wilsnunn

There is a new website: https://seatspy.com/ that has simialr functionality. It is in beta testing at the moment so is free to use.

See here for the dedicated thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...atspy-com.html

sehyok

Hey Hawk777! Just letting you know the ending of the story.
Called to call center and after 1h got one leg (EZE-MIA) and there was some system issue that at first the leg MIA-YYZ couldn´t add checked baggage..
Today i received the call and fixed manually and hope this weekend or next week i receive the MIA-YYZ tickets. (crossing fingers... otherwise, let you know...)
As you said, i have to re-check the baggage in MIA. (MIA-YYZ: i thought 3hs was not enough so i made 7hs stopover; MIA-EZE: i think 4hs30min is enough)
(i´ve never been in MIA so i really don´t know the time you need for connection or re-check baggage)
Still i will ask in EZE and YYZ if i can check them to final destination.
I have to say EVA who received my call was the best.
And thank you flyertalk and thank you Hawk for letting me know about "married segment issue"...

Hawk777

glad you managed to get it all sorted and at least have the flights booked albeit on 2 tickets

vanilarice89

Hey guys, similar issue to an earlier post in this thread. I'm trying to book YYZ-AUA (via MIA), however I'm receiving the error: ”Sorry, we have been unable to complete your transaction at this time. Please contact your local British Airways office.”

I've checked AA.com / Expert Flyer for the individual segments and they show up with MileSAAver Award availability, but the entire journey shows zero seats on EF. I've tried calling in and the rep says there's nothing available? I'd like to avoid booking two separate tickets.

Here's the flight details:
September 8th
AA 2589
AA1028

Any help would be appreciated, thank you!

jerry a. laska

It looks like there is AA reward availability for those flights as a Web Special (not bookable using avios) and at 27,500 miles (this is not a milesaaver reward level -- it is AAnytime Level 1). There appear to be other flights that should be available at the milesaaver level including a couple of other same day connections (best appears to be 2676 and 2217). In any event, since AA introduced variable pricing there have been lots of problems finding and booking AA flights with avios.

vanilarice89

Hi Jerry,

If I search the flight as YYZ-AUA, I see them under Web Special / AAnytime. However, if I look each leg separately it shows under MileSAAver. I assume this means it's bookable by Avios?

jerry a. laska

Checking aa.com for 8SEP20 I do not see milesaaver availability for your flights; availability is as I reported above. Since AA employs married segment availability, the individual availability does not necessarily equal availability for the whole journey. You can choose to book the individual flights if available.

Hawk777

Probably a married segment available but I will check tmrw on system and see if bookable either separately or together

Hawk777

yes married segment issue again as they are available to book separately but not as 1 through ticket if it's any help and you want them all on one ticket you can book that the day before on the 7th

guv1976

Unless you are planning to check baggage on the trip, I would probably go ahead and book the two flights as two separate BAEC redemptions. You'll pay an extra $5.60 U.S. September 11 Security fee, but other than that, it should be the same as having both flights in one PNR. AA will even protect you in the event of IRROPS.
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chris_2020

Has anyone had issues with BA trying to charge taxes on an upgrade with Avios option, which are higher than the taxes quoted if paying cash for that exact same journey on their website?

This happened to me yesterday evening. I upgraded to Club World, on the return leg of a London to NY trip. Outbound I am WT.

Looking at booking online BA are selling this exact journey (WT outbound and Club World return) for £418 in taxes, yet they stated to me on an Avios redemption/upgrade the taxes on their system were different, totaling roughly £500.

The taxes I paid on my original booking were roughly £250 so I was expecting to pay an extra £150ish in taxes rather than over £200.

I could be wrong but whenever I have upgraded with Avios in the past, the taxes advertised on the website (as if you were going to make a new booking with cash) are the exact same taxes I’ve had to pay for the Avios booking. There aren’t extra taxes on Avios redemptions/upgrades are there?

Globaliser

My first suspicion is that the reason for this is that the YQ surcharge for economy can vary depending on the booking class used. What I suspect may have happened is that you have booked the outbound in an economy booking class that attracts a £50 YQ surcharge each way, but when the agent priced the TFC for the upgraded itinerary, they used a higher booking class (eg Y) that attracts a £105 YQ surcharge each way. That could cause the differential to be £55 more than you expected, which is not that far off what you report.

As an example, using random dates in October, outbound in O class and inbound in I or J class has a total YQ of £250 (for a total TFC of £427.96). But outbound in Y class and inbound in I or J class has a total YQ of £305 (for a total TFC of £482.96). If the agent used Y/J to price the TFC, in the way that at least some agents (AIUI) do, then the total TFC for the upgraded itinerary will be incorrect.

chris_2020

Thanks - that sounds like exactly what they've done, proposing £55 extra in taxes. Thank you. Can they do that, or should they honour the fare type I originally booked?

I'm in O outbound. And looking at the figures now, that's the exact difference they are quoting me - £55 higher than what I calculate it should be on the website.

Just spoke to the call centre now and they waffled lots of jargon but assured me the pricing is correct, so I assumed maybe the Avios upgrade seat was a different fare type to what I was putting in my basket on the website for Club World... I assumed it was that side of the journey that was affecting tax, but maybe it's the outbound from what you've said.

Globaliser

If that's the exact number, then it sounds like it is the outbound that's causing the problem and that they are using a different (£105) booking class in economy to price the TFC.

I have a related suspicion that some call centre agents simply don't know that there are booking classes on which the YQ is lower than the standard amount even though it's the same cabin, and therefore the standard procedure for calculating YQ doesn't work. And I haven't myself seen anything to suggest that if you're booked (say) O/T and you upgrade the T to U (with a YQ increase for that sector), the YQ for the unchanged O class sector must also increase to a non-O level.

Myself, I would call back and press them on this, and escalate it to a supervisor if necessary. You could ask the agent whether the TFC figure that they're quoting you is based on still using O class on the outbound, or whether they're using Y or some other higher economy booking class for that sector.

IMH

A reminder to anyone needing to make new travel plans at short notice: an Avios redemption can sometimes be the answer (and represent extremely good value).

Two of us were at LHR this week, en route to the US. Once it became clear that continuing to the US wasn't a good idea, we looked for flights home to HAM. The cheapest cash tickets were over £400 (in Y). There was Avios availability on every flight, albeit J only.

In the past, Avios (or other airline miles) have got us across the Atlantic at very short notice (same day or next day) when this has been necessary because of flight cancellations or family emergencies.