1010101

15% increase on the FCO flight I booked a couple of days before the cut off. Pretty certain it's not just availability going because all flights on the day have increased by the same percentage, although the increases are only on the LHR/LGW outbound legs.

crazy8534

Sadly I can't profess any knowledge about other people's preferred routes but this is the small amount of data I collected for dates at the end of 2016:

When I was being a misery guts and thought we were about to get screwed:



What has actually happened:



So a 5p increase for me and effectively the non-flexible price with bags has straight-switched to semi-flexible. ^

Ziz

Slightly frustrating that you still can't combine an HBO outbound with a non-HBO inbound. Particularly with the new flexibility, sometimes I know one leg would benefit from the new flexibility but the other is fixed and it would be nice to be able to combine them.

On another note, ARN-LHR is nwo showing the full grid. But when you click 'about Economy' at the top it doesn't say anything about flexibility for the non-HBO fare. Just that you can take a bag, select a seat for free, etc. When you select non-HBO and go to the next page it lists it as 'semi flex' and standard as being sold out. Whilst I know what this all means, it might help BA sell more non-HBO seats if normal (non-FT) people knew when they were deciding between HBO/non-HBO that non-HBO also included some flexibility.

corporate-wage-slave

Yes, and I don't think it's a surprise to you that this has been the case from the start with HBO. With the exception of very few routes (notably MAD), the solution is to book single tickets, the cost will the same or often lower anyway. Alternatively nest and shuffle the tickets if it is a location you visit frequently. The third option is to go HBO both ways and pay for the bag online before the relevant leg. Finally if you get a POUG / AUP that may also be a cost effective solution depending on the number of bags involved, but can't be relied upon.

Ziz

Great advice, thanks!

Saltire74

Another, what may seem a stupid question folks. Got the return section of my flights AMS-LHR-GLA this coming Thursday. Have 5 hours between arriving on my CX flight to my onward connection (seperate bookings). By the time I arrive in AMS I will have been travelling 30+hrs and I really don't fancy extending my travel time if it ends up missing my flight to GLA. I know BA would put me on the next available flight but that may not be the next flight. In reality I could end up sitting at LHR for a few extra hours.

As the day gets nearer I am starting to feel more nervous about the 1 hour connection in LHR and am going to chance my luck and see about getting the earlier flight ex AMS.

In this situation what would I be better doing? Doing OLCI and not printing/downloading BP's or leaving it and waiting till I get to the ticket desk at AMS?

Your superior knowledge is greatly appreciated.

Safe & Happy Travels

S

lorcancoyle

My understanding is that offloading someone can be a bit of a pain, so probably best to hold off OLCI and try at desk. But you'll be relying on confusion around new rules / goodwill if you booked on old rules (so would have very low expectations, and would also mess up any through checked bags)

Saltire74

Thanks lorcancoyle

I'll wait till I'm in AMS then. Not through checking my bags from CX so I can try this and also hoping thay will be out quicker at GLA rather than standing waiting around at carousel 3.

Thanks again.

S

corporate-wage-slave

I'm going to disagree here. If you don't have checked baggage, it's 3 key strokes to offload someone. I would check in fully at the first opportunity, then by all means ask to go sooner at AMS. Easiest done in the lounge, but it can be done at the gate.

Having said that I'm struggling with the underlying question. There are 9 flights from LHR to GLA, typically 1 hour between flights. There is also a host more going to EDI. Now I can just about understand worrying about a 1 hour connection, though there are many alternative services, but I don't quite get that being linked into worrying about waiting in LHR for many hours! So: perhaps don't worry and glide through the system. Incidentally there are currently seats on all 9 services, and though 2 or 3 of them look busy, I don't actually think you have a problem.

Checking in at the first opportunity would prevent you worrying about not having a boarding pass (smiley would go here).

Saltire74

I'm being precious

S

Saltire74

Here in AMS. I asked and politely declined. To change to the flight before it would cost €430. Looks like it will be a very fast walk to transfers at LHR. Not holding out much hope for my bags.

Safe & Happy Travels

S

shefgab

So i've been following a few flights, and from what I can see, two things have happened.

1) The cheapest LUX-LHR single HBO fare has doubled. You used to be able to get a single for around EUR20. Now it's stuck at EUR 38 I'm sure other routes must have seen similar changes.

2) Fares seems to be all over the place. I've been looking at one route (LHR-MRS 2 April), and there seems to be no correlation between the price and flex and comfort:

2 weeks out:

Big gaps between HBO and Y Flex - as much as £59 more. And yet CE is cheaper than Y Flex on some flights.



9 days out:

CE is now the most expensive, but all Y Flex fares have fallen, and all HBO have risen. HBO is now either the same price as Y Flex, or is £9 more expensive.



8 days out:

Most HBO have fallen significantly. Difference between HBO and Y Flex varies between £15 and £25. CE is most expensive.



Conclusion? I'm not really sure

HBO fares can be more expensive than Y Flex, and both can be more expensive than CE. If HBO is cheapest today, tomorrow it might be the most expensive! Best to book a fare you're happy with, then not check again for fear of buyers remorse (unless you're within the 24 hour cancellation period).

orbitmic

Same confusing picture on NCE-LON. The gap between HBO and CBI has increased from a fixed difference of €15 each way to variable differences of €20-35, although on some days it can be more than that.

This is less than what I had originally feared/predicted, but typically more than I am willing to pay when I do not need to check luggage unless I have good reason to think that the flexibility on the day will come in handy.

Also, NCE-LHR is one of the few routes where buying two singles is typically more expensive than buying a return so that is not really a good option if one only needs the flexibility in one direction.

Overall, I suspect that BA have priced this cleverly offering an improved CBI product for about €10-15 more than before each way which may find its market, however, this market is not me as I can find better things to do with the €50ish price difference on each return.

Tobias-UK

Give a thought to us poor peeps in the regions, we have the same price differential with none of the flexibility

Calchas

I didn't know that LAS counted as the regions