Abstract1

I'm having an issue with my travel agent over the rerouting of a fare. Apparently according to this rule 'NEW TICKET VALUE MUST BE EQUAL OR HIGHER THAN PREVIOUS AND MUST COMPLY WITH ALL PROVISIONS OF THE NEW FARE BEING APPLIED,' means that i can't change to the same fare basis on a different destination as the fare is actually lower than what i paid and therefore the fare must be upgraded to have a higher value. Am i crazy or is this crazy??? To add context its A class and the first flight is flown. This is for the return sector. Any help from you pros would be appreciated!

flatlander

Essentially the point is that you can't get a refund on the monies paid for a (non-refundable) fare. So any fare replacing the previous fare must cost at least as much as the previous fare, otherwise you will have paid more than you will be charged and you will be entitled to a refund of money. To avoid this, BA is saying that you must have a new fare charging you at least as much money as you have already given them.

The "must comply with all provisions" would include things like minimum stay, sales restrictions, etc.

I'm not sure if the airline can simply make up a higher number for your ticket or if it's more complex; i.e. I don't know how to fix this if you can't find an appropriate fare. I only know how it occurs.

UKtravelbear

Is this a BA fare rule or a condition of your TA?

Is it a normal TA or a corporate one?

JAXBA

It's an annoying phrase that many airlines are using in their fare rules; I see it often as a travel agent myself. Sometimes it's accompanied with another phrase along the lines of "if new fare is lower then ignore residual" (might be found in the fare rules under category 31, voluntary changes), but sometimes it isn't and the new fare really does have to be higher in price, in which case that's all that can be done.

Can you tell us your fare basis, outbound origin/destination, and new return departure point to see if we might be able to find an alternative?

nufnuf77

This is very common to all fares - means you can't downgrade yourself - eg from expensive D class to cheaper R class if availability open up and R is cheaper...

Abstract1

Thanks for all your replies. I don't want to get too much into specifics here..I may have found a solution and will advise here if so. Essentially the problem is as follows;
I have booked to go to AAA, but i want to come back from BBB. Example fares as follows;

LHR/AAA - A1 - 5000
LHR/BBB - A1 - 4500
LHR/BBB - A2 - 6500

So I am told that coming back from BBB i can only be changed to the A2 fare as the A1 fare is lower than the A1 fare of AAA!

The problem is that this is a TA fare, not published and therefore it makes it more complex!!!

Globaliser

I don't pretend to even be able to guess what the rule is intended to do, but it must be deliberate because you can sometimes see both flavours in the same fare. This is from a random LHR-HKG-LHR Q class fare:-In this fare, there is still the provision that:-So the "must be equal or higher than" rule is not there merely to prevent refundability of a non-refundable fare.

I have always assumed that the phrase "ticket value" means base fare, but it would be good for some expert input into that question.

Anonba

pauldb

Could you tack on a shorthaul flight (either a throw-away "connecting" LGW-CCC or a segment you'll use but have to pay APD), to bring the fare to the required level?

Abstract1

Just an update. I did not manage to fix this problem and was forced to pay the additional fare they were charging. I had 0 choice as i had to change the ticket or buy a new one. I got hold of the fare rules and whilst it did have this provision of 'if lower then ignore residual etc etc.' they simply rubbished this and said it didn't apply and they had to go by the most restrictive rule which in penalties says 'ticket must be equal or higher'. and they also say that any more changes will need to be to higher fares still!! So i do wonder what happens when we get to the highest possible A class fare in existence. Probably they then say no changes allowed. Why are some agents so clueless....?

BA6501

I've had this too relatively recently, on a transatlantic R class. Tried to change to another R class flight, was slightly cheaper, but nope, had to pay 400€+ to change due to the same provision.

I had checked with both GGL and the agency it was booked through, the latter auto priced it, the former sent it to fares (not sure why that had to be done...)

Abstract1

Interesting...was the R class fare basis the same? Also was the agency an offline one?

BA6501

Same fare basis, same restrictions, swapping BOS for JFK I believe. New fare was only about 20€ lower, but couldn't have it.

Offline corporate agency.

Anonba

Dave Noble

What matters is the fare rules applicable to the OP's purchase, which I don't see as having been posted. I have come across fare rules that only permit movement to the same or a higher fare; this may be the case for the OP's fare; unless the full rules are posted, it is just guesswork on whether the rules have been correctly interpreted by the agent