[MartynSinclair]

EdTraveller

To make it simple, the cost of your desired route in the ticket class you have purchased

EDINBURGH to BARBADOS to EDINBURGH

is less than

GATWICK to BARBADOS to EDINBURGH

change your route/ticket – there is a price change.

I will soon be flying LON-MILAN-LONDON-MIAMI-ORLANDO-MIAMI-LON-MILAN-LON

as it is cheaper then

LON-ORLANDO-LON

+ I load up on tier points for each sector.

Why are journeys consisting of more sectors sometimes vastly cheaper ?- becasue they are!!

[Bruce98]

ICrighton

You were also clever, you accepted an offer that you found to offer good value.

Just to make it clear that BA being clever and you being clever are not mutually exclusive.

My comments have not been intended to suggest that you were conned, you made a good decision.

[Henryp1]

What a good telephone call to receive, I cannot imagine how any form of compensation could be expected at the end of the trip.

[Shearer]

I should add that I am not without sympathy to the person who wants to remove a sector from their flight, and I do get annoyed with any company that hides behind Terms & Conditions THAT THEY MAKE, however I think what is happening now is a fare calculation issue :
EDI – LON – BGI – LON – EDI it’s now an LON-BGI with a single journey LGW – EDI at the relevant single journey price tagged on.
And by all means, BA keep the difference. But why charge more?

[esselle]

Binman

The compensation only applies if the passenger is given no choice in the outcome. This is clearly not the case here.

As I have stated already, the option of compensation in this case is irrelevant, as the passenger was not presented with a situation where delay, or denied boarding were outcomes over which he had no control.

Simple really.

[Bruce98]

The compensation only applies if the passenger is given no choice in the outcome. This is clearly not the case here.

No. The compensation only applies if the airline and the customer do not reach agreement.

That is different and is why BA handled this very cleverly, delighting a customer and avoiding a potential large compensation payment.

[Bruce98]

But why charge more?

a – there is a change charge
b- the direct flight is priced higher than the indirect routing

[Shearer]

a – Then put a note in the booking that pax will be joining from LGW.
b – This is rarely the case with BA.

Don’t get me wrong, I worked as a travel agent for 20 years, I know the intricacies of airline pricing, but I think the cost of goodwill is misunderstood. By all means, cancel the sector but don’t charge more!

[Bruce98]

NIRscot

I agree with your last sentence. BA does seem to go into ‘computer says no’ mode and stay there.

[MartynSinclair]

” the cost of goodwill is misunderstood”

What goodwill? The passenger changed their mind!

[CityRiskBoy]

I travel with BA on business all the time and I must admit this is one area they are really good in….I fly with them every 8-12 weeks from LHR to NYC and SF and 70% of my trips so far they have bumped me up just for being a loyal customer and the service onboard has also been great for me. I think this is the right way to go with airlines….It keeps people coming back and helps them as they can then sell the lower cabin seats off to get a full plane.
whats the point in having only 3/4 of the plane full because they dont want to fill the J &F cabins up through operational upgrades. It gives passengers a good experience and they end up becoming loyal to the airline and like i said still keeps revenue coming in for the airline themselves.

[EdTraveller]

Well said NIRscot ! The bigger issue here is that being a loyal customer and having paid for three first class flights…then when one sector does not need to be flown ( ironically because my family are flying to Berlin that week with BA and find themselves back in London on the day before the LGW-Barbados flight ), BA cannot see reason and waive the £200 charge…..after all they get three free seats from EDI to LGW to sell again at prime holiday season.
Its just plain wrong, and if the BA apologists on this thread want to berate me for changing my schedule then, let it be, but its poor customer service from BA.

[ImissConcorde]

It would appear that every airline. from Adria to Zambesi Air, enforces the “coupons must be used in sequence” ruling!

[GrahamC]

EDTraveller,

Poor customer service? No.
Getting you what you paid for? Yes.

You purchased tickets with restrictions, I’d imagine because the fare was lower than fully flexible tickets. I fail to see how you can be upset/surprised that BA are now enforcing those restrictions.

I haven’t checked the fares but lets make up an example:

a) First Class Return (Flexible) £8000
b) First Class Return (with Restrictions) £5000

You purchased product ‘b’ but now expect BA to gift you product ‘a’ as a gesture of goodwill?

If BA were to give you a gift of product ‘a’ as you appear to expect, what message would that send to the people who had actually paid substantially more for that product?

If your future travel plans are likely to change, I’d recommend you purchase a flexible ticket. If you don’t require that flexibility by all means continue to enjoy the savings you make buying a ticket with restrictions.

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