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Using Miles on British Airways [unknown fee question]

 
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Old Apr 5, 2014, 8:23 pm
  #1  
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Using Miles on British Airways [unknown fee question]

Hi,

I just booked a flight on BA using my miles. Is it typical to have to pay a $50.00 processing fee in addition to the taxes? The agent really could not explain the fee to me. In addition I can not select my seats on BA until the day before flying.

I have never flown BA so could someone explain the seat charge and how much is it, and is it worth paying for a seat now. Is there a charge for baggage? Anyone, please give me the good, the bad and the ugly on BA.

Thank you

ML
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Old Apr 5, 2014, 11:02 pm
  #2  
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Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.601 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

There's a $25 telephone-ticketing fee per ticket if you book by phone in the U.S. Telephone-ticketing fees might be higher in some other countries.

There is no such fee if you book your BA award flights at aa.com. Any reason why you booked by phone?

Your baggage allowance, if any, should appear on the E-mail ticket confirmation you receive from AA.
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Old Apr 5, 2014, 11:56 pm
  #3  
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Did you select a seat? BA charges for this unless you're a OW elite.
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Old Apr 6, 2014, 1:34 am
  #4  
 
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British Airways is a peculiar airline - a couple of things to watch out for
- BA hates points-flyers: colossal co-pay on awards
- BA hates latecomers: BA goons will throw you off the flight if you're "late" thru security, less then 35 mins before scheduled departure
- BA hates non-status passengers: if you insist on seat-allocation, even in business class, you pay a swingeing fee

And if you have a premium class flight departing the UK, there's a colossal departure tax too, several hundred dollars
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Old Apr 6, 2014, 4:16 am
  #5  
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Originally Posted by Mary Louise
I just booked a flight on BA using my miles.
Were these US or AA miles you spent?
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Old Apr 6, 2014, 6:23 am
  #6  
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I used US miles. I confirmed that I was not charged a fee for booking on phone because that fee is $40.00 and it was waived. I still do not know what the $50.00 fee . I booked with a US agent. Thank you for the tip on BA, as I have no status.

ML
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Old Apr 6, 2014, 7:15 am
  #7  
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US has an award processing fee, payable for redemptions via phone or online.

http://www.usairways.com/en-US/divid...ooktravel.html

That is in addition to the quick ticketing fee for <21 days, and in addition to call center fees.

This incident shows the value in identifying the program (until they are merged) and in getting threads into the right sub-forum. The OP's issue isn't specific to BA awards; it is a peculiarity of US redemptions.
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Old Apr 6, 2014, 7:33 am
  #8  
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Thank you very much 3Cforme.

ML
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Old Apr 6, 2014, 7:55 am
  #9  
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Originally Posted by Mary Louise
I used US miles.
As Dividend Miles is still operating as a distinct programme, this question is being moved over to the pre-merger US Airways forum. I've also updated the thread's title slightly.

Please note the sticky at the top of the consolidated thread which is titled Welcome to the New American Airlines Forum! PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING. With all of the changes about, it is important to know where to post, and reading that thread before posting (as the title suggests ) will help get you in the right place.

~Moderator
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Old Apr 6, 2014, 11:39 am
  #10  
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Originally Posted by guv1976
Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.601 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

There's a $25 telephone-ticketing fee per ticket if you book by phone in the U.S. Telephone-ticketing fees might be higher in some other countries.

There is no such fee if you book your BA award flights at aa.com. Any reason why you booked by phone?

Your baggage allowance, if any, should appear on the E-mail ticket confirmation you receive from AA.
OP obviously booked a US award to fly on BA flight. She was charged the US award processing fee of $50 which was a standard fee but OP probably had no idea of such because she had not looked at program rules. But the important gist is, US does not charge BA YQ, yet.

Let's hope USDM stays this way until the inevitable fat lady come singing... then we would lose the benefits of the liberal routing, stopover, and be nuked with the obscene YQ.
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