Connecting at Heathrow BA to BA on separate tickets
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at 12:00 by Ahmad.
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FaroFlyerParticipantAMcWhirter, yes, I know that through tickets can be cheaper, but I would guess that most people who buy 2 separate tickets did so to save money, not to pay more. Almost all travellers first look for a price from their origin to their destination, then maybe see if separate tickets are cheaper, thus saving the “insurance premium”.
28 Dec 2016
at 16:00
MartynSinclairParticipantJust out of interest, how does this situation differ from the outbound flight to connect your ex-EU flights?
The difference is I would never travel my outbound to start an ex-Europe ticket with any checked luggage, in fact, I now just travel with a small travel pouch. Passport, phone, wallet.
I also, travel out on the aircraft that will fly the first leg of my ex-Europe ticket. That way, I know I am flying out, on the same aircraft being used for the first leg.
I have been warned there could be a last minute aircraft switch, meaning the aircraft I am using to travel to the first part of my ex Europe ticket will be going somewhere else, but it has not happened yet.
Dublin can be a push, even with just hand luggage as you are meant to go through the system, but AMS – there is still no need to go through the system.
28 Dec 2016
at 16:29
AMcWhirterParticipantFaroFlyer – I was simply questioning what you had saidin a previous posting:
“Through tickets are more expensive than two separate tickets …”
The fact is that aviation is a complex business and there are many variables as can be seen from the numerous postings here.
28 Dec 2016
at 19:50
HktboundParticipantThanks again for all your advice.
I’m still waiting for a reply from BA but in the meantime, as I live in spain and can easily travel from Gibraltar I have benefitted in the past from much cheaper fares (especially to Asia) as I happen to start my journey from Gibraltar and this would be a through ticket with one reference.
My issue here was I booked the long haul leg on AVIOS and there was not availability on the final LHR-GIB leg so if I wished to use my points I had no choice than to pay for the last leg.
In the end the fact that it was an award ticket made it even harder to re-route us to American Airlines and they classed us as an ‘involuntary re-route’ and I thought then and still believe that the manager who was clearly worried about sticking to her rule book, did us a great favour.28 Dec 2016
at 20:33
AhmadParticipant[quote quote=783169]
In the end the fact that it was an award ticket made it even harder to re-route us to American Airlines and they classed us as an ‘involuntary re-route’ and I thought then and still believe that the manager who was clearly worried about sticking to her rule book, did us a great favour.[/quote]
I couldn’t agree with you more. It is all very well to assert what one’s legal rights are and what compensation or damages one might be entitled to. But I understand that that would not have gotten you back to GIB in time for Christmas had you not been rerouted. Despite all the legal technicalities, on the day the MIA staff would have had to go by their rule book even if it meant you would have been able to successfully sue BA later. So the manager did in fact do you a nice turn and should be commended for being customer friendly.
29 Dec 2016
at 02:26
LuganoPirateParticipantSpeaking personally I have found several routes where two tickets are cheaper than onr through ticket. MXP – LIS – Madeira and MXP-JNB-George (or Port Elizabeth) being just a few examples.
In each and every case the check-in agent accepted my two tickets and checked my bags through. But I am speaking Star Alliance (Swiss, LH, TAP, SAA) here and not BA. I do accept though that if the first leg is delayed I risk the second one but on the one occasion this happened Swiss went out of their way to help me at no additional cost even though I was on one of the cheapest tickets available.
My last journey of the year is tomorrow and my JNB-Port Elizabeth leg is on a separate ticket but the bags will be through checked – though you do have to pick them up to clear customs first at JNB on arrival.
29 Dec 2016
at 14:53
penfold69ParticipantI don’t think anyone said there was no notice, so I don’t see the need to SHOUT. I believe the OP had issue with the fact it was a policy brought in after he had purchased tickets, and therefore he didn’t have advanced warning of the policy change. Of course they are the rules, but rules are guidelines, which can bend as well as be broken. It just depends who administers them at any given point.
30 Dec 2016
at 10:23
FDOS_UKParticipantOne cannot unilaterally vary a contract, so ‘the rules are the rules’ scenario did not apply in the OPs case.
As Ahmad (who is a lawyer) stated earlier in the case, the OP relied upon information provided by BAEC when booking and had he suffered losses, I believe it would have been a straight forward MCOL to recover these.
30 Dec 2016
at 10:34
JohnHarperParticipantIt’s interesting that while BA refuse to through check bags on separate tickets some of the low-costs are selling connecting tickets and not at a premium price either.
Norwegian who apparently Wee Willie sees as a huge threat to BA and also Euro/Germanwings are two examples. The latter even includes a drink and a sandwich with most of their fares so now a step above BA economy class.
30 Dec 2016
at 12:12
SimonS1Participant[quote quote=783418]It was NOT brought in with no notice, and it’s been a few months now. It might be inconvenient,frustrating and annoying, but thems the rules.
[/quote]
The policy affecting BA to BA transfers on separate tickets was changed on 14th November and effective 15th November. You may be confusing it with transfers on separate tickets to other airlines which was changed in May.
So it hasn’t been a few months and there wasn’t any notice. Sorry to trouble you with the facts here.
As noted elsewhere, anyone affected by the change of policy after booking should go straight to MCOL.
30 Dec 2016
at 13:45
AhmadParticipant[quote]
As noted elsewhere, anyone affected by the change of policy after booking should go straight to MCOL.
[/quote]
Please don’t run to file MCOLs based on anything I have said! My comments are personal not professional advice and are restricted to the OP’s peculiar circumstances. As you may have noticed, even in that particular case I am extremely reluctant to say what, in my personal as opposed to professional opinion, the quantum of OP’s claim may be. This is because I simply do not have enough information to form an opinion. One should be extremely careful of applying a ‘one size fits all’ approach to contractual claims of this nature (and this last bit is both my personal and professional advice).
Happy new year to all and I wish everyone’s coming year is peaceful and prosperous.
30 Dec 2016
at 14:37
FDOS_UKParticipantPlease don’t run to file MCOLs based on anything I have said!
Just to support Ahmad here, he was expressing an conversational view on a site that exists for entertainment, not advisory, purposes!!!!
To recover costs from BA (in my personal and non-professional view), it would have been necessary to demonstrate that the act of clearing immigration, collecting baggage and then checking in caused the next flight to be missed, whereas having bags checked through would have allowed the flight to be taken.
This would have only applied in the instance of the changed flight (to AA) and peversely, had BA refused the change, then it would have been a case of travel insurance or tough luck for the OP, since he was not on a through ticket and flight times are expressly not part of the contractual agreement.
None of this excuses the way the policy was changed, by BA.
30 Dec 2016
at 15:28
SimonS1ParticipantWell personally if I had booked two tickets with BA on the basis of bags being checked through, then their policy changed and I lost money as a result, I would head straight to MCOL.
However in the OP’s case I’m not sure it would have worked, as the first flight was late and BA had no responsibility to take care of this. That is what through tickets are for.
30 Dec 2016
at 15:29 -
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