RTW re-issue concerns (merged thread)
 

Hi

Flew the first flight of an AONE4 ex Cairo on Thursday 22nd ticketed on BA
Went to BA ticketing desk at LHR to make many changes - he was very helpful and inputted all the changes and then the computer wouldn't process it ...
So he called the e-ticket help desk and they said someone would look at it and get back within an hour ...
48 hours later nothing so I called BA Customer Services as nobody as yet confirmed my re-routing is a valid itinerary and repriced the taxes etc and I want to get it reissued asap
V helpful agent again came back eventually and said nobody there could help and the person that would wouldn't be in until Boxing Day .....
I said and what would be the situation if I wanted to change the next flight - which is LHR -SYD - and fly tomorrow .... they had no answer ....

Anyway here's what I'm hoping is a valid routing ... and I'm hoping one of the wonderful Flyertalk OW RTW experts will confirm it is so or if not point out the error of my ways.


CAI-LHR stopover - SYD-WLG - stopover - SYD-DFW--ORD-BUF-stopover- PHL--BDA - stopover -JFK-LAX - stopover- LHR stopover - CDG-DOH-CAI

Many thanks and safe travels to one and all

Cheers!

PS I'll post a separate thread about the Terminal 2 experience at Cairo now that BA flights have moved there

looks okay to be

Looks OK to me but I guess you could try to reproduce it on rtw.oneworld.com. Print the PDF from the site as proof ...

Unfortunately, ex-CAI fares aren't available anymore. So, you can't reproduce. Even you can reproduce an itinerary, fare rule of the OP's ticket may be different from the current rule. Because of a rule at a time of ticketing is applied.

Looks valid to me - CAI-oLHR-SYD-WLG-SYD-DFW-ORD-BUF-PHL-BDA-JFK-LAX-oLHR-xCDG-xDOH-CAI

I cannot think of any recent rule changes that would affect the validity of your itinerary - it's pretty straightforward

PS Seasonally Adjusted Greetings Y'All

BA - have been waiting 6 days for reissue of AONE RTW
 

HI
Flew first segment of AONE4 RTW ex Cairo last week.
Stopped off at LHR Terminal 5 ticketing to do major reroutings as I'd booked the bare bones back in Nov to take advantage of the devalued EGP
6 days later and BA have still not done the recalculation or reissue ....having been told last week that somebody would get back to me in an hour ....
I appreciate that is the Christmas period but I was told that the only person that would sort it out was not in work until yesterday ...
Still no news so I called this afternoon .... to be told that this person was not in until tomorrow ... I'm due to fly on Friday
Is there really only one person in BA ticketing/fares that can do a recalculation of a RTW ticket .....?
I've never had an RTW on BA ticket stock - usually on AA or CX and any changes/reissues etc have been done within 24 hours and often within an hour.

It is possible to get AA RTW ticket desk to take control of the ticket ? Or they not touching ex Cairo tickets ?
I know that I will most likely be needing to make more changes down the line and will not be in the UK trying to do them and I simply can't contemplate it taking this extraordinary length of time .....

Anyway am hoping for some progress tomorrow when the mysterious man that handles RTW tickets for BA is back in the office !

Sorry I don't have any help or advice but please do advise what happens. I'm in the same boat only I was hoping to get the ticket changed before my 2nd flight which is currently 5 hours after I'm due to land at LHR. Your experience makes it seem like 0% chance for me but I'll be curious to hear your experience.

Did you try calling AA to see if they'd take over the ticket? I have successfully had AA take over a BA issued ticket in the past ex-JNB, not post re-pricing ex-CAI.

Good luck and come back and share your experiences.

good luck.... if that man is encountered some serious problem, the entire airline BA cant have anyone else to deal with it?

I've not yet tried to get AA RTW desk to take control of the ticket but once I've sorted the current changes out I will definitely be looking into it ....
And I did ask BA agents what would the situation be if I wanted to make the change to a flight on the same day rather than in a week's time and they said -well we would have to try and sort it out ...
I went to the ticketing desks in Terminal 5 over by the First Check In area and the agent there was v helpful and did get the rerouting set up in the system but the compuer wouldn't compute and process the taxes ec
So I woud certinly give it a go when you land ...
And I'll update in due course - a v helpful agent at Exec club has given me his extension and assures me that he will make sure somebody sorts if out for me first thing in the morning ...

