Disappointed in Black Friday Sale
Nov 24, 2018, 1:09 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Plymouth, UK
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 1,159
Disappointed in Black Friday Sale
Am I the only one very disappointed in what BA has done for Black Friday? I have been patiently waiting to book a few trips hoping (or rather expecting... at least a bit) that they would have some good value flights I could include into a tier point run but there is little there for me. Perhaps I was just over-optimistic but from what I have read it isn't as good this year.
Good if you travel with your partner with the 2-4-1 offers and want to travel fairly soon with flexible dates. Perhaps that is what is behind the 2-4-1 offers... to rule out anyone doing TP runs. Perhaps not... but BA are actively discouraging flying just to get status. I have had several flight bookings actively blocked by telephone sales staff when they realise that I was flying to gain status.
I'll now book the same flights and at the same (or nearly the same) price that I could have booked several weeks ago
Good if you travel with your partner with the 2-4-1 offers and want to travel fairly soon with flexible dates. Perhaps that is what is behind the 2-4-1 offers... to rule out anyone doing TP runs. Perhaps not... but BA are actively discouraging flying just to get status. I have had several flight bookings actively blocked by telephone sales staff when they realise that I was flying to gain status.
I'll now book the same flights and at the same (or nearly the same) price that I could have booked several weeks ago
Nov 24, 2018, 1:23 am
#3
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 14
snaxmuppet - it does seem this year everywhere Black Friday Sales are disappointing and whilst i am cynical about some BA tactics i think this is just the way the market has gone this year - in fact a number of retailers have artificially put prices up to foll you into bargains. I do Tier Point runs and find with a bit of patience and tips form this forum i can get great Tier Point bargains with BA year round. I think the Black Friday offers are really in response to the UK Black Friday obession than a real sale.
Nov 24, 2018, 1:25 am
#4
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Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Plymouth, UK
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I would but I have already posted my experience to the TP Run thread... see this post and my other subsequent posts to see how they blocked me from booking.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30396367-post4418.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30396367-post4418.html
Nov 24, 2018, 1:35 am
#5
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Scotland
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 443
totally agree. I waited patiently for nothing. I already have a booking for a month away over Christmas/New Year and was hoping for something March/April..
Now all the prices I previously looked at have gone way up.
You live and learn ........
Now all the prices I previously looked at have gone way up.
You live and learn ........
Nov 24, 2018, 1:41 am
#6
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Vale of Glamorgan
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I would but I have already posted my experience to the TP Run thread... see this post and my other subsequent posts to see how they blocked me from booking.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30396367-post4418.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30396367-post4418.html
Itineraries such as OTP-PHX are very easy to book directly on the AA website, at the price quoted by Matrix; you don't even need to use BookWithMatrix (which rarely works satisfactorily for me).
Nov 24, 2018, 1:41 am
#7
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Well Which (I think) found that 60% of Black Friday ‘sales’ were the same or more than the shops were selling the products earlier in the year, at least those include some genuinely lower fares even if the conditions are restrictive.
Nov 24, 2018, 2:07 am
#8
Join Date: Sep 2018
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 67
Did see Hamburg CE might be down at £164 return, which I think is a little lower than usual, but impossible to say if part of a sale.
The problem in the past with sales in general has been that during the non sale periods things have had such a large margin that sales could look easily be made to be attractive, as more people get savvy and online stores make comparing prices easier doing a genuine sale gets harder.
The BA sale though was a bit of a indoor firework show though, particularly as a solo traveler.
The problem in the past with sales in general has been that during the non sale periods things have had such a large margin that sales could look easily be made to be attractive, as more people get savvy and online stores make comparing prices easier doing a genuine sale gets harder.
The BA sale though was a bit of a indoor firework show though, particularly as a solo traveler.
Nov 24, 2018, 2:16 am
#9
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Join Date: Mar 2016
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The post you've linked to doesn't really support your claim that you "have had several flight bookings actively blocked by telephone sales staff" on the grounds that you were flying only to gain status. Rather, it seems you were unlucky in getting a sales agent who didn't know how to book a complex, indirect itinerary.
Itineraries such as OTP-PHX are very easy to book directly on the AA website, at the price quoted by Matrix; you don't even need to use BookWithMatrix (which rarely works satisfactorily for me).
Itineraries such as OTP-PHX are very easy to book directly on the AA website, at the price quoted by Matrix; you don't even need to use BookWithMatrix (which rarely works satisfactorily for me).
