BA What if I fly 3 out of 4 legs?
Too mean to buy a long personal title
You know, the one that's led to the cheapest economy fares to Hong Kong still being below the cheapest economy fares available in 1976 - in numerical terms, never mind what inflation's done to money in the intervening decades.
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I see it highly unlikely that an airline would follow up on this, and actually take action to recoup costs. I would happily be taken to court for my actions, would be very interesting to see the argument and outcome.
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Try it. You'd lose. Guaranteed.
I think you'll find that if it went to court against a passenger the airline would lose. The argument would be that if you fly 3 sectors out of 4 then there is no loss to the airline - no damages or compensation due to the airline - and that the airline was being unreasonable.
That would set a precedent and possibly lead to more questions and tests on ticketing restrictions that the airlines really don't want.
