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]
#302
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Well I don't fly ryanair tickets, despite often travelling HBO, so I couldn't give a stuff. However will this affect me - by pre-allocating seats for HBOs it means fewer seats for those of us who book the expensive tickets last minute. If these seats are all along the lines of 17E, that's great, a genuine improvement ^^^^ -- more seats in the front rows and exit rows for those that pay the most.
However I fear this won't be the case, and just means fewer good seats to pick from.
However I fear this won't be the case, and just means fewer good seats to pick from.
e.g. tomorrow morning at 0705, BA charge 497 for a HBO o/w ticket to FRA (Y class) - PAID seat for Gold/Silver/Bronze
But on Thursday at 1445 from LCY, BA will charge you 101 for a non-HBO ticket (O class) - free seat for Gold/Silver/Bronze
Where is the logic and link between fare, yield and HBO?
It seems BA have taken the arbitrary decision to change seat selection for HBO, where in fact they should have (well, if they need to do something) changed the seat choices for those on cheaper fares, where the deciding factor is fare class, not HBO/non-HBO. Checking in a bag has nothing to do with seats, and I guess not much to do with yield.
Last edited by shefgab; Mar 2, 2015 at 12:11 pm
#304
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: not far from MUC
Posts: 6,620
e.g. tomorrow morning at 0705, BA charge 497 for a HBO o/w ticket to FRA (Y class) - PAID seat for Gold/Silver/Bronze
But on Thursday at 1445 from LCY, BA will charge you 101 for a non-HBO ticket (O class) - free seat for Gold/Silver/Bronze
Where is the logic and link between fare, yield and HBO?
But on Thursday at 1445 from LCY, BA will charge you 101 for a non-HBO ticket (O class) - free seat for Gold/Silver/Bronze
Where is the logic and link between fare, yield and HBO?
... at 4500 Avios + 17.50 ...
...with free seat selection, and luggage
#305
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Russia
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 125
I used to buy Itsu sushi at T5 and eat them in the lounge and cackle looking at those who were struggling with the choice of two rolls.
#307
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,348
Well I don't fly ryanair tickets, despite often travelling HBO, so I couldn't give a stuff. However will this affect me - by pre-allocating seats for HBOs it means fewer seats for those of us who book the expensive tickets last minute. If these seats are all along the lines of 17E, that's great, a genuine improvement ^^^^ -- more seats in the front rows and exit rows for those that pay the most.
I know. It is also sadly comical how the oldest trick in the trade, "divide and conquer", never fails to perform.
#308
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
Well I don't fly ryanair tickets, despite often travelling HBO, so I couldn't give a stuff. However will this affect me - by pre-allocating seats for HBOs it means fewer seats for those of us who book the expensive tickets last minute. If these seats are all along the lines of 17E, that's great, a genuine improvement ^^^^ -- more seats in the front rows and exit rows for those that pay the most.
#309
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Perth WA/ UK
Programs: BA Gold, Priority Club Gold, Accor Silver, Virgin Australia Gold
Posts: 1,739
This airline has made it clear during 2015 that they care not for loyalty. Fine
I and others care little for them. They have kicked loyalty into touch as they have little or no idea on how to run a future business model worse than a low cost airline ever has. I am once completed my current batch of long and short haul finished with them.its not even that their service generally is even good!the HBO were always a red herring in terms of cost. They resembled what it used to be with baggage then simply increased the with baggage cost to make is all think we had a good HBO offer. Sneaky and callous. Ah that is BA.
I and others care little for them. They have kicked loyalty into touch as they have little or no idea on how to run a future business model worse than a low cost airline ever has. I am once completed my current batch of long and short haul finished with them.its not even that their service generally is even good!the HBO were always a red herring in terms of cost. They resembled what it used to be with baggage then simply increased the with baggage cost to make is all think we had a good HBO offer. Sneaky and callous. Ah that is BA.
#310
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: where lions are led by donkeys...
Programs: Lifetime Gold, Global Entry, Hertz PC, and my wallet
Posts: 20,315
#311
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Seattle
Programs: United 1K, Alaska MVP 75K, HH Diamond
Posts: 633
Wow, so after the recent great exec club deval now this?
I'm surprised at a carve out for free seat selection for status card holders.
Free seat selection at the time of booking is one of our supposed perks so what point and purpose does it serve to exempt this perk on HBO fares?
Utterly barking mad and illogical in my view.
I'm surprised at a carve out for free seat selection for status card holders.
Free seat selection at the time of booking is one of our supposed perks so what point and purpose does it serve to exempt this perk on HBO fares?
Utterly barking mad and illogical in my view.
#312
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 85
The difference between a HBO fare, and the corresponding non-HBO fare in the same class is minimal (around 20?). The changes affect all HBO tickets, even for the more expensive fare classes. You can be on a cheap ticket that includes a bag, where you can select a seat, or you could be on an expensive fare (which has a much better yield for BA) that is HBO. There is no correlation between the fare class and if it is an HBO or not. Expensive last minute HBO exist.
e.g. tomorrow morning at 0705, BA charge 497 for a HBO o/w ticket to FRA (Y class) - PAID seat for Gold/Silver/Bronze
But on Thursday at 1445 from LCY, BA will charge you 101 for a non-HBO ticket (O class) - free seat for Gold/Silver/Bronze
Where is the logic and link between fare, yield and HBO?
It seems BA have taken the arbitrary decision to change seat selection for HBO, where in fact they should have (well, if they need to do something) changed the seat choices for those on cheaper fares, where the deciding factor is fare class, not HBO/non-HBO. Checking in a bag has nothing to do with seats, and I guess not much to do with yield.
e.g. tomorrow morning at 0705, BA charge 497 for a HBO o/w ticket to FRA (Y class) - PAID seat for Gold/Silver/Bronze
But on Thursday at 1445 from LCY, BA will charge you 101 for a non-HBO ticket (O class) - free seat for Gold/Silver/Bronze
Where is the logic and link between fare, yield and HBO?
It seems BA have taken the arbitrary decision to change seat selection for HBO, where in fact they should have (well, if they need to do something) changed the seat choices for those on cheaper fares, where the deciding factor is fare class, not HBO/non-HBO. Checking in a bag has nothing to do with seats, and I guess not much to do with yield.
I still find this hoohah a bit silly, because status holders - in particular Golds - with all their qualifying flights should have piles of Avios, so why don't they do RFS?
#314
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 85
Yes - why not forget about HBO altogether and do these? No-one would be forcing you to check a bag in - you can just bring hand baggage.
I really think that BA HBO fares were primarily aimed at casual non-BAEC flyers - not Gold and Silver card holders.
#315
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Londinium
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 929
For starters, the flight you want may not be available as an RFS.