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

  710 McDonnell Rd San Francisco, CA 94128

• 

  Open Skies, Inc.

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

• 

  Open Skies, Inc.

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

• 

  British Airways

  Lester B. Pearson Airport C/o Passenger Baggage Claims P.O. Box 10 Mississauga, ON L5P 1A2

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:12/16/2024

  Type:Product 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.

  I PURCHASED MULTI CITY FLIGHTS $2699.45 ON BRITISH AIRWAYS ON 30 JUN 2023. CANCELED FLIGHTS ON 15 APR 2024 DUE TO UPCOMING CANCER SURGERY ON 1 MAY 2024. I RECEIVED A PARTIAL REFUND OF $909.75 ON AND WAS TO RECIVE A CREDIT VOUCHER BUT NEVER RECEIVED IT. ***** ***** FROM BRITISH AIRWAYS CALLED ME ON 17 SEP 2024 AND THEY WERE TO CREDIT $1567.00 BACK TO MY CREDIT CARD INSTEAD OF CREDIT VOUCHER. AFTER THREE (3) MONTHS I STILL HAVEN'T RECEIVED MY REFUND OF $1567.00 AND WAS TOLD THAT IT HAS BEEN INITIATED.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/08/2025

  The following emails were sent on 20Dec24 & 27Dec24:

  Dear ** ************ ***************** *************An update from British Airways
  
  Thank you for contacting the Better Business Bureau. Your case has been sent to Customer Relations and we have been asked to reply to you directly.
  I am sorry for the inconvenience you have had. I have requested that the appropriate refund you are still due is processed accordingly. 
  Thank you for contacting Customer Relations.
  Best regards
  
  *****
  British Airways Customer Relations
  Your case reference is*********

  =======================================

  Dear ** ************ ***************** ************* ******* *** **** ************ ************** ******************* ****** **** ******* ********** ****** *********** ****** ***** ******* ****** ** ******* ****** ** ******** ********** *******

  An update from British Airways
  Thank you for getting back in touch.
  I have requested that any applicable refund is processed on reference ******. If you have any questions or need an update please contact our *************************** quoting that reference, as Customer Relations cannot process refunds.
  Thank you for contacting Customer Relations.
  
  Best regards
  
  *****
  British Airways Customer Relations
  Your case reference is:********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/08/2025

  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.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *********
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/10/2024

  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.

  Hello, I flew with my family in September. Our original booking was Reference # ****** Leaving 9/1/24 and returning 9/18/24 Ba flight: **** San-******* BA flight **** *******-********* Return Ba flight **** ********** - ******, ****** ******-******, and BA flight 0273 ******-**********Our experience was the following: We booked our flights in April to ensure we could arrange sitting by a bassinet for our baby and to all sit together (2 parents and 2 kids). Our flight to ******* got cancelled less than a month before our travel date, leaving us to find a different connection. Because of the short notice, the other options were mostly full flights, leaving us to not be able to choose to sit together. On our return to **, our flight to ****** arrived 41 minutes late. We had a very short time to make our London-San flight but did not make it because we could not check our boarding pass due to British Airways computer system failing. Many passengers had the same issue and we were stuck not getting in to the gates. On top of that, we had checked our stroller on the plane to have it for our layovers, which they decided to send through baggage and not return to us at landing. This left us waiting for over 4 hours at the airport with 2 small children and no stroller to try to figure out our next step. After almost 5 hours of waiting with no answers, they gave us a voucher to a hotel, where we waited for over an hour for the bus to arrive to take us to it. They did not provide us with any replacement clothes, toothbrushes, etc. We had to pay a taxi to go buy clothes for our kids and ourselves as well as baby food, formula, and diapers, and all without a stroller. The hotel room was a small bed with no room for a crib. We were 2 adults, a 5 year old and a baby. We then flew back the next day to ********* and arrived a day late which caused us to miss an extra day of work.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/04/2025

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/09/2024

  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.

  Dear British Airways,My mother, ***** **** *******, is actively dying. I had to cancel my travel to ********* because she has been put on hospice. This refund request and complaint is in regard to booking reference ******.I have called the reservations team repeatedlyon four separate occasionsbut I have been unable to request a refund or flight credit. On my first attempt to resolve this issue your phone lines were overloaded, so I followed the instructions to request a refund through your website. On my second call I was instructed to obtain documentation from hospice, which has now been received and validated. On my third and fourth calls I was told that I was ineligible for a refund and that only the taxes and fees would be credited to my account. If I was only eligible for a refund for taxes and fees why was I asked to request documentation from hospice? This request for documentation not only wasted my time, during a difficult period of grieving and caring for my mother, but it also wasted the precious time of the hospice team that is caring for my mother and many other terminally ill patients.I was instructed to file a complaint on your website, but the on-line system will not let me submit this. I have also submitted this to you via email, but received an automated response.This itinerary originally cost me 1384 GBP and I am currently experiencing financial hardship because of my mothers ongoing illness and impending death. I canceled this flight with plenty of lead time, which has given British Airways the opportunity to resell my seat. I have not travelled on this flight, so am feeling aggrieved that the airline is keeping my fare during this extremely difficult time in my life. I sincerely hope that someone is able to read this request and respond.Yours truly,***** **** *******, ************** ** ************ ********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/06/2024

  Type:Product 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.

