[RHMAngel]

AOR

No it doesn’t work like that (from friends who work in the airline biz, airside, & airlines)… I said, I check in online, NOT I check in at the airport then don’t turn up.

By not checking in at the airport, my ticket doesn’t get read as being phsyically there.

Tannoy calls are for those passengers, noted as being physically in the airport. Not guilty of you feeling aggreived I’m a last remaining passenger. Computer will register I missed the deadline to get to into the airport – nothing more, and too late for the airline to resell a ticket that has already been paid for.

“policy’ of overbooking, and are well-known to refuse travel to late (but on-time) check-ins “

As you highlight yourself. Difference of being there (ticket printed) and checked-in, in the airport.

Its not “habit” but only twice, when the airline’s behaviour left alot to be desired towards the customer. The tone of this thread was one of exasperation by the original exam-question poster. Not an attack on another individual, sharing an experience.

I too am intrigued to hear any expert opinion on the credit card issue.

Contempt breeds contempt in the airlines. I’m happy to acknowledge personal experience of brilliant customer service, and polite respect to the traveller. Industry won’t change unless passengers speak up, like the original poster who started this thread.

I have no beef with anyone personally or need to call them names, companies perhaps…

Regards.

[Inquisitive]

Credit card deduction are not normally done without either an invoice or one’s signature or consent or standing order.
The additional charges to be made for not using return flight must be in T&C, otherwise, even if some charges are made without concent, one can refuse to pay by just calling the credit card company.
But there are cases where credit card company made additional deduction as it was in fine print.
It is that reason, I suggested in my earlier posting that it is better to purchase ticket fron travel agent with cheque, if only single journey is intended with a return ticket.

[RHMAngel]

Thanks Inquisitive

[LuganoPirate]

I’ve often bought return tickets in order to get a lower price for one-way travel and never had a problem or been charged. In fact, on one or two occasions I’ve even had miles credited for the section not flown.

I don’t call up to cancel though on one occasion when my daughter had to fly to AMS, the Swiss ticket clerk suggested this as the cheapest way, then cancelled her return part (with our agreement) as soon as the plane had left.

P&O ferries once tried to debit my credit card for an unused return. I called the cc company (visa) and they entered a dispute and re-credited my account. I heard no more!

[Age_of_Reason]

Oh Angel, ‘m sorry (50%) but you’ve missed a couple of points in your dander.
First if you’ve checked in on-line and printed your boarding pass, then there’s not necessarily any further check before you get to the gate. If you’re late (it happens) then they’ll be holding for you. And rightly so, if it’s beyond your control.

Secondly, the airline will oversell the flight what ever you do, checked in online or not. If the flight is overbooked and you no-show, one less person is bumped. If the flight is not overbooked, then your no-show, no-tell makes no difference.

Inquisitive … you’re on dangerous contractual ground if you involve an agent with a specific intent to circumvent the small print T&C. If you merely work on the simple basis of lowest cost tkt on offer, and buy a long-dated APEX with a view to using it, then you travel legitimately. If you involve an agent and travel knowing that you are intending to evade legitimate additional charges, you are at risk. An individual would have the reasonable defence that there was no damage to the airline, plus gain of goodwill, from a satisfied passenger with an option to travel which may or may not be exercised, and the airline would not see value in pursing a recovery per smallprint T&C. But an agent becoming party to the deal, whether knowingly or inadvertently, could generate enough transactions to be worth recovering by the airline from the agent, The agent would then review his position with those customers. And your cheque would be traceable.

[Age_of_Reason]

Image the scenario where a bus company adopted the same policies on return ticketing as the airlines ….

Prospective Passenger on proverbial Clapham Omnibus: “How much to Battersea?”
Driver: “It’s a quid return if you come back tonight, ten quid single if you stop over”
PPopCO; “In that case I’ll take a return”
Driver: “but if you don’t come back, I’ll come round for my other nine quid”
PPopCO: “but it depends whether my girlfriend lets me stay the night …..”
Driver: “Not my problem, sir. Maybe you should buy your ticket from the Office, then I’ll never know…”
5 minutes later
PPopCO: “Here you are, driver ….”
Click. ding-ding, vroom……
Passengers: “The wheels on the bus go round and round …..”
Driver : “Battersea. All change!”

At the girlfriend’s, Man with flowers ….
The Girlfriend: “ohhhh they’re lovely…. you shouldn’t have …..”
PPopCO: “I did a great deal on the busfare so I thought I’d splash out….”
The Gf: “How do you like your bacon?….”
PPopCO: “How do you like your eggs?….”

Several hours later. A bus draws up outside The Gf’house with a loud hiss of brakes.
The Gf :”What’s that? Why’re the street lights so bright?”
The doorbell:”dingdingdingding”
Driver: “Fares Please!”
PPopCO (Breathless, running downstairs): “What the ****?”
Driver: “Nine pounds to not go home, please!”
PPopCO: “Darling can you lend me a tenner!”
The Gf: “You what ….?”
PPopCO: “I need to borrow a tenner”
The Gf: “What do think this is? A Bank? Buy me flowers, then borrow the money back to pay for ’em?… OUT!”
PPopCO: “Can I get dressed on the bus, please? ….”
Click. ding-ding, vroom……

[goalie11]

Have had many instances of this nonsense. I am currently working in Abu Dhabi and recently had to get home to the UK. My wife was travelling with me but only on a single journey.

Prices quoted by Etihad, and others, were ridiculous for both tickets – £2100 for the single and £3550 for the return in business. There was no way I was paying those fares so started to do some research.

The quoted flights were AUH to MAN. I started looking at other alternatives in the Gulf and came up with a fare from Muscat to Manchester with Etihad.

The routing was MCT-AUH-MAN with the AUH-MAN sector on the same flight they wanted to charge the exorbitant fares. The cost – £824 for the single and £1430 for the return. You can guess what tickets were bought. All I had to do was pay £62 for 2 singles each from AUH to MCT and then go back. Saved just over £3200.

The other posts are right I couldn’t have started the journey in AUH as the ticket was from MCT, however, on my return journey I got off at AUH and binned the last leg.

[pk45hyd]

When faced with a £500 single and a £230 return for coming back a month later on the 6am Sunday flight (incorporating a Sat night stay), I always take the latter.

I tend to over-sleep on Sundays. Drats. I should buy an alarm one of these days. 2035?

[Cedric_Statherby]

Time to report back

The route was London-ZRH-MAD-London. First and last legs on BA (company policy to use BA wherever possible). Middle leg therefore the dreaded LX single ticket.

Fortunately the company saw reason and I did not buy the single ticket ZRH-MAD at just over £1000. Instead I went London-Zurich-Madrid on LX (note, two single flights not one) for just over £500. And then BA home from Madrid for about £100, BA having relatively sane pricing.

So, the geniuses at LX will sell one single ticket for £1000, and two single tickets for £500. And presumably 3 for £300, 4 for £250 and so on….

Truly the world of the madhouse.

[Author]

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