Aug 20, 2015, 6:10 am
Last edit by: percysmith
This thread concerns a period on 20 August 2015 when for at least 4 hours where BA offered F class flights from German airports to KUL and SYD for £790 and £1200 respectively. Around 1100 BST these fares were pulled, but by that time a number of FTers had leapt in and got themselves booked and ticketed. First reported here by A5RoadDogg . On Friday 21 August a number of FTers reported that these bookings were cancelled by the airline.
Link to fabled Lufthansa judgement on first class fare for PRG-CPT is found here
Link to Bratwurst BA judgement here
Back to back information for FDH, FRA, HAM, HAJ, MUC, STR and TXL is to be found here.
Specifics on the fare basis and rules can be found here for KUL and here for SYD.
For any meet-ups, avoidances etc., please post your travel dates / routes here. Happy travels!
Link to fabled Lufthansa judgement on first class fare for PRG-CPT is found here
Link to Bratwurst BA judgement here
Back to back information for FDH, FRA, HAM, HAJ, MUC, STR and TXL is to be found here.
Specifics on the fare basis and rules can be found here for KUL and here for SYD.
For any meet-ups, avoidances etc., please post your travel dates / routes here. Happy travels!
The BA Bratwurst meet-up thread (aka. ex Germany F mistake fare)
Aug 24, 2015, 12:35 am
#871
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: SEA
Posts: 2,021
On my return from the Far East (on BA) this morning, I went to the ticketing desk in T5 and explained I was surprised that my booking to SYD had disappeared from my BA app.
The agent looked up the booking and was mystified as the booking showed up, along with ticket numbers and seat allocations. He said on further investigation on different screens that "invalid fare" was showing. However, he said, since the booking was still in the system, with ticket numbers, and as no refunds had been issued, he could not understand what the problem is.
He reinstated the booking and said that if there was a further issue I should take it up with the BAEC as I'd used Avios in part payment.
I asked if he'd ever come across a case like this before and he said he had not.
The flights have now appeared again in my BA app and in MMB, stating "confirmed". The MMB page is quite happy for me to book BA "Experiences" for the trip.
It seems clear to me that BA has cancelled [some of] the tickets without putting in place the refund or notification to [some of] its customers. That would appear to be breach of contract as BA has failed to advise of its intent to dishonour the contractual arrangement that it entered in when it confirmed my booking and charged the cost for the tickets to my charge card and Avios account.
The agent looked up the booking and was mystified as the booking showed up, along with ticket numbers and seat allocations. He said on further investigation on different screens that "invalid fare" was showing. However, he said, since the booking was still in the system, with ticket numbers, and as no refunds had been issued, he could not understand what the problem is.
He reinstated the booking and said that if there was a further issue I should take it up with the BAEC as I'd used Avios in part payment.
I asked if he'd ever come across a case like this before and he said he had not.
The flights have now appeared again in my BA app and in MMB, stating "confirmed". The MMB page is quite happy for me to book BA "Experiences" for the trip.
It seems clear to me that BA has cancelled [some of] the tickets without putting in place the refund or notification to [some of] its customers. That would appear to be breach of contract as BA has failed to advise of its intent to dishonour the contractual arrangement that it entered in when it confirmed my booking and charged the cost for the tickets to my charge card and Avios account.
Aug 24, 2015, 12:42 am
#873
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 390
To those that are successful in gaining reinstatement, I would avoid mentioning specific times and locations to avoid potential reprocussions to staff who may have been operating on the edge of their authority!
Aug 24, 2015, 12:48 am
#874
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,926
I wouldn't get too excited just yet. These bookings could just as easily turn red again.
Hopefully BA will contact everyone affected today to give notification of their intentions.
Aug 24, 2015, 12:51 am
#875
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 390
Two reported here appear to have been reinstated (by mistake) due to agents not being fully aware of the situation.
I wouldn't get too excited just yet. These bookings could just as easily turn red again.
Hopefully BA will contact everyone affected today to give notification of their intentions.
I wouldn't get too excited just yet. These bookings could just as easily turn red again.
Hopefully BA will contact everyone affected today to give notification of their intentions.
Aug 24, 2015, 12:52 am
#876
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold; Turkish Miles&SmilesElite;; Freccia Alata Plus; Amex Platinum; SPG Gold; Marriott Gold Elit
Posts: 276
Two reported here appear to have been reinstated (by mistake) due to agents not being fully aware of the situation.
I wouldn't get too excited just yet. These bookings could just as easily turn red again.
Hopefully BA will contact everyone affected today to give notifications of their intentions.
I wouldn't get too excited just yet. These bookings could just as easily turn red again.
Hopefully BA will contact everyone affected today to give notifications of their intentions.
Aug 24, 2015, 12:53 am
#877
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: hamburg
Posts: 1,390
From todays "First Class &More" newsletter...
