Economy out, Business on the return
Sep 4, 2015, 11:45 pm
#4
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Asia
Programs: AY Gold (OWS), SK Gold (*A Gold), airBaltic VIP, Hilton Gold, PP
Posts: 377
Once again I don't understand the AY ticket policy: they could easily sell one way J and return Y tickets also on their website. Currently they might be available through the customer service, but I have no ideas whether in this case Y leg must be in booking class Y only...
Sep 5, 2015, 5:42 am
#5
Moderator, Finnair
Join Date: May 2011
Location: MMX (CPH)
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond, QR Gold, AY+ Platinum, A3*G, Nordic Choice Lifetime Platinum, SJ Prio Black
Posts: 14,174
Does anyone ever had such a AY ticket ticketed?
The general fare rules seems to allow combining with any published AY fare, so it seems at least possible to ticket.
However, they also have a general "THE MOST RESTRICTIVE CONDITIONS APPLY WHEN COMBINING FARES ...", ie any combination of a flex fare with a non-flex Y fare would result in complete ticket being non-flex. Or in other words, you would pay for the flexibility of a business ticket on the one leg, but fly under all the restrictions of your Y fare.
The general fare rules seems to allow combining with any published AY fare, so it seems at least possible to ticket.
However, they also have a general "THE MOST RESTRICTIVE CONDITIONS APPLY WHEN COMBINING FARES ...", ie any combination of a flex fare with a non-flex Y fare would result in complete ticket being non-flex. Or in other words, you would pay for the flexibility of a business ticket on the one leg, but fly under all the restrictions of your Y fare.
Sep 5, 2015, 5:45 am
#6
Moderator, Finnair
Join Date: May 2011
Location: MMX (CPH)
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond, QR Gold, AY+ Platinum, A3*G, Nordic Choice Lifetime Platinum, SJ Prio Black
Posts: 14,174
Well, just did a sample fare search on a random Y fare, and it seems at least in this case they explicitly forbid combinations of Y and J:
COMBINATIONS ARE WITH ANY -SA/-BA/-BU/-VA/-PR TYPE
FARES FOR CARRIER AY IN ANY RULE IN THIS TARIFF.
COMBINATIONS ARE WITH ANY FARE OF THE SAME FARE CLASS
FOR CARRIER AY IN THIS RULE AND TARIFF.
FARES FOR CARRIER AY IN ANY RULE IN THIS TARIFF.
COMBINATIONS ARE WITH ANY FARE OF THE SAME FARE CLASS
FOR CARRIER AY IN THIS RULE AND TARIFF.
Sep 5, 2015, 6:55 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+ Plat and several other cards
Posts: 645
I've had a couple of times, but it had to be done through travel agent, I think the fare classes were I on outbound and T on inbound leg. Unless they have changed their policy it should be possible, but I don't understand, either, why it is not possible to book such a combination directly on AY web pages.
Sep 5, 2015, 11:38 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: HEL
Programs: lots of shiny metal cards
Posts: 14,106
Do I miss something here?
Sep 5, 2015, 1:27 pm
#9
Moderator, Finnair
Join Date: May 2011
Location: MMX (CPH)
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond, QR Gold, AY+ Platinum, A3*G, Nordic Choice Lifetime Platinum, SJ Prio Black
Posts: 14,174
Sep 6, 2015, 2:16 am
#11
Moderator, Finnair
Join Date: May 2011
Location: MMX (CPH)
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond, QR Gold, AY+ Platinum, A3*G, Nordic Choice Lifetime Platinum, SJ Prio Black
Posts: 14,174
I have found myself in the same situation many times. For instance, there may be upgrade space on the outbound but not on the inbound. I would be more than willing to buy a combined J/Y ticket and only upgrade the outbound. That would mean more revenue for AY but they won't let me do that. So I usullay end up either paying a J ticket with another carrier or put a lot of energy into finding the cheapest J routing on AY. AY loses out in any case.
It is even worse when that non-existent upgrade space suddenly appears in the 'paid upgrade' space, a system where the seats usually don't gets sold and ends up being used for op-ups of non-frequent flyers.
Sep 6, 2015, 4:47 am
#12
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,599
Years ago (when it was still allowed to fly J in company policy), my travel agent booked me J where return was fully booked in J and only Y available. Yes it was ticketed as J+Y on return, but price was full-J price for the Y-leg as well as the Y-points 
I don't know if that is possible still today, but something that happened in the past at least.
I think it was HEL-PEK I flew
I don't know if that is possible still today, but something that happened in the past at least.
I think it was HEL-PEK I flew
Sep 7, 2015, 1:19 pm
#13
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: FRA / HEL
Programs: AY+ Platsku, IC Plat. Amb., HHonors Gold, SPG Gold, etc.
Posts: 75
You can easily price these tickets on ITA Matrix: put something like /f bc=i in the advanced routing codes of the leg you want to be in business. I've succesflly booked such a ticket on Priceline using the ITA Matrix Powertools, although that was in shorthaul.