Weve refused your claim for compensation as we are not liable to pay compensation where we provide you with at least 14 days notice of the cancellation. We told your travel agent, who issued your ticket, about your cancelled flight on 29 April 2022.
  
  I've also assessed your claim for reimbursement for your First need costs. On this occasion, I'm happy to settle your claim for $446.82. *** raised a bank transfer for this amount to your ************** account using the details you provided. Please be advised that it can take up to 28 business days for this payment to show in your account.
  We apologize for the inconvenience that you had to face while travelling with us. This is not the experience we want our customers to have. We hope you have better experience with us in future.
  
  Thanks again for getting in touch with us about this. If theres anything else I can help you with, please dont hesitate to contact me directly using the blue link below.
  
  
  
  Best regards
  
  *********************************
  British Airways Customer Relations
  Your case reference ***********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/16/2022

  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 husband deployed to the ************************ in October 2019 on a UN mission for one year. As part of his deployment, he was allowed a mid-tour break for R&R, so we scheduled a three week dream vacation in ******. Because I was traveling alone from *******, **, *** to *****, ******, and am fearful of flying, I decided to purchase a first class seat for my flights. I purchased this ticket on December 30, 2019; the cost was $6001.07 USD (Booking reference: ******). The fine print indicated that without insurance I would pay a $500 penalty if I needed to cancel for any reason. Fast forward to 2020 and COVID-19. I waited until April 2020 to cancel my flight as at that point it became obvious the vacation wasnt going to happen. I followed the links on the British Airways website to request a refund, but all of the links redirected to the voucher page. I tried multiple times, but the only option offered was the voucher, so I made my request. I received my first Future Travel Voucher on April 6, 2020. This voucher was good for one year only and was non-refundable, even though my original flight was refundable with a $500 penalty for cancellation.British Airways extended the expiration to September 30, 2023 and issued me a new voucher: Code ************** is worth USD6001.07. Because the public health crisis has lasted so long, my husband retired from the Navy, and we relocated from *******, ** to **********, **. Due to the crisis and our move, we have been unable to travel. Additionally, now to fly British Airways, we must drive three hours to the nearest British Airways hub. I would like British Airways to honor the original agreementrefund the cost of my ticket minus a $500 penalty for cancellation: $5501.07. They offered an apology and **** Avios; this does not solve my problem. I want a refund as originally promised when I made my original purchase.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2022

  The following email was sent on 17Nov22:

  Dear ** ******************
  
  Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We understand why you needed to get in touch. We apologise for the time it has taken to get back to you and thank you for your patience.
  
  Weve added  Avios to your ************** account and we hope this goes some way towards making up for your experience. You can exchange Avios for flights, upgrades, hotels or car hire please see ba.com/avios for more information.
  
  Below weve listed out some of our most common topics for queries, to help you get to the right place. Alternatively, you can find more help on our Contacts and FAQs page, where you may also find our Chatbot function useful.
  
  **************
  For any ************** queries, please visit ba.com/eccontact where youll find the best way to contact us. You may also find our ************** web form useful.
  
  New Bookings
  For any new bookings, please visit ba.com. If you intend to use a Future Travel Voucher as part of your booking, please see Future Travel Vouchers below.
  
  Future Travel Vouchers
  For any queries or bookings using Future Travel Vouchers, youll need to contact our Change Booking team on ********************, between 08:00 and 20:00 daily (GMT). You can also find useful information about your voucher here.
  
  Package Bookings 
  For any package booking queries, youll need to contact our British Airways Holidays team on ******************** between 08:00 and 20:00 daily (GMT) or by email. If youd like to share a compliment or complaint about a recent trip, you can do so here by emailing us.
  
  Refunds
  For any queries or requests for refunds, youll need to contact our Refunds team on ******************** Option 3, between 08:00 and 20:00 daily (GMT). Alternatively, please go online to Manage My Booking where you may be able to cancel your booking and request a refund.
  
  Warm regards,
  
  British Airways

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/14/2022

  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.

