Ex-EU fare advice please

Back to Forum
Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 25 total)

  • Anonymous
    Guest

    Hermes1964
    Participant

    I’ve found some super cheap J fares to LAX for next June ex Dublin via LHR (BA and VS). (£1,450 ish)

    Can one of you clever folks who do this remind me about whether it is possible simply to ditch the last leg back to DUB without penalty? Could I check luggage to LHR from LAX, or is it best to go with hand luggage only? I can’t see from the Ts & Cs how any costs could be charged on to me, and I could manage without the BA Avios and TPs if that’s an issue.

    I know we have been over this before but I’ve never yet seen such amazing fares on routes I want to travel to make me think it worth the bother. Many thanks!


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    1. You should complete all sectors, other wise the airline do have the option (although no one has reported it happening to them … yet!) .. of repricing the ticket. The advantage of using all sectors is the added tier and avios..

    2. I generally buy an avios ticket outbound and return to my ex Europe starting point.

    3. BA will accept your bags for the LHR-LAX sector before you fly to Dublin. I had this confirmed on my last AMS-BKK flight (via LHR) when I checked in my bag for LHR-BKK, before I went to AMS… Ask for a supervisor if you have a problem.

    Enjoy


    Hermes1964
    Participant

    MS
    Very clear. Many thanks.
    H1964


    Rudolph
    Participant

    To MartynSinclair,

    Thanks for the tip about checking luggage in for the second leg before taking the positioning flight! One opportunity less for them to get lost! Have you tried doing this a day in advance or only for same flights?
    I guess BA won’t take luggage more than 24 hours before departure?


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    You are only allowed to check luggage for any flight on the day of departure.

    For 5 years I had always checked my bags in without mentioning the ex Europe positioning flight. Last trip I gave the wrong boarding pass at check in so the agent knew I was leaving the airport before the BKK flight.

    She was not comfy with this and called a supervisor, who confirmed the agent can check my bag in on the basis that if I did not board BA 9, my bag would be removed.

    One additional tip…. I try to take the outbound ‘positioning’ flight where the inbound is the first part of my itinerary i.e. fly on the same aircraft outbound which is going to return to Heathrow as the inbound….


    stevescoots
    Participant

    i have done this a few of times now ex EU to HKG, what i have done on return is have the stopover in London at over 3 hrs, At check-in just asked to book luggage to London only as i need to get to my bag as i have long stop over but I get the boarding pass onto Europe, its never been a problem. when i get to London I just collect my bag and leave.


    Discovery-Bay
    Participant

    I understand what you have said about booking your checked bag only to LHR.
    You then continue to your EU destination and then return straight back to LHR.
    What happens to your checked bag in the baggage hall during those few hours?
    Where do you find it?


    stevescoots
    Participant

    Hi, I don’t get on the plane to EU, I just get off at LHR grab my bag and go home 🙂

    If possible take only hand luggage. Then when you get to LHR just walk off the plane and through immigration, don’t bother to get on your flight to Dublin. They cannot re price your ticket as it looks like you just missed/forgot about your flight! This is a fairly stress free way to do things as checked luggage tends to be a complication… Also in CW they are fairly lenient wit the size of your carry on, so you can carry quite a bit with you.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    I would not take the risk of collecting a boarding pass for the final sector back to Europe and not turning up at the gate. The airline can re price and IF they did, it would not be a few hundred quid!!

    What I have done in the past is check my bag in as far as London, hope the aircraft is late and explain at the transfer desk I do not have enough time to collect my bag and transfer on to the final sector. If the aircraft is late on stand, usually the ticket WILL BE CHANGED..

    The reason I check my bag in only as far as London is I arrange for it to be collected, taken to my home to save me schlepping it in to Europe..


    MartinJ
    Participant

    The question is whether airlines are within their rights to reprice a ticket if it has only been partially used. Have their been any UK court roulings on this? I know that courts in Germany and Spain have normally decided in favour of the passenger, i.e. regardless of what’s stated in the t&c an airline does NOT have the right to reprice if you miss the last sector. This is one of the reasons why I prefer to start my ex-EU trips in Germany as I know I’m covered if BA kick up a fuss (which they have never done anyway, but just in case).


    SimonS1
    Participant

    If you haven’t seen it there is an excellent thread on Flyertalk which has detailed information on how this all works with airport specific info for a number of places.

    http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1537649-ex-mainland-europe-travel-planning-guide.html

    On a once off basis you would be very unlucky to get caught out. I have never come across anyone who has.

    Plenty of excuses that you can use and in the event of a problem you just say you felt unwell and decided to head home to get medical attention.

    As MartinJ says the law in this area is a bit grey and in any case for a once off trip BA would not risk the bucketload of bad publicity that would result if you contacted the Daily Mail.


    christopheL
    Participant

    To avoid any problem with your checked luggage, book an LCY/DUB flight as your last leg. Your will have to collect your luggage in LHR as your connecting flight departs from another airport.


    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    Martyn, Simon, “BA would not risk the bucketload of bad publicity” etc.

    I think they would not want to highlight this wheeze as then so many others would try it which would affect their revenue. I think they just turn a blind eye.

    I did this over a three year period involving maybe 14 return business flights for an assistant (LHR MXP LHR CPT LHR MXP LHR) who never flew the return MXP – LHR part. I never heard a whisper from BA and on the odd occasion where she had a checked bag to return, she had it checked through to LHR and at CPT they never asked anything.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 25 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Be up-to-date
Magazine Subscription
To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below
Polls