BA.com error message: We don't sell tickets for 2020
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NCL
Programs: UA 1MM/*G. DL Gold for one more year.
Posts: 5,305
BA.com error message: We don't sell tickets for 2020
I've just tried twice to make a booking for later this month. As you know, the home page only asks for date (not year) because airlines don't sell tickets for more than one year in advance.
Twice in a row, BA.com has taken me to this error message;
"Sorry, it is only possible to book flights to 355 days in advance. Please select an alternative date within this range"
Below, it lists my desired itinerary, only showing my dates and the year 2020.
Is this happening to anybody else?
It is astonishing, is it not, that an airline that won't even invest in a website that is even fit for the purpose of generating revenue through basic, straighforward transactions, happens to be the same one that has been caught out with vulnerability leading to the theft of my credit card information and personal data, and those of hundreds of thousands of other customers.
Twice in a row, BA.com has taken me to this error message;
"Sorry, it is only possible to book flights to 355 days in advance. Please select an alternative date within this range"
Below, it lists my desired itinerary, only showing my dates and the year 2020.
Is this happening to anybody else?
It is astonishing, is it not, that an airline that won't even invest in a website that is even fit for the purpose of generating revenue through basic, straighforward transactions, happens to be the same one that has been caught out with vulnerability leading to the theft of my credit card information and personal data, and those of hundreds of thousands of other customers.
Last edited by Passmethesickbag; Sep 18, 2018 at 6:59 am
#2
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: BMA
Programs: SAS Eurobonus Gold Card
Posts: 324
I've had something similar a few times lately. When booking, the calendar automatically seems to go to this month in 2020 and I have to click back through each month until I get to the current month. Very annoying.
#4
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Oxon, UK
Programs: Mucci des canapes, Skywards Gold, BAEC, IC Plat Amb, LH FTV
Posts: 1,951
I think one of the most worrying things is that the website response is inconsistent - sometimes I get the error described above and sometimes everything proceeds smoothly. I struggle to understand how that can happen on a properly coded website when the variables at my end are fixed - same computer, same browser and same enquiry. The real concern however is that I doubt that BA understand why these things happen either - and there are a number of recurrent errors reported here and elsewhere.
#5
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: LH SEN; BA Gold
Posts: 8,405
#6
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Edinburgh
Programs: HH Diamond, RR Platinum, BA Gold
Posts: 54
I've had this recently, along with various other issues with inconsistent flight options etc... Advice on here was to use the multi-city link and then hope it routes you via the old search pages (although more recently this has been directing me to the new pages). Very frustrating, it must be impacting on sales.
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NCL
Programs: UA 1MM/*G. DL Gold for one more year.
Posts: 5,305
I certainly hope it does! Granted, we're often a captive audience here, but I've certainly gone to *A carriers twice since the new website was launched, after BA.com repeatedly refused to price my itinerary.
#8
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Oslo, Norway
Posts: 557
Yes, I have seen it as well. Datepicker in new layout gets hickup sometimes. I had one example where there were a possible "confusion" in laguage-settings/locale somewhere so date formats get mixed up. 2018-12-20 --> 20/12/18 (US-style) --> 2020-12-18 etc. when going via several pages.
I also got completely stuck without the possibility to search for any flights due to "Invalid date"
I also got completely stuck without the possibility to search for any flights due to "Invalid date"
#10
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 166
Yup, these errors that occur haphazardly throughout the website tell you everything you need to know about BA's systems. There will be further high-profile failures, you can bet on it.
#12
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Glasgow
Programs: BAEC Gold, LH, EK, QR
Posts: 355
I've been hitting the same issue along with an issue when booking flights from Glasgow to XXX via London, In the latest case Berlin, where only a subset of the usual flights with connecting options were displayed. I had to use the multi city search to get all possible connections and choose from those. Even that started throwing an error at one point and I eventually found a way around it by booking a flight and hotel package, and re-selecting the flights I wanted from the package search screen. Fortunately I was looking to book a package anyway!
#13
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,753
I've been hitting the same issue along with an issue when booking flights from Glasgow to XXX via London, In the latest case Berlin, where only a subset of the usual flights with connecting options were displayed. I had to use the multi city search to get all possible connections and choose from those. Even that started throwing an error at one point and I eventually found a way around it by booking a flight and hotel package, and re-selecting the flights I wanted from the package search screen. Fortunately I was looking to book a package anyway!
That, and the 2019/2020 calendar default and subsequent error.
I note that the comparison sites are not returning results from ba.com on the affected itineraries either, so British Airways will be losing traffic from these sources.
#14
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,061
Both BA and AC have been very open that a root-and-branch redesign of ba.com is underway. I have heard nothing about dates but would expect release to coincide with the ‘centenary’ celebrations next year.
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NCL
Programs: UA 1MM/*G. DL Gold for one more year.
Posts: 5,305
But they recently released a new website — that's when the main problems started for me at least. The old one was clunky and looked old, but was a lot more functional.