  We flew from *** to ****** and then on to ******* on June 12, 2022. On our way, British Airways lost our luggage. Flight number was ****** which they say doesn't exist because it needs 4 numbers, but I have the ticket which has only 3 numbers on it. We went into ******** and missed our connection flight due to their delays. Upon their recommendation, we had to travel (**** at our cost) to ****** City to catch a connection to *******. Upon arriving in ********, they informed us that our luggage did not show up but that they would deliver to us in 48 to 72 hrs. They gave us no compensation to buy toiletries or anything at this point. They required my cell phone to be on to communicate so they could deliver our luggage to us on our travels. After 72 hrs. I called and they said 24 to 48 hrs., then after that it was 12 to 24 hrs.,then it was 12 hrs., they said it was with a delivery company. Needless to say our luggage never showed up. Upon learning of our lost luggage in ******** we filed a lost luggage report, our reference number is *********** We ended up spending approx. $900 for clothing and toiletries to survive our trip for 10 days in ********. On Aug. 30th, they told us they were going to send us approx. $720 to cover this cost in 48 to 72 hrs. and that our luggage was officially lost. We emailed them back and asked about the value of our bags that were lost; we assumed the $720 was just to cover the clothes, etc. we had to purchase to survive. On Sept. 20, 2022 They told us to send them an itemized list of items lost which we did totaling $1,720 for myself, and $1,784 for my wife. We have heard nothing back from them since. Our case number with British Airways is ********. Hopefully this is enough information, if you need anything more, please let me know.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/09/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/14/2022

  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.

  Ticket purchased for daughter. Cancelled due to covid. Given voucher. Bought another ticket but found out she needs surgery and advised not to leave as its a last minute call to get to hospital. Was told by British airways that I would get a full refund onto my credit card. Now theyre saying no because shes not terminally Ill. Theyll give her credit to be used by august but surgeries have started to be cancelled and we dont know if she will be done by then and I will lose all the money. They wont let change the person to use the ticket for a fee but upon researching, they are to allow me to cancel for a full refund minus a cancellation fee which they have now begun to ignore me and my numerous questions. They have lied to me countless times each time I have called to ask a question. They are now refusing to answer questions and said my case is closed with no resolution. I was told they had no policy. I was told they had a medical policy. I was told that policy isnt specific to my medical letter. I was told now the policy is this and then that. They are willing to lie one minute and change policies when suits them. I was told I should have known the banner on the website was gone. There wasnt even an option to buy refundable ticket because of the covid vouchers. Im heartbroken they wont answer my questions and I catch them in lies.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/08/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/14/2022

  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 flew in from ****** to ***** thru British Airways flight on 09/28/2022. One of my baggage was lost. I filed a missing baggage complaint ( ********** ) with British Airways upon arrival on 28th of september. It was not found for more than a month. Finally the lugggage was found and was forwarded to ************* on 3rd of November, 2022. British Airways claims that they handed over the luggage to ***** to forward to my home address on file whereas the ***** tracking number provided states clearly that the luggage was never collected by *****. In the meantime, British Airways closed the complaint stating that they have handed over the luggage to *****. I have been trying to get the missing baggage complaint reopened with British Airways for the last several days. I just need them to handover the luggage to *****. I had an eye surgery before i started my journey in ***** and desperately need that luggage in which i have the post surgery care prescription medicines. There is no phone number for British Airways ***** aiport to talk to. Any help in resolving this issue will be greatly appreciated.I can be reached on my phone number on file if any queries.Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/09/2022

  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 tickets from British Airways, for travel just prior to the release of their "official" ***** travel deferral program. Nonetheless, they agreed to offer me the deferral and sent me a letter (through Expedia, my third-party seller), saying they were honoring my travel deferral, if I rebooked for the same passengers, the same itinerary and completed travel by September 30, 2023. When I tried to book the new travel, almost a year ahead of my expiry date, I was told by Expedia that BA had asked that I now book the new travel directly with BA. After which time, I would submit my paperwork to BA for my ***** travel reimbursement, the cost of the original tickets. Upon receipt, they would apply the ***** credit to my account, I also confirmed with BA, while booking my new travel, that this was true. Also, the agent said he added a quick review of my case, my previous ticket numbers, itinerary codes in the notes for the new tickets and itinerary. BTW, my new booked travel is twice as expensive as the previous. I then submitted to BA my paperwork for the ***** credit. My return emails from them appear to be farmed out to a data processing center, with little human review. They have asked me repeatedly to resubmit my request, because my "application is for travel ahead of the official program start date". They are not honoring my original letters from BA. My last email from them, declines my request. Obviously they must honor what they have promised to do for me in writing. I believe my application is caught ** in some churn, because it's out of the ordinary. Regardless, it's been weeks, hours of phone calls, numerous emails and now they are telling me, "no". It's absurd and no I'm not walking away from nearly $1,700.00. Will you please help? Thanks much!!