Multi-city bookings

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 21 total)

  • TominScotland
    Participant

    Is it my imagination or incompetence but I am finding it difficult to book multi-city trips, wither on airline websites or through the likes of Skyscanner. I put in the legs and am given a choice of flights but at the end of it all get the message that it is not possible to price and book these flights.

    Routing is not that complex – GLA-BAH-PER-MCT-GLA. Emirates, for example, fly all these sectors but won’t price the trip online.

    Are there any specilaiost sites/ agents who could help?

    Thanks


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    TominScotland, I don’t have the answer you require.

    But maybe one reason could be the current uncertainty in aviation which is affecting schedules.

    For example, although EK operates between the above cities not all its flights are direct or non-stop.

    Changes are required.


    FaroFlyer
    Participant

    Hi TiS,
    I tend to use Old ITAmatrix to check fares and plan multi-city, then use Expedia to book the flights identified by ITAMatrix. Expedia now has a Euro based site, so no need now to use expedia.ie


    Mark
    Participant

    Seems to work for me on skyscanner


    first_class_please
    Participant

    I imagine the transits needed on each pair set of flights is causing a hindrance.

    ITA matrix will show something.

    Probably best price to just do GLA-DXB-PER-DXB-GLA on 1 ticket and then buy separate DXB-BAH-DXB and DXB-MCT-DXB tickets.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    For me, price is always a consideration but of equal importance is having someone managing my bookings when something goes wrong, which negates the need to listen to the music on hold or line up at ticket counter behuing hundreds of others.

    I met Tim Fitzgerald on this BT Forum and he takes all the hassles out of my ticket management. I wouldn’t dream of going direct to an airline or an online portal at the moment & especially for a multi city itinerary.

    My ticket to Asia includes a standalone single (BKK-SIN) before my return to Europe. Although I have 48 hours in SIN, if that Thai airways flight cancels, I will have all confidence in Tim to sort the problem out.

    He recently arranged some special ticketing on Air Malta – I could not have achieved it without him.

    Thanks Tim (and we are not related, especially, as he supports the red side of Sheffield, not the blue!!).

    4 users thanked author for this post.

    JayLibove
    Participant

    I haven’t tried SkyScanner, but maybe my recent experience will be relatable.
    A few months ago I booked BCN-x-PHL / PHL-x-BRE / BRE-x-BCN. I wanted the transoceanic legs in premium economy.
    It turns out to be impossible, on Expedia and on Lufthansa’s or American Airlines’ own websites (those were the two airline groups in the running for such an itinerary) to book this either at all or at any remotely reasonable cost (if it could be constructed at all on a website, it came out in the €6000 range).

    I called American Express Platinum Travel Services. They got me exactly what I wanted PLUS:
    * two checked bags on all legs, even though the final travel day BRE-x-BCN was all in economy class; I think they swung this by booking me “BCN-x-PHL” as “one way”, then “PHL-x-BRE / BRE-x-BCN” as “the return with a stopover” and since the PHL-x leg is in premium economy all four legs included the two checked bags;
    * my BCN-x and x-BRE legs are in European business class, something that usually would provoke a completely ridiculous higher price).
    Total price around €1700 (AmEx tickets in GBP, so some conversion goes on; AmEx Plat travel services do NOT charge current change fees, so the fact of them booking in GBP didn’t prejudice my final cost).

    This is to say, I’m pretty sure there are still things that only a competent travel agent can do, that self-service tools (unless SkyScanner is meant to give the informed traveler the same access as a professional travel agent? I admit my ignorance) Just Can’t Do. (Ok, I just tried SkyScanner; it has the same problem as all of the other online self-service tools – you can’t specify per-leg class).

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    CathayLoyalist2
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1228633]

    Based on that post the saving would pay for the annual fee 4.5 times over


    JayLibove
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1228668]


    @CathayLoyalist2
    Definitely. Between the insurance (which I’ve used once or twice, for both medical and car rental reasons), the urgent travel services (land Heathrow, find car rental company lied about insurance requirements, find other car), airport lounges (my AmEx Plat is the Euro-denominated International Currency Card, which has a more complete version of the Priority Pass program than the US-based AmEx Plat cards have), and the travel agency services, this card absolutely pays for itself.


