Morals of Hidden City Ticketing
Jun 20, 2014, 2:58 pm
#1
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Morals of Hidden City Ticketing
I know there's a good few folk on here who do ex-EU J fares, and assume such fine upstanding people would not plan to abuse the system by skipping the last leg of the flight, either by taking hand luggage, or routing the last leg through LCY or LGW.
My dilemma is as follows. As a family of 4, BA want £1100 pp (£4.4k in total) to fly to where we want to go on holiday during Easter 2015 (these are Y, not J flights!). BA also fly to this destination for £550pp from an EU airport.
Even by adding in a few quid for a RFS or LCC to get to the EU airport, I'd save £2k by starting ex-EU.
The rub is obviously we've all got to get home from the EU airport on the return journey. No matter how many times I say we'll fly the last leg, I know as soon as we're all back in he UK, we'll just head off home. As the last leg is from LGW, skipping the last leg easy.
It's my decision, but thought I see where the land lies around here [puts on his flack jacket, and waits for the grenades].
My dilemma is as follows. As a family of 4, BA want £1100 pp (£4.4k in total) to fly to where we want to go on holiday during Easter 2015 (these are Y, not J flights!). BA also fly to this destination for £550pp from an EU airport.
Even by adding in a few quid for a RFS or LCC to get to the EU airport, I'd save £2k by starting ex-EU.
The rub is obviously we've all got to get home from the EU airport on the return journey. No matter how many times I say we'll fly the last leg, I know as soon as we're all back in he UK, we'll just head off home. As the last leg is from LGW, skipping the last leg easy.
It's my decision, but thought I see where the land lies around here [puts on his flack jacket, and waits for the grenades].
Jun 20, 2014, 3:17 pm
#2
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I wouldn't feel guilty. Why should the ex LON fare be so high...... .?!
We do this from AMS but we sometimes change the date of the return short haul flight.....
Funnily enough we change it to the date of our next ex EU........
We do this from AMS but we sometimes change the date of the return short haul flight.....
Funnily enough we change it to the date of our next ex EU........
Jun 20, 2014, 3:30 pm
#3
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Well the advice oft repeated here remains good. Do it once in a while you should be OK. Do it every week and you are setting yourself up for an audit. In the US, Hidden City ticketing is sometimes automated: if you skip that last section they will simply charge you the delta on to your credit card, or ping your travel agent (which is messy if it's a corporate travel agency....). In Europe it's off a more diffuse area. I am surprised it works that well in Y, I assumed that this was a CW/First feature on the whole. Incidentally if say NL was seen to be your route, don't be surprised if KLM do a good fare too from London. Sometimes there's a case for sharing the love around.
Jun 20, 2014, 3:32 pm
#4
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The airline gets to fill the empty seats on the final leg, making extra money.
A win-win situation.
They should stop playing their little games.
CWS, your comments about practices in the US are completely incorrect. Only gross chronic abusers of the practice are ever confronted.
A win-win situation.
They should stop playing their little games.
CWS, your comments about practices in the US are completely incorrect. Only gross chronic abusers of the practice are ever confronted.
Jun 20, 2014, 3:40 pm
#5
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As Nike says: Just do it. It harms no one and it's the law of supply and demand.
The audit point mentioned by c-w-s is very valid but only a worry if you are an assiduous BAEC member, e.g. for you oil-man as GCH. Irrelevant for occasional flyers.
The credit card point has only ever been my slight fear (especially as I have successfully called the airline to get the last leg refunded - cheeky). If they tried to invoke a fare rule and bill the delta, would they succeed once we challenge with the credit card issuer, or in court?
The audit point mentioned by c-w-s is very valid but only a worry if you are an assiduous BAEC member, e.g. for you oil-man as GCH. Irrelevant for occasional flyers.
The credit card point has only ever been my slight fear (especially as I have successfully called the airline to get the last leg refunded - cheeky). If they tried to invoke a fare rule and bill the delta, would they succeed once we challenge with the credit card issuer, or in court?
Jun 20, 2014, 3:58 pm
#6
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I'd be very surprised if BA would ever automatically bill someones personal credit card for the fair difference in these circumstances, they would most likely invoice you first, you could then refuse to pay at which point they might roll over as the last thing they want is a court examining their T&C's and ruling against them. However I believe they have been known to bill TA's for the fair difference when people have dropped the last leg. So I would say don't book these itineraries through a TA if you intend to drop the last leg!
Jun 20, 2014, 4:01 pm
#7
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Huh? You have first hand knowledge of this ever occuring?
Jun 20, 2014, 4:06 pm
#8
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Yes, on a dropped leg to SJU with AA, and it was the corporate travel agent that contacted my colleague's boss. It wasn't awkward since he was trying to save the organizational training budget. But it could have gone badly for him.
