Hi,

I know that you have to be physically present at MRU to pick up an AONEx ticket (did it two days ago), but what if I'm traveling with friends? Can I pick up tix for my friends who don't want to do all that extra flying, then meet them in LHR? Sure, if they don't show up for the MRU-LHR leg, BA may cancel the remainder of their BA flights, but what if all other flights (after LHR) are on, say, CX and AA?

Thanks, all. As you can see, I'm relatively new here, but EF is a great source with a friendly community feeling.

Regards,

deleted

The downleg flights will almost certainly be canceled and, if they try to reinstate the tickets, they will most likely be charged the ex-U.K. fare.

For what should be obvious reasons, they are not going to allow this approach.

If you do manage to fly the subsequent legs on the ticket after not flying the first leg, the airlines will reprice it using the point-to-point F fare and charge the difference to the credit card used to buy the tickets, so you won't get more than about 24 hours of flying this way. If this charge doesn't go through, the ticket is canceled. So this can be a very expensive way to fly. Trying to circumvent the origination rule is an impossible game to play.

I cannot believe that people are still seriously considering this whole thing of 'originating' somewhere and then tearing off one or two coupons, in order to start somewhere more convenient .

A few points for these people to consider:

1. This is fraud.
2. Almost all airlines have a means of detecting this abuse.
3. You will almost certainly be charged the fare difference between the cheaper point of origin and the more convenient point of origin.
4. By making such a booking with a TA then abusing the rules in this way you risk punitive action being taken against your TA; I've heard of at least one who was threatened with losing his job when clients abused tix he'd issued in this way.
5. This draws undue prominence to cheaper points of origin enjoyed by many FT'ers who choose to play by the rules. Ultimately it results in prices being raised. It was due to the unacceptable behaviour by a minority of FT'ers that LH and LX withdrew from IATA fares ex-TIP.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

If you want the ex-MRU price get your butt to MRU like the rest of us.

Another example.
Years ago, some ex-SEL fares were much cheper than ex-Japan.
JL and NH provided cheap SEL-NRT-(Europe,US)-NRT-SEL fare.
Then, many people used only NRT-Europe-NRT portions after tearing 1st flight coupon.
Eventually, ex-SEL fare rose, or disappered, or NRT's check-in agent requires SEL-NRT boarding pass.
That is the story.

Can I ask if you got paper tickets and if you needed your credit card?

Thanks.