Two days before our return trip (EDI to LHR to ORD) we received AA email saying we were not approved for reentry due to COVID regulations. WTH⁉️
I dutifully filled out requested contact info, submitted it, was told it was being reviewed and then finally that it was not accepted. Rinse and repeat.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result so we wasted hours of our last day being pretty insane.
We finally decided to just deal with it at the airport, so got there crazy- early, went to the nearly vacant BA desk where a very charming young man brushed away all our concerns with “yeah, that happens all the time. Here, give me your passport and I’ll check you in.”
An airport mimosa helped the stress slip away, but I wondered why I hadn’t heard of this happening to anyone else?
I feel like AA owes me hours of vacation time, and both their pasta and chicken options were horrible.

There are no requirements for US citizens. This issue mostly pops up when a BA flight is involved because BA's IT has a glitch. Plus the AA and BA systems don't communicate very well. Of course you were a bit panic stricken when you got that message. But you could have just ignored it.

Right, that’s what we should have done; but as you say, it’s hard to ignore official communication saying
“you won’t be allowed to check in or board your flight.”
But perhaps I was wrong to blame AA more so than BA. Thanks, Janisj

I will never use BA/AA to fly to EDI after an incident I had with them years ago. I had problems with both going and coming home. Going they tried to have me fly into GLA instead of EDI and the problems just continued. So never again as I will fly anyone else or just not go again. Either works for me as I just can’t deal with their poor/miscommunication.

GLA instead of EDI seems unforgivable! Now I’m curious what happened on your return journey?
We too have pretty much decided only straight-shot flights, no connections.

Not sure why substituting GLA for EDI is such a horror?? When there are operational issues on a flight into either EDI or GLA, BA will offer the other. The two airports are only 45 miles apart. A few times, because the airfare was cheaper, I've actually booked into GLA when Edinburgh was my destination.

Glad it worked out. I would not have ignored it either. The prudent course is to follow up. You can't possible know how far these glitches may go. Glad you had no further issues.

Appreciate your empathy - I am debating a probably futile letter of complaint but wonder if it’s worth the effort.

A well worded letter would not hurt.

As it put you thru some angst I would hope at least some ff miles or a voucher for a nominal amount may ensue.

I do wonder who you could address it to. I once had a problem with RCI CS and finally got it resolved. I did send a certified letter to the President. of RCI and the rep I had gotten in contact with said, well it got his attention. .

It was fair, objective and not a rant and did include this who finally helped the issue.

On our next cruise with RCI we received several bottles of wine, chocolate covered strawberries and a fruit basket.

Like I said it can't hurt and may help.

Good luck!

Larry

When booking my flight to EDI they canceled the route and rebooked me flying into GLA without notification. I was flying with family and one family member was on a later flight going and leaving earlier coming home. We ended up on connecting flights from non stop and going, my flight had to turn around due some mechanical problem. I was to meet up with my family member in London for the connection and didn’t. My family member couldn’t get information on what happened and ended up waiting for me for 9 hrs at the EDI airport. The place we were staying was in my name. We barely made the connecting flight and would have had to spend the night in London if we had. Talk about stressful.

Coming home, my family member couldn’t get checked in until getting to the airport. At the airport they refused to print the connecting flight ticket. They said due to computer issues it wasn’t possible. He ended up missing the connection because without a boarding pass he couldn’t get through the second security and no one would help him get it. The same almost happened to me a week later. I was ready for it because of what happened to my family member. I got into an argument with security who finally helped and printed out my boarding pass. I just barely made my flight as it was boarding by the time I got to the gate. My checked baggage didn’t make the flight. Luckily it was on my way home but what was uncalled for was getting a laughing smiley faced text saying my luggage didn’t make it. I didn’t get my luggage until almost 2 weeks later. It was left outside my house on the sidewalk at 5am in the rain when I have a covered porch where it could have been left and no notice that it was there.

The left luggage may not have been their fault but it was someone they paid to deliver it. Flying into GLA was not an option as I had to see him off and making an early flight from GLA from Edinburgh while also vacating the flat we staying at without having made the trip there before was just too much.

I had never had problems like this before. Lately yes with canceled flights but nothing like this AA/BA trip. The customer service was simply uncaring and I was just lucky to get home.

Thank you for clarifying why changing connecting flights can be such a hassle.

It's not as simple as one may think on the face of it.

I used to quite like BA. Now anymore. See my trip report.