BA Enhances its short haul economy fare structure
Mar 25, 2016, 3:43 pm
#391
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
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Incidentally, my "other" thought is that many of my BA flights are not O/D but connecting and those seem to have very significantly increased without any added flexibility either. It seems that BA is even more uninterested in taking people on connecting flights within Europe (including UK regions) than before.
Mar 26, 2016, 6:56 pm
#393
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 573
Goodness me - another well implemented change.
Just tried to do my first on the day FOC change. Rang the USA line and got through to an agent in the UK based.
Me: I'd like to change a flight booked for today. Should be a change under the new free on the day changes.
Agent: Okay. [Goes away to look at the fare rules, 10 minute hold]. Sir, only fully flex is available, will have to reprice. Reads out fare rules about prior to departure changes requiring repricing.
Me: No this is an on the day change under the new fare structure.
Repeat 3 or 4 times over 15 minutes
Me: Quoting the travel trade website, something along the lines of its not specified in the fare rules due to the special process
Agent: goes away and checks with a duty manager [15 minute hold]. Sorry Sir, duty manager agrees, will be a reprice. Rules are on the day no change fee, prior to day Ł60
Me: But I've already changed it once for free - that's the new rules.
Agent: oh. I don't understand.
Me: please can you just look at the travel trade website
55 minutes pass.
Agent: Okay so I re-opened the booking and it now showed the free on the day change but it fails when I try and action it. so i've sent it for manual ticketing and it will be done hopefully at 7.30am when they open
Well done BA.
Just tried to do my first on the day FOC change. Rang the USA line and got through to an agent in the UK based.
Me: I'd like to change a flight booked for today. Should be a change under the new free on the day changes.
Agent: Okay. [Goes away to look at the fare rules, 10 minute hold]. Sir, only fully flex is available, will have to reprice. Reads out fare rules about prior to departure changes requiring repricing.
Me: No this is an on the day change under the new fare structure.
Repeat 3 or 4 times over 15 minutes
Me: Quoting the travel trade website, something along the lines of its not specified in the fare rules due to the special process
Agent: goes away and checks with a duty manager [15 minute hold]. Sorry Sir, duty manager agrees, will be a reprice. Rules are on the day no change fee, prior to day Ł60
Me: But I've already changed it once for free - that's the new rules.
Agent: oh. I don't understand.
Me: please can you just look at the travel trade website
55 minutes pass.
Agent: Okay so I re-opened the booking and it now showed the free on the day change but it fails when I try and action it. so i've sent it for manual ticketing and it will be done hopefully at 7.30am when they open
Well done BA.
Mar 26, 2016, 7:16 pm
#394
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 573
Interesting follow up from my last post.
So even though there wasn't a ticket number in the booking and I could not OLCI, I was able to request a free of charge change on the day through the website.
I requested a change to an earlier flight and it went through successfully. I then changed back to the later one that I had tried to move onto and again it moved successfully. This had caused the ticket to be reissued and was able to be checked in. I'm still booked in Y too from where the agent had reserved it manually on the phone so hopefully lounge access!
So even though there wasn't a ticket number in the booking and I could not OLCI, I was able to request a free of charge change on the day through the website.
I requested a change to an earlier flight and it went through successfully. I then changed back to the later one that I had tried to move onto and again it moved successfully. This had caused the ticket to be reissued and was able to be checked in. I'm still booked in Y too from where the agent had reserved it manually on the phone so hopefully lounge access!
Mar 27, 2016, 5:37 am
#395
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
One problem is they didn't put the free change on the day provision in the fare rules ...!
Apparently that would be too complicated to write.
They could have just copied and pasted what American Airlines says in their rules ....
Apparently that would be too complicated to write.
They could have just copied and pasted what American Airlines says in their rules ....
Mar 27, 2016, 6:56 am
#396
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: 30,502
Mar 30, 2016, 7:08 pm
#397
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
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Can I try to clarify how the "free on the day change" works on the new CBI fares?
1) Am I understanding correctly that there is never a fee to change the flight as long as it is on the same day, but that fare difference is charged if the change is made in advance but not if it is made "on the day"?
2) If 1) is correct, does it mean that I can change for free at any time as long as there is availability in the same bucket/fare?
3) Still if 1) is correct, how is "on the day" conceived? Does it mean within 24 hours, or is it on the same calendar day from midnight or some other time, in which case if your original flight is very early apart from doing the change online and hoping it works do you just call GGL or whatever service centre is opened?
Or is 1) incorrect anyway, in which case I would certainly be most grateful for a kind soul telling me what the reality of those free changes actually is!! Many thanks in advance!
1) Am I understanding correctly that there is never a fee to change the flight as long as it is on the same day, but that fare difference is charged if the change is made in advance but not if it is made "on the day"?
2) If 1) is correct, does it mean that I can change for free at any time as long as there is availability in the same bucket/fare?
3) Still if 1) is correct, how is "on the day" conceived? Does it mean within 24 hours, or is it on the same calendar day from midnight or some other time, in which case if your original flight is very early apart from doing the change online and hoping it works do you just call GGL or whatever service centre is opened?