  On July 7th I had a British Airways flight from ********* to ****** with a connection at ********. The flight from ********* was delayed by nearly 2 hours, and I missed the connection to ******. After an hour in line at British Airways helpdesk, I was rebooked for the following day on a flight with a long connection in *******. Due to this:1) I ended up arriving home 24 hours later than intended. 2) My seating in the new flight was downgraded from premium economy to economy. I had payed double for the premium seating.3) I was told to book a hotel for the night and pay for transportation, and that I would be reimbursed.Upon landing I filed a claim (********) detailing the above information. After a month I received a response explaining that since the delay was less than 3 hours BA owes me nothing, but out of generosity they will pay me 300 pounds to cover my expenses.I responded that 300 pounds didn't even cover the expenses I was told at the airport would be reimbursed, and that I had paid for premium seating but did not get it, so I should be reimbursed for that as well.This was in August. Since then I have emailed again twice, but 4 months later I have yet to hear back, or even to receive the 300 pounds that were approved. I am extremely disappointed with this lack of responsiveness, and would like my reimbursement to be processed ASAP.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/01/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  

  Thank you so much for your help!
  At this time, my complaint, ID ******** regarding British Airways has been resolved.
  

  (By clicking "OK", your complaint will be closed as Resolved.)

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/05/2024

  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 3 return tickets to travel from *** * INV (*********) * *** directly from British Airways. The itinerary was ********* * INV * *********. When we checked in at ***, the itinerary was changed by a British Airways agent /representative to JFK * LHR * INV * ***INV*** * LHR * **** The British Airways agent added an additional LHR * INV leg in the evening of the same day as the leg we flew in the morning. We were not made aware of this error and the British Airways system seeing that we didn't fly the evening leg from *** * INV (Since we were already in INV) cancelled our return flight. No email or notification was made of the cancellation.We went to the airport expecting to get on the flight and were not allowed to as we were told at that time that our return flight had been ************ address this i spend 300 minutes (actual) on the phone and we were delayed in our return by 5 days.I submitted a CLAIM however the British Airways site has one process for claims and complaints and repeatedly British Airways handled by issue as a COMPLAINT, offering token compensation. I wrote back multiple times stating that this was not a complaint but was a claim. Eventually British Airways stopped responding.The delay was significant, my daughter missed a flight as a result, we stayed in accommodation for 5 extra days, i spent 300 minutes on the phone we travelled to the airport and back in a taxi needlessly. I requested that I be reimbursed for my costs and that under ** 261 if applicable compensation be made. I provided all receipts and documentation. British Airways consistently handled my issue as though it were a complaint. I do not know whether this is done based on BA policy or just ordinary organisational issues.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/03/2024

  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.

  We are a family of four and on October 20th we bought flight tickets in British Airways through *********** to travel to ************ - ********* because we had to visit a relative (my mum, grandma of my 2 children) who had just had surgery for the second time this year, and we had to visit her in case she could not recover well from the upcoming chemotherapy. It was a very bad time for us to travel, my husband just started a new job and we were not in a good position to spend money. Still, we saw no more options than going to visit her, so we immediately got the *********** week after we got the fly tickets, we were told she didn't need the chemotherapy and she was stable and out of risk. On Nov 3rd, it was our first attempt to cancel the flight on ***********, and we were told that only ~500 could be refunded. We have also communicated with British Airways by phone, chat, and email several times since then with no proper resolution. We tried to cancel the flight from the British Airways web, but we had a message stating that we should call the airline.On December 1st we wrote a final email to British Airways to see if they could refund the money explaining with more details our situation and they responded that the agency (***********) should solve the issue.When we talk to ***********, they say we should talk to British Airways so as you can see, we are bouncing between both companies and nobody was able to give us a satisfactory resolution. We are getting desperate as the date of the flight is getting close and we are about to lose all the money which is something we can not afford given our current financial situation.We understand is the airline who is capable of solving our issue so I am submitting a compliant to wee if we finally can get any help for our ***************** reference* ****** Total price: ******* Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/29/2024

  At this time, I have been contacted directly by British Airways regarding complaint ID ********, however my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  They said they could not refund the full price but only 509. As the date was close we decided to cancel the trip to at least have that money back (less than 10% of the total).

   

   

   

   

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

  Sincerely,

  ******* *********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/03/2024

  Type:Billing 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.

  A simple request for an invoice to show the amounts charged for my 2 infants and that they were in fact charged as infants, has gone without a reply since October 4th when I opened up a case. This is incredibly discourteous and causing the loss of over $1,000 as I'm unable to get Dohop reimbursement without this invoice.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/02/2024

  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.

