Airport agenets unable to sell ticket close to departure (SEA)
Aug 14, 2018, 8:28 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: ZRH / SEA, DL PM
Posts: 1,165
Airport agenets unable to sell ticket close to departure (SEA)
Long story short, my original Delta flight SEA-AMS posted delay which would result in a missed connection. Delta was more than willing to rebook me on BA but only to my ticketed destination. Since I had a separate ticket to get to my final destination after flying DL, I was considering refund from Delta (trip in vain) and get a walk up ticket on BA, which had good connection in LHR and was leaving in one hour.
BA flight had seats, but both lounge and gate agents could not figure out how to sell tickets. They gave me useless 1-800 number for reservations, which I called but hanged up after more than 15 minutes on hold as it was getting too close to departure.
Maybe it's rare to get last minute walk up sales in airport like SEA, but I still think it's nonsense to have seats available and pax who is willing to pay walk up fare and not able to sell it. At the very least BA agents could call whatever help desk to figure it out, but it looked like they just did not want to be bothered.
BA flight had seats, but both lounge and gate agents could not figure out how to sell tickets. They gave me useless 1-800 number for reservations, which I called but hanged up after more than 15 minutes on hold as it was getting too close to departure.
Maybe it's rare to get last minute walk up sales in airport like SEA, but I still think it's nonsense to have seats available and pax who is willing to pay walk up fare and not able to sell it. At the very least BA agents could call whatever help desk to figure it out, but it looked like they just did not want to be bothered.
Aug 14, 2018, 8:32 am
#2
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: North of Watford Gap
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 602
Long story short, my original Delta flight SEA-AMS posted delay which would result in a missed connection. Delta was more than willing to rebook me on BA but only to my ticketed destination. Since I had a separate ticket to get to my final destination after flying DL, I was considering refund from Delta (trip in vain) and get a walk up ticket on BA, which had good connection in LHR and was leaving in one hour.
BA flight had seats, but both lounge and gate agents could not figure out how to sell tickets. They gave me useless 1-800 number for reservations, which I called but hanged up after more than 15 minutes on hold as it was getting too close to departure.
Maybe it's rare to get last minute walk up sales in airport like SEA, but I still think it's nonsense to have seats available and pax who is willing to pay walk up fare and not able to sell it. At the very least BA agents could call whatever help desk to figure it out, but it looked like they just did not want to be bothered.
BA flight had seats, but both lounge and gate agents could not figure out how to sell tickets. They gave me useless 1-800 number for reservations, which I called but hanged up after more than 15 minutes on hold as it was getting too close to departure.
Maybe it's rare to get last minute walk up sales in airport like SEA, but I still think it's nonsense to have seats available and pax who is willing to pay walk up fare and not able to sell it. At the very least BA agents could call whatever help desk to figure it out, but it looked like they just did not want to be bothered.
Aug 14, 2018, 8:39 am
#3
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: London, United Kingdom
Programs: British Airways Gold
Posts: 2,636
I'm sure you could have bought a ticket from an agent either at BA's ticket desk or in the check in area. It can't be surprising that a lounge agent or gate agent doesn't sell tickets.
Aug 14, 2018, 8:42 am
#4
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Looking *right now* BA.com seems happy to sell a ticket LHR-EDI scheduled to leave in 45 minutes. Not sure if the same is true ex-SEA though. I would imagine the cut off is earlier.
Aug 14, 2018, 8:49 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,200
The deadline is at least the check in cut off time plus a few minutes to allow for CC charges to clear. At most BA stations that is 60 minutes prior to departure. Even phone staff cannot over ride that.
Not every member of BA contract staff is able to do every job.
Not every member of BA contract staff is able to do every job.
Aug 14, 2018, 8:57 am
#6
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: LAS, ZQN
Programs: UA PP (2MM), BA gold
Posts: 2,202
Long story short, my original Delta flight SEA-AMS posted delay which would result in a missed connection. Delta was more than willing to rebook me on BA but only to my ticketed destination. Since I had a separate ticket to get to my final destination after flying DL, I was considering refund from Delta (trip in vain) and get a walk up ticket on BA, which had good connection in LHR and was leaving in one hour.
BA flight had seats, but both lounge and gate agents could not figure out how to sell tickets. They gave me useless 1-800 number for reservations, which I called but hanged up after more than 15 minutes on hold as it was getting too close to departure.
Maybe it's rare to get last minute walk up sales in airport like SEA, but I still think it's nonsense to have seats available and pax who is willing to pay walk up fare and not able to sell it. At the very least BA agents could call whatever help desk to figure it out, but it looked like they just did not want to be bothered.
BA flight had seats, but both lounge and gate agents could not figure out how to sell tickets. They gave me useless 1-800 number for reservations, which I called but hanged up after more than 15 minutes on hold as it was getting too close to departure.
Maybe it's rare to get last minute walk up sales in airport like SEA, but I still think it's nonsense to have seats available and pax who is willing to pay walk up fare and not able to sell it. At the very least BA agents could call whatever help desk to figure it out, but it looked like they just did not want to be bothered.
Aug 14, 2018, 9:38 am
#7
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold 1MM, BA Gold, UA Peon
Posts: 6,111
One has to bear in mind that the airport DCS will stop taking changes from the ticketing system when the flight closes for check in or sometime shortly before - not a regulation but a practical limitation so that the passengers can be tallied during boarding, baggage reconciled, flight manifest and load sheet produced, etc. One hour before is not atypical, for some airlines ticketing closer than 2 hours before departure is tricky and requires rapid manual action by the ticketing staff.
So with the best will, tickets can’t be issued closer to departure than that.
So with the best will, tickets can’t be issued closer to departure than that.
Aug 14, 2018, 10:08 am
#8
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: somewhere north of stateside...
Posts: 4,153
BA staff in the check-in area were outstanding when I ended up in SEA last December, after AC rebooked me on DL but failed to ticket - and then the rebooked DL space was gone.
Not all the check-in staff were trained on ticketing, but one was extremely helpful, held the space, and spent 30 minutes with Air Canada ticketing on the phone getting me sorted as the cut-off got closer. She got a Golden Ticket and a ba.com/welldone sent her way...
Were you trying to ticket at the check-in desk or lounge?
Not all the check-in staff were trained on ticketing, but one was extremely helpful, held the space, and spent 30 minutes with Air Canada ticketing on the phone getting me sorted as the cut-off got closer. She got a Golden Ticket and a ba.com/welldone sent her way...
Were you trying to ticket at the check-in desk or lounge?
Aug 14, 2018, 3:11 pm
#9
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, Owner of 2,000 TWA shares
Posts: 812
I had to buy two last minute J tix on Icelandair last summer (AC flight had canceled). Was getting down to the wire (t-1hr)and the counter told me I had to call their reservations. When you're on hold and they play that really slow music it tends to do the opposite of calming me down.