[Senator]

MartynSinclair,

Thanks for sharing your “system” with your fellow readers. I guess it works very well if everything runs perfectly. Perhaps there would be some risks as it pertains to delays and cancellations, but nothing that can’t be managed.

I do something similar between Arlanda, Heathrow, and Zurich. I typically come across to LHR twice a month, and I need to be in Zurich twice a month. So, I book ARN-LHR on BA with weekend stay, and then I book LHR-ZRH-ARN on LX with less than 24hrs stopover in Zurich in each direction so I can conduct business whilst in the city. This back-to-back system costs me £400 for each ticket, meaning I get two London and two Zurich trips for a total of £800 or £200 per visit. Hard do beat for Club/Business.

One thought; I would assume someone like LX, LH or even AF/KLM would offer very competitive fares from LHR. Rather than taking BA to for example DUS, perhaps moving airlines all-together is an option?

[stevescoots]

I just tried LHR-HKG + AMS-LHR-HKG and got almost 1200 GBP off!

I mean it dosnt beat my Qatar flights of 1500+ tax but certanly when i am dire need worth looking at.

[MartynSinclair]

Senator

Delays and cancelations are not a problem because if there is a delay or cancelation out of Heathrow on the flight to my European departure point, the likelihood is that the first flight on the new ex-Europe ticket will be delayed or cancelled. A delay has no real impact on the ticket, a cancelation as happened at Xmas means that I can then use the first flight of the ticket out of sequence, once you battle your way through the call centre.

As for alternative routes, I prefer flat beds to angled wedgie type. I have used Finnair and I think when LH upgrade their business class product, I will check that out. I understand that Swiss have flat beds so I may give those seats a try soon.

For now though, my system with BA works and works very well, for me.

[NTarrant]

Martyn – I assume, going by your reply to Senator that you are always travelling on flexable tickets to be able to use sector 2 before sector 1 in the event of delays.

Certainly the journey we recently undertook from BRU the fare regulations were non-refundable, no changes etc, etc

[MartynSinclair]

Hi Nigel

The tickets are flexible only to the extent that they can be changed, but they still have to be used in sequence.

Over Xmas and during the strike period(s), when one of my sector 1 flights, i.e. Europe to LHR, was cancelled, BA agreed (very reluctantly) and I have kept a record of the phone conversation and ticket locator, to permit the sector 1 flight to be used out of sequence. My discussion was that I had paid for 4 sectors and on the basis that BA cancelled sector 1, I did not want a refund, but wanted to use the ticket.

BA finally agreed and let me use the europe to LHR at a later date. However, 2010 did have quite a few unique situations and I would only argue this in the future if a flight was cancelled.

[Cwyfan]

Have any of you, who do the same route regularly, done the old British Rail to London ticket scam, of buying a longdated, even flexible, initial ticket from LON to wherever, and then getting a series of returns from your destination to LON, presumably charged at the foreign rate?

[NTarrant]

Essentially yes, although mine are usually domestic. For example if I am due to visit GLA this week and again next week I will buy a return LHR-GLA_LHR with the return next week. The I will buy a seperate ticket GLA-LHR-GLA for my trip home this week and outward trip next week.

This enables you to stay the Saturday night which gives a cheaper fare than buying a round trip LHR-GLA-LHR this week and another next week.

[Author]

Posts