bradley206

I'm a Seattle based flyer and looking to fly to JNB on BA F. Tickets are significantly cheaper if I fly out of YVR via SEA, which is fine. For the return flight it would be nice to end the flight in SEA and not fly up to YVR, just to turn around and head home. I know its against the COC and I have searched this site but most of the posts are older. Does anyone have any recent updates? Is BA actively searching or folks who end flights early?

spanishflea

You’ll be absolutely fine.

NWIFlyer

Some caveats to the advice above.

Yes, BA does search for passengers who end itineraries early. What it does about it is likely vastly different to what happens with, say, AA.

AA is reasonably well-known for identifying persistent offenders and even accompanying them to the gate for their next flight to make sure they don't get lost. BA won't ever do that, but it does have certain options available to it.

If you book direct with BA, and don't make a habit of doing this, then it's almost certain nothing will happen.

If you book with a Travel Agent, BA has the option of charging that TA the difference in price. It has history of doing this - see Our EX-EU Horror story. The agent may, under their terms, have the option of charging that back to you - so the risk is much, much higher of being dinged. Even if you don't personally get charged, you may consider you have a certain duty to that TA to take the last flight, particularly if you want to use them again!

stifle

If you book direct with BA and don't do this often, you're unlikely to run into any issues.

You can even do this with checked bags, as they'll come out in SEA.

mikeyfly

Despite years of warnings, I think the only example of action I’ve seen on these pages in nearly a decade is that of Propeller.

seattlebruce

I'm also in Seattle and did exactly that with an Air Canada + Korean Air ticket from YVR-SEA-ICN-SEA-(YVR) several years ago. As you know, you get your bags to clear customs in Seattle anyway. I had no problem. Of course that doesn't say what BA will do to you but I would be shocked if they bothered you for a single incident as long as you book directly and don't go telling them about it. (I'm feeling safe because there's got to be some sort of statute of limitations, at least in practice.)

The time I did it, the fare was something like $1300 SEA-ICN-SEA and $900 YVR-SEA-ICN-SEA-YVR -- with a 6hr layover in SEA on the outbound connecting to the exact same flights over the Pacific! Rather than hang out at home for a few hours, we decided to just pretend we were tourists on a layover and take light rail to the International District and Pike Place Market.

Cymro

How much worse is an open jaw?

squeeler

What would happen if you actually called the relevant airline, perhaps if you contracted Covid or the like, and did not think it was appropriate to travel the last leg?

IntVic

As mentioned earlier I doubt it will be an issue if booked directly and not a regular occurrence.
August, I am doing a TATL return ex DUB. On return to LHR, I have 5 hours to make my last EI flight from LGW to DUB but traffic on M25 can be awful, just hope I don't get held up

corporate-wage-slave

My usual line comes out: I wouldn't overthink it. Do it (hidden ticketing) once or twice and you will not be dragged off to the Tower.

mario

Nothing.

NickJeff

I was wondering about the same issue on a different route, but the feedback above is super helpful.

bradley206

Thanks for the responses. I was worried about fee / loss of miles but sounds like we will be good so went ahead and booked directly with BA.

RRROOO

So you can afford to fly "F" , but don't want to pay a few more dollars to do the right thing? SMH.

SUPERTRAVEL

Wealthy people don't get wealthy or stay wealthy by being stupid.
The OP said there was a "significant" price difference, not "a few more dollars".