Or is 1) incorrect anyway, in which case I would certainly be most grateful for a kind soul telling me what the reality of those free changes actually is!! Many thanks in advance!
Mar 31, 2016, 1:48 am
#399
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
Can I try to clarify how the "free on the day change" works on the new CBI fares?
1) Am I understanding correctly that there is never a fee to change the flight as long as it is on the same day, but that fare difference is charged if the change is made in advance but not if it is made "on the day"?
2) If 1) is correct, does it mean that I can change for free at any time as long as there is availability in the same bucket/fare?
3) Still if 1) is correct, how is "on the day" conceived? Does it mean within 24 hours, or is it on the same calendar day from midnight or some other time, in which case if your original flight is very early apart from doing the change online and hoping it works do you just call GGL or whatever service centre is opened?
Or is 1) incorrect anyway, in which case I would certainly be most grateful for a kind soul telling me what the reality of those free changes actually is!! Many thanks in advance!
1) Am I understanding correctly that there is never a fee to change the flight as long as it is on the same day, but that fare difference is charged if the change is made in advance but not if it is made "on the day"?
2) If 1) is correct, does it mean that I can change for free at any time as long as there is availability in the same bucket/fare?
3) Still if 1) is correct, how is "on the day" conceived? Does it mean within 24 hours, or is it on the same calendar day from midnight or some other time, in which case if your original flight is very early apart from doing the change online and hoping it works do you just call GGL or whatever service centre is opened?
Or is 1) incorrect anyway, in which case I would certainly be most grateful for a kind soul telling me what the reality of those free changes actually is!! Many thanks in advance!
I don't think "on the same day" has any special meaning; i.e., it means, the change must be made on the same calendar day. There are very few shorthaul flights that depart shortly after midnight and I suspect most of those are not carrying flex passengers; ergo, you may, in that circumstance, be out of luck.
Changes on the day
Flights can be changed on the same day for free to an early or later available flight. The customer’s original flight and the flight they change to; must both be within 00:00 and 23:59 local time of the departure airport. At least 1 hour’s notice must be given prior to the scheduled departure time.
The routing (origin and destination airports) must remain unchanged. Routing or date changes made on the original day of departure may incur fare and/or tax differences, as usual.
Changes are subject to availability on the new flight in the same cabin as the original flight. Free changes on the day are only available to With Checked Bag customers (fare basis code identifier V2) and Fully Flex customers (fare basis code identifier V3) travelling on Shorthaul or Domestic point-to-point routes. Free change on day is not available on open jaw journeys (eg PAR-LHR-AMS)
Free changes on day are not specified on the fare rules in your GDS, due to the special conditions and process.
Process
Make a new booking in the same cabin on the new flight. If the original booking class is not available, book into Y or J class. Do not remove the originally booked sector.
Add the appropriate SK or OSI keyword (as per GDS entries below) This will generate automatically a message to our queue. We will force book into the original fare class and revalidate the ticket. The booking status will change to KK.
An SSR message will be generated back to the agent to confirm.
Cancellations
If you queue the booking to our robot to make free change to a With Checked Bag or Fully Flex booking, you should NEVER cancel the original segment that is being changed. This is required so that the free change on the day process can identify the original flight and the original booking class. Once the BA robot completes the change the original segment will automatically be removed so that the itinerary matches the newly revalidated ticket.
If a customer wishes to make a change on the day after checking in, you must enter the appropriate keyword to offload the customer from the flight. Find out more
Once you have received confirmation from us that the customer has been offloaded, you can follow the process above. Alternatively the customer can make the change at the airport. If the customer has checked in a bag, the change must be made at the airport.
http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/...orthaul-fares#
Flights can be changed on the same day for free to an early or later available flight. The customer’s original flight and the flight they change to; must both be within 00:00 and 23:59 local time of the departure airport. At least 1 hour’s notice must be given prior to the scheduled departure time.
The routing (origin and destination airports) must remain unchanged. Routing or date changes made on the original day of departure may incur fare and/or tax differences, as usual.
Changes are subject to availability on the new flight in the same cabin as the original flight. Free changes on the day are only available to With Checked Bag customers (fare basis code identifier V2) and Fully Flex customers (fare basis code identifier V3) travelling on Shorthaul or Domestic point-to-point routes. Free change on day is not available on open jaw journeys (eg PAR-LHR-AMS)
Free changes on day are not specified on the fare rules in your GDS, due to the special conditions and process.
Process
Make a new booking in the same cabin on the new flight. If the original booking class is not available, book into Y or J class. Do not remove the originally booked sector.
Add the appropriate SK or OSI keyword (as per GDS entries below) This will generate automatically a message to our queue. We will force book into the original fare class and revalidate the ticket. The booking status will change to KK.
An SSR message will be generated back to the agent to confirm.
