CirrusDesAigles

Planning to travel to Hong Kong in November from NW England in CW. Happy to get an Easyjet/KLM flight to Amsterdam for the much reduced CW fare and happy to hop back to Amsterdam on the return but one option on the BA site when booking on the return leg is coming into Heathrow from HKG and leaving Gatwick for AMS.

Would I get penalised in avios or blacklisted if I decided to get off at Heathrow and get the train back to NW England rather than continue my journey via Gatwick to Amsterdam? Obviously aware unable to do it on any other legs and the normal issues with checking bags through but this looked like a possible loophole for me to avoid schlepping back to AMS?

dakaix

If you do this infrequently, you'll be fine. BA's concern is with those that do this sort of thing regularly (and we've seen of late that LHR-DUB agents are particularly aware of this behaviour).

That said if you booked your ticket via a travel agent (and not from BA directly), it is quite possible that BA will attempt to invoice your travel agent for the fare difference between your ticketed and flown itineraries. Therefore out of courtesy to your TA this should be avoided if you're not on a direct BA booking.

ajeleonard

There have been reports that BA is being more aggressive on clamping down on skipping the last leg, but real action is unlikely if you don't do it regularly. No-one can give you certainty so the risk of the consequences of breaking your contract with BA is up to you

bot_beany

Why on earth would you be penalised lol?

You've paid your money - the seat is empty. Less fuel used, less food and drink scoffed and less work for CC allowing them to provide a better service to remaining PAX.

Surely the airlines love people who Pay but don't fly. That should be their dream customer.

This is hilarious.

rossmacd

You'll be fine. Anyone telling you otherwise is scaremongering.

However, BA have clamped down on TAs involved in this practice.

esspeebee

They don't love people who buy multiple tickets, via cities they have no desire to visit, in order to pay a fare that's several thousand pounds less than the one from and to London. BA charges significantly more to start or end your journey in London than in other European countries, and if that's what you intend to to, they want you to pay for it.

So yes, while on that individual flight the CC and fuel burn benefit, the business views this not as that small win, but as someone who should have paid the significantly higher fare to end in London, but didn't. That, they're not so fond of.

bot_beany

Ahh well that I can understand. But more fool them for having an absurd business structure.

simons1

I don't think you understand how this works.

By flying ex EU you are getting a substantial discount on the fare. The trade off is between the financial saving and turning a direct flight into an indirect one.

You really think BA loves people who buy cheap flights and then fly only the legs that suit them?

bot_beany

But thats BA's fault, not the PAX.

Technically they are still saving money over if that PAX had actually flown all the legs! Entirely of BA's own doing.

Greg66

One could just as well say that by flying ex-LON you are paying a substantial surcharge on "the fare" - it all depends what you mean by "the fare".

BA has an ex-EU fare structure that one assumes meets its business goals by attracting ex-EU pax who would otherwise use a different carrier. It could match ex-LON fares to those for ex-EU trips. It chooses not to, and thereby creates a potential problem for itself. Difficult to have much sympathy for BA...

simons1

It's not anyone's "fault": indirect fares have always been cheaper than direct ones.

On a one off basis I doubt BA would be bothered to chase this up. If done on a regular basis, or by a TA, then the outcome may be different. If you think it's hilarious, ask the guys at Propellor....I don't think they found it funny.

bot_beany

My point exactly. But put into much better words than I can

KARFA

Regardless, neither BA or many other airlines who have similar non-home base originating fares agree with you.

Rather than being seen as a bad thing I am very happy about exEU fares as it allows me to travel in J/F long-haul for much less, long may it continue. I completed one only earlier this week and took all the flights.

simons1

It isn't a question of choosing not to.....just that there would be no obvious business rationale in doing that. If prices were bumped up for indirect flights then all that would happen is people would switch to other carriers (like AF, KLM etc ). Why would you fly via LHR if you could get a direct fare for the same price?

As a hypothetical example:

1. Airline A offers non stop return business class flights from AMS to LAX for £3500

2. BA offers return business class flights from AMS to LAX for £2500, however you have to change planes in London. The target market for these flights is people who will trade off the inconvenience for the £1000 saving.

3. If BA increased prices to £3500 then this market would largely disappear. After all there would be no savings and who would want to waste time in transit if you could get there non stop for the same money.

That is one of the key rationales behind hub and spoke style models.

corporate-wage-slave

This is the post closest to my views. Also add in Corporate fares, they will come after people who prematurely finish their route on these. Plus there is provision to charge you under their terms and conditions. On fares bought from BA.com I haven't seen anyone done for it, though there have been a few account audits very occcasionally raised here (though very rarely fully explained). So if you do this once a year I don't expect a problem.

One recent issue I have seen: if there are delays or irrops on this route (and note that BA often go totally full out of HKG), there is a risk of being rerouted on to either a LHR-AMS service - and with it your bags routed to AMS; or - and I saw this yesterday - BA may route you on the direct service from HKG to AMS on KLM or CX. So you need to be prepared for these outcomes.