StuMcGrew

I am also booked onto both these flights soon, my first time in First with an Avios redemption. I’m concerned as there isn’t much alternative routing in First.

BA850

It would probably be worth researching alternatives and presenting them to BA to expedite a rebooking if necessary (and I would include other airlines like LH in that).

oceanscape

BA292 is showing as cancelled on FlightRadar tomorrow too (Sat 20) - is that because it's switching to another frame or it is actually cancelled? I am on the Sun 21 BA292 and really need to get back Monday so praying it stays in service!

HarryKUK

Is there any guidance about rebooking options if the A380 to SIN is cancelled due to this ongoing issue?

The other direct options are the other BA flight the same evening, the Qantas flight and two Singapore flights. Indirect has all the usual with QR and LH and so on.

We (7 of us) are on the direct A380 service to SIN in less than two weeks and wondered which of the above options BA are able/willing to rebook us onto if it happens to be SIN that gets the chop on the day.

Pilot37

So the current A380 fleet situation is as follows:

G-XLEA - Still out of service since Wednesday
G-XLEB - Currently on its way to IAD
G-XLEC - Currently on its way to BOS
G-XLED - Currently on its way to LAX
G-XLEE - Currently on its way from SIN
G-XLEF - Currently in maintenance at LHR
G-XLEG - Currently on its way to SIN
G-XLEH - Currently in MIA (due back tonight)
G-XLEI - Currently on its way from JNB
G-XLEJ - Currently in maintenance at MNL
G-XLEK - Currently on its way to DFW
G-XLEK - Currently in SFO (due back tonight)

As has been stated many times previously on this thread, BA need 10 x A380’s operational to run the schedule they have listed in the timetable. So with 1 frame currently being rotated through MNL (which has been extended due to unforeseen circumstances) when a 2nd frame (G-XLEA) breaks - there will be cancellations! It is just up to BA Ops to pick the route which they feel will disrupt the least amount of people for the shortest possible time.

Pilot37

Additional Tip - JNB and SIN - while occasionally running delayed services, tend to get the plane out and back. SFO / IAD / BOS and MIA unfortunately tend to shoulder the pain when a 3rd frame is out of commission because there usually are enough other BA / AA services (either directly or via an AA hub) to get people to their destination.

flarmip

A couple of years ago I worked for a company which also had a fleet with 10/12 planned in daily use, and similar reliability gremlins with resultant disruption (they had always been that way from the factory). Eventually they did the right thing and reduced the schedule to assume 9/12.

It's a difficult and costly decision - but with small fleets you have to allow extra contingency. The flack that BA are getting over these cancellations is significant but unfortunately the costs don't yet seem great enough for them to reconsider their strategy.

BA850

No official guidance, no, as there is no travel waiver related to the A380.

However, in the case you’ve described, Qantas and Qatar are good bets as they’re both in OneWorld

BA have rebooked me on LH before (albeit reluctantly), so that should remain a viable option too.

My only advice is to find some alternatives, present them to BA and see what they can do. It’s better to go in with a suggestion than to let them come up with an unacceptable alternative which is presented as a fait accompli. It shouldn’t be like this, I admit, but it is what it is.

BA850

What’s the prognosis for G-XLEJ? It has been in Manila for over a month now.

Pilot37

An insider posted on this thread (further up) that an issue had been discovered in MNL which was very unusual for a frame of this age, which has resulted in its extended stay in MNL for at least another 2-3 weeks (although I’m not sure when it was due back and when the problem was discovered which added that timeline to its stay in MNL). However, the inference was that the Covid storage is probably to blame and BA perhaps didn’t manage its A380 long term storage policy as well as they could have given the issues that have arisen since (not my thoughts - just the suggested wisdom given the G-XLEJ issues).

Pilot37

makin'miles

The A380 293/292 service is cancelled, but they are showing a sold-out A350 291/290 service on the same timings. So appears they’ve scheduled an additional service to get most/all passengers on their way.

StuMcGrew

But an A350 doesn’t have a First cabin

Kangar

It would be informative to hear of personal rebooking experiences where BA have cancelled an A380 flight, particularly out of US ports. Have they been able to be rebooked as soon as the BA flight has been cancelled or have there been days delay? Rebooked on other BA flights or carriers in the same cabin? Have there been problems accessing connecting flights from other points in the US? Given that the A380 issue now seems to be a recurring (even expected) problem on a near daily basis, being booked on one of these flights as part of a OWA booking, it would be helpful to be aware of all consequences and what others have experienced. How efficient has BA been at rebooking and what difficulties do pax need to be alert to?

StuMcGrew

The issue with BA292/293 is that they depart so late in the day that if it’s a cancellation near departure time there’s no scope to position to other hubs to get a different flight that gets you there same day

fartoomanyusers

Presumably BA Ops know in advance if they only have 9 airframes available (for the 10 airframe schedule) ... so they will only swap BA292 if the occupancy is low enough for an A350 ... which is why it happens much less often than earlier departures (where pax get rerouted)

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/ba292

StuMcGrew

Although the A350 doesn’t have a first cabin so that’s potentially 14 people downgraded or getting routed differently