Lieber Herr Sunseeker,
uns hat gerade ein Kunde angeschrieben, dass er den British Airways Error Fare gebucht hat am 20.8. und er wurde am 21.08. storniert. Dies geschah automatisch, weil eine falsche Buchungsklasse hinterlegt war. Daher haben Sie wahrscheinlich auch keine Mail erhalten. Doch dann wurde dem Kunden, als er bei BA anrief, das Ticket sofort wieder auf aktiv gestellt und bestätigt, dass der Error Fare gültig ist, sofern das Ticket ausgestellt ist. Das Ticket ist dann garantiert
uns hat gerade ein Kunde angeschrieben, dass er den British Airways Error Fare gebucht hat am 20.8. und er wurde am 21.08. storniert. Dies geschah automatisch, weil eine falsche Buchungsklasse hinterlegt war. Daher haben Sie wahrscheinlich auch keine Mail erhalten. Doch dann wurde dem Kunden, als er bei BA anrief, das Ticket sofort wieder auf aktiv gestellt und bestätigt, dass der Error Fare gültig ist, sofern das Ticket ausgestellt ist. Das Ticket ist dann garantiert
Aug 24, 2015, 12:54 am
#878
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,926
Aug 24, 2015, 12:56 am
#879
Community Director
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Norwich, UK
Programs: A3*G, BA Gold, BD Gold (in memoriam), IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 8,477
That should set all sorts of red flags, and eventually someone will look at it again, particularly if the flights are some time in the future. I suppose if you were travelling on the first available date and no notification had been sent, you might get to the airport and then BA would realistically have little choice but to take the fare as per existing contract.
Mind you, given how ludicrous this debacle has become, who knows ... certainly not BA's finest hour.
Aug 24, 2015, 12:57 am
#880
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,926
Agreed. However IMO it is interesting that BA's own internal systems show - before office hours this morning, and well after cancellations made on Friday - that [some] refunds have not been initiated or [some] customers advised at the time BA took action to cancel those bookings.
Aug 24, 2015, 12:58 am
#881
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 390
It's quite an important distinction. The agent has followed established procedure, reviewed the booking, seen the fact that it was cancelled, not identified any obvious grounds for cancellation, and reinstated the tickets.
It may be that their actions were not aligned to the intentions of BA management, but unless they are communicated by BA management then how could she/he be expected to know.
Obviously you are inclined in BA's direction on these matters, so we may have to agree to disagree.
Edit: I am only assuming they have followed established procedure, they may not have done, but that still doesn't make it a 'mistake'.
It may be that their actions were not aligned to the intentions of BA management, but unless they are communicated by BA management then how could she/he be expected to know.
Obviously you are inclined in BA's direction on these matters, so we may have to agree to disagree.
Edit: I am only assuming they have followed established procedure, they may not have done, but that still doesn't make it a 'mistake'.
Aug 24, 2015, 1:08 am
#882
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,967
It's quite an important distinction. The agent has followed established procedure, reviewed the booking, seen the fact that it was cancelled, not identified any obvious grounds for cancellation, and reinstated the tickets.
It may be that their actions were not aligned to the intentions of BA management, but unless they are communicated by BA management then how could she/he be expected to know.
Obviously you are inclined in BA's direction on these matters, so we may have to agree to disagree.
Edit: I am only assuming they have followed established procedure, they may not have done, but that still doesn't make it a 'mistake'.
It may be that their actions were not aligned to the intentions of BA management, but unless they are communicated by BA management then how could she/he be expected to know.
Obviously you are inclined in BA's direction on these matters, so we may have to agree to disagree.
Edit: I am only assuming they have followed established procedure, they may not have done, but that still doesn't make it a 'mistake'.
Not sure why you believe Tobias-UK is obviously inclined to BA?
Aug 24, 2015, 1:09 am
#883
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,926
And let's not lose sight of the fact that not all are innocent purchasers, some behaved like vultures when these error fares were offered. They new without doubt that the fares were wrong and they grabbed them with haste before they were noticed and removed.
Aug 24, 2015, 1:12 am
#884
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: OSL
Posts: 2,645
I for one have decided that (and I was never intending to) I am not going to sue, but should my ticket not be re-instated, I have decided that the travel I needed to SEA will not be with BA, my future Scandinavian flights will probably not be with BA and other l/h travel will not be with BA.
It is not the bait and switch approach that does this but the absolute shambles this is. For starters, I know I will be out of pocket for fx.
It is not the bait and switch approach that does this but the absolute shambles this is. For starters, I know I will be out of pocket for fx.
Aug 24, 2015, 1:13 am
#885
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 390
It is clear the BA agents shouldn't be reinstating these, and any that know about it aren't. It is only those who don't know about the mistake fare that are reinstating. Therefore is it a mistake that a few agents are reinstating.
Not why Tobias-UK is obviously inclined to BA?
Not why Tobias-UK is obviously inclined to BA?
One reinstatement could point to an error [e.g. someone not seeing the e-mail], but there have been multiple. This, in my view, implies a lack of adequate communications and thus incompetence, not an error.
To use an analogy. If a company CEO decides to change the expenses limit from £30 to £20 but doesn't adequately communicate it, are expense claims between the CEO's intended revised limit and the original limit 'mistakes'?