Cancellations
If you queue the booking to our robot to make free change to a With Checked Bag or Fully Flex booking, you should NEVER cancel the original segment that is being changed. This is required so that the free change on the day process can identify the original flight and the original booking class. Once the BA robot completes the change the original segment will automatically be removed so that the itinerary matches the newly revalidated ticket.
If a customer wishes to make a change on the day after checking in, you must enter the appropriate keyword to offload the customer from the flight. Find out more
Once you have received confirmation from us that the customer has been offloaded, you can follow the process above. Alternatively the customer can make the change at the airport. If the customer has checked in a bag, the change must be made at the airport.
Mar 31, 2016, 1:59 am
#400
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: 30,502
Thanks both! Indeed, not many (if any?) flights departing just after midnight, I was more thinking of flights that leave at 6 or 7 am and where if it had been possible, one would prefer to be able to change the evening before rather than stay awake till midnight or wake up at 4am anyway to action the change!
In fairness, however, I knew that it was unlikely that same day would mean before 24 hours. I was just hoping!
In fairness, however, I knew that it was unlikely that same day would mean before 24 hours. I was just hoping!
Apr 7, 2016, 11:24 am
#401
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: LHR
Programs: Accor PLT,Thai Silver, HH Dia, SPG Titanium (LT Gold), Aegean Gold, BA Silver
Posts: 5,116
Doing a dummy booking the standard flight option comes up with a O and Q fare. Would like to book a different bucket but the only option given is fully flex which drives the price significantly. Is there any way to force from say an O fare to a K fare?
Just to elaborate:
Eco lowest can be booked
Eco low cannot be booked
Eco flex can be booked
There is a jump of over Ł600 from lowest to flex !!
Just to elaborate:
Eco lowest can be booked
Eco low cannot be booked
Eco flex can be booked
There is a jump of over Ł600 from lowest to flex !!
Apr 7, 2016, 11:55 am
#402
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: North East
Programs: Hilton HHonors, BAEC Silver
Posts: 1,204
Doing a dummy booking the standard flight option comes up with a O and Q fare. Would like to book a different bucket but the only option given is fully flex which drives the price significantly. Is there any way to force from say an O fare to a K fare?
Just to elaborate:
Eco lowest can be booked
Eco low cannot be booked
Eco flex can be booked
There is a jump of over Ł600 from lowest to flex !!
Just to elaborate:
Eco lowest can be booked
Eco low cannot be booked
Eco flex can be booked
There is a jump of over Ł600 from lowest to flex !!
Apr 7, 2016, 3:35 pm
#403
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 573
Can I try to clarify how the "free on the day change" works on the new CBI fares?
1) Am I understanding correctly that there is never a fee to change the flight as long as it is on the same day, but that fare difference is charged if the change is made in advance but not if it is made "on the day"?
2) If 1) is correct, does it mean that I can change for free at any time as long as there is availability in the same bucket/fare?
3) Still if 1) is correct, how is "on the day" conceived? Does it mean within 24 hours, or is it on the same calendar day from midnight or some other time, in which case if your original flight is very early apart from doing the change online and hoping it works do you just call GGL or whatever service centre is opened?
Or is 1) incorrect anyway, in which case I would certainly be most grateful for a kind soul telling me what the reality of those free changes actually is!! Many thanks in advance!
1) Am I understanding correctly that there is never a fee to change the flight as long as it is on the same day, but that fare difference is charged if the change is made in advance but not if it is made "on the day"?
2) If 1) is correct, does it mean that I can change for free at any time as long as there is availability in the same bucket/fare?
3) Still if 1) is correct, how is "on the day" conceived? Does it mean within 24 hours, or is it on the same calendar day from midnight or some other time, in which case if your original flight is very early apart from doing the change online and hoping it works do you just call GGL or whatever service centre is opened?
Or is 1) incorrect anyway, in which case I would certainly be most grateful for a kind soul telling me what the reality of those free changes actually is!! Many thanks in advance!
Apr 7, 2016, 3:41 pm
#404
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: 30,502
Apr 14, 2016, 2:53 pm
#405
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Newcastle
Programs: Working towards being a Bronze member
Posts: 238
On domestic routes, the 'Plus Flex' fare will be branded 'Business UK' and include access to BA lounges and priority boarding.
The benefits associated with each fare are:
Basic:
Standard hand baggage allowance (no checked baggage allowance)
Seating allocated at check-in or paid for seat selection
Flight changes can be made for a fee plus any difference in fare
Plus:
Includes a 23kg checked baggage allowance, plus the standard hand baggage allowance
Free seat selection from 48 hours prior to departure
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)
Plus 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 domestic routes, the 'Plus Flex' fare will be branded 'Business UK' and include access to BA lounges and priority boarding.
The benefits associated with each fare are:
Basic:
Standard hand baggage allowance (no checked baggage allowance)
Seating allocated at check-in or paid for seat selection
Flight changes can be made for a fee plus any difference in fare
Plus:
Includes a 23kg checked baggage allowance, plus the standard hand baggage allowance
Free seat selection from 48 hours prior to departure
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)
Plus 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)