The end of life as we know it! (Explorer Fare Changes)
 

The following has just been received by my tame TA in Hong Kong from the local BA office:

"Sales Notice
Sales Notice No. 06/03 14 March 2003
To: All Airlines and Agents

Explorer Fares Update

Oneworld carriers have agreed to limit the maximum number of sectors permitted on the Oneworld Explorer, Global Explorer and Oneworld Circle Trip Explorer Fares. This is effective for sales on or after 15 April 2003. A maximum of 20 flight segments will be permitted for the entire journey. Rules will be updated accordingly.

In addition to this, the fare levels on these rules for travel originating in Australia and New Zealand, will be increased by 5%. This is also effective for sales on or after
15 April 2003.

Kindly disseminate the information to all concerned. For further information, please contact our British Airways Travel Centre at Facsimile 2822 9091.

Thank you for your attention."

So as requested I am disseminating it!

It's a very strange way of restricting the tickets - no impact on xONE3, a little impact on xONE4 (previously max 21), but major impact on a xONE6 (previous max 31 segments) and on longer GLOB and CIRCs.

(Max figures maybe a little higher with creative second entries into continents in transit)

If this was 1st April I would have laughed! How can they restrict you to a set number of sectors across all the products? It doesn't make sense. What is the point in anyone buying a 5 or 6 Continent ticket? Madness. Complete and utter madness. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mad.gif

[This message has been edited by Gaza (edited 03-17-2003).]

It may not be as bleak as it sounds, my TA also alerted me to this possible change several weeks ago and at that time the 20 segment limit was for sectors within a continent -- not including sectors between continents. But the final rules may go either way -- they may only affect routings trying to maximize the mileage and not many practical itineraries (my last AONE4 had 15 segments, for example).

If I post I rumour I say it is a rumour. This is not a rumour - these are the "final" rules - I have a copy of the letter from BA with the signature of Joannie Leung, Operations Manager of BA Hong Kong. If anyone doesn't believe me and would like a copy please give me an email or fax address.

It still makes absolutely no sense to me - a total segments cap wouldn't surprise me, but having the same cap regardless of number of contintents purchased or any other factor does. But my TA, probably tuned in to CX or QF, agrees that it's going to happen. I hope it's just a well-oiled rumor designed to get some extra bucks into the OneWorld coffers before 15 April.

FFS!!!!! IT IS NOT A RUMOUR

I have a letter on BA headed notepaper signed by their Operations Manager in Hong Kong. What more could you need to convince yourself that this is going to happen? You think that BA would send out official letters to all their TAs and then one month later say "sorry guys that was all a joke"?

Maybe, just maybe, a lot of customer feedback might get OneWorld to change their mind eventually, but I would be extremely surprised if the the OW bureaucracy could move quickly enough to stop it coming into effect on 15th April.

Can someone clarify (if possible), does the 20 segment total limit include journeys between continents? My planned OWE5 itinerary has 22 flights, but obviously 17 segments if you remove inter-continental journeys.

Also, what does OW define as a sale? Would a confirmed, deposited booking before April 15 suffice do you think?

Not sure about the intercontinental sectors but christep's message seems to indicate the limit is for the total number of sectors. Certainly doesn't make OEW5's or OWE6's good value anymore.

As for the definition of sale it usually means paid in full and ticketed.

It does seem a bit bizarre to apply the same limit to all fares.

The best value for money now is the xONE4., which now gives you as much travel as the xONE5 and xONE6. On these latter, you may see more 'zones', but you get to visit the same number of places/get the same number of flights. So why pay the extra?

Does anyone know how we can offer our feedback to OneWorld on this? It doesn't affect my current AONE5 but will colour my decision on the next one.

chris, et al.,

can the whole ticket be issued "open"

and/or

can time/date of the first flight be changed after ticketing, without reissuing at the new rate and under new rules?

cheers!

Except for the first segment, yes.

If previous experience is anything to go by then any reissues are with respect to the rules that were in force at the time of the original ticket issue. All the carriers have a historical database of the various rules effective at different times.

We won't really know until April 15, but my travel agent says that the 20 segment limit is only for segments within continents, so your routing is at 17 segments and not affected by this rule. This rule change really is a minor limitation except for those trying to maximize the mileage (it knocks about 10K miles from the maximum possible on this fare). Now if only they changed the rules to match Star and made it 20 segments, on any mix of continents (with no mileage limit).

I wonder if anybody has access to the star files for these new rules, so we can clarify the "within continents" thing.

I don't yet have the files, but I do have this quote from cxagents.com

"Please be advised that maximum 20 flight segments are permitted for the entire journey for ONEWORLD fare tickets issued on/after 15Apr03.

Fare rules paragraph 00 and Paragraph 04 of below oneworld fares will be revised

A. ONEWORLD Explorer Fare
B. ONEWORLD Circle Trip Fare
C. ONEWORLD Circle Pacific Fare
D. Global Explorer Fare

System will be updated. Thank you for your attention."

That doesn't appear to leave room for an interpretation of "20 segments for the entire journey plus the international segments".

I assume you can still purchase additional segments over the 20 total?