Jun 20, 2014, 4:09 pm
#9
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As Nike says: Just do it. It harms no one and it's the law of supply and demand.
The audit point mentioned by c-w-s is very valid but only a worry if you are an assiduous BAEC member, e.g. for you oil-man as GCH. Irrelevant for occasional flyers.
The credit card point has only ever been my slight fear (especially as I have successfully called the airline to get the last leg refunded - cheeky). If they tried to invoke a fare rule and bill the delta, would they succeed once we challenge with the credit card issuer, or in court?
The audit point mentioned by c-w-s is very valid but only a worry if you are an assiduous BAEC member, e.g. for you oil-man as GCH. Irrelevant for occasional flyers.
The credit card point has only ever been my slight fear (especially as I have successfully called the airline to get the last leg refunded - cheeky). If they tried to invoke a fare rule and bill the delta, would they succeed once we challenge with the credit card issuer, or in court?
Jun 20, 2014, 5:05 pm
#10
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The case against feeling guilty:
1. It's price discrimination by the airline which is perfectly legal but ethically debatable. You're playing along with their game
2. The airline is selling a ticket they presumably wouldn't otherwise sell so it's still incremental income
A silly pricing example a couple of weeks ago, ex-EU return to USA €1,500; ex-EU priced without the final segment €7,500...
1. It's price discrimination by the airline which is perfectly legal but ethically debatable. You're playing along with their game
2. The airline is selling a ticket they presumably wouldn't otherwise sell so it's still incremental income
A silly pricing example a couple of weeks ago, ex-EU return to USA €1,500; ex-EU priced without the final segment €7,500...
Jun 20, 2014, 9:20 pm
#11
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I know there's a good few folk on here who do ex-EU J fares, and assume such fine upstanding people would not plan to abuse the system by skipping the last leg of the flight, either by taking hand luggage, or routing the last leg through LCY or LGW.
My dilemma is as follows. As a family of 4, BA want £1100 pp (£4.4k in total) to fly to where we want to go on holiday during Easter 2015 (these are Y, not J flights!). BA also fly to this destination for £550pp from an EU airport.
Even by adding in a few quid for a RFS or LCC to get to the EU airport, I'd save £2k by starting ex-EU.
The rub is obviously we've all got to get home from the EU airport on the return journey. No matter how many times I say we'll fly the last leg, I know as soon as we're all back in he UK, we'll just head off home. As the last leg is from LGW, skipping the last leg easy.
It's my decision, but thought I see where the land lies around here [puts on his flack jacket, and waits for the grenades].
My dilemma is as follows. As a family of 4, BA want £1100 pp (£4.4k in total) to fly to where we want to go on holiday during Easter 2015 (these are Y, not J flights!). BA also fly to this destination for £550pp from an EU airport.
Even by adding in a few quid for a RFS or LCC to get to the EU airport, I'd save £2k by starting ex-EU.
The rub is obviously we've all got to get home from the EU airport on the return journey. No matter how many times I say we'll fly the last leg, I know as soon as we're all back in he UK, we'll just head off home. As the last leg is from LGW, skipping the last leg easy.
It's my decision, but thought I see where the land lies around here [puts on his flack jacket, and waits for the grenades].
Jun 20, 2014, 11:38 pm
#12
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You feel guilty about not over paying for a product?
You'd be a chump to overpay.
Its that simple. Leave from the EU.
If BA wants to play silly buggers, then you have every right to take advantage.
I've done so for years, its the only way to fly to EZE.
A secondary benefit is my Italian has improved considerable due to BA
You'd be a chump to overpay.
Its that simple. Leave from the EU.
If BA wants to play silly buggers, then you have every right to take advantage.
I've done so for years, its the only way to fly to EZE.
A secondary benefit is my Italian has improved considerable due to BA
Jun 21, 2014, 12:34 am
#13
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If you lived in AMS and had a choice of KL or BA to destination XXX, why take BA and change at LHR, if you could go KL direct for the same money? (If you are a normal person and not an FTer fixated with avios and TPs BTW
)?Ex-EU is cheaper for a reason, but if it is overly abused by UK-based pax skipping last sectors, BA will act. We already see certain outstations (e.g. YVR) refusing to short check bags.
Contrary to what some think about the law, BA can reprice the ticket for the routing actually flown and can charge your credit card with the fare difference. Airlines and car hire companies have special privileges with credit card companies to do such things. In reality, they dont usually do this.
They can also audit your BAEC account and cancel your avios.
In my view, you should only book ex-EU, if you intend to take that journey.
Jun 21, 2014, 12:58 am
#14
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Err ... what?
Jun 21, 2014, 1:20 am
#15
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(As an aside; imagine if I held a non-refundable ticket and I didn't travel at all. The price for my new routing would be zero, so should I ask BA to re-price the ticket and refund the price difference?)