Originally Posted by
corporate-wage-slave
1) If the Hold expires then in a general sense the tickets go back into inventory, but that may not be evident to you. Fares could go up or down. There is no risk-free element to this, if you let the tickets go it's a gamble as to what happens next.
2) I don't know about AARP, but for similar areas such as Veterans fares, taking advantage of that means you don't get the Hold facility.
I would be surprised if you needed the Google front end, as far as I know a direct BA.com search should throw up the same thing, but if there were only 2 in a particular fare inventory then you may have had the right result anyway. The Teen business is to do with APD, which depending on what you are trying to do maybe irrelevant.
The other thing to bear in mind is that you do have a 24 hours hold for free anyway, if booked direct on BA.com, giving a full refund. This also allows amendment (e.g. to ages and names) for free, changes to flights may result in a fare difference.
Thanks for the Input.
Any idea on how much time it takes before it goes back to Inventory? Does anyone have any experience OR first hand knowledge on the same?
So now that the tickets are on hold, I am assuming I cannot apply the AARP discount and the only option is to either buy them at the hold price OR throw the dice and hope the seats go back into inventory and then book it.
As for Google, I find it very easy and able to search across multiple airlines and multiple If then Else and so I construct the itinerary there and then transfer it to BA.
I will remember the 24 hour hold in the future .. Thanks for the tip.