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:11/04/2024

  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 am writing to formally address a disappointing experience with British Airways customer service regarding an incorrect booking made just 15 minutes before midnight on Sunday, November 3rd. I intended to book a flight for Monday, November 11th, but mistakenly booked for Monday, November 4th instead. Immediately upon realizing this, I contacted British Airways to request a correction.Unfortunately, I was transferred between departments multiple times, with each agent informing me I had reached the wrong department, resulting in a considerable waste of time and frustration. After speaking with several agents, I finally reached someone named Taran, who kindly discussed my situation with her supervisor. They agreed to make a one-time exception to adjust my booking but stated there would be a change fee. I requested that they waive the change fee as a courtesy, given the circumstances and the promptness of my request. Taran consulted with the manager, who then rescinded the original exception entirely, and I was subsequently disconnected from the call.I believe this experience was not only unfair but also unnecessarily time-consuming and frustrating. Given that British Airways' offices are closed over weekends, contacting customer service before Monday was impossible, which made it difficult to correct the error in a timely manner. Additionally, rescinding the initially agreed-upon exception after offering it seems particularly unreasonable.I kindly request that British Airways honor the original exception and process a refund or rebooking for the correct travel date of November 11th without penalty.Thank you for your attention to this matter.**Booking Reference:** ******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/29/2024

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/31/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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 a flight from *** to ************************* for May 2024. In addition to the initial flight, late I purchased an upgrade from business to first. Subsequently I was unable to make the trip on the dates initially booked and had to cancel the trip. Prior to canceling my trip I used that chat feature with British Airways to ask about the tickets being refundable or non refundable. The agent I spoke with confirmed that the ticket and value of $9514.60 was refundable. So I ended up cancelling the ticket and requesting a refund. After applying for a refund and waiting the 7-10 business days, I was told I was only getting approximately a bit over $200 as the ticket was non refundable. I explained that I had a transcript of the conversation in question and was told the entire ticket was refundable. I fought back and forth for months without avail. After 3 months of waiting I disputed the charge with my credit card company. I was able to get the upgrade portion back as BA did not dispute it, however, the initial fare of $5645 was disputed by BA and my merchant would not allow for the refund. In August I filed a complain with the *****. October 18 I received an email from *********************** stating that a refund had been authorized but again no refund has been processed. The customer service agents are useless and tell me it will be 7-10 days. Im tired of waiting. Its been 5 months and BA has been useless. If you think its easy to understand your Contract of Carriage, think again because your own customer service agents cant even figure it out.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/18/2024

  The following emails were sent on 13Nov24 & 14Nov24:

  Dear *******
  
  An update from British Airways
  
  I'm sorry there have been problems arranging your refund and I don't underestimate the inconvenience this has caused. I want to assure you we're taking this matter extremely seriously and will resolve this issue as soon as possible. I've spoken with our Refunds team who have provided the following information:
  
  Original ticket cost: USD5,644.90 (Mastercard ending ****)
  Additional amount paid: USD3,869.70 ***** ****)
  
  Total booking value: USD9,514.60
  
  Our records show the following refunds:
  
  Amount refunded: USD345.70
  Refund date: 22 May 2024
  Refund method: **** ending ****
  Acquirer Reference Number (***): ***********************
  *Please provide your bank with the *** to confirm the above transaction.
  
  Amount refunded: USD3,524.00
  Refund date: 05 June 2024 2024
  Refund method: **** ending ****
  Acquirer Reference Number (***): ***********************
  *Please provide your bank with the *** to confirm the above transaction.
  
  
  Amount refunded: USD345.70
  Refund date: 05 June 2024
  Refund method: Mastercard ending ****
  Acquirer Reference Number (***): ***********************
  
  Our records also show you raised a chargeback with your bank and received a further USD3,524.00 via this process on 11 June 2024. I've asked our Chargeback team to provide me with proof of the reimbursement via the chargeback process, and I expect to hear back from them tomorrow.
  
  As per the above calculations, we believe you're due a further refund of USD1,775.20. Please can you check with your bank and confirm if the above amounts have been received. If the amounts received are different to those stated above, please let me know. You can respond to me directly via this email, or I can call you tomorrow at 09:00 am, your local time.
  
  Once again, I'm sorry you've waited much longer than you should have for your refund and I assure you I will resolve this matter.
  
  Best regards
  
  ******
  British Airways Customer Relations
  Your case reference is: *******
  

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

  Dear *******
  
  Further to the email I sent yesterday, I've now received a response from our Chargeback team.
  
  Please see the attachment for information relating to the reimbursement of $3,524.00 via the chargeback process. You can use the reference numbers provided to trace the payment.
  
