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 3, 2015, 6:50 am
#527
Suspended
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 4,959
I'd certainly give them or indeed Ryanair a bash under such conditions.
Mar 3, 2015, 6:51 am
#528
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: LON
Programs: BA Gold, LH SEN , A3*G & others less exciting that don't fit in my wallet
Posts: 1,657
Surely the logical thing to do would be to just allow HBO on the (2 or 3?) lowest fare buckets.
So if the flight is available in the cheapest classes then it looks like this where BA123 is available in the cheapest fare class, BA456 in the next one up and BA789 is only available at more expensive classes
Flight HBO Economy Club
BA 123 £59 £69 £199
BA 456 £79 £89 £199
BA 789 n/a £159 £349
Wouldn't that remove most of the issues then with legitimate complaints about this affecting pretty expensive tickets and still keep the low headline price for BA's advertising that this HBO fares were supposed to be about ?
So if the flight is available in the cheapest classes then it looks like this where BA123 is available in the cheapest fare class, BA456 in the next one up and BA789 is only available at more expensive classes
Flight HBO Economy Club
BA 123 £59 £69 £199
BA 456 £79 £89 £199
BA 789 n/a £159 £349
Wouldn't that remove most of the issues then with legitimate complaints about this affecting pretty expensive tickets and still keep the low headline price for BA's advertising that this HBO fares were supposed to be about ?
Mar 3, 2015, 6:55 am
#529
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,212
As most Flyertalkers don't follow normal practice the reaction seen on here can often be very misleading. The cheaper we get to enjoy all the benefits of status or premium travel the better does seem to be the FT motto.
I wonder what the reaction would have been had they announced the ending of HBO fares altogether?
I wonder what the reaction would have been had they announced the ending of HBO fares altogether?
Mar 3, 2015, 7:17 am
#530
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, A3 *Gold
Posts: 887
As most Flyertalkers don't follow normal practice the reaction seen on here can often be very misleading. The cheaper we get to enjoy all the benefits of status or premium travel the better does seem to be the FT motto.
I wonder what the reaction would have been had they announced the ending of HBO fares altogether?
I wonder what the reaction would have been had they announced the ending of HBO fares altogether?
Mar 3, 2015, 7:17 am
#531
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London UK
Programs: All Expired... :-(
Posts: 410
Rather than chasing status, I can get all of the benefits that I want for paying 149 GBP.
Mar 3, 2015, 7:32 am
#532
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA LTGold; LH Senator; HHGold; Bonvoy Plat
Posts: 1,370
The theory is that people are equally up in arms about changes to flying blue or miles + more, and thus moving to the other side.
The practice is more likely that people will ignore potential frequent flyer benefits and no longer "just book BA" or "just book KLM", and instead fly whatever's cheapest
The practice is more likely that people will ignore potential frequent flyer benefits and no longer "just book BA" or "just book KLM", and instead fly whatever's cheapest
Would be a bit weird to pay over the odds and go out of your way constantly just to justify a free seat reservation? Surely?
Mar 3, 2015, 7:34 am
#533
Join Date: Jan 2000
Programs: Latinpass Million Miler. BA Gold.
Posts: 3,544
As most Flyertalkers don't follow normal practice the reaction seen on here can often be very misleading. The cheaper we get to enjoy all the benefits of status or premium travel the better does seem to be the FT motto.
I wonder what the reaction would have been had they announced the ending of HBO fares altogether?
I wonder what the reaction would have been had they announced the ending of HBO fares altogether?
There is another thing with all this clamour about "GCH should not book cheapskate fares". I really fail to see the logic in this - I may be a GCH but that does not mean I have unlimited funds. If we are away for a weekend, and I can save around £15 per segment by booking HBO - why on earth not? For 4 of us that's £120 - gets you a half decent meal in a restaurant.
Perhaps it used to be the case that business class travellers only ever booked business class, and nobody else did. The world is a little more complicated than that now, and people mix and match. Sometimes I buy Tesco Finest, sometimes I buy Tesco basic.
