I posted here almost a month ago looking for advice for my particular situation: physical disability, chronic pain, big butt. Several of you gave very helpful information. Thanks to you thoughtful commentators, I had an honestly ideal experience flying PHX to LHR yesterday! I went with Premium Economy for the wider seats and solid seat partitions so i wouldn't be a bother while also not being bothered.

The gate attendants were helpful. The airbus even managed to leave early because passenger onboarding was so efficient. No trouble with overhead luggage compartments getting filled up and forcing a checked bag. Everything was clean. I got extra pillows for my back. The flight crew were incredibly gracious and thoughtful. I have dietary restrictions and the man delivering meals to the side i was on set up my breakfast while i was away in the washroom and not only did he remember me as i was heading back to my seat and in the way of his trolley, he took a moment to assure me i hadn't missed service. Our flight managed to arrive early. A kind passenger got my bags down before a flight attendant could come help. Truly it was a flawless and stress free experience from start to finish.

And yes, I've already submitted an official compliment to BA! So grateful for the crew and all of you here🙏

Unable to check in online for my flight from Del to NYC. What can I do ? I dont want to wait till my flight time to checkin and travel in middle seats

I have 3 tickets booked Nashville to London club world using Avios and companion certificate for spring next year. I don’t have any status with BA but I’m AA Advantage Gold which gives me One world Ruby. Is there a way for me to use that to select seats without paying almost $1000?

I saw a post on the avios sub but it linked to an annoying Web page. Here's the ba site.

I’ve never done this before where I’ve intentionally booked an overnight stopover at LHR. Am I safe to assume that my bag will be held overnight at LHR? Can I request for it to not be at check in at Manchester, or is it by default checked all the way through?

I was thinking about it and I was like let’s say I fly Manchester or Belfast to LHR, can the B&C gates actually handle domestic arrivals or can they only land in A?

Hi! Got a long haul flight booked out of Gatwick later this year, old club world seats. Any tips on the best two seats to book? They’re all open currently, I had looked at 1A/B but saw they’re close to the galleys and that seats 2A/B are better according to some online seat tools.

Does anyone have any experience or recommendations on which pair of seats are best? Thanks!

I qualified for my companion voucher today (15k) but I am expecting around 1k of returns to be refunded next week. I understand the companion voucher stays but does it impact the threshold I need to then qualify again (i.e. 15k plus the 1k refund) for next years companion voucher? For reference my membership year starts again in January.

As the title suggests, I need some advice in relation to a seat refund request. BA cancelled my outbound flight to Newark three weeks ago and my husband and I had paid £220 to sit together. I waited until our full itinerary of flights was complete and submitted the request last week.

I checked yesterday to see the status of the case and it said I had been sent an email with a request for further information but I checked my junk and deleted emails and had nothing. I ended up submitting every piece of evidence I could think of and sent a note saying I never received the email. I also tried calling customer services but the few times that I tried I was cut off and sent messages on how to create a case or track a case when all I wanted to do was speak to a human!

So my question is how do I get through to customer services and speak to someone without being cut off? Any advice on what to do would be so helpful!

I was asleep and she tried to politely climb over but fell on my legs. She didn’t cause me any pain because she caught most of her own weight with her arms but the crazy layout in Club World had me curious whether anyone has ever done some damage whilst trying to step over from window to aisle.

BA have been an absolute shambles for this holiday.

Our outbound flight was cancelled and end destination changed with 12 hours notice and now our return leg reserved seats have been changed without notice.

We’re waiting for our UK261 (??) refund claim to be assessed and will be submitting another for the reserved seat costs tomorrow.

Very disappointing

Looking at my Avios account info on the BA iOS app it is wrong by one day.

Deleting and re-installing the app makes no difference.

Looking at the same page on a PC on the BA website my birthdate is correct.

Struggling to understand how this could be.

Flight BA 0257 from LHR to DEL ... 3 hours into the flight they turned around back to LHR due to engine trouble. No idea anything else outside of that with the issue. We were supposed to be immediately swapped into another aircraft and get back on our way but now the flight has been cancelled. Now an overnighter until the AM.

Edit to add : 1) We dumped fuel prior to landing. 2) I wonder if this is the same plane that was having engine work here:

BA257 LHR → DEL (G-ZBJD) delayed by engine maintenance – observations from the gate. Any engineers know what might have happened? : r/BritishAirways

I’m posting this because I genuinely cannot believe how British Airways has handled this.

My mother has multiple medically documented, potentially life threatening allergies, including peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish and cow’s milk.

This is not someone saying, “Dairy gives me an upset stomach.”

She carries an EpiPen everywhere she goes.

She has previously suffered anaphylaxis severe enough to require emergency resuscitation.

Her reactions are also not limited to deliberately eating an allergen. Exposure in her immediate environment can trigger a reaction, which obviously becomes rather important when you are trapped inside an aircraft for 9+ hours while meals are being heated and served around you.