  I've also arranged a refund of the outstanding amount for $1,775.20. This will be refunded back to the original form of payment. Please allow approximately 7-10 days for the funds to show in your account.
  
  Once again, please accept our apologies for the delay in processing your refund.
  
  Best regards
  ******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/18/2024

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/30/2024

  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.

  Hi, I have been trying to get a refund from BA since almost 3 months for the terrible experience we had with them together with my daughter and I see that BA is playing games just not to issue the refunds to its customers. We created a case on their website and the status is never changes.We had to stay in ****** for one night because of the 104 minutes delay they had on the first flight meaning we were at home the next day vs. our planned arrival which created lots of issues to us including health. I am not going deep into the mess BA created by giving us the boarding passes when we landed to ****** on a NY flight in one hour and than said sorry the flight is full when we went to check ***** also made us fly with *************** to ** next day which is also unacceptable since I paid to fly with BA not VA. It is clear that BA failed to deliver the services as per the agreed terms,so I am expecting BA to be be a reliable merchant and issue the refund immediately.I hope BBB can help us in resolving the issue.Thank you******** ********

  Business Response

  Date: 11/18/2024

  The following email was sent 14Nov24:

  Dear *** *********** ***************** ************* ******* ***
  An update from British Airways
  
  Thank you for contacting the Better Business Bureau. Your correspondence has been sent to Customer Relations and we have been asked to reply to you directly.
  
  Im sorry to hear your flight from ******** to *************** on 16 August was delayed and caused you to miss your connection to ********. I understand you had to stay overnight in ****** and travel the following day.
  
  When a delay happens, we will always take care of you and offer accommodation and travel to your destination as quickly as possible. This may not always be on a British Airways flight as we work with our partner airlines to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Im afraid we would not offer a refund in this situation as you travelled as planned.
  
  However, you are due ** compensation for the delay, which is ****** per passenger. As there were two people on your booking, you are due ********. This is equivalent to $1,351.27.
  
  Ive raised a bank transfer for this amount to be sent to your ***** bank account, using the details you provided. The payment should show in your account in 5-7 working days.
  
  Once again please accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused.
  
  Best regards
  
  ******
  British Airways Customer Relations
  Your case reference is:********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/19/2024

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/28/2024

  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 May 22, 2023 I flew to ****** on British Airways. I had paid for World Traveler Plus. They changed my departure airport from *** to ************. They downgraded my cabin to economy on the new plane to ******, BA278. I called several times in June, July, and August of 2023 to get a refund on the downgraded cabin. Each time I was told they had a backlog and it would take 3 months to process my refund. When I called again 3 months later, they said they're still behind and it would take another 3 months. I filed a complaint with British Airways - Complaint reference# ********. I called several times with no response. I sent an email on 1/15/24 demanding my refund. I filed a complaint with ***** of Transportation 3/7/24 with no results. I sent a letter to DOT on 8/9/24. I've emailed British Airways on 5/14/24, 5/16/24, and 8/9/24. I also called them repeatedly and was told they don't take calls. The emails were sent to ********** *********, British Airways Customer Relations. On 4/19/24 I received an email from her saying "I see that a refund of $541.00 was processed on 1/27/24 back to a card ending in **** for the fare difference between World Traveller Plus and World Traveler (economy)." She lied. I didn't receive this refund. I have never owned any card ending in ****. ********** said they send refunds back to the card that is used to pay for flight. I used my British Airways (BA) ***** credit card. My BA card ends in ****. The refund was never received on this credit card. It's been ****************************************** a refund for the cabin downgrade. I'm hoping you can help me with this. I've tried all I can think of and they ignore me. I would like a check because I was so angry with them and I didn't want to pay their annual fee so I canceled the card, but it was still open on 1/27/24.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/22/2024

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/28/2024

  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 booked business class tickets and were bumped to premium coach. Flight#**** ************ to **** ***** on Aug. ******. Seat assignment was 1A and 2A. Need copy of boarding passes to prove we were bumped. This flight was operated by *****************. Booking #****S 8. I have contacted British Airways about this 2 months ago. They have issued case reference #s ******** and **************** were booked through Viking Cruise booking #*******, Viking air #******..Looking for refund of difference in price from Business to premium coach.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/26/2024

  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 were delayed on a British Airways flight; however the worst part was the disparaging treatment to what appeared to be people of color. A manager/supervisor of terminal 3 B.A. Heathrow airport blatantly refused to assist or show empathy to about four different families of color, and when informed of his apparent racist behavior. We were threaten to be kicked out of the airport or refused further travel and in addition threatened with Im calling security. We certainly are aware things happen during travel; but the one thing that should be consistent is the airlines willingness to treat everyone fairly and equal. He was also reminded there are cameras and witnesses and thats when he began to control the past narrative in an attempt to misrepresent his past behavior. At a minimum he should get some EEO training because he obviously doesnt represent B.A. positively. In addition he refused to give his name and your name tags are smaller than other airlines we frequent. The date of travel 25 October 2024, flight BA1510.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/20/2024