Mar 3, 2015, 7:36 am
#534
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: not far from MUC
Posts: 6,620
Mar 3, 2015, 7:42 am
#535
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Londinium
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 930
In my complaint I said that I was looking at a domestic HBO fare from LCY one-way for £90, with a £7 seat selection fee on top. LCY offers no lounge and no fast track security or boarding and the privilege of waiting on a staircase for 20 minutes because the departure lounges are too small. There are no benefits of GCH status, but it's convenient.
I pointed out that I could book the same flight on FlyBe for £69, pay £15 for the exit row, earn Avios and still come out £12 ahead.
As I ponited out earlier, if they want to offer a HBO fare as a discount carrier equivalent, they need to bloody well price it like a discount carrier fare.
I pointed out that I could book the same flight on FlyBe for £69, pay £15 for the exit row, earn Avios and still come out £12 ahead.
As I ponited out earlier, if they want to offer a HBO fare as a discount carrier equivalent, they need to bloody well price it like a discount carrier fare.
Mar 3, 2015, 7:42 am
#536
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: DUB / BHD
Programs: BAEC CCR, BAEC Lifetime GGL, Hilton Hhonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 176
GGL response
Dear Docgasman
Thank you for your valuable feedback, I have forwarded your email to our customer relations team, they will be in contact with you directly as soon as possible. I have also added your comments to our GGL monthly report, this document is sent to our loyalty team at head office every month, they are best placed to push through changes suggested in your feedback.
I'm sorry that you've been disappointed by the proposed changes to our hand baggage only fares, I hope we can make further changes which will encourage you to continue to fly with us on your short haul trips.
Kind regards
British Airways Gold Guest List
Telephone lines open 24 hours daily
Mar 3, 2015, 7:46 am
#537
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Londinium
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 930
However, for the same price as the checked bag fare, I've now decided that I will take a Virgin train in first class. It adds two hours total to my journey, but I don't have to sit around on a Friday waiting for my 20:50 flight, and instead of being crammed into domestic Y i can have a meal and relax in comfort. I also get deposited right in the city centre instead of having to pay for transport from the aiport.
In the end, I'll arrive at my hotel at the same time I would've had I flown.
Again, this is so poorly considered it's shocking.
In the end, I'll arrive at my hotel at the same time I would've had I flown.
Again, this is so poorly considered it's shocking.
Mar 3, 2015, 7:48 am
#538
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Here's my reply. Not a cut and paste but interesting anyway
Dear Docgasman
Thank you for your valuable feedback, I have forwarded your email to our customer relations team, they will be in contact with you directly as soon as possible. I have also added your comments to our GGL monthly report, this document is sent to our loyalty team at head office every month, they are best placed to push through changes suggested in your feedback.
I'm sorry that you've been disappointed by the proposed changes to our hand baggage only fares, I hope we can make further changes which will encourage you to continue to fly with us on your short haul trips.
Kind regards
British Airways Gold Guest List
Telephone lines open 24 hours daily
Dear Docgasman
Thank you for your valuable feedback, I have forwarded your email to our customer relations team, they will be in contact with you directly as soon as possible. I have also added your comments to our GGL monthly report, this document is sent to our loyalty team at head office every month, they are best placed to push through changes suggested in your feedback.
I'm sorry that you've been disappointed by the proposed changes to our hand baggage only fares, I hope we can make further changes which will encourage you to continue to fly with us on your short haul trips.
Kind regards
British Airways Gold Guest List
Telephone lines open 24 hours daily
Mar 3, 2015, 7:58 am
#540
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Brighton, UK
Programs: BA Gold, IC Ambassador, HH Gold, SPG Gold, Fairmont Platinum
Posts: 3,166
That would have pitched them squarely at the LCCs in terms of product offered for no additional cost/annual membership fee.
Those with lowest cost corporate travel policies, who can meet the advance purchase requirements and are unable to find any legitimate reason to purchase a standard fare, could then be offered the chance to upgrade their F-OFF fare to a standard ticket (from their own pocket), just as many seem happy to do with POUGs.
