BA Enhances its short haul economy fare structure
Mar 10, 2016, 3:21 am
#346
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It appears those of us in the Regions are being left behind with this enhanced semi-flex fare structure. Wherever there is a connection involved the old rules remain - £60 to £100 change fee plus difference in fare, including changes on the day changes. That appears very unfair.
Mar 10, 2016, 3:23 am
#347
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Mar 10, 2016, 3:28 am
#348
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True! However, did connecting journeys ever get HBO under the old system? If HBO is still being filed as a private fare in the new system, I wonder whether there is still some system or conceptual limitation.
A further thought from this in the first post to this thread:-
This would suggest that both Y and B classes are now "Business UK", instead of (I think) only Y class hitherto. If so, our lounge access guidance will have to be amended.
A further thought from this in the first post to this thread:-
Fully Flex:
• Fully refundable
• Includes a 23kg Checked Baggage allowance, plus the standard hand baggage allowance
• Free seat selection at time of booking
• Free flight changes on the day of departure, up to one hour before scheduled flight time
• No change fees (a fare difference may apply if flight is changed before day of departure)
...
On UK domestic routes, Fully Flex fares will be branded ‘Business UK’. These fares include access to British Airways’ lounges and Priority Boarding.
• Fully refundable
• Includes a 23kg Checked Baggage allowance, plus the standard hand baggage allowance
• Free seat selection at time of booking
• Free flight changes on the day of departure, up to one hour before scheduled flight time
• No change fees (a fare difference may apply if flight is changed before day of departure)
...
On UK domestic routes, Fully Flex fares will be branded ‘Business UK’. These fares include access to British Airways’ lounges and Priority Boarding.
Mar 10, 2016, 3:31 am
#349
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from me with respect to the changes where I need to connect - which is every flight I take that doesn't end in London.
Mar 10, 2016, 3:38 am
#350
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Yes, HBO was (and is) available on quite a number of routes. It does appear unfair, those in the regions are paying the higher semi-flex fare premium noted above but they are not receiving the benefit.
Mar 10, 2016, 3:41 am
#352
Join Date: Mar 2015
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Flights to and from JER seem to have a £15 or thereabouts price differential each way between HBO and checked luggage.
The underlying far bucket for the HBO (non flex) and checked luggage (semi flex) both seem to be the same (on my sample of 1) and therefore will give the same number of TP.
Is that what we were expecting?
The underlying far bucket for the HBO (non flex) and checked luggage (semi flex) both seem to be the same (on my sample of 1) and therefore will give the same number of TP.
Is that what we were expecting?
Mar 10, 2016, 3:45 am
#353
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I think it depended on whether one was in the camp that believed that nothing that BA changed would ever be positive for the customer. After all, what have the Romans ever done for us? 
However, now that it's happened, I read the result the same way that you do.
However, now that it's happened, I read the result the same way that you do.
Mar 10, 2016, 4:10 am
#354
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I honestly thought that the HBO fares would now come from completely different buckets to the checked baggage fares. So that if you booked semi-flex you'd get 50% Avios/TPs. That doesn't appear to be the case at all, and so might be confusing for those hoping to upgrade using Avios.
It's also a little confusing as to whether the economy fares are now eligible for upgrades as the graphics don't make it clear. This is an N fare flight:
It's also a little confusing as to whether the economy fares are now eligible for upgrades as the graphics don't make it clear. This is an N fare flight:
Mar 10, 2016, 4:14 am
#355
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Indeed it seems there has been such a thing as a free lunch for the moment .. no obvious downsides that I can see .. seems to be a genuine enhancement .. I had definitely expected they would be putting a bigger price gap in between HBO and the rest, but for now at least that doesn't seem to be the case.
Mar 10, 2016, 4:20 am
#356
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Mar 10, 2016, 4:36 am
#357
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Yes, I noticed that. I think the point they were trying to make is the fully flex is definitely UuA'able, so that's a selling point/feature; but they don't have the logic in place to indicate when semi flex is UuA'able, which in this case it would be, but won't be on cheaper fares. Indeed HBO is UuA'able when the fare is higher than O or Q. There is a glitch there for those in the know: if you UuA from scratch with a new fare it will base the revenue component on the lowest class (typically N) but as a "with bag" fare, but you can UuA an HBO fare in N too, it just takes two steps to do it!
Mar 10, 2016, 4:39 am
#358
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Here's another example of the semi-flex fares. This is a return booking with one flight booked in O and the other in V, but both semi-flex. As from late last year V fares have been eligible for upgrades using Avios, but these new graphics make that far from clear.
Mar 10, 2016, 5:37 am
#360
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It does seem ET with luggage fares are now more flexible with no indication that CE fare conditions will change to match this.