Beware of Dodgy Fare & Ticketing Scams
One airline at LGW has recently taken a very firm stance with a passenger using "Back to Back" tickets. The very essence of the "Saturday Night Stopover" ruling on excursion tickets was to ensure that affordable price travel was available on "off-peak" services.
Regular Business Travellers have used the "up portion" of this week's ticket to travel on a Monday, and the "down portion" of last week's ticket for the return on Friday, therefore breaking the "must stopover Saturday night" rule.
Another ticket was issued in India and the fare basis applies to Indian passport holders only. (The reason being that most ordinary people from India would be unable to travel unless it was heavily subsidised). The traveller was non-Indian.
The airline in question has chosen to interpret this as a criminal offence - "Uttering a false document" and is pressing charges against the travellers who presented the tickets - even though their employer purchased the documents! Apparently under British Law, ignorance of the law is no defence.
Even if charges are subsequently dropped, what a worry for those concerned.
Business Travellers beware - there are enough low fares out there in the market-place without resorting to dishonesty!