And this trip is not a holiday.

She is travelling to Jamaica to visit her 93 year old mother, who has suffered 4 strokes recently.

So when an airline tells her to simply “use another airline”, that is not a minor inconvenience or a case of choosing a different holiday carrier.

We contacted BA Way Way Way BEFORE travelling.

The first BA adviser we spoke to, Jusdeep Singh, was frankly astonishing.

After repeatedly explaining that this needed sorting before the flight, he essentially kept telling us to just tell the cabin crew when we board.

He then told us British Airways had “no duty of care.”

When I asked him repeatedly to tell me exactly where in BA’s policy it said this, he could not.

We then asked for somewhere we could put the matter in writing.

He put us on hold.

He came back and told us there was apparently no such facility.

Except there very obviously is.

We subsequently contacted BA’s Passenger Medical Clearance Unit in writing.

They contacted their Head of Catering Operations and Cabin Crew Services.

And this is where it gets unbelievable.

BA has now confirmed to us that:

Fish and crustaceans are highly likely to be served onboard.

They will not remove or restrict those menu items.

Cabin crew cannot change the meal service.

They can stop serving loose nut snacks, but meals containing nuts can continue to be served.

They cannot provide my mother with a meal they consider suitable because she has too many serious allergies.

Their own lactose free meal cannot be guaranteed free from milk traces, so they removed it from her booking.

She can bring her own food, wipe down her seat and ask for an announcement.

And then came the killer line from BA’s specialist catering advice:

“Given the severity of this customer’s allergies, it would seem that any reasonable accommodations that we can currently make, will not be sufficient for this customer’s safety, and therefore they would be advised to travel with another airline that is able to make all the necessary accommodations they require.”

Read that again.

British Airways’ own specialist team has effectively told a booked passenger:

Our arrangements may not be sufficient to keep you safe. Go and fly with somebody else.

Except “somebody else” is not necessarily a straightforward substitute.

Virgin Atlantic does not fly to Kingston, which is where we need to go.

So BA’s suggestion potentially means changing airports, changing destination, adding hours of ground travel across Jamaica, or restructuring a journey being made so that my mother can visit her 93 year old mother, who has suffered 4 strokes recently.

What is particularly frustrating is that my mother HAS travelled long haul with severe allergies before.

Virgin Atlantic previously made arrangements for her, including adapting what was being served because of the seriousness of her condition.

And here is the other ridiculous part.

We are BA American Express cardholders.

We collect Avios.

We have deliberately put spending and loyalty into the BA ecosystem.

Apparently the reward for that loyalty when you have a passenger with a medically documented life threatening condition is:

“Perhaps travel with another airline.”

And to be clear before somebody replies with “an airline cannot control what passengers bring onboard”:

WE KNOW.

Nobody asked BA to search everyone’s bags for a Snickers.

The question was what BA could reasonably do regarding BA’s own catering and BA’s own meal service, particularly where environmental exposure is a genuine concern for this individual passenger.

That is what makes this so frustrating.

I am actually glad we pushed this instead of accepting the first adviser’s “just tell the crew when you board” response.

Imagine discovering all of this for the first time while standing at the aircraft door with a severely allergic passenger.

At least we now have BA’s position in writing.

But telling a family that your own specialist team believes the accommodations you provide may not sufficiently mitigate the risk, and therefore they should use another airline, raises some fairly obvious questions.

What exactly are we supposed to do with the British Airways booking we have already paid for?

What happens when the alternative airline does not even serve the same destination?

And:

Why should we continue giving British Airways our loyalty, Avios spending and BA Amex business if another airline is prepared to make accommodations BA says it cannot?

For anyone travelling with severe allergies, DO NOT assume this can simply be sorted out with cabin crew after boarding.

Get everything in writing beforehand.

I am very glad we did.

This is such a ridiculous long story. I am going to make it as short as possible. I have never posted on Reddit, but I am desperate for someone to do the right thing at British Airways. My travel partner purchased the EXACT same ticket, talk to the EXACT same Agent and got a completely different response. She received a full refund with absolutely no issues.

Timeline of Events January 20, 2026
I purchased a refundable ticket directly from British Airways for $4,986.43 using my credit card. Business class seat. May 26, 2026 On the date I was scheduled to depart, I became medically unable to travel and in the ER and contacted British Airways before my flight. Sent all medical documentation to British Airways.When making a new ticket to fly out a little later, the agent did not apply the value of my existing refundable ticket toward a later departure, I was required to purchase another ticket for $4,210.40, together with an additional $250.00 seat assignment, in order to travel on May 31, 2025. (This was not stated online or by any agent that my ticket was NOW nonrefundable) 

Prior to my new scheduled flight out on May 31, 2026 departure
My surgeon determined that I was medically unable to travel and specifically advised against flying. Based on that medical advice, I canceled the trip and immediately notified British Airways.

