Aug 7, 2015, 5:53 am
Last edit by: NWIFlyer
Hand Baggage Only fares (HBO) are available on domestic and EuroTraveller routes. They are offered at a lower price to those able to travel without checked baggage on point to point journeys only - they are not offered with connections, stopovers or with Club Europe. There isn't a special fare bucket for HBO, it's just a discount to all domestic/ET fare buckets, so even expensive flexible tickets offer HBO. The discount varies depending on route. For example, going HBO on LHR-DUB gives a £10 discount; £15 on LHR-PRG; and £20 on LHR-ATH. Online Travel Agents often book into these fares (including building stopovers) and are sometimes less than transparent about the baggage restrictions during the booking process. HBO fares do not earn OnBusiness credits.
BAEC status passengers from Bronze upwards get advance seat choice with these tickets.
How to get seat allocation if HBO and without status:
- Pay up. You can pay up at OLCI if you don't like the seat. Costs vary from £7 to £21 per sector as a minimum, with differential pricing employed for better seats (e.g. an exit row on LHR-DUB was £23 in June 2017). Usually, but not always, this invalidates the cost saving of HBO. You can also pay up in Manage My Booking (MMB) before OLCI.
- Cancel OLCI at the "confirm contact details" stage. Go in again and/or later and you may be offered another seat.
- Corporate travel bookings still offer seating to HBO in some cases. Sometimes this ability is temporary and doesn't stick.
- Ask check-in or the lounge agent for a better seat, so far this seems to be possible. Lounge agents won't be able to assist where they aren't part of the ground handling for BA (e.g. LBA).
- If your airport has a Self Service Check In (SSCI) machine AND you do not print your boarding pass (see below) then you can select another seat there provided check-in is still open, typically up to 46 minutes before take off. So if you are being allocated a rotten seat and you can see better seats available, you can take a risk and complete/commence check-in later.
SSCI machines are available at: LHR, LGW, LCY, MAN, EDI (on the general purpose airport machines, but only those by the BA check-in area), NCE, BRU, OSL, BLL, AAR, MUC, AMS.
They are NOT available at: ABZ, BHD, GLA, LBA, NCL, DUB, CDG, ORY, SVG, DUS, TXL, MAH, CFU, OLB, CTA, CAG, FDH, ANE, UIP, BIO, HER, SVQ, PMI, BRI.
You can also do this operation the night before at LGW and LHR, details here.
By "printing boarding pass" we mean not selecting that option at OLCI, or saving, emailing, faxing and/or downloading the boarding pass on the App.
HBO fares - Have to pay to select seat in advance [free for GCH/SCH/BCHs @ 14 Jun 17]
Mar 2, 2015, 7:31 am
#151
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Essex, UK
Programs: BA Executive Club, AZ, VS, AA, UA
Posts: 602
Mar 2, 2015, 7:31 am
#152
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 85
For me one of the most important SC privileges is the extended baggage allowance and the 32kgs heavy bag waiver. So I - perhaps falsely - assumed that Silver and Gold card holders were more likely to use hold baggage, and thus less likely to be major HBO fare users.
Mar 2, 2015, 7:31 am
#153
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Another negative to this is that if you don't like the seat you're assigned at T-24, what choice of seats will there be to pay to change to? If the whole plane is pre-assigned at T-24, at T-23:59:59 there'll be hardly anything left (or no choice at all if the flight is full). Why pay to change from 22E to 21B?
I did too
I did too
Mar 2, 2015, 7:31 am
#154
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London UK
Programs: All Expired... :-(
Posts: 410
That's why this seems so crazy - a lot of corporate travel policies will mean they have an obligation to chose the lowest price fare, so by offering HBO fares in the first place, they seem to have shot themselves in the foot.
Mar 2, 2015, 7:32 am
#155
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Edinburgh
Programs: Still a lowly Blue with BA but inching towards Bronze. Managed to get to KLM Silver!
Posts: 4,308
There are alternatives but not at LHR where capacity restraints are strangling competition.....This is what is allowing BA to do this ....they have no competition from Easy Jet or Ryanair at LHR and what competition there is is other legacy carriers offering transport to single destination (countries or city pairs)
STN GLA is great but not if you are 30 west of LHR on the M4. It is unlikely that you would choose to travel to STN for such a journey and similarly if you live near STN then it is unlikely that you would choose LHR for almost any European flight.
BA needs to face real competition and the barriers to entry at LHR need to eased either via a 3rd runway or a Boris Island.
STN GLA is great but not if you are 30 west of LHR on the M4. It is unlikely that you would choose to travel to STN for such a journey and similarly if you live near STN then it is unlikely that you would choose LHR for almost any European flight.
BA needs to face real competition and the barriers to entry at LHR need to eased either via a 3rd runway or a Boris Island.
I agree that there is limited choice out of LHR on domestic but there is still choice to other euro destinations.
My main point is there are still people who will blindly fly EDI-LHR or GLA-LHR rather than use U2 or FR to STN or U2 to LGW. There will also be others who will travel to LHR just to fly with BA when they could reach STN or LGW in much the same time.
Mar 2, 2015, 7:34 am
#156
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Brighton, UK
Programs: BA Gold, IC Ambassador, HH Gold, SPG Gold, Fairmont Platinum
Posts: 3,166
I can also see no evidence that BA subsequently increased its Y fares disproportionately to make up for the HBO discount. If it had, (a) it would have been discussed at length on here, and (b) it would have been commercial suicide to increase fares at a greater rate than the competition.
