WTP "Differential fares"?
Jul 15, 2019, 12:24 pm
#1
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WTP "Differential fares"?
Had a quick search of differential on this forum and seem to get a lot of results talking about champagne...
Anyway, I'm trying to move a booking I made, WTP upgraded to Avios to CW. Its proving rather expensive, because apparently I actually bought a WT fare that allows me to sit in WTP, so apparently I need 2 classes of availability to keep the same fare level, or I have to buy up to real WTP. Apparently I'm a 'differential ticket'. In fact to keep my upgrade and move date keeping the same price I would need all 3 categories to be available!
Given that 90% of the time this is unlikely to be an issue for most travellers but is there anyway for me to see if that is what I'm booking in the future? As I understood it W E T were the WTP booking classes? so is any of these specifically used for this? or is it a sub class of ticket?
And what is the point in these? I know AA had the AUP fares for companies who's official policy was economy class travel only, but this is almost the other way round, a WTP fare booked as WTP thats actually WT in disguise?
Anyway, I'm trying to move a booking I made, WTP upgraded to Avios to CW. Its proving rather expensive, because apparently I actually bought a WT fare that allows me to sit in WTP, so apparently I need 2 classes of availability to keep the same fare level, or I have to buy up to real WTP. Apparently I'm a 'differential ticket'. In fact to keep my upgrade and move date keeping the same price I would need all 3 categories to be available!
Given that 90% of the time this is unlikely to be an issue for most travellers but is there anyway for me to see if that is what I'm booking in the future? As I understood it W E T were the WTP booking classes? so is any of these specifically used for this? or is it a sub class of ticket?
And what is the point in these? I know AA had the AUP fares for companies who's official policy was economy class travel only, but this is almost the other way round, a WTP fare booked as WTP thats actually WT in disguise?
Jul 15, 2019, 12:36 pm
#3
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the original route is CPH-LHR-LAS-LHR-CPH
its the return leg LAS-LHR-CPH that I wanted to change. Original departure 16th june.
Have managed to find a more reasonable date, changing the route to LAS-LGW, only £180 + change fee £195 now. But still asking the agent there doesnt particularly seem like there's much way to see if you've booked one of those fares...
its the return leg LAS-LHR-CPH that I wanted to change. Original departure 16th june.
Have managed to find a more reasonable date, changing the route to LAS-LGW, only £180 + change fee £195 now. But still asking the agent there doesnt particularly seem like there's much way to see if you've booked one of those fares...
Jul 15, 2019, 12:39 pm
#4
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You can find out more on the BA traveltrade website. Dual Inventory Fares require availability in certain fare classes in two cabins, you pay the lower cabin fare plus a markup. The fare basis, if you can access it, ends with an ‘F’ on BA fares.
Jul 15, 2019, 12:41 pm
#6
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There is some info relating to changing dual inventory fares over on the BA Trade site. I hope this helps you
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...dual-inventory
Where a customer requests a change to their booking, the following applies:
Where travel has not yet commenced on any sector, DIF will be repriced based on lower class availability at the time of repricing, and not on original availability.
Where travel has not yet commenced, and the first sector is unchanged, DIF may be repriced based on historical or current fares whichever is cheapest. A manual build will be required.
Where travel has commenced, the trade up fare charged for the sector travelled may be retained providing the changed journey meets all the original fare conditions e.g. minimum stay/ Apex. Otherwise reprice at current fares.
For the sector being changed (and yet to travel) and where this is in a higher inventory (e.g. E or W or in a different cabin), then the relevant lowest applicable fare in those booking classes should be used.
The change penalty amounts that will apply are those of the lower class the fare was constructed from.
Should the change result in a lower fare then no refund of the differential will be allowed.
Where travel has not yet commenced on any sector, DIF will be repriced based on lower class availability at the time of repricing, and not on original availability.
Where travel has not yet commenced, and the first sector is unchanged, DIF may be repriced based on historical or current fares whichever is cheapest. A manual build will be required.
Where travel has commenced, the trade up fare charged for the sector travelled may be retained providing the changed journey meets all the original fare conditions e.g. minimum stay/ Apex. Otherwise reprice at current fares.
For the sector being changed (and yet to travel) and where this is in a higher inventory (e.g. E or W or in a different cabin), then the relevant lowest applicable fare in those booking classes should be used.
The change penalty amounts that will apply are those of the lower class the fare was constructed from.
Should the change result in a lower fare then no refund of the differential will be allowed.
Jul 15, 2019, 12:58 pm
#7
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Had a quick search of differential on this forum and seem to get a lot of results talking about champagne...