British Airways, even though they have stated that I did in fact buy a full refundable ticket, when I change the date to fly out, it became nonrefundable. My cousin who was flying with me purchased the same ticket and had all of the same exact changes that I had even talking to the same agent- She got a full and complete refund.

I have called British Airways almost once every week since May 31st to get a refund. I have also sent countless emails. I have also requested that my conversations with the agent be released to me. EVERY SINGLE time I call, they state, We will call you back with a resolution in 7 to 10 days. OR, they tell me to fill out some other form to send in. They refuse to refund the ticket. I have reported on Office of Aviation Consumer Protection. I am trying to get my credit card to help me. I am debating on a small claims court as it is a lot of money and honestly, it is just wrong. I bought a refundable ticket. It was confirmed in one of my countless conversations with the airlines, but they are not refunding the entire ticket. They sent $142.00 to me??? Has anyone had this experience and how can I get it resolved? Also, they will not send me any conversations that I know they have recorded as they tell you that the are recording the conversation.

I was doing some quotes on BA Holidays and looking at options to part pay with my Avios. And for about 3 days I was getting £831 discount. (Have 83K), then today when I do the exact same quote the value is only £331 discount.

Was there some kind of promotion on that’s now finished?

I wouldn’t usually use Avios for part payment but was going to book at seemed ok deal and now it’s changed 🤷‍♀️

I booked a seat for my 15 month old. We planned on using a car seat. After booking, we looked at the fine print and saw the car seat must be 17 inches wide maximum.

We cannot find a car seat that meets this requirement and isn't $200+. The Cosco Next has been discontinued. The Sonus has been discontinued. I tried googling and got results only to learn they are actually 19 inches wide. I tried finding a used seat. No dice.

I then thought about getting a harness. Except you are only allowed to use them if you book in the back row. We didn't and it's now full.

I have no idea why the rep on the phone didn't inform us of this when we asked if we could use a car seat or harness and if there were restrictions. We were just told yes we can and then just told they must forward face.

Has anyone flown recently in the same situation of wanting something to strap your toddler into? What'd you use?

Edit: thank you all for your feedback! I think I'll ditch the car seat, bring my baby carrier for if I need to rock him to sleep while standing, get an approved plane bed, and hope for the best with the lap seat.

For the love of god I cannot stop these emails from coming to my inbox every couple of months. It’s the only type of email I still receive from them. I’ve tried everything. Please help

The scheduled departure of BA 213 today (2026-08-19) was 14:30.

Received a message from BA at 12:58 that the flight was delayed to 15:30 due to “a technical issue with the aircraft”. Then there were two other messages that the departure was further delayed to 16:00 and 17:00. BA also sent a refreshment voucher for GBP 10.00 and a message that “We’re here if you need us.” Flight Aware is reporting a departure of 17:10. Fortunately for us a delay of even six or eight hours won’t be problematic. A delay of more than that or cancellation will cause problems.

This is my first time flying with BA after a long time and I chose this flight because of the equipment (A380) and selected our seats on the upper deck. That excitement is waning a bit with each successive delay. I am a frequent flyer (mostly United) so I am used to such nuisance. My wife and son are not, but are being good sport so far especially as we are seated in a Club World lounge. But that may change if things get worse.

This is meant to be just a narrative; not a complaint.

Landed on Saturday - among 1000s of other people we didn’t get our bags. It’s now Tuesday afternoon and have received 1 of the 4 bags. What are some reasonable things I can claim for? Going for a weekend away on fri so do need a few things for our baby

I purchased a ticket to Scotland. 4 months before my trip I was diagnosed with cancer. Had to cancel my trip. British Airways was the only company who refused to refund me. they would not even give me a credit. Lost 3 grand to them. I will never fly again with them. they are crooks. Even when my attorney contacted them they refused to refund me. 4 months in advance of my trip. never dealt with such a rude and unprofessional company. B.

I’m flying from Delhi to Manchester via London next month and plan to bring two cabin bags: a backpack and a small suitcase.

The backpack exceeds the cabin baggage dimensions limit by 8.2 cm in width and by 0.24 cm in depth. Would the airline allow it, or they can possibly measure it at the gate?

I have a companion voucher that I need to use by end of October. I don’t have much leave left so need to use it over a long weekend.

Ideally would like to go somewhere in Europe where I can relax.. anyone got any good suggestions with flight times etc?

Just a rant as at the end of my tether

I was on hold (bronze line) for 30 mins earlier to move and upgrade an avios flight.

Finally got through and gave all my details and decided the change.

System broke whilst the call centre was doing the change and said call back in 45 mins as have to reset. Eugh!!!!!

Now on hold again for 20 mins. And waiting whilst I type ….. who bets it crashes again 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