Are upgrade costs supposed to be calculated in fare difference at the time of booking
Sep 9, 23, 2:34 pm
#1
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Are upgrade costs supposed to be calculated in fare difference at the time of booking
I purchased summer 2023 travel in January in WT. I wish to upgrade to WT+ in September this month. My anecdotal experience is the payment is based on the difference in fare at the time of booking plus the upgrade fee of $100 as long as the least expensive fare class is available. This time, I called back a few times and the fare difference is different on different calls over a period of time. As long as the least expensive fare class is available on the changed date in WT+ should not the base fare difference relate back to the fixed difference at the time of my booking per the IATA rules ?
Sep 9, 23, 2:45 pm
#2
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There are 3 possibilities, and each set of fare rules will say which of these bases applies:
- historic fares - which is what you are referring to
- current fares - which can be incredibly expensive if left too late
- no upgrade allowed (some USA fares in WT / Basic have this).
By and large, historic fares apply after you have flown the first sector, before then it's current fare basis. But I have seen examples where it has been historic fares through out. Very occasionally current fares are cheaper - usually during a Sales period. But the core principle is actually to stop what you seem to be doing, deferring income to BA by upgrading later on.
- historic fares - which is what you are referring to
- current fares - which can be incredibly expensive if left too late
- no upgrade allowed (some USA fares in WT / Basic have this).
By and large, historic fares apply after you have flown the first sector, before then it's current fare basis. But I have seen examples where it has been historic fares through out. Very occasionally current fares are cheaper - usually during a Sales period. But the core principle is actually to stop what you seem to be doing, deferring income to BA by upgrading later on.
Sep 9, 23, 2:46 pm
#3
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I purchased summer 2023 travel in January in WT. I wish to upgrade to WT+ in September this month. My anecdotal experience is the payment is based on the difference in fare at the time of booking plus the upgrade fee of $100 as long as the least expensive fare class is available. This time, I called back a few times and the fare difference is different on different calls over a period of time. As long as the least expensive fare class is available on the changed date in WT+ should not the base fare difference relate back to the fixed difference at the time of my booking per the IATA rules ?
Sep 9, 23, 3:04 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Vancouver
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There are 3 possibilities, and each set of fare rules will say which of these bases applies:
- historic fares - which is what you are referring to
- current fares - which can be incredibly expensive if left too late
- no upgrade allowed (some USA fares in WT / Basic have this).
By and large, historic fares apply after you have flown the first sector, before then it's current fare basis. But I have seen examples where it has been historic fares through out. Very occasionally current fares are cheaper - usually during a Sales period. But the core principle is actually to stop what you seem to be doing, deferring income to BA by upgrading later on.
- historic fares - which is what you are referring to
- current fares - which can be incredibly expensive if left too late
- no upgrade allowed (some USA fares in WT / Basic have this).
By and large, historic fares apply after you have flown the first sector, before then it's current fare basis. But I have seen examples where it has been historic fares through out. Very occasionally current fares are cheaper - usually during a Sales period. But the core principle is actually to stop what you seem to be doing, deferring income to BA by upgrading later on.
Actually no. The upgrade is desired to obtain additional TP. The deferred income is made up by the $100 change fee, in spades so a win win for customer and business if the flight has an available seat for me.
Sep 9, 23, 3:09 pm
#5
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OK, so we are in the murky world of (a) opportunity costs to the airline (b) cash flow is king and (c) flexing inflexible fares. BA fills WTP pretty much, so they'd rather have your money in early rather than later, given it can be harder to sell the spare WT capacity than WTP. It's not really about you, it's about everyone else.
Sep 9, 23, 4:14 pm
#6
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Thanks for the input. I think it a good practice to take a screenshot of the flight differentials when I purchase WT just in case ..whether that will make a difference later on who knows but it is a reference point..
Sep 9, 23, 5:50 pm
#7
Join Date: Aug 2014
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if you want to book WTP why not just book WTP in the first instance?
Sep 9, 23, 5:59 pm
#8
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If Journey has not commenced, then the New fare is calculated on the day of the Change and difference will be charged and entire Ticket is reissued.
If Journey has commenced then the Fare is calculated based on when Original Ticket was issued.
Any Penalty of Original Fares will apply. If original fare was Non Refundable, that part of the New fare remains Non Refundable if Cancellation.
If Journey has commenced then the Fare is calculated based on when Original Ticket was issued.
Any Penalty of Original Fares will apply. If original fare was Non Refundable, that part of the New fare remains Non Refundable if Cancellation.
Sep 9, 23, 7:11 pm
#10
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If you change before first flight you look at the fares on the date you are making the change (not the fares on the date you originally booked); depending upon advance purchase or other restrictions there will often be significant differences.
Sep 9, 23, 7:23 pm
#11
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booking day , wt 50 wtp 100
today wt 150, wtp 200
The fare difference here is still 50 (and its never really this simple).
the fare difference calculated for your booking is, however, 150.
Sep 10, 23, 12:37 am
#12
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It is not based on what it was when originally purchased
If you want the fare as per original purchase date, then just book premium economy up front
Sep 10, 23, 1:47 am
#13
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It isnt though. Even using historic fares, at the time of booking T bucket might have been available (the price you saw when you booked) whereas at the time of change only W is available. You will need to pay the historic fare difference from whatever econ ticket you booked to W, not T. The price is therefore not fixed.
Sep 10, 23, 2:37 am
#14
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The other point is don't assume Historic pricing applies after the first sector is flown, OR assume it's Current pricing before the first sector. I have seen BA fare rules which go in different directions, notably on Siberian Joint Business. It's all in the fare rules at the time of purchase, which is the key aspect here, more than any assumptions. BA has over 10,000 fare rules.
Sep 10, 23, 3:24 am
#15
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Almost all BA fares are kind of dual dif fares. In short the price is driven actual loads not just in your cabin but all cabins. So I do expect that the current fare price both in WT and WTP will be different each time you call especially if travel is only a few weeks or days out. Im not sure what is the difference in cash you get quoted each time.
as others said upgrading to a higher cabin after you purchased the ticket is almost always more expensive than do it at the first place. The only exceptions are the POUG and fixed airport upgrade fees.
as others said upgrading to a higher cabin after you purchased the ticket is almost always more expensive than do it at the first place. The only exceptions are the POUG and fixed airport upgrade fees.
