Problems with BA CAI Ticket Reissue
 

In April I ticketed a AONE5 ex-CAI using the BA CTO in CAI. I needed to make some routing changes in some open segments due to flight cancellations by QF. I decided to go to AA to have the reissue done along with booking the remaining open segments. No problem making the new reservations but it turns out they would not reissue the ticket.

The BA CAI CTO did not include the tax calculations as part of the ticket. Without the calculations as part of the ticket (i.e. attached in some way), they refused to reissue even though I offered to get the tax info from the BA CAI CTO files. Seems they would be liable for a fine if there was an error somewhere. (Sounded like an excuse to me but...)

I am now going to have to trek to MIA and see if I can explain RTW tickets to a BA ticket counter agent and try to keep all of the flight bookings that have already been made. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

CAVEAT EMPTOR!!!

AA is correct in that they cannot issue without the proper taxes noted. They can't take a note from you either. So you would have to take the ticket to a BA office and they would have to either retrieve the entire booking and hope that the fare calculation is there or else they would have to telex CAIRO to get the fare/tax breakdown.

BA/CAI seems anxious to be helpful. If you have time to contact them my first guess would be that they would do what needed to be done to correct the no-taxes-listed error.

But please do keep us posted on the outcome. I think more recently CAI has realized the taxes need to be on the ticket.

I had no problems with AY reissuing an AONE ticket originally issued by the BA CAI CTO. The original ticket was written in May.

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[This message has been edited by Lux (edited 09-04-2003).]

When I needed the taxes, I simply sent a request by fax to BA CAI and they sent the taxes breakdown by return.

I sent BA CAI a FAX three days ago and have not received a reply. I will follow up next week with a phone call and then hit the BA counter at MIA and see what happens.

Hmmm, maybe this is a new crackdown. I've had several tickets issued by AA (handwritten) and QF where the tax calc's were stapled to the ticket. In the case of QF the system couldn't print the whole calc. These tickets have been subsequently reissued by AA, BA, CX & QF with no problems. I'll be testing this soon with a reissue by BA in London for a QF ticket.

Just a suggestion: ask the CAI office to enter the fare calculation in the record as a "OSI YY" (i.e. other service information available to all airlines with bookings on the record). That way it's there for AA (and others) to see.

Doesn't that depend on if AA can access the ticket info from the other carrier's system? I have been told by AA a few times that they can't pull up a ticket image for BA & QF tickets (don't know about other ow carriers). In the end they have always wanted a ticket agent to see the actual printed ticket before committing to any changes.

If BA had included the calc line attached to the ticket (i.e. stapled, taped, etc.) AA would have reissued it. No attachment, no reissue.

The OSI YY record idea is a good one except that my ticket coupons were almost all open and there were not active itineraries in BA or AA for the past few months.

Well, I made the 100 mile R/T trek to MIA today. I spent about an hour at the BA counter and came away with a 19 segment, nicely printed by Amadeus, BA ticket for the balance of my current RTW. I must say that I was very pleasantly surprised by the professional manner of the ticket counter agent. He did a great job in about 45 minutes while I waited. Alas, I still do not have a tax calculation (he did not redo it) but each ticket is labeled "ALL TAXES PAID." We'll see if this counts for anything, anywhere. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Great news Exmo. I am now going to try the ticket reissue in LHR while there next month. And I can always fly to MIA for a reissue. As good a reason for an MR as any other. What time of day did you go to the ticket counter?

Turns out the counter opens at 13:15. I was there a little after 13:00 and was first in the "ticketing" line. There were about a dozen people already there in the check-in queue. They only have two turnaround flights per day. Arrivals (from LHR) at 13:55 and 17:55 and departures at 16:50 and 20:25.

Why someone would want to arrive at MIA three to four hours before a departure beats me but there were at least 30-40 people who checked in during the 45 minutes I was there with the counter open.

My main concern for the words "ALL TAXES PAID" will mean nothing to CX airport check-in staff. They will scrutinise the ticket with a very fine tooth comb and unless they see the words HK next to a number for the HK departure tax, they may very well ask you to fork over the amount and will ask you to get a refund from BA if you have indeed paid for the tax.