Anyway, I'm trying to move a booking I made, WTP upgraded to Avios to CW. Its proving rather expensive, because apparently I actually bought a WT fare that allows me to sit in WTP, so apparently I need 2 classes of availability to keep the same fare level, or I have to buy up to real WTP. Apparently I'm a 'differential ticket'. In fact to keep my upgrade and move date keeping the same price I would need all 3 categories to be available!
Anyway, I'm trying to move a booking I made, WTP upgraded to Avios to CW. Its proving rather expensive, because apparently I actually bought a WT fare that allows me to sit in WTP, so apparently I need 2 classes of availability to keep the same fare level, or I have to buy up to real WTP. Apparently I'm a 'differential ticket'. In fact to keep my upgrade and move date keeping the same price I would need all 3 categories to be available!
You are buying a T class fare that books into T class like many other WT+ fares. However, these T class fares have special validity rules. They are only valid for a flight if there is T class availability on the flight and there is availability in the WT class to which it relates. This is why they're called Dual Inventory Fares or DIFs - and so searching FT for "DIF" may get you more relevant results.
For example, the very cheapest T class fare may require both T class and O class to be available. The next one up will require both T class and Q class to be available. If you book on a day when the flight is showing T9 Q9 O1, you'll get the cheapest fare. If you book on a day when the flight is showing T9 Q9 O0, you'll have to pay the next fare up.
This is why if you add on a UuA, which requires U class, you will need to have availability in all three classes to use that fare.
Jul 15, 2019, 1:07 pm
#8
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One might ask why not offer more fare classes (buckets) in WP+ and a partial answer is that with WT+ being a small cabin, seeing sales data for the flight might not be as informative as seeing sales data for the much larger coach cabin (law of large numbers, or one doesn't want to be mislead by a small group having selected WT+ tickets on the flight). So it can make sense for revenue management to mandate considering also how well the flight has been selling in coach, and these DIF fares are a somewhat crude way of doing this.
Jul 15, 2019, 2:35 pm
#9
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Jul 16, 2019, 2:22 pm
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Jul 16, 2019, 2:26 pm
#11
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Had a quick search of differential on this forum and seem to get a lot of results talking about champagne...
Anyway, I'm trying to move a booking I made, WTP upgraded to Avios to CW. Its proving rather expensive, because apparently I actually bought a WT fare that allows me to sit in WTP, so apparently I need 2 classes of availability to keep the same fare level, or I have to buy up to real WTP. Apparently I'm a 'differential ticket'. In fact to keep my upgrade and move date keeping the same price I would need all 3 categories to be available!
Given that 90% of the time this is unlikely to be an issue for most travellers but is there anyway for me to see if that is what I'm booking in the future? As I understood it W E T were the WTP booking classes? so is any of these specifically used for this? or is it a sub class of ticket?
And what is the point in these? I know AA had the AUP fares for companies who's official policy was economy class travel only, but this is almost the other way round, a WTP fare booked as WTP thats actually WT in disguise?
Anyway, I'm trying to move a booking I made, WTP upgraded to Avios to CW. Its proving rather expensive, because apparently I actually bought a WT fare that allows me to sit in WTP, so apparently I need 2 classes of availability to keep the same fare level, or I have to buy up to real WTP. Apparently I'm a 'differential ticket'. In fact to keep my upgrade and move date keeping the same price I would need all 3 categories to be available!
Given that 90% of the time this is unlikely to be an issue for most travellers but is there anyway for me to see if that is what I'm booking in the future? As I understood it W E T were the WTP booking classes? so is any of these specifically used for this? or is it a sub class of ticket?
And what is the point in these? I know AA had the AUP fares for companies who's official policy was economy class travel only, but this is almost the other way round, a WTP fare booked as WTP thats actually WT in disguise?
Jul 16, 2019, 4:49 pm
#12
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Or whatever we're now supposed to be calling the channel formerly known as NDC.
Jul 18, 2019, 12:35 pm
#13
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Agree, which I've heard of -though only with AA now i think of it. However the agent called it a 'differential fare' twice while I was chatting to her. Makes booking these quite annoying for someone that regularly changes dates.
Jul 18, 2019, 12:38 pm
#14
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However, I can't really see how you'd be better off doing that. It just makes it more difficult to work out in advance precisely what the cost of a change should be - but that's a minority sport even amongst FTers.
Jul 18, 2019, 12:55 pm
#15
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Realistically though you either pay a discounted dif fare or a standard t class fare then if you change you still pay difference in price and change fee. The only difference is either paying more initially or paying more for the change.