Adding a return onto a 2-4-1
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: London
Programs: BA Bronze
Posts: 181
Adding a return onto a 2-4-1
Hey there,
Hoping someone can help! I booked a one way flight in First to San Francisco using a 2-4-1 for me and a friend in March next year. We are leaving from Jersey on the same ticket to save a few pennies.
It priced up at 85,000 avios + £434.90 (one way, first). If I added a business class return on, it priced at 147500 avios + £801.90 (return price). I was 30k short in Avios but didn't want to lose the F seats, so booked it just as a one way.
Now that I have the needed avios, I have run into difficulty trying to add the return on.
I understand it can't be done online so have been phoning the call centre and received many different responses.
Response 1: The booking needs to be cancelled and rebooked and F seats may not come back.
Response 2: Nothing can be done at all.
Response 3 [YouFirst]: The return flight can be added on for 62500 avios (Correct ammount) but £1039 in tax + £100 service charge. I have said I would get back to the agent about this.
My point is - shouldn't adding a return flight on be 62500 avios + the difference between what I price a return flight to be, not the price of a one way flight from SFO? i.e. it should be 62500 avios + £367? [I have already paid 434.90 and the price of a return was 147500 + 801.90]
I appreciate this is confusing but I'm hoping someone understands!
Thank you again for all of your help
Hoping someone can help! I booked a one way flight in First to San Francisco using a 2-4-1 for me and a friend in March next year. We are leaving from Jersey on the same ticket to save a few pennies.
It priced up at 85,000 avios + £434.90 (one way, first). If I added a business class return on, it priced at 147500 avios + £801.90 (return price). I was 30k short in Avios but didn't want to lose the F seats, so booked it just as a one way.
Now that I have the needed avios, I have run into difficulty trying to add the return on.
I understand it can't be done online so have been phoning the call centre and received many different responses.
Response 1: The booking needs to be cancelled and rebooked and F seats may not come back.
Response 2: Nothing can be done at all.
Response 3 [YouFirst]: The return flight can be added on for 62500 avios (Correct ammount) but £1039 in tax + £100 service charge. I have said I would get back to the agent about this.
My point is - shouldn't adding a return flight on be 62500 avios + the difference between what I price a return flight to be, not the price of a one way flight from SFO? i.e. it should be 62500 avios + £367? [I have already paid 434.90 and the price of a return was 147500 + 801.90]
I appreciate this is confusing but I'm hoping someone understands!
Thank you again for all of your help
#2
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: England
Programs: BAEC Gold, UA Mileage Plus, Hotels.com Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Pizza Express Gold
Posts: 600
It is definitely possible to do this - it's the standard way of getting the seats as they're released! You're correct that it has to be done over the phone.
You should not cancel the outbound seats, as they might disappear. They need to add the return flights to the existing booking. I'm not entirely sure of the rules, but on my one recent experience of doing this I didn't pay a service charge and I did pay the difference between return and what I'd already paid. I was refunded the Avios I'd already paid and then immediately charged the new amount. The cash component was taken a few weeks later, but was as expected.
Response 3 seems to be booking your return as a one way ticket.
Are you getting through to the UK call centre? They apparently know how to do all this (and did when I called them).
You should not cancel the outbound seats, as they might disappear. They need to add the return flights to the existing booking. I'm not entirely sure of the rules, but on my one recent experience of doing this I didn't pay a service charge and I did pay the difference between return and what I'd already paid. I was refunded the Avios I'd already paid and then immediately charged the new amount. The cash component was taken a few weeks later, but was as expected.
Response 3 seems to be booking your return as a one way ticket.
Are you getting through to the UK call centre? They apparently know how to do all this (and did when I called them).
#3
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,545
I have just done this recently and it was very quick and efficient with no charges or costs above the correct add on for taxes.
Out of curiosity when you call are you saying to them that you now wish to book the return now as you didn't have enough avios when you first booked the outbound? This may be the problem as the guy on the phone when I called talked me into saying that the reason I was adding on the return now is because the return flight date wasn't available when I booked the outbound (when it actually was there just wasn't any F seats just J so I left it as a one way in the hope F would pop up later and it did) and this seemed to make things easier for him.
