BA issues major update for passengers impacted by Covid delays and cancellations

Vouchers will now be valid for another 12 months, lasting until September 2024.

International Airlines Group, the parent company to British Airways, estimated it was sitting on around £533million worth of unused vouchers last month.

The £533million figure includes unredeemed vouchers from other airlines, including Dublin-based Aer Lingus and Spanish airline Iberia.

BA has opted to extend vouchers in the wake of Covid-induced chaos before.

The UK’s largest airline handed out flight vouchers in 2020.

The vouchers were initially supposed to be used on journeys which were completed on April 30 last year.

The deadline was extended to September 30 this year.

However, another deadline was recently approved, giving BA customers until September 30 next year.

The expiry date on vouchers will be automatically updated to ensure customers do not need to do anything to take advantage of the extension.

More than 700,000 vouchers were redeemed last year.

A total of 3.3 million vouchers were issued following the coronavirus pandemic, The Sun has revealed.

There remains an opportunity for impacted passengers to get cash back from the airline rather than redeem a voucher.

Passengers who accepted a post-cancellation voucher without the option to receive a refund can dispute the situation.

BA customers who had flights cancelled between March 9 and November 19 in 2020 can request a refund by providing their voucher code, title, full name, email address and mobile phone number.

Bookings completed through a third party, including travel agents, will require customers to contact them directly to process a cash refund.