Holidaymakers who had their trip cancelled amid the early days of the Coronavirus pandemic will be able to rebook flights with British Airways until late next year.
The major airline has extended the deadline to cash in vouchers by 12 months until September 30, 2024, giving travellers more time to spend them.
The vouchers, which were offered to people after their trips were disrupted, can also be exchanged for cash in some cases, reports Mirror Money.
It comes after it was revealed in March that BA's parent company, International Airlines Group, had £533m in unclaimed vouchers.
BA said 700,000 vouchers were used last year and it was sending reminders to customers who hold outstanding ones.
At the time, Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: "Anyone with unused vouchers should check the expiry date, and also confirm their airlines' terms and conditions in the event the voucher remains unused – only a few airlines will issue cash refunds if this happens."
The Civil Aviation Authority, the UK regulator, also criticised airlines for their initial response to the pandemic including a backlog of refund claims in 2020.
How to use your voucher
The process involves three steps, according to the airline:
- Find the flights you'd like to book
- Review your booking and enter your eVoucher details
- See your updated total and continue to payment
The BA website states: "You can use either the full value of an eVoucher or some of it to pay for a less expensive booking. If you don’t use all of it, we’ll simply send another eVoucher covering the difference."
Likewise, if you book a flight that is more expensive than the value of your voucher, you'll need to pay any difference if the new fare is more expensive.
Can I swap my voucher for cash?
If your flight was cancelled between March 9, 2020 and November 19, 2020, and you accepted a voucher after your flight was cancelled, you can swap your voucher for a cash refund.
You can claim a refund on the BA website through its online refund form. This applies to customers who booked flights-only with BA.
You'll need to provide your voucher code as well as a full name, an email address and a mobile number.
If you accepted a voucher before your flight was cancelled, you won’t be able to ask for a cash refund now - instead, you’ll need to spend your voucher by September 2024.
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