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/25/2024

  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 9/30/24 I purchased a round trip flight from *********** to ****** with seat upgrade for a total of $989.40. I cancelled the flight the same day (per their 24 hour cooling off policy) and received an email confirming the cancellation and that I would be receiving a refund for $989.40. The airline then instead of refunding the flight, they then charged my credit card again for the cancelled flight for $989.40. It is strange because the charges from airline say reverse but they are in fact charges not credits (refunds). I then contacted **** to dispute all the charges by the airline since I could not get anyone to help me at British Airways and **** is stating that they have not received any contact from British Airways and that it is up to British Airways to fix the duplicate charge. So now I have been charged twice for a ticket that was cancelled and supposed to be refunded. As of 10/25/24 today I still have not received a refund from British Airways for the charges and duplicate charges on the flight that I cancelled. The total that the airline charged me is: $1978.80. I would like the airline to refund for both charges. This flight was cancelled, so should not have charges for these flights.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/19/2024

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/25/2024

  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 two twin seats (i.e two seats next to each other; not a grouping of 3+ seats in a row) for my flight (Booking #****** on 06/07/24).Upon boarding the flight our seat numbers were part of a row of three. I was not made aware of this change and all of the twin seats were already taken by other passengers. I used British ******'s online portal to request a refund on 06/24/24. I was denied a refund on 08/13/24 via email. They responded, "Weve had a look at your booking, and it doesnt show that we changed or cancelled the seat that you paid for. Were therefore unable to refund you any money, in line with our Terms and Conditions for paid seating." Although we were given seat numbers 48C and 48B (which is what my confirmation indicates); these two seats were part of a twin seat configuration via my booking confirmation and not a grouping of three which is what we experienced. I responded on 08/13/24 asking for reconsideration and re-explained my complaint. After not receiving a response I again emailed on 09/25/24 for an update. To date I have not had a response from British Airways. I asked for the refund as I did not receive the seats that I paid extra for but rather received two random seats that were part of the base price of the flight that I purchased. Total price paid for the upgraded seats was $210.00.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/06/2024

  The following email was sent 04Nov24:

  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 about the experience you had when you travelled to *************** in June. 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 pre-booked your seats, but once onboard you found the layout had changed and they werent seats you purchased. Wed be happy to refund the $210.00 you paid for the seats. 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:********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/11/2024

  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:

  
  

  
  

  The following is my response to British Airways re: my complaint ID # ********.

  
  

  I could not find how to respond via the online portal, therefore providing this information in this email.  

  
  

  Bank Name: Somerset Trust

  Branch name: ***************************************************  ************ or ************
  Bank country: ***

  Routing number (9 digits - please provide the paper and electronic sort code): NMLS number: ******, Routing number: *********

  Account number (up to 17 characters): **********

  
  

  Case reference number: ********

  
  

  Thank you for your time.

  
  

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

  
  

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

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

  Business Response

  Date: 11/18/2024

  The following email was sent 14Nov24:

  Dear ** ********* ***************** ***********
  An update from British Airways
  
  Thanks for providing the requested information.
  
  I've raised a bank transfer for $210.00 to your ******************* account. This may take up to 21 working days to appear.
  
  Thanks again for contacting us.
  
  Best regards
  
  *****
  British Airways Customer Relations
  Your case reference is:********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/21/2024

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/25/2024

  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 submitted a complaint already about this issue of British Airways not refunding the money due to me. BBB closed the complaint because British Airways did not respond in a timely manner. However, they did reach out after BBB closed the complaint with a false story. I have since reached out to their Legal Team and their ***************************** and have received no response.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/20/2024

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/24/2024

  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 am legally owed compensation for missed and cancelled flights on British Airways in June. I tried using the claims portal on their website numerous times and always got an error. Contacted them directly and got an address to mail all of my claim forms to and I did. Doing it this way, I did not receive a case number that should have been immediately sent to my email.After numerous follow **** all I've ever gotten is a case number which says the case has been closed and an email has been sent to me with the details, which it was not. I am attaching the full details of the missed flights and the claims, the same information that I sent to them.The case number is ******** I am claiming on behalf of myself and my husband who both took these flights.We are owed 250 each for the missed connection, 600 each for each cancelled flights, 100 for food, 300 for lodging, 36 for phone / internet charges, 30 for parking, 100 euro for pet boarding = *****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/18/2024

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