MRU booking problem
 

My last leg on an MRU originated RTW was HKG-LHR-DAR (with the 2nd transit in LHR persuant to the rules). They tell me that since there is an HKG-JNB that I'm not allowed the 2nd transit through LHR.

Should I fight this? I don't want to go to JNB I want to go to DAR not to mention there is no F service during the summer HKG-JNB...

What do you mean by "they tell me"? Who is the "they"? If you have the itinerary already approved and ticketed and are part way through, why not just fly the rest as ticketed?

I'm trying to ticket a reservation with BA at MRU - but they emailed me back saying that the HKG-LHR-DAR is not allowed since HKG-JNB is available. I haven't started the trip yet.

They originally quoted me an itinerary with HKG-LHR-DAR but cancelled it and changed it to HKG-JNB...

Ah, so you haven't started or ticketed, then I don't think that you have any recourse. A similar thing is happening to me. I wanted to go through LHR twice (one as a transit) which was allowed a month ago but this week I heard back from BA-MRU that it was no longer being approved by BA-RTW in the UK. In fact, given the difficulty they have in booking MRU-LHR as the first leg (which is the direction I want), they want me to start MRU-JNB-HKG.... and come back LHR-MRU.

Set aside US$125 for a re-issue by someone who interprets the rules correctly. Tell them you want to go to DAR on the return, not JNB. If Comair starts JNB-DAR service before your last segment, tell them you'll skip LHR then.

I don't understand why not. The way I see it HKG-xLHR-DAR is a valid ending to an ex-MRU OWE.

I agree. My example above was not a good one because the dual pass through LHR with MRU was technically not allowed under the rules because it did not fit under the Africa exception.

There is a difference, though, in what is allowable under the rules and what MB-MRU will ticket. . My experience last summer with BA-MRU is that they did not understand various rule exceptions and interpretations and tended to refuse to ticket them (or submit them for checking). In talking with them in person last month, they are very concerned that if they do agree to something unusual, even if it slips by the BA-RTW desk, if it later is proved to be impermissible, then they suffer consequences. I don't know why they should, but this was a real concern. Hence their extreme risk aversion.

Try sending whomever is telling you "no" a hardcopy of the star file showing the exception you want to use. There are a lot of people who will respond to something in writing (even if you wrote it yourself).

That's what I did - we'll see how they respond.

May I ask what turnaround times you are experiencing with BA in MRU? I asked them to quote for an AONEWC3 itinerary yesterday and wondered when I could expect a reply.

At least until you have a rep that you can talk to, I suggest you call them at 230 202 8000 and make sure they have your email and are taking action on it.
Once they know your case, they are pretty good at replying to further emails

Reply times are usually 24-48 hrs. for emails.

Well, since BA/MRU seems to have a dark side, I guess it's time to remind the community that IBL Travel in Mauritius did seem willing and able to book an AONE4. I didn't follow through because the problems of getting to and through MRU were more important to me than the bargain price, so I don't know how the outcome would have been.

The other annoyance was that they wanted wire transfer. IBL seems a large company with interests in shipping so I wasn't worried about sending money, but international wire transfers are a pita for Americans without a business bank.

When I first contacted IBL "cold" my replies were from a couple of office girls who seemed not to know what an airport was, let alone a OneWorld Explorer fare, despite my attempts to educate them. When in final annoyance I copied an email to "office manager" that person stepped in and proved to be as competent as any I've dealt with. I received what seemed to be a perfectly accurate fare quote within a day or so.

It should be noted that the route I submitted was a very simple straw-man that was not controversial in the least. I always rethink my travel plans and reroute at least once after beginning, so my philosophy these days is to give the remote station something they couldn't possibly have trouble with, nor too many segments for their ticket machine, so I merely asked for MRU-LHR-LAX-HKG-JNB. With that in hand, from a comfortable seat in Los Angeles (or London, for that matter) and a spare USD125 in my pocket I expected no problem in turning the thing into a "proper" trip.

From the (eventually) quick price quote I'd guess that IBL is one of those agencies that considers itself competent to price OWE's. If that's true it might be a nice separation from some of the nonsensical BA rules interpretations. [Aside, CX/CMB seems to be their own pricing guide - the contact there is "Cathay Fares Group" or something like that, and they price almost instantly - faster than CX NAMRES, iirc. Not to compare a TA with an airline's outstation, of course.]

If anyone wants it, I'll follow this forum's convention and pass the email contact by PM.

Happy post-T-day recovery to the U.S. based FT'ers in the group...

Thanks for the replies. I have already corresponded with them in the past and got replies in the time frame mentioned. They had never heard of the *ONEWC* fares, though, and things ground to a halt. But I now need to ressurect that discussion and have sent an itinerary for pricing. I'll wait till Monday (I assume they don't open on weekends) and then follow up with a phone call.

If I get no joy, I will take you up on your kind offer, JohnAx. I am getting very antsy because A seats out of Africa on my dates are vanishing fast. I've given up on D - seats don't even exist. :(

When you call your local BA res number, do you know where the call is received during the normal business day? If in-country, perhaps you can call, manage to speak with a countryman with a little compassion, explain that you're booking the ticket ex-Mauritius and the sob's are having their problems getting you going, and meanwhile, would they mind booking the MRU-LHR segment for a fellow South African?

Lot of if's in there, but it's a free call and until you get a PNR they can't even keep score how many times they've told you to bugger off. Here in Los Angeles I'd eventually call one of the good folks on the AA rtw desk with the same request.

