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Scammers Target Britons After BA Cancels 200+ Flights

September 08, 2024
British Airways flights were grounded

After British Airways canceled more than 200 flights from London airports, scammers are now targeting delayed travelers.

For the third day in a straight, the airline has canceled dozens of flights to and from its major hub in London Heathrow.

Flights to holiday destinations such as Malaga, Nice and Rome are among the cancellations, reports The Independent.

More than 30 short haul departures and arrivals are grounded at the airport, including two round-trips to and from Vienna.

Meanwhile, cancellations at Gatwick included Turin and Marrakech, as well as long haul services to Tampa and Las Vegas. A Gatwick to Tenerife flight on British Airways is delayed by 10 hours.

Now, at least four scammers masquerading as BA are replying to stranded Britons pretending to offer customer support.

One passenger, Ornella, wrote on social media: “British Airways, thanks for destroying our day – cancel flight at the last moment and let the people spend three hours on the phone trying to get an answer is not normal when you are at a wedding.”

British Airways responded, saying: "Send us your booking reference via DM [direct message] along with as much information as possible so we can take a closer look."

Someone else responded to the post, calling themselves "John Lewis British Airways Representative" and claiming to be from the "British Airways Support Team."

They wrote: "Hello, it’s unfortunate for the challenge encountered. We would like to closely look at the concern raised. Please follow back and share with us via DM your full name, email address, phone number, and reservation number to allow us further.

"On Friday and Saturday, BA axed more than 160 flights to and from Heathrow, blaming poor weather and air-traffic control restrictions at its main base.

GB News has approached BA for comment relating to today's cancellations.

Heavy and thundery rain will persist across the southern half of the UK on Sunday as a particularly damp spell for the region continues.