CaroFos

I hope this is in the right place as it relates to BAEC but mods feel free to move to the Iberia forum if deemed more relevant.

Anyhow, I just booked my daughter a one way ticket on Iberia to come back to London in the summer and having completed the booking I went into the reservation to add her BAEC number. I did this but it showed an error. I then noticed her surname is entered twice (and it's double barrelled!)

Called straight away to ask to amend it and was told no problem but then the agent came back and said because I had entered the BAEC number she was unable to make an amendment.

She tried to remove the number (at my request) to see if it would then allow her to amend but 'computer said no!'

The agent said this happens often and she would be fine travelling on that ticket but as she's on her own, I'm not particularly happy about her having a potential issue.. So I said OK, do I have 24 hour cooling off - YES - Ok then I cancel the ticket and start again..

The agent started to process the cancellation and then came back and said there would be a Euro 30 charge!! (ticket is only 82 Euros) ... this is all happening within 10 minutes of me making the booking.

I seriously don't understand why the BAEC number should render the booking unable to be fiddled with and I am not sure if the euro 30 charge is because of the BAEC number or if they would charge anyhow?

Anyhow, I am sharing to warn others to check very carefully when these horrible auto-fill forms take over without you noticing!!

I've left it that the agent is writing an email to the back office but it will apparently take 48 hours to reply! (out of cooling off) .. so looks like I will have to let her travel on a ticket with an error and hope for the best but I will be worrying about it - especially as she doesn't speak Spanish!

I probably should just pay the euro 30 for peace of mind but I'm afraid my 'justice' hat is firmly stuck on my head!

BA6501

Call up. Take the BAEC number out. Hang up, call again. Process the cancellation.

corporate-wage-slave

I guess there is some merit in booking this via BA's Contact Centres - they can do almost all Iberia services but it probably won't be online. You can pay in sterling that way too, at a very good exchange rate. I must admit I've made - gosh, hundreds? of bookings on Iberia, and apart from seat selection I can't recall any issues. But if you are familiar with the BA system there may be some merit in "sticking to what you know".

I imagine you may also have some credit card company recourse too, depending on the details.

SWISSBOBBY

A colleague had the same issue for his whike family... Phoned Iberia all sorted very quickly.

CaroFos

Google flights said BA website would charge £100 - £36 more for the ticket - which is why I went to the IBERIA site but I agree entirely.. I'm so loyal to/familiar with BA I'd much prefer to book everything via them!

UPDATE - Just looked on BA site and same price give or take a couple of ££s - now I feel really stupid! Lesson Learned! (don't take everything Google Flights tells you as correct!)

mAAine_flyer

I have yet to encounter any IB check-in staff at Spanish airports who don't speak english! I think you're worrying too much.

CaroFos

Probably but then I'm a mum! Probably time to move on and forget and if they change it then great!

corporate-wage-slave

HBO fares are not going to be online, furthermore even BA.com often shows a high price so it may still be worth a call to see if they can shave a few bob off.

And I agree most Iberia staff speak proper English better than wot I speak.

Lgwfan

As the IB agent told you it happens all the time, it always happens to me with my IB Express bookings. Never had any problem what so ever. Or indication of a problem whilst at the airport. And that includes the third party staffIB use at Gatwick ,perfectly normal.

CaroFos

Update - iberia's back office processed the change perfectly easily without any fuss or charge.

Also realise how silly I was to suggest I should worry about language skills with check in staff... Definitely a case of over-protective mum fog! Just didn't want a potential problem when she's out of her comfort zone!

Thanks all.

missdimeaner

Glad you got it sorted out.
It's worth noting that the auto fill forms on AA can screw you as well.
I did an AA booking for September a straight return out AA back BA put my details in, started to put MrD's in and it asks me if I want to copy mine.. Which I duly did. Now I'm not 100% sure that it duplicated my BAEC membership number or I had a brain free moment. Upshot was that my membership number was on both people.
I rang AA as I coudn't change it online, they insisted I needed to phone BA. I rang BA who (rightly) said it was an AA problem. However after explaining I had already done that the Agent contacted AA and it got sorted .. It took nearly 24hrs and the BA agent rang and kept me informed.
Auto fill at your peril.
BA-1....AA-0

CaroFos

When I went back to BA after CWS's advice, my daughter's ticket (on Nostram/Iberia via Madrid from AGP to LHR) was available to book.

I'm now trying to secure my husbands and my tickets but nothing is showing on BA.com either as a one way or return. am I doing something wrong?

I called up to book but it was about £400 more expensive to book biz seats than on the Iberia website.. agent said Iberia won't let BA book into the same (I) bucket?

Should I HUACA?

ANy ideas on why these seats are not showing on ba.com ? (Last time I could have booked DD's ticket on a 72 fare hold to boot at £2 less than IBeria..

Curious and keen to lock down as I wanted to book her a ONE WAY redemption on the way out.. grateful for any help.
CF..

corporate-wage-slave

Quite possibly, but not today. Without knowing the dates I can't check it myself, but it sounds like a boring fare availability issue, with I bucket set at 0 on presumably a BA codeshare, which on IB prime is set at open for sale. It could change anytime, but may be worth a daily check to see if they open it up again.

Assuming you have an IB+ account, and it's not BA metal, you also need to check that since it may well be cheaper than BAEC too, as a redemption.

ExpertFlyer can send alerts when fare buckets open up.

CaroFos

THank you .. I've just had a marathon 2 hours on the phone booking / cancelling / holding and ended up with the seats I need at a decent time and the right price. the tricky bit was getting a redemption seat for DD on the same flights that the reduced fare was coming in on. After booking one seat and forgetting to change the name to DD (DOh - and of course it was the last one!) I made a bit of a hash of it but all has worked out in the end. . would have like to get BA metal from LHR to Mad but can't win them all but we do get the lovely flat bed on the way home - plus all the TPs and Avios at a ticket price less than the Gatwick Economy. DD in Economy on a one way revenue fare but it won't hurt her! :-)

Thanks for your suggestions CWS - ExpertFlyer a whole other ballgame I need to try and get my head around.