IBL immediately grabbed the space for me, btw. That may have been before the feeding frenzy on cheap ex-MRU began, though. (As ticketing is quite separate from reserving seats, I suppose you meant that you actually have the seats but are afraid the res will time out and you'll lose them. If that's not the case, BA/MRU is a sorry place to do business.)

You're so far ahead of me here, I'm not even sure I understand all your suggestions! But I really do appreciate your attempts to help a greenhorn. :)

The last time I booked (through the HRE office) the local office was adamant about not helping me at all. I guess I could keep trying various agents - it's a small office and I could end up putting the phone down a lot if the same person keeps answering. :o Even if they did relent and book one (or more) leg(s) for me, how would they transfer the booking to MRU for issuing? (BTW it's not a free call in SA - not that I would mind paying for a call that solved my problems.)

I don't have the seats! I don't know how to do that without the help of BA, or a TA, in MRU. Am I missing something obvious here?

And I've given up on MRU-LHR as no A seats are available within ages of my required dates. I'm happy to to MRU-JNB-LHR instead. But even those are evaporating like the morning mist. :(

They changed my itinerary back after I told them what the rules were :rolleyes: . At least they fixed their mistake.

I was also lucky to get MRU-LHR A availability for 4 people - that didn't seem to be a problem although LHR-YVR A availability didn't match EF for some reason so one of the 4 are waitlisted on that route.

They are not open on weekends, but I did receive an email (auto generated itenerary) on Saturday morning 4 AM EST. I guess they just submit the request and the computer does the rest based upon its queue.

Also, I did change the route at least 4 - 5 times over the last couple of weeks for a variety of reasons and they have been very cooperative each time. I am going to call them Sunday night from here (NYC) for final ticketing.

My point is that a ONE trip usually begins with making the bookings, followed days to months later with the purchase of a ticket, so you should have been given bookings the day you first presented your travel request to BA/MRU.

Unfortunately, BA has their own anti-ONE rules, and their distant outpost in Mauritius seems more than anxious to follow them. In particular, BA seems anxious to restrict ONE traffic ex-MRU because of the low prices. I have no idea who other than BA set those prices, but they're obviously doing everything they can to keep travelers from using them. The oft-discussed topic that MRU-LHR seats appear in the CRS's of the world, but simply cannot be booked by the MRU outstation is a case in point.

Many agencies around the world have the right to book seats on BA aircraft on your behalf, and designate them to be held for a length of time before money changes hands. Normally, one can include such an existing booking into an ONE trip simply by giving the person doing the ticketing the PNR number.

My first step would be to use Expert Flyer or a similar tool to find availability for flights you can accept for the beginning of your trip.

Second, I would find a BA office that would lend a sympathetic ear to your difficulties booking out of MRU, and who would make that booking for you. Assure them that you just need them to grab the seats, because the folks in MRU, wonderful though they might be, are having some sort of difficulty doing so, and you would like to know there will be space for you when they sort it out. Make it clear that you're not asking the office for anything more than the booking, and ticketing will of course be done in Mautitius.

Some BA offices (e.g. North America) have specifically been told to refuse wannabe travelers such a favor. Others in Europe have specifically been mentioned as going much farther in being helpful. Hopefully the community here will PM you with their favorites.

Third, I would make sure my ticketing request to BA/MRU was totally uncontroversial. It will only cost USD125 extra to have some less restrictive airline re-issue it the way you really want it, once you leave BA's proprietary turf. My request to IBL Travel was nothing more than MRU-LHR-LAX-HKG-JNB, although I certainly planned to ultimately fly 20 segments.

The only problem I see is that MRU will fuss about not being able to price your ticket without having that first segment defined. I suggest you tell them to wait-list you for first class and confirm you in coach for the purposes of issuing. Make sure they show the segment ticketed in A class for "when the wait-list clears" - they sometimes make the ticket match the res, not the fare class.

PM if I can further confuse the situation ... I had that AMS contact once, I think, and if so can dig it out of my own mail. Meanwhile, it would be nice if the OW experts would throw water or support on my suggestions on how to go forward.

[BTW I personally would be quite anxious to get this done in the next few days - the suggestion "by Nov. 30" may have been more of a warning. However OW sets fares, MRU sticks out as too much the bargain, probably highlighted by all the traffic from there engendered by this very forum - the other edge of the "we're so helpful to wannabe OW travelers" sword.]

Thanks, JohnAx. ^ I think I'm getting the message. But I don't hold out too much hope for local agents being prepared to go "beyond the call of duty". Maybe I'm selling them short. I take your point about a straightforward routing. Though there was nothing very fancy about mine, I thought a good strategy might be to get the ticket issued, come back to CPT and sort out anything unresolved from here.

But here's some progress I've made to date. Phoned the charming lady at BA in MRU and she was "just about to reply" (I believe her! ;) ) because she had to wait for London to respond to her as MRU have never seen a *ONEWC* before. (Totally plausible. Am I the only person in the world who likes this product?)

Unfortunately it's not the reply I wanted: they can't sell the *ONEWC3. :( At first I thought she said they only sell the *ONE*. But when I said I didn't really want to route via N America it turns out they can sell a *ONEWC4! But do I really want to add on a gratuitous leg via SYD on a routing that already totally underutilises this ticket?! (SO already thinks I'm completely mad.) We'll see when she sends me the price.

She also said my routing of MRU-JNB-LHR had to be MRU-LHR! I politely queried the basis of this given the allowance of 4 legs in continent of origin and she quickly realised something didn't add up, conferred with a colleague and came back agreeing it was perfectly legit.

So, I can confirm that the BA office is delightful to deal with, but needs a lot of patient coaxing through the byzantine complexities of these fares.