  British Airways is running a scam that they are trying to upgrade seats at a lower rate you have to call to make the upgrade. When you can call for the upgrade they magically disappear and they are trying to make you pay more than the promotion. The whole deal is a scam. Maybe the company shouldnt be allowed to do business in the **

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/28/2024

  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.

  Back in August in early August my wife and I traveled to ********************* on a British Airways flight. Upon arrival non of our 3 bags made it. We did receive one bag 5 days later on our last night of our trip. The other two are still missing. I filed a complaint and immediately. Just this past week my claim finally went into review and I received an email. The email stated that my bags were confirmed lost and I would be compensated. After responding to that email I did not get a respond and my claim status went back into received state. Its been 4 months and have not been compensated for my thousands in lost goods. Claim number ********

  Business Response

  Date: 12/18/2024

  The following email was sent 12Dec24:

  Dear ** ****
  
  Your lost luggage: an update
  
  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. 
  We're sorry your luggage was lost on your trip to *********, and that you have not had a resolution to this yet. This isn't what you should expect when you travel with us and we understand why you needed to get in touch.
  
  Thank you for providing an itemised list of your belongings. The amount we pay for lost baggage is set out in legal regulations, and all UK airlines use the same calculation to work out how much to pay in these situations. Under these regulations, the maximum amount we can pay each customer is $1,697.24 per passenger. As two passengers were included in your claim, we can contribute $3,394.48, well transfer this amount to your bank account using the details you sent us.
  
  I know this is less than you were hoping for, but you may be able to claim the rest through your travel insurance policy. If I can help by providing any information for your claim, please let me know.
  
  Thanks for taking the time to bring this matter to our attention. Your feedback about how weve handled your case will help us to identify where we can improve in the future. We hope to welcome you back on board soon.
  
  Best regards
  
  ******* 
  ******* ******* ******** *********
  **** **** ********* *** ********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/27/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  Our claim number with British Airways is: ********. The name on the claim is ****** *************, my wife, and our infant daughter took a 3 week trip to ******* in July of this year. British Airways lost our luggage and we didn't receive our items until the 2nd to last day of the trip, causing us to have to purchase clothes and toiletries for two adults and one infant. When the luggage arrived, the checked bag was damaged, and so was our $500 car seat, we had to order a new one. We submitted our claim with them on August 7th of this year. We've called several times and the only information we've been given up until now was to wait. We just noticed that our claim was closed on their website, but have received no emails or phone calls with this information, or the details of why the case was closed. Because of the lost luggage and damage items, we had to spend over $1700 in items that we weren't planning on purchasing, putting a dent in our finances. We uploaded each receipt to the claim. We are still hurting from this error on their end and are entitled to a reimbursement for their mistake. We just called them back today, and they told us to wait another 24 to 48 hours for them to open the claim back up, so now we're afraid they're going to repeat the same customer service and have us wait another 4-5 months for the reimbursement. We could use any assistance you can provide. Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/18/2024

  The following email was sent 10Dec24:

  Dear ** *****
  An apology from British Airways
  Thank you for contacting the US Department of Transportation. Your correspondence has been passed to Customer Relations and we have been asked to contact you directly.
  Im sorry to hear your luggage was delayed when you and your family travelled to ******* in July. It can only have added to your disappointment when one of the bags and car seat were damaged. I fully understand why youve contacted us about this.
  Ive looked into your claim for your essential items, and Im happy to settle your claim for ********, which converts to $1,112.95 in full. Ill arrange for this amount to be transferred to your **** account, please be advised that it can take up to 14 working days for this payment to show in your account.
  I note from your email that youre also claiming for a damaged bag and car seat. Weve reviewed your claim and were unable to pay you back for the damage this time. This is because we only pay for damaged baggage if customers let us know within seven days of receiving their bag, and your claim fell outside this period.
  However, you may be able to claim through your travel insurer.
  Thanks again for getting in touch, and please accept my apologies for any inconvenience.
  Best regards
  
  ******
  British Airways Customer Relations
  Your case reference is:********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/19/2024

  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:

  [Your Answer Here]

  We appreciate British Airways and their attempt to make it right, but they still have not paid the reimbursement in full. They are claiming that we did not reach out to them within the 7 day window of receiving our damaged baggage/Car seat, but we received our damaged baggage on August 5th, and submitted the claim to them on August 8th, which would fall within the window. We had to throw away both the luggage case that our clothing came in, as well as the $450 car seat with the bag it came in, due to the damage. Because of this, we are still not completely satisfied with the response, but do sincerely appreciate their attempts to make it right. We would still like to see the remainder of the compensation for the damaged items. Please see the attachments for proof of the date we submitted the claim for the damaged items, it looks like we submitted the claim 3 days after receiving.

   

   

   

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

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