I have a member of family coming out to visit me in September (low season) on one of the cheap (cSTG1400) Club tickets.... but now he needs to change his dates by a week or so.

The flights on the new dates are still showing availability at the cheap fares, so that is not an issue, but the fare rules are that they are strictly non-changeable.

I would have thought even the cheapest fare (and STG1500 is cheap for J, but still a fair wedge) could be changed with a change fee, onerous or otherwise.

Any ideas if these can really be changed and at what cost ? Strategies ?

Thx

They cannot be changed, period.

Unfortunatley we are screwed with change rules in the UK, I've even seen �3000 fares with no change/cancel rules.

If he has insurance and the reason is something that will cover it, then perhaps he could claim on that. Otherwise, if you book a ticket which is non-refundable / non-changeable then its a risk you take

Dave

Well.. in this case apparently rules are up to the discretion of ticketing managers....I will say no more .... well, other than to say that, if they are going to bend the rules, would it not just make sense to fix the rules ? After all, 1400 quid is not a 50 quid Ryanscare cheapy, why not let people make changes (if there is still availability in that fare bucket on the changed date) for just a change fee ?... oh, sorry, this probably goes back to my US based view of yield management, funny, but I'd rather have a full plane than one with empty seats because the full fare tickets did not in fact sell in the last few days before departure.

... Because the passenger across the aisle that paid 8000GBP would not do so if he/she could purchase the same seat for a fraction of the full-fare and pay a 50GBP/75GBP/100GBP fee to change.

It makes sense. Discount fares come at a price.


A full plane does not mean it is going to be a profitable flight.

I think you did not read all of my reply. Without going into great depth, I am very familiar with yield management, hence my note (in parentheses) last time giving the caveat that changes should be allowed (at a fee) as long as seats are still available in that fare bucket.

This is standard on any fare on any airline (AFAIK)... if the seat is not available in that bucket, then you can't change to that flight without upgrading to the next fare class.

In other words, the person who paid full fare J will not have someone next to them who paid the discount fare.... unless yield management decides that they can't sell all seats at full fare and opens a few seats up in the discount bucket.....but if they don't allow ANY changes, then that changes the yield management picture, as many people would not buy the discount tickets if they are point blank not changeable.

Oh, and how many people really pay full fare J on BA... their transatlantic routes are chock full of people in J / F paying negotiated corporate rates at much less than the public fare, not to mention the complimentary BAEC Gold Cards that all those corporate staff get thrown at them

Anyway, this conversation is getting way too esoteric and on topic (god forbid) for me... so I will close now !

But Tom they DO do this, in exactly the way you describe... its called a D class fare. I class is way, way lower than even that.

The most expensive fare that BA has from to London to Grand Cayman in Club is 3400GBP. I do not see how the passenger across the aisle could have have paid 8000GBP (unless he was being very generous to BA)