hindukid

Trying to book ATH-ORD. Can't find anything without an overnight in London within a couple days of desired travel date.

I can find LHR-ORD for 20K miles and ATH-LHR for $111. Anyway to pay the $111 and get AA to ticket as one ticket. I am not willing to risk responsibility for a misconnect as layover is only 135 minutes. Also don't want to pay the $100 UK departure tax.

As a side note its rather annoying that BA will sell a seat for $111 but won't release an award. They are getting like $40 in fuel surcharges anyways and the $111 probably includes much tax that they get zero revenue from.

brp

No, not really. A few people have reported being able to do that (in the consolidated thread on this topic), but no recent reports. I've spoken with some very good agents (as have others) who have said "can't be done."

I'm taking this as "no," at least in the present day.

Cheers.

clacko

ib via mad?

JDiver

135 minutes / 2:15 connection at LHR, it's doable using the Flight Connections route, and if you missed it's the airline's responsibility to get you back, isn't it? But I might well do what clacko suggests and use Iberia via Madrid.

Austinrunner

LHR -> ORD is on which airline? If AA, you don't need to worry about getting both flights on one PNR because ATH -> LHR is on BA, a oneworld airline.

hindukid

LHR-ORD would be on AA. But if I missconnect aren't I technically still at AA's mercy because I am on two separate tix. Also unless AA can somehow avoid paying the UK departure tax it still doesn't make sense to me.

There is no availability on the morning ATH-MAD flight and also none on MAD-ORD so IB is really of no help.

At this point my options are fly a week earlier, overnight in LHR, overnight at JFK, or use UA miles.

On a related question. If I book 10/23 flight ATH-LHR-ORD, is there any limitations as to what I can change. Could I change to IB if that opened up, or could I change to ATH-MAD-LHR-ORD if that opened up. I beleive on AA you can change carriers or connection points? If I am sure that I want to use AA miles and am sure that I will start in ATH and end in ORD then probably no harm in booking 10/23 and trying to change later.

Ideally I am looking for 10/30 or so.

BrewerSEA

Even on separate tickets you are protected when connecting between oneworld carriers. This policy has been around for a couple years.

To your other question: you can change flights/routing for free as long as origin/destination remain the same and you are only switching between oneworld carriers (e.g. you couldn't change to a routing including 9W BRU-JFK etc.).

seawolf

No you can't get award and revenue on one ticket and as a result you can't avoid UK APD travelling thru UK.

However if ATH-LHR is oneworld, LHR-ORD is AA and they are ticketed separately, you "might" get protected as per http://www.aa.com/i18n/agency/Bookin...tkt_policy.jsp.

However I've yet to read any real-world experience with this policy.

Austinrunner

AA's published policy is to help passengers who have multiple tickets so long as oneworld carriers are involved.

What departure tax are you talking about? Air passenger duty? Passenger service charge? Something else?

Austinrunner

Having 2 tickets does not preclude an exemption from the air passenger duty.

seawolf

How would the passenger not get the APD collected in the first place (or refunded if collected) on a transit in UK on separate tickets in the OPs scenario?

I don't see a mechanism for passengers to obtain a APD refund directly from HM Revenue & Customs. So that leaves getting the refund from the airline (or not having it collected in the first place). I don't see the airline willing to waive it even on two separate revenue tickets/separate PNRs.

BrewerSEA

Quote:

The connected flights must be detailed on the same ticket or conjunction tickets to qualify for the exemption. Tickets can only be regarded as conjunction tickets if:

a. they are in one booklet, or

b. where they are in separate booklets:

each refers to the other and states that they are to be read in conjunction, or
there is a summary of the flights constituting the passengers journey including the flights in question.
Although the flights may meet all the other criteria for determining whether two flights are connected, they will only qualify for the exemption if the connection is evidenced on the ticket or a flight summary.

deeruck

Do you actually know that for a fact, or are you surmising?

Section 4.4 of the Air Passenger Duty notice describes that it must be on one ticket, or at least conjunction tickets.

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

One ticket or a "flight summary" showing conjunction tickets.

Averroes

There's no might; it's quite a clear policy. "Treated as a through passenger" doesn't leave any wiggle room.

I have experience with it, on multiple occasions. It has taken some fairly lengthy phone calls to get multiple complicated reservations fixed (i.e., PNRA-PNRB-PNRC-PNRB-PNRA, with the Business Extraa desk involved as well), but AAgents are quite aware of the policy and happy to help.

I find this to be a significant inducement to fly Oneworld in circumstances where I otherwise might not.