Availability: US account vs. UK account
Apr 20, 2014, 2:12 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: UK
Programs: BA | VS | UA | DL
Posts: 270
Availability: US account vs. UK account
I was looking for a ticket for my mother last night from MAN-MIA via LHR in either J or F. I logged onto my account and did a search leaving end of June and returning mid Aug. Nothing in any class - no surprise there. I then logged into my Aunt's BAEC account (she is based in the US with a US address) and plugged in the same dates. I saw F available for not only the dates I had selected but also for a whole bunch of dates in June, July and Aug. Plenty of seats!
I then went back into my account to double check those dates and there was nothing showing in my UK account.
Are we not all on a level playing field and do BA typically open up more reward seats to non-UK members?
I then went back into my account to double check those dates and there was nothing showing in my UK account.
Are we not all on a level playing field and do BA typically open up more reward seats to non-UK members?
Apr 20, 2014, 1:03 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,860
I was looking for a ticket for my mother last night from MAN-MIA via LHR in either J or F. I logged onto my account and did a search leaving end of June and returning mid Aug. Nothing in any class - no surprise there. I then logged into my Aunt's BAEC account (she is based in the US with a US address) and plugged in the same dates. I saw F available for not only the dates I had selected but also for a whole bunch of dates in June, July and Aug. Plenty of seats!
I then went back into my account to double check those dates and there was nothing showing in my UK account.
Are we not all on a level playing field and do BA typically open up more reward seats to non-UK members?
I then went back into my account to double check those dates and there was nothing showing in my UK account.
Are we not all on a level playing field and do BA typically open up more reward seats to non-UK members?
Apr 20, 2014, 1:08 pm
#3
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
I too can't recall ever having been hit by national point-of-sale differences when it comes to mileage ticket availability/pricing -- but sometimes a phone call makes all the difference.
Apr 20, 2014, 1:10 pm
#4
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: TPA/ABZ
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold. GGL/CCR.
Posts: 13,295
Can you point me to a specific flight and date? I'll be happy to check from my US account and also through my daughter's UK account. I'd be surprised if there was an actual difference and would guess you witnessed a BA database glitch.
It is of course possible to see different availability in Y through different accounts due to status but not F/J as you indicated above.
It is of course possible to see different availability in Y through different accounts due to status but not F/J as you indicated above.
Apr 21, 2014, 2:10 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bermuda & UK & USA
Programs: BA Gold. IHG Platinum Ambassador
Posts: 177
I have seen similar issues in the past. I wanted to grab a F flight to Dubai for last March and started looking 5 months up front. This is normally an easy route to get. I checked daily and there was never any availability. One day I logged on using my wife's account and there were loads of seats available. Both our accounts are uk based.....
As a sanity check I logged on using both accounts several times back to back, the different search results were consistent......
Both accounts are bronze status and both with a healthy balance.
As a sanity check I logged on using both accounts several times back to back, the different search results were consistent......
Both accounts are bronze status and both with a healthy balance.
Apr 21, 2014, 6:09 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Near Edinburgh
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 9,034
I have seen similar issues in the past. I wanted to grab a F flight to Dubai for last March and started looking 5 months up front. This is normally an easy route to get. I checked daily and there was never any availability. One day I logged on using my wife's account and there were loads of seats available. Both our accounts are uk based.....
Last edited by Paralytic; Apr 21, 2014 at 6:42 am
Apr 21, 2014, 6:19 am
#8
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bermuda & UK & USA
Programs: BA Gold. IHG Platinum Ambassador
Posts: 177
[QUOTE=Paralytic;22735612]
I entered the dates to search for Avios availability, clicked the option to view a whole month's availability when there was no match for the exact dates , and clicked backwards and forwards to view various months of availability.
My actions were identical on both accounts, one account consistently showed no availability. If there is a bug then it is only happening on certain accounts.
I have seen similar issues in the past. I wanted to grab a F flight to Dubai for last March and started looking 5 months up front. This is normally an easy route to get. I checked daily and there was never any availability. One day I logged on using my wife's account and there were loads of seats available. Both our accounts are uk based...../QUOTE]
How were you checking? If it was the availability checking tool, then you were most likely just seeing the bug in the tool. If you were doing the actual booking process, then I suspect another issue was at play, but I have never seen any proof that BA offer different redemption availability to different people (other than the advertise additional Y seats for Golds)
How were you checking? If it was the availability checking tool, then you were most likely just seeing the bug in the tool. If you were doing the actual booking process, then I suspect another issue was at play, but I have never seen any proof that BA offer different redemption availability to different people (other than the advertise additional Y seats for Golds)
My actions were identical on both accounts, one account consistently showed no availability. If there is a bug then it is only happening on certain accounts.
Apr 21, 2014, 6:42 am
#9
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Near Edinburgh
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 9,034
I entered the dates to search for Avios availability, clicked the option to view a whole month's availability when there was no match for the exact dates , and clicked backwards and forwards to view various months of availability.
My actions were identical on both accounts, one account consistently showed no availability. If there is a bug then it is only happening on certain accounts.
The availability checker is basically useless if you want to check availability. The bug is seemingly intermittent, so that's most likely what you'll have seen. It'll can give the same person different results, even if they enter the same parameters.
Apr 21, 2014, 6:48 am
#10
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bermuda & UK & USA
Programs: BA Gold. IHG Platinum Ambassador
Posts: 177
I work in IT and am confident that my testing was methodical and all parameters and actions were identical with both accounts...
I also use KVS tool, it returned no availability but since this was using my ba account this just matches what the web site was showing me.
Apr 21, 2014, 6:59 am
#11
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: MCO; Formerly DCA/IAD
Programs: BAEC Gold; Hilton Gold
Posts: 176
I'm US based and I've noticed this as well. I have been reading FT for some time and always wondered what people were talking about when they talk about poor availability. I am in Washington and have always seen several options from IAD.
Apr 21, 2014, 7:01 am
#12
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Near Edinburgh
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 9,034
If it is a bug then it sounds hard to quantify. From my side I had consistent results for over 50 searches over 8 weeks. My wife's account worked first time. I then repeated with both accounts over the next few days and all results were as already stated.
I work in IT and am confident that my testing was methodical and all parameters and actions were identical with both accounts...
I work in IT and am confident that my testing was methodical and all parameters and actions were identical with both accounts...
I'm not doubting what you saw, but I'm putting it down to bugs in the availability checker, not different availability levels for you and your wife. If we could get one example, then I'm sure we could get 10, 20 or even 50 people, from different BAEC countries, to try it, and I'd be surprised if we got different results (except extra Y seats for Gold).
Apr 21, 2014, 7:06 am
#13
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,128
I seem to get the same results for BA availability (except for Y) when checking on my QF account and on BA account. This, I assume, means that the availability is quite consistent between different memberships.
Apr 21, 2014, 7:06 am
#14
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: North Yorkshire, UK / Pasadena CA
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 1,311
Some suggestions:
get away from your other half for a hour or two / check the airport code for Curacao / book a clown for the daughter's birthday party.
Apr 21, 2014, 7:44 am
#15
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,652
That is a wonderful statement Paralytic. Seriously, I'm not being ironic, I have rarely seen a fundamental truth more eloquently formulated. However it needs completing with "but it's useful if you want to "
Some suggestions:
get away from your other half for a hour or two / check the airport code for Curacao / book a clown for the daughter's birthday party.
Some suggestions:
get away from your other half for a hour or two / check the airport code for Curacao / book a clown for the daughter's birthday party.