I started to give the agent the itinery and he was pulling up the flights one by one. When I had given him the JFK to LAX sector details he asked why I didn't just fly LHR to LAX instead of stopping at JFK. I said it was cheaper and then he said that clearly I lived in London and was just doing this to get TPs for status. I said I didn't live in London (no where near!) and that yes, the points were helping me towards status but I enjoyed flying so I was happy to take a more indirect route to get a cheaper fare. He then stopped altogether and said that they were not allowed to book indirect routes just to help people get status. I tried to reason with him that this was not JUST to get status but he wouldn't have it. I asking him to check with his superior and he went away and came back with the same story. I had to finish the call.
On another occasion I tried to book a multi-leg trip using a mix of AA and BA codes on codeshare flight numbers. They refused to book the flight using AA codeshares. Using BA codes over doubled the price.
On another occasion the agent priced up the entire trip and the price was nearly 3 times the Matrix price. I asked what fare classes each leg was and she had put me into J when I knew there was availability in I. I asked that she book me into I whenever that class was available and she refused claiming that all sectors in a booking must be in the same class. This of course is rubbish. I challenged her on this and she went off to get clarification. On her return she claimed that the system wouldn't allow her to specify the class of individual sectors and if I wanted any sector in J then the whole trip had to be J. I was travelling within Europe CE and so that had to be J so I was snookered.
Eventually, after several attempts, I managed to find a helpful agent and I booked the flight as I wanted it... a mix of BA and AA codes and a mix of fare classes.
Now, I understand that you might say that I was just unlucky with getting bad agents but it seemed more than that to me. They seemed to be fully aware of what I was doing and was actively blocking me from booking a cheap, indirect route... either for status or not.
As for using the AA website... I tried... it would only allow 6 sectors. When I eventually booked my OTP - PHX it was through the AA phone line and they waived the £10 charge as I couldn't book that itinerary online.
Last edited by snaxmuppet; Nov 24, 2018 at 2:21 am
Nov 24, 2018, 2:19 am
#10
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,683
All my best prices have have not been in ‘sales’ but tipped off from threads here. Recently there’s been a great price for Miami from Sweden, and SFO available too at around £1600. The sales are fine if they meet your needs, if not, so what. If the dates worked, then the 2 for £2018 deals were really good, no use to me as a solo, but not everything works for everyone.
As for BA agents I’ve had helpful ones suggest alternate flights on multi segment routes when they can see which leg is causing the price to climb. I don’t think there’s any reason to believe BA are doing anything to discourage TP runners.
As for BA agents I’ve had helpful ones suggest alternate flights on multi segment routes when they can see which leg is causing the price to climb. I don’t think there’s any reason to believe BA are doing anything to discourage TP runners.
Nov 24, 2018, 2:23 am
#11
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OK then... I will elaborate a little to show what I mean...
I started to give the agent the itinery and he was pulling up the flights one by one. When I had given him the JFK to LAX sector details he asked why I didn't just fly LHR to LAX instead of stopping at JFK. I said it was cheaper and then he said that clearly I lived in London and was just doing this to get TPs for status. I said I didn't live in London (no where near!) and that yes, the points were helping me towards status but I enjoyed flying so I was happy to take a more indirect route to get a cheaper fare. He then stopped altogether and said that they were not allowed to book indirect routes just to help people get status. I tried to reason with him that this was not JUST to get status but he wouldn't have it. I asking him to check with his superior and he went away and came back with the same story. I had to finish the call.
On another occasion I tried to book a multi-leg trip using a mix of AA and BA codes on codeshare flight numbers. They refused to book the flight using AA codeshares. Using BA codes over doubled the price.
On another occasion the agent priced up the entire trip and the price was nearly 3 times the Matrix price. I asked what fare classes each leg was and she had put me into J when I knew there was availability in I. I asked that she book me into I whenever that class was available and she refused claiming that all sectors in a booking must be in the same class. This of course is rubbish. I challenged her on this and she went off to get clarification. On her return she claimed that the system wouldn't allow her to specify the class of individual sectors and if I wanted any sector in J then the whole trip had to be J. I was travelling within Europe CE and so that had to be J so I was snookered.
Eventually, after several attempts, I managed to find a helpful agent and I booked the flight as I wanted it... a mix of BA and AA codes and a mix of fare classes.
Now, I understand that you might say that I was just unlucky with getting bad agents but it seemed more than that to me. They seemed to be fully aware of what I was doing and was actively blocking me from booking a cheap, indirect route... either for status or not.
