OWE rerouting fee
Dec 9, 2001 | 7:42 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold, AA 1MM lifetime gold, Starwood gold, Marriott Gold Elite
Posts: 719
OWE rerouting fee
Hi everyone, before my first question, I'd like to say that this forum is really great and I've been an intrigued lurker for a while.
I have originated a couple of Oneworld Explorers in Business class over the past year from countries outside the UK (mainly thanks to you folks). My latest one is a ticket out of Sweden (DONE4) bought from BA.
I recently made changes to all four of my intra-Asian segments;
originally HKG-BKK-HKG-SIN-HKG became
HKG-CMB-HKG-CMB-HKG.
I was charged at US$75 PER CHANGE- i.e. I paid $300 in total for the rerouting. I thought that the charge should be $75 in total no matter how many changes one makes (as long as no extra continents are added of course). I explained my understanding of the rules to BA before I paid, but someone went ahead and wrote in my booking that the total charge should be $300 and that is what I had to pay to get the ticket rerouted.
Browsing through this forum, I have come across several posts where more than one change seems to have been made for a total charge of $75.
Am I entitled to a refund of $225 from BA?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Jed
I have originated a couple of Oneworld Explorers in Business class over the past year from countries outside the UK (mainly thanks to you folks). My latest one is a ticket out of Sweden (DONE4) bought from BA.
I recently made changes to all four of my intra-Asian segments;
originally HKG-BKK-HKG-SIN-HKG became
HKG-CMB-HKG-CMB-HKG.
I was charged at US$75 PER CHANGE- i.e. I paid $300 in total for the rerouting. I thought that the charge should be $75 in total no matter how many changes one makes (as long as no extra continents are added of course). I explained my understanding of the rules to BA before I paid, but someone went ahead and wrote in my booking that the total charge should be $300 and that is what I had to pay to get the ticket rerouted.
Browsing through this forum, I have come across several posts where more than one change seems to have been made for a total charge of $75.
Am I entitled to a refund of $225 from BA?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Jed
Dec 9, 2001 | 11:01 am
#3
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: melbourne, australia
Posts: 51
Hiya Jed
I had an economy OWE issued in Australia and was to be charged to aud200 to completely reroute it. Not just one or two changes here and there but a complete reroute from eastbound travel to westbound.
As an aside there is no cancellation fee for the OWE so if you simply cancel the old ticket, which is what I did, and pay for the new one upfront, you will not have to pay a rerouting fee. The only drawback is you have to bear the cost of the original ticket until the airline refunds you, which I have been told can take up to 3 months.
Regards
I had an economy OWE issued in Australia and was to be charged to aud200 to completely reroute it. Not just one or two changes here and there but a complete reroute from eastbound travel to westbound.
As an aside there is no cancellation fee for the OWE so if you simply cancel the old ticket, which is what I did, and pay for the new one upfront, you will not have to pay a rerouting fee. The only drawback is you have to bear the cost of the original ticket until the airline refunds you, which I have been told can take up to 3 months.
Regards
Dec 11, 2001 | 11:32 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold, AA 1MM lifetime gold, Starwood gold, Marriott Gold Elite
Posts: 719
Thanks for the advice.
I have let BA know that they have overcharged me although I have to actually go into a travel shop with my ticket and rerouting fee receipt to let them know exactly what I mean- understandably, no-one wants to commit any responsibility over the phone.
My only worry is that BA in London are notoriously bad at understanding rules of OWE tickets etc- I guess it may be a long-drawn out affair to get my $225 back.
Chiym, I would have normally done what you advised and cancelledthe original ticket, but
1) I made the routing change AFTER departure, so cancelling the whole ticket would have incurred a large fee.
2) Also, the price of the ticket has gone up since I made the original booking (34,000 SEK to 47,000 SEK on Oct 1 of this year).
Jed
I have let BA know that they have overcharged me although I have to actually go into a travel shop with my ticket and rerouting fee receipt to let them know exactly what I mean- understandably, no-one wants to commit any responsibility over the phone.
My only worry is that BA in London are notoriously bad at understanding rules of OWE tickets etc- I guess it may be a long-drawn out affair to get my $225 back.
Chiym, I would have normally done what you advised and cancelledthe original ticket, but
1) I made the routing change AFTER departure, so cancelling the whole ticket would have incurred a large fee.
2) Also, the price of the ticket has gone up since I made the original booking (34,000 SEK to 47,000 SEK on Oct 1 of this year).
Jed
Dec 11, 2001 | 7:51 pm
#5
Join Date: Aug 2001
Programs: AA Plat & LTG; QF LTG
Posts: 9,837
I have changes DOWE4 tickets several times and not been charged at all. When making the changes by phone I have always been told there would be a US$75 charge, but when the ticket was re-issued there was no charge.
Each time I have had the ticket reissued at LHR T4 or T1 BA ticket counter and the staff have been very helpful and efficient. When I asked about the charge, with credit card in hand, I was told there would not be a charge.
I believe you can get one change/reissue for free, but I don't know if that is restricted to tickets originating in certain places. Mine always originate from Australia.
The last one I changed by adding an LHR-FRA-LHR segment and changed the return to Australia forward a day and routed LHR-SIN-SYD-BNE rather than LHR-HKG-CNS-BNE. Even though I requested/booked the changes while in the US, I deliberately did not have the ticket reissued until LHR due to my previous good experience there.
Each time I have had the ticket reissued at LHR T4 or T1 BA ticket counter and the staff have been very helpful and efficient. When I asked about the charge, with credit card in hand, I was told there would not be a charge.
I believe you can get one change/reissue for free, but I don't know if that is restricted to tickets originating in certain places. Mine always originate from Australia.
The last one I changed by adding an LHR-FRA-LHR segment and changed the return to Australia forward a day and routed LHR-SIN-SYD-BNE rather than LHR-HKG-CNS-BNE. Even though I requested/booked the changes while in the US, I deliberately did not have the ticket reissued until LHR due to my previous good experience there.
Dec 11, 2001 | 7:59 pm
#6
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: LAX, HKG
Programs: AA EXPLT, BA Gold, Shang Elite
Posts: 2,228
the rule is (or was, as far as a few months ago)
1. prior to departure, free re-route. (7 days prior if from TC1, i.e. NA/SA)
2. after departure (i.e. >1 coupon used), free is date/carrier change; $75 if re-route. so sure if ex-Oz is specially treated
AA has been a pain at insisting changing carrier will be charged (but they are wrong).
i.e. same routing, JFK-LHR, or HKG-LHR but switching carrier. BA/CX always take my ticket without any questions (and they are repsecting the OW contract), but almost all people in the RTW desk have a different (and wrong) interpretation.
1. prior to departure, free re-route. (7 days prior if from TC1, i.e. NA/SA)
2. after departure (i.e. >1 coupon used), free is date/carrier change; $75 if re-route. so sure if ex-Oz is specially treated
AA has been a pain at insisting changing carrier will be charged (but they are wrong).
i.e. same routing, JFK-LHR, or HKG-LHR but switching carrier. BA/CX always take my ticket without any questions (and they are repsecting the OW contract), but almost all people in the RTW desk have a different (and wrong) interpretation.