If wanting fast ticket issuance, I wouldn't be going to AA to get it done. Of all carriers I book tickets on, it is the only one that regularly needs checking on and calling back to actually get ticketing complete

BA will get the ticketing done ; it does operate on a urgency basis and given the bank holidays and the christmas period, not surprising that there is limited staff. If there was an urgent need , it would have been handled

I have never had to chase up the AA RTW ticketing dept and usually they have done reissues while I've been on hold and has taken minutes and if they're not able to do that they have said we will get back to you asap and it's never been more than 24 hours and usually within an hour or two at most.
Likewise with Cathay.
In my present situation I deliberately saw BA before the Christmas period and went to them in person and was told that somebody would get back within an hour to confirm the re-routing was indeed valid - I'm sure that is is but have had many times in the past when agents have disupted a routing and I've had to go into battle .... and assuming it was valid do the recalculation of taxes etc , take payment and reissue
Nobody followed up .... I was told eventually that nobody could deal with it until the 26th ... I left things until late on the 27th as I'd not heard from anybody .... It's been nearly a week now and I'm due to fly tomorrow ..... which also means travelling down to London tomorrow
I have hotel reservations that I need to cancel by later today if I'm not going to use them or I will have to pay the full amount but I'm reluctant to until I know that the ticket has been reissued.
And of course BA will doubtless expect me to pay a service fee for this ....
Anyway I'm hoping for some progress today .

Another 24 hours- another being put on hold - and someone has changed my final legs so instead of LHR-CDG-DOH-CAI they 've done LHR-CDG stopover then LHR-CAI

And the agent told me I need to buy a separate ticket to get back to LHR from CDG .....and I don't want to stop in CDG

I am simply speechless .........

I have told the agent to get back to ticketing to ask them what on earth they are doing and why ......

My patience is nearing its end and I don't know what to do to get this reissued ...

BA RTW ticketing reissue .... beyond comprehension .... complete fiasco
 

Following on from my previous thread on trying to get BA to recalculate and reissue an AONE4 ex CAI ...
It has now been 8 days and I am due to fly to NZ from LHR later today and they hav8e still not sorted out the reissue ...
I have spent hours on the phone with various agents .... have been told that I couldn't do LHR-CDG-DOH-CAI at the end of my trip because I wasn't ending in the country of origin .......
Are there 2 Cairos ?
They came back to me today with the following routing at the end of the trip
LHR-CDG-DOH surface segment LHR CAI .......
Which apart from anything else is not permitted .... and why on earth would they do this when I've clearly told them a mulitude of times the routing I want ?
They won't let me speak directly to anyone in ticketing
Agents say they will call back by a certain time and don't .
I'm simply at a loss as to what I can do .
This should have been a simple reissue - I gave them all the flights - I had checked the right fare class was available -- and I know that the routing is valid - 8 days ago

How can they possibly be so incompotent and come back to me with such ludicrous routings and take 8 days over it ...

I have never dealt with BA on a RTW and never will again.

Is there anyone from BA on here that can offer any insight or explanation?

Happy New Year to all!

crazy..... good luck.

How can the airline that maintains the xONEx rules be so ignorant of their contents?

Maybe they think you started in LHR?

It's a Hail Mary, but you child try the AA RTW desk. They might be able to help. Amazing agents. Explain the issue ... they might be able to take over the ticket or give you ideas on how to direct BA ATL fix it.

Call for free on Skype to 1-800-247-3247.

PS, ask for Tariq, Melissa or Rebecca. They are most senior as AA just hired a few new agents who aren't as adept yet at figuring out problems.

I am just about to call BA again .... less than 10 hours til check in closes and most of today I'm travelling to get to London ...
I had thought about calling the AA RTW desk to see if they could take control the ticket ...
but I think that with the time differnce they are not currently open in DFW ...
Saying my prayers here ...

In situations as complicated as this, I've often had good experience with the BA ticketing agents at airport counters - including the transfer desk at LHR.

They'll be able to see that your ticket has been pending for a while - that you didn't irresponsibly leave the change to the last minute. A good agent will take on the challenge, and use whatever GDS jujitsu they can to get you on your way - perhaps even just making an INVOL exchange of the coupons for your next legs, to ensure you won't miss your flights on the day, with follow-up soon thereafter (maybe even while you are in the air) to resolve the more complicated matter of re-issuing the rest.

Good luck.

I have merged three of the OP's threads as they cover the same issue.

Gardyloo
Oneworld moderator

no more updates?

Were you able to make the changes?
 

It has been 5 days were you able to make the changes?
What was your experience with BA on the changes. I have 2 ex-CAI Aone4's I ticketed in Nov. and I need to change the routing on both after the first segments.

Apologies for the radio silence this end - I've been travelling London to NZ on Qantas via Dubai which is another saga which I won't go into right now ....