As for using the AA website... I tried... it would only allow 6 sectors. When I eventually booked my OTP - PHX it was through the AA phone line and they waived the £10 charge as I couldn't book that itinerary online.
I started to give the agent the itinery and he was pulling up the flights one by one. When I had given him the JFK to LAX sector details he asked why I didn't just fly LHR to LAX instead of stopping at JFK. I said it was cheaper and then he said that clearly I lived in London and was just doing this to get TPs for status. I said I didn't live in London (no where near!) and that yes, the points were helping me towards status but I enjoyed flying so I was happy to take a more indirect route to get a cheaper fare. He then stopped altogether and said that they were not allowed to book indirect routes just to help people get status. I tried to reason with him that this was not JUST to get status but he wouldn't have it. I asking him to check with his superior and he went away and came back with the same story. I had to finish the call.
On another occasion I tried to book a multi-leg trip using a mix of AA and BA codes on codeshare flight numbers. They refused to book the flight using AA codeshares. Using BA codes over doubled the price.
On another occasion the agent priced up the entire trip and the price was nearly 3 times the Matrix price. I asked what fare classes each leg was and she had put me into J when I knew there was availability in I. I asked that she book me into I whenever that class was available and she refused claiming that all sectors in a booking must be in the same class. This of course is rubbish. I challenged her on this and she went off to get clarification. On her return she claimed that the system wouldn't allow her to specify the class of individual sectors and if I wanted any sector in J then the whole trip had to be J. I was travelling within Europe CE and so that had to be J so I was snookered.
Eventually, after several attempts, I managed to find a helpful agent and I booked the flight as I wanted it... a mix of BA and AA codes and a mix of fare classes.
Now, I understand that you might say that I was just unlucky with getting bad agents but it seemed more than that to me. They seemed to be fully aware of what I was doing and was actively blocking me from booking a cheap, indirect route... either for status or not.
As for using the AA website... I tried... it would only allow 6 sectors. When I eventually booked my OTP - PHX it was through the AA phone line and they waived the £10 charge as I couldn't book that itinerary online.
You are seeing thieves around the corner where there are none. You don’t owe an agent any explanation, just ask him to book it for you. If it’s a itinerary that prices out that’s their job.
Nov 24, 2018, 2:29 am
#12
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,683
@snax. I really do think you were unlucky. I think from memory BA did stop allowing AA flight numbers where there was a code share, but this may have been linked to the end of the 60TP US domestic legs where the AA flight previously earnt 60, and the BA version only 40TP.
If the AA flight is cheaper go with AA. The 6 city pairs limit is just that, I think you can manipulate them with a bit of thought to get more than one segment from a city pair.
If the AA flight is cheaper go with AA. The 6 city pairs limit is just that, I think you can manipulate them with a bit of thought to get more than one segment from a city pair.
Nov 24, 2018, 2:42 am
#13
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464
Now, I understand that you might say that I was just unlucky with getting bad agents but it seemed more than that to me. They seemed to be fully aware of what I was doing and was actively blocking me from booking a cheap, indirect route... either for status or not.
As for using the AA website... I tried... it would only allow 6 sectors. When I eventually booked my OTP - PHX it was through the AA phone line and they waived the £10 charge as I couldn't book that itinerary online.
If you had used Matrix and Powertools as advised, you would have booked via AA.com probably in under 10 minutes without any phone calls required whatsoever.
There is no conspiracy on BA's part.
Nov 24, 2018, 3:03 am
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Plymouth, UK
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 1,159
If I can speak freely, it did appear you were making a relatively simple OTP-PHX TP run booking rather challenging, despite all of the advice you were given in the TP Run thread.
If you had used Matrix and Powertools as advised, you would have booked via AA.com probably in under 10 minutes without any phone calls required whatsoever.
There is no conspiracy on BA's part.
If you had used Matrix and Powertools as advised, you would have booked via AA.com probably in under 10 minutes without any phone calls required whatsoever.
There is no conspiracy on BA's part.
I'll put this down to experience then.
I have a long trip to book in the next few days so I shall see if I can book that without any issues
Thanks for all your comments.
Still disappointed in the BA sale though. I am going to be looking for a Ex-EU return to SIN on the next few weeks. I was hoping for something in this sale. My wife suggests I wait for any Christmas/New Year sale but I am inclined to not expect much then either if this sale is anything to go by.