    IanFromHKG
    Participant

    Jay, the reason for you getting the benefit of the larger baggage allowance is probably because, under IATA rules, where you have a “mixed” flight your baggage allowance should be that set by the “most significant carrier” (IATA Resolution 302, effective since 1 April 2011) albeit with some exceptions for the US and Canada. CX have quite a helpful section on their website which describes this, and has links to help you determine what is your “most significant carrier” and the exceptions for the US/Canada. The relevant page is https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US/baggage/check-in-baggage/carrier-rules.html.


    JayLibove
    Participant

    Hi IanFromHkg, I’m familiar with the most significant carrier rule.
    In this case, every leg is on Lufthansa, there’s never any doubt about whose rules apply.

    Past experience with an Lufthansa itinerary, purchased initially as simpler BCN-x-PHL / PHL-x-BCN then later modified (during the depths of the pandemic when almost everything was negotiable if you talked with the right person in the right call centre; hint, calling Lufthansa in Germany or in Canada tends to produce much better results than calling Lufthansa in Spain or especially in the US) by phone; that itinerary ended up BCN-x-PHL / PHL-x-BRE / BRE-x-BCN; the two transoceanic legs in premium economy just like my upcoming itinerary, but the final BRE-x-BCN legs with only one checked bag included.

    So it’s probably the clever “From Philadelphia to Barcelona with a stopover in Bremen” nature of the “return leg” as the travel agency booked it which results in the premium economy baggage allowance being carried forward from the beginning of that “half” (really, separated two-thirds) of the overall itinerary (PHL-x in premium economy) to the “rest” of that “half” of the overall itinerary.
    None of this explains how the travel agency was able to get me European Business Class for BCN-x and x-BRE (note that I’m in normal economy for BRE-x-BCN at the end).
    Either way, I’m confident that this was only possible due to the involvement of a good travel agent.

    But, hm, hm; the PHL-x leg is operated by LH but has a UA codeshare number on it. So there might be some MSC stuff here. Except, for this itinerary, UA and LH policies for premium economy are the same.

    The question remains, how the travel agent got the higher baggage allowance on the BRE-x-BCN legs three weeks later, which are both in regular economy class.

    Looking at this itinerary both as LH sees it and as UA sees it might be instructive:
    LH’s “add bags” section of the webpage shows:
    BCN-x-PHL in “Premium Economy Basic” with 2x checked bags.
    PHL-x-BRE in “Business Restricted” with *1x* checked bag* (see below)
    BRE-x-BCN in “Economy Restricted” with *0x* checked bags.

    UA shows the itinerary’s bags as:
    BCN-x-PHL: “Prepay & Save” (so UA don’t know my LH bag allowance)
    PHL-x: UA op as LH, 2 free bags.
    x-BRE: 2 free bags
    BRE-x-BCN: 2 free bags

    What’s interesting to me about these two slightly different views of the itinerary is that LH views my legs as BCN-x-PHL / PHL-x-BRE / BRE-x-BCN, but UA views them as BCN-x-PHL / PHL-x / x-BRE / BRE-x-BCN

    I had the idea that the originating- or final-destination-in-USA US DoT rule would not apply to this itinerary, since it originates in and finally ends in Spain; but maybe the travel agent booked me two separate itineraries on a single ticket, and the second itinerary is PHL-x-BRE / BRE-x-BCN originating in the US, so the US rule about same baggage as on the originating flight applies to all downstream segments?

    It really would help to be able to see the real PNR, and not each airlines’ own webpage’s busted way of misrepresenting the PNR data through their cracked lens…


    Frederic
    Participant

    taking into account that there are NO direct flights to PHILADELPHIA nor to BARCELONA from BREMEN I don’t see the point of this itinerary


    JayLibove
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1228846]

    I don’t understand the comment, Frederic.
    I live near Barcelona; I have family near Philadelphia; and I have friends near Bremen; so I often travel this triangle route as part of a single trip away from home.
    I wrote the parts of the itinerary as BCN-x-PHL to leave out the precide intermediate airport since it’s not important (it’s always either FRA or MUC).
    You’re right, there aren’t direct flights to/from Bremen. That’s why my itinerary has -x and x- connections.
    Sorry if my use of the -x- instead of -FRA- or -MUC- confused the issue.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    Frederic
    Participant

    OK it is much clearer now !!!

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    stevescoots
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1228419]

    I can attest to that, Tim handles all my bookings as well

    1 user thanked author for this post.
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