Out of curiosity when you call are you saying to them that you now wish to book the return now as you didn't have enough avios when you first booked the outbound? This may be the problem as the guy on the phone when I called talked me into saying that the reason I was adding on the return now is because the return flight date wasn't available when I booked the outbound (when it actually was there just wasn't any F seats just J so I left it as a one way in the hope F would pop up later and it did) and this seemed to make things easier for him.
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: London
Programs: BA Bronze
Posts: 181
I'm not sure how to tell without asking haha! The first two calls were to the 0800 number for blue members, at around 9pm. The third call to YouFirst was at around 8:30am.
And Gomac, I am being truthful yes. I will try the other approach when I phone back this afternoon
I was being very clear though to the agent, I wanted this return flight added to the booking so the booking is a return. Forth time luck!
Many thanks for your prompt replies!
And Gomac, I am being truthful yes. I will try the other approach when I phone back this afternoon
I was being very clear though to the agent, I wanted this return flight added to the booking so the booking is a return. Forth time luck!
Many thanks for your prompt replies!
#5
Join Date: Jun 2003
Programs: BA, IHG, 5C
Posts: 4,413
Not sure about the extra cash cost which seems wrong, but perhaps worth pointing out that AFAIK in general you cannot change a oneway booking into a return under the general rules.
That restriction is waived only specifically for adding a return to a 241 on a date that was initially beyond the booking horizon.
That restriction is waived only specifically for adding a return to a 241 on a date that was initially beyond the booking horizon.
#6
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,545
#7
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 538
If the inbound date was out of range when the outbound flight was booked then there should be no change or service fee added. In all other circumstances adding the inbound sector to a previously booked one way 241 will attract both the change fee and service fee which corresponds to the gbp100 that you were advised.
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: London
Programs: BA Bronze
Posts: 181
So yes, I phoned up this morning and spoke to a chap who sadly repeated response two to me - you cannot add a return flight to an existing 2-4-1.
So I called again, spoke to a lady from Manchester who sorted everything out within four or five minutes and apologised for it having to take five phone calls to get it sorted. She waived the change fee and service fee because of this wished me a happy flight
She also commented that being charged 2x One Way taxes would seem to be correct thing to do to most agents, simply because most do not know that when you price up a return it is cheaper due to the carrier surcharge not being there on the way back.
Eitherway, it is *almost* sorted. All the avios from my original booking has reappeared in my account, as has a £1.62 charge from British Airways on my card. I assume it'll get fixed soon!
Thank you very much everyone for helping out!
Have a good weekend
So I called again, spoke to a lady from Manchester who sorted everything out within four or five minutes and apologised for it having to take five phone calls to get it sorted. She waived the change fee and service fee because of this wished me a happy flight
She also commented that being charged 2x One Way taxes would seem to be correct thing to do to most agents, simply because most do not know that when you price up a return it is cheaper due to the carrier surcharge not being there on the way back.
Eitherway, it is *almost* sorted. All the avios from my original booking has reappeared in my account, as has a £1.62 charge from British Airways on my card. I assume it'll get fixed soon!
Thank you very much everyone for helping out!
Have a good weekend
#10
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,744
As pauldb and cbagent have explained, it's only supposed to be allowed when the return was originally out of range - not when you simply were short of the avios required.
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: London
Programs: BA Bronze
Posts: 181
Hmmm,
Couldn't someone then book into an outbound that was out of range at the time of booking [for free], then pay the change fee to change to a date that wasn't out of range at booking?
Couldn't someone then book into an outbound that was out of range at the time of booking [for free], then pay the change fee to change to a date that wasn't out of range at booking?
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
Off the top of my head, I think that when you change an award booking, all of the original Avios are refunded, and then the new total charged. Sometimes the second step happens at the same time, but other times it doesn't happen until the ticket is re-issued. So it's likely that it will all sort itself out, but don't forget that there should be a forthcoming charge of the total amount for the ticket, so don't accidentally spend them again!