The good news is that YES - I did get my AONE4 ex Cairo reissued by BA with all the changes I wanted .. 2 hours before I was due to leave rural England and head to Heathrow to catch my next flight ......

That it took BA 8 days to manage this is simply beyond my comprehension ....... even more so given I had done all the work and checked that flights were all available in the correct booking classes and that the routing was valid.
My experience with the BA Ticket Agent over by the First Check in Area in Terminal 5 was very good and he clearly knew what he was doing and got all my flights sorted etc but of course the computer wouldn't come up with the sums etc and it needed to go to the rates desk to have the taxes recalcuated which I was told would take no more than an hour ......

The next 8 days were simply a saga of incompotence and laughable ignorance -as my previous posts might indicate .... I was told my routing was invalid because it didn't end in country of origin ...... when it clearly started and ended in Cairo
I was given a routing that took my London Paris Doha - then a surface segment at my own expense back to London and then a BA flight London to Cairo .....
And nobody could tell me why this was done ........

I spent hours and hours on the phone and on hold and was told repeatedly that I couldn't speak to anybody directly in the relevant department .....
Also I was told there was no supervisor I could speak to about the issues ...

To be honest I have no idea when on the 8th day - the day I was flying - BA having NOT called me back the previous day with the recalculation .... the agent I spoke to manage to get it done having put me on hold for barely minutes ...... and she had no insight as to why I'd had such an awful time of things other than to say - You're always better off getting an agent in Manchester with these things ........
I asked her where I had been calling and she said it looked like Newcastle
I pointed out that I was using the same BA Exec Club number each time ...

All my travel is done on RTW tickets as I'm based in NZ and this is the first time I've had one issued on BA ticket stock ...... and it is most assuredly the last.
I should with hindsight have called the AA RTW ticketing desk to see if they would take control of the ticket and pay them their 50 dollar service fee and be done with it and know that it would all be done in minutes
I will be looking into doing this should I need to make any other changes further down the line later in the year.

Maybe somebody on here flying on RTW tickets has experience with BA ticketing and can offer some advice as how to avoid this complete and utter and stressful and time-consuming fiasco ?

My advice is to get AA RTW ticket desk to take control of the ticket if you can ..... once you've flown the first segment of course,

Let me knowif you need any further info about Cairo Airport ---- leaving from the recently re-opened Terminal 2 was relatively painless and hassle-free !

Safe travels and Happy New Year to all

Though it's probably a question for the BA board, any advise/insight would be appreciated here for us xONEx ticket holders:
If they all answer the same BAEC telephone number, I wonder if there is a polite way at the beginning of a call to determine whether you're talking to someone in Manchester vs. Newcastle....:eek:

Thank you for the update!
Where did you post your CAI terminal 2 update, report?

As you said above, as I write this I am on INFINITE hold with BA on a refund question.

I have 2 back to back ex Cai Aone 4/5 and I forgot I could not change departure dates for the second trip, so I am looking into a refund, however the EGP has declined in value since ticket issuance so I not only take a hit on the 5% fine for the refund but a refund in EGP converted to GBP, converted to USD, So lose, lose lose... My wife does not want to make back to back trips in July- Sept. But I think I will make the trip anyway and really add max F segments and make it a AONE6 +++ I know 16 segments..

I think for sure IF I were to call BA again for other changes I would state at the outset that from my previous experiences I need to speak to agents in Manchester ...
But hopefully somebody with more knowledge and experience of BA RTW tickeing might be able to advise us ....

I have not yet posted my report of arriving and departing Cairo but will try to get i done asap
but in short I arrived Qatar from Doha to Terminal 1 and had someone Meet and Assist for 20USD and I was through in minutes ... the guy took me to the shuttle bus to Le Meridien and I was in the hotel for my overnight stay within 20 mins of landing
The next day the shuttle took my to Terminal 2 which is v close by and you could probably walk there via Terminal 3 I think
Terminal 2 is very swanky and new and quite and empty right now - endless checking of documents and bags but all fine - and although they are still working on the Terminal the Lounge area was more than adequate for a brief visit
Food offerings not great but very attentive and helpful staff
Super fast wifi and v nice toilets
So all in all a very pleasant and stress-free experience - I wasn't hassled at any point
Whether things will change as more airlines move to Terminal 2 .....

Cheers

pianoperson,
Thanks for reporting back. I kept shaking my head as I read about your saga with BA. How incompetent and customer dis-service these agents are (with exception of the one from Manchester).

I will be flying my DONE4 ex-JNB soon, ticketed by CX. I plan to make many date and carrier changes after the FIRST segment (JNB-HKG). I will be transiting in HKG, with about 8 hours airside. I wonder if that is enough time to get everything sorted and ticket re-issued? Like you, I have done all the homework to ensure flights are available, etc.

Anyone have experience with making itinerary changes with CX at the airport? Or any experience with making changes by CX?
Thank goodness I will be at CX's home port. Hope they have agent with the right know how to deal with this.

I do, and my experience at HKG (as a CX Diamond) was pretty good - a couple of fairly major reworks done within a couple of hours each time. But, sadly, that was over 10 years ago, so obviously I have no idea whether they still have that capability at the airport ticket desk.

I've had several RTW tickets issued by Cathay over the years and have always had prompt and efficient service via phone and email for re-routings.
Given you will be at HKG I imagine that someone there will be able to get it sorted out for you in the time--frame and get hold of the fares folk to sort out the re--calculation for the reissue.
I have called CX in HKG from New Zealand in the past to do re-routing and they've done it within the hour when it was an urgent ie on the same day - change.
Whatever I'm sure and hope for your sake that the experience isn't in any way comprable to mine with BA!
All the best with it

I have made several changes to CX issued RTW tickets over the phone. Never a problem as long as I don't change AA sectors. Changing AA sectors seems to be a problem for them. I had to wait overnight for the tax calculation. Not sure why, but I was told it was an Amadeus/Sabre problem.

I've had a few reissues by CX at HKG without problems. I've waited in the lounge while everything was completed.

Changing AA sectors: your experience?
 

Thanks. I hope that their service efficiency has not changed since!

Thank you. Your positive experience with CX calms my nerves quite a bit.
See wingzing’s post. Did you have any AA sector that need to be changed?


I do have 2 AA sectors involved: 1st is strictly changing from SFO-DFW to SFO-ORD; the 2nd is to change DFW-DOH to ORD-DOH (using AA codeshare from ORD that was NOT available from DFW). Your experience concerns me a bit. Any more specific issues other than Amadeus/Sabre problem? I think the time difference (between HKG and DFW time) may have something to do with it?

Thanks. I plan to hang out in the Pier First to get it done (??!!)!

BTW, did you change any AA sectors (as mentioned above by wingzing)?

If I were doing this, I would go landside first - that's where the ticketing desk is and where the people who have some clue will be. CX lounge staff are not ticketing people. Once you've talked to the people at the ticketing desk and they are confident they have all they need to get the job done then they will almost certainly suggest you go to the lounge and wait.

Of course if the flight out of HKG that day is one that needs to be rearranged then you won't be able to transit straight to the lounge because you won't have a boarding pass for the onward flight (unless of course you have one for a different flight!). But I wouldn't recommend checking in for a flight that you want to change just to get a boarding pass. And you'd also have issues with checked bags (if any).

FWIW, I just changed all remaining flights on a BA issued xONEx ticket. The initial phone agent said they were not trained to handle this issue so quickly transferred me. I only changed date / time / flights (not cities or stopover / transfers). Read out what I wanted, the agent phoned back (from India) within about 30 minutes to confirm and clarify a few issues. All seemed well handled. Still awaiting the confirmation email to double check. So far, quite happy.

I have just done some date/time changes to flights on a Cairo originating ATW ticket which was issued by Qantas and travel not yet commenced. Took about 5 minutes on the phone to get the flights booked and tickets issued within a few minutes

Would recommned Qantas over AA for ATW tickets in general - can phone up , make booking, get tickets priced and payment taken all in one phone call , with the tickets then arriving within a few minutes

Very good point about going to land-side ticket counter first.
Since I will be air-side upon arrival, I could go straight to the lounge and hand them my changes. The lounge staff probably would send it off to somewhere or recommend land-side assistance.

Once on land-side, I should have no problem getting BP and get back to air-side, since I am not changing my 2nd segment (hence would been given BP).

Wow! You have yet to fly your first segment and yet able to get ticket re-issued with changes. Did QF re-price your ticket?

Care to share the phone #, or would you accept PM to that effect?

No repricing; since it was a date/time change to a sector other than 1st sector , there is no repricing to be done. Was a straightforward call that lasted about 5 minutes and flights changed with no issue. Few minutes later the new ticket receipt arrived with the new ticket numbers

Just phoned the regular Qantas reservations number , nothing special. Within Australia just cal 13 13 13

Dave,
Thank you!

Departures and arrivals are separated at HKG. Once you have gone through transit security to the departures area (where the lounges are) it is not at all trivial to get back landside (and causes CX extra hassle). Since you have 8 hours I would strongly recommend simply going directly to landside on arrival (not through transit security to the departures level), and talking directly to the people at the ticketing desk.