Mar 2, 2015, 7:35 am
#157
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: Seniors Bus Pass
Posts: 5,530
Mar 2, 2015, 7:35 am
#158
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London UK
Programs: All Expired... :-(
Posts: 410
You can get Silver through 50 flights. So people who are flying S/H all the time for work, Monday-Friday will probably travel HBO, not to save money, but to save time when getting off the plane.
Mar 2, 2015, 7:37 am
#159
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: FLR
Programs: BA Gold, LH Sen, FB Gold
Posts: 504
I would suggest everyone commenting here also send them an email. I just did.
It would perhaps have been a bit more palatable if the allocation had been transparent with guarantees that Gold and silvers would be seated as far forwrad as possible and in windows or aisles.
Its the prospect of getting the middle seats three rows from the back that is a genuine issue. At some European entry points there is a very real prospect that bags could be being collected off belts by some non status passengers before HBO passengers clear immigration.
It would perhaps have been a bit more palatable if the allocation had been transparent with guarantees that Gold and silvers would be seated as far forwrad as possible and in windows or aisles.
Its the prospect of getting the middle seats three rows from the back that is a genuine issue. At some European entry points there is a very real prospect that bags could be being collected off belts by some non status passengers before HBO passengers clear immigration.
So, what's the best address to send e-mail to, for maximum effect?
Mar 2, 2015, 7:39 am
#160
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 4,477
On the same day the easyjet flight LGW-NCE, almost full, according to the passengers I met later (shared a table on a cruise).
8:50 LHR departure on the same day to NCE, passenger count: 44-ish, according to a relative travelling on that flight.
To buy a regular ticket is fine, as long as the price is great. The problem is BA may start to raise the differences between the regular ticket and HBO fares. Currently at £15/€20 per sector difference for the same fare bucket, you can not bet on BA not to up the ante and soon or later you may find the difference is greater than £30/€50 is the market can absorb it.
With HBO not able to select seats for free any more, BA will, in some time of future, promote its regular priced ticket for 'including free baggage, free seats selection, free drinks' etc. to widen the price difference between HBO and regular ticket. Just watch, the fare difference between the HBO and regular ticket in the same fare bucket will raise to £20/€25 and then £25/€30 very soon, if BA gets its own way.
Fair enough if you are prepared to pay. But I don't see any point if that happens. I can fly Ryanair for £19.99 one way including credit card charge, while you are welcome to pay £20 or even £50 for your bag to fly with you on BA, did I mention there is £5 credit card charge per ticket on BA you have not counted yet.
Mar 2, 2015, 7:40 am
#161
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 85
Well if it's not a question of saving money they can just buy a regular discount economy fare without checking in a bag. And then they can choose their seat.
Mar 2, 2015, 7:41 am
#162
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,771
(a) they tend to go on shorter trips (e.g. day trips) than occasional holiday-makers
(b) they know more and care more about minimising travel hassle, and HBO is a key factor in doing so
Mar 2, 2015, 7:41 am
#163
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 740
What I don't understand is how this is going to save any money. The problem is the bags in the cabin, not people choosing their seats.
What they should have done is introduce no-baggage fares, where you can only take on a handbag or other bag that will fit under the seat in front. These would effectively replace HBO fares as the lowest cost. Knock HBO fares up by a tenner and leave standard fares the way they are.
That way, those business people travelling for a day would see no change. Those with a small overnight bag would see an extra £20 for a return, which would come out of expenses anyway. Those checking in bags would see no change.
The leisure traveller would see an extra £20 which they would take into account when comparing BA with the competition. The more astute would pick and choose if flying with a family.
Everyone would keep their perks and BA would make a little extra dosh.
As for the number of bags in the overheads, that will only be fixed by actually enforcing the policy.
What they should have done is introduce no-baggage fares, where you can only take on a handbag or other bag that will fit under the seat in front. These would effectively replace HBO fares as the lowest cost. Knock HBO fares up by a tenner and leave standard fares the way they are.
That way, those business people travelling for a day would see no change. Those with a small overnight bag would see an extra £20 for a return, which would come out of expenses anyway. Those checking in bags would see no change.
The leisure traveller would see an extra £20 which they would take into account when comparing BA with the competition. The more astute would pick and choose if flying with a family.
Everyone would keep their perks and BA would make a little extra dosh.
As for the number of bags in the overheads, that will only be fixed by actually enforcing the policy.
Mar 2, 2015, 7:41 am
#164
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Ipswich
Posts: 7,543
As I see it, those HBO FFers had a lucky break for the last year where they benefitted from lower fares than previously. Now they have a choice about continuing to benefit from a small saving but at the additional cost of no seat selection, or reverting to a non-HBO fare as before.
I'm not trying to defend this change - I don't like it much at all. But I don't see it as the worst thing BA has done of late.
Mar 2, 2015, 7:44 am
#165
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 85
Yes I think that's a false assumption. Status holders will inevitably be heavy HBO users because:
(a) they tend to go on shorter trips (e.g. day trips) than occasional holiday-makers
(b) they know more and care more about minimising travel hassle, and HBO is a key factor in doing so
(a) they tend to go on shorter trips (e.g. day trips) than occasional holiday-makers
(b) they know more and care more about minimising travel hassle, and HBO is a key factor in doing so