how often don't cancelled reward seats go back to inventory
Feb 4, 2015 | 2:37 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA IHG
Posts: 1,374
how often don't cancelled reward seats go back to inventory
Hi,
I know if you cancel reward seats there is no guarantee they go back to inventory. I need to do such a thing to make a change to my booking and wondered just how risky it is?
What experience do people have where they have not actually gone back to inventory when they try to make a change that involved a cancel & rebook (of the same seats)?
Thanks
I know if you cancel reward seats there is no guarantee they go back to inventory. I need to do such a thing to make a change to my booking and wondered just how risky it is?
What experience do people have where they have not actually gone back to inventory when they try to make a change that involved a cancel & rebook (of the same seats)?
Thanks
Feb 4, 2015 | 2:45 am
#2
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: not far from MUC
Posts: 6,755
I know if you cancel reward seats there is no guarantee they go back to inventory. I need to do such a thing to make a change to my booking and wondered just how risky it is?
What experience do people have where they have not actually gone back to inventory when they try to make a change that involved a cancel & rebook (of the same seats)?
What experience do people have where they have not actually gone back to inventory when they try to make a change that involved a cancel & rebook (of the same seats)?
I've cancelled reward seats months out on relatively wide-open flights and seen them drop back into reward inventory. I've also cancelled reward seats last min on full flights and seen them turn into revenue seats.
Feb 4, 2015 | 2:52 am
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: UK (currently)
Programs: BA zilch (and many other greater and lesser distinctions)
Posts: 7,370
In my experience there is absolutely no assurance that any award seat will go back into award inventory, and they very often do not whatever the apparent state of the flight.
You take your life into your own hands cancelling in the hope of being able to re-book.
You can never assume anything with the BA system. Indeed it is so bizarre, illogical and indeed perverse, that I have managed to book a CW award seat on the day of travel on a flight which turned out to be oversold in CW, so got a nice op up to F. So the peculiarities of the system can sometimes work in one's favour
You take your life into your own hands cancelling in the hope of being able to re-book.
You can never assume anything with the BA system. Indeed it is so bizarre, illogical and indeed perverse, that I have managed to book a CW award seat on the day of travel on a flight which turned out to be oversold in CW, so got a nice op up to F. So the peculiarities of the system can sometimes work in one's favour
Feb 4, 2015 | 2:53 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA IHG
Posts: 1,374
Wanted to add an outbound, and a 2-4-1. BA said could only be done by cancel and rebook.
Anyway, to answer my own question. I went ahead and did it. The JNB-LON did NOT return to inventory, so I've lost the seats. Agent said there was still plenty of J class inventory, but it was a peak time - so presumably that was a factor in them not returning.
Feb 4, 2015 | 4:52 am
#6
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 390
I had a one way JNB-LON (for 2 people)
Wanted to add an outbound, and a 2-4-1. BA said could only be done by cancel and rebook.
Anyway, to answer my own question. I went ahead and did it. The JNB-LON did NOT return to inventory, so I've lost the seats. Agent said there was still plenty of J class inventory, but it was a peak time - so presumably that was a factor in them not returning.
Wanted to add an outbound, and a 2-4-1. BA said could only be done by cancel and rebook.
Anyway, to answer my own question. I went ahead and did it. The JNB-LON did NOT return to inventory, so I've lost the seats. Agent said there was still plenty of J class inventory, but it was a peak time - so presumably that was a factor in them not returning.
If you were simply trying to add an inbound to an existing 2-4-1, you can do this without cancelling and rebooking.
I did this earlier this year - I had SFO-LHR in F on a 2-4-1 and added LHR-IAD in J to give LHR-IAD//SFO-LHR.
If you were trying to turn a non 2-4-1 into a 2-4-1, I believe the agent was correct to say this required a cancellation and rebook.
Last edited by DANNYB111; Feb 4, 2015 at 4:54 am Reason: grammar
Feb 4, 2015 | 4:54 am
#8
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, AF/KLM Plat
Posts: 4,306
I had a one way JNB-LON (for 2 people)
Wanted to add an outbound, and a 2-4-1. BA said could only be done by cancel and rebook.
Anyway, to answer my own question. I went ahead and did it. The JNB-LON did NOT return to inventory, so I've lost the seats. Agent said there was still plenty of J class inventory, but it was a peak time - so presumably that was a factor in them not returning.
Wanted to add an outbound, and a 2-4-1. BA said could only be done by cancel and rebook.
Anyway, to answer my own question. I went ahead and did it. The JNB-LON did NOT return to inventory, so I've lost the seats. Agent said there was still plenty of J class inventory, but it was a peak time - so presumably that was a factor in them not returning.
That's really poor form that you have been mis-advised and now lost your seats
Feb 4, 2015 | 5:06 am
#9
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 390
The agent was also wrong, you absolutely do not have to cancel and rebook for that. I did it a few weeks ago for an LHR-IAD//JFK-LCY trip, on a 2-4-1, when availability for the latter opened up.
That's really poor form that you have been mis-advised and now lost your seats
That's really poor form that you have been mis-advised and now lost your seats
Feb 4, 2015 | 5:13 am
#10
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, AF/KLM Plat
Posts: 4,306
Feb 4, 2015 | 5:30 am
#12
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: NW London and NW Sydney
Programs: BA Diamond, Hilton Bronze, A3 Diamond, IHG *G
Posts: 7,089
Feb 4, 2015 | 5:34 am
#13
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Somerset, UK
Posts: 141
If this is the case, why is the recommendation on here when booking always to book when the outbound becomes available at -355 and book a return for the same day? Surely it's more simple just to book a one way and then call to add a return when it becomes available at the inbound -355 date?
Feb 4, 2015 | 5:48 am
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA IHG
Posts: 1,374
The agent was very clear about the risk before I cancelled, she even prepared the new booking so she could quickly add the seats as soon as she cancelled the original, but unfortunately they never reappeared.
I will keep checking though in case they re-appear later.
I guess I was prepared for the risk, would rather not have lost my JNB-LON seats, but will now have to make some new plans.
Last edited by cmcbugg; Feb 4, 2015 at 6:07 am
Feb 4, 2015 | 6:11 am
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA IHG
Posts: 1,374
Just on this point. How did you manage to get SFO-LHR on a 2-4-1 considering they can only originate in the UK. Was this something the call center let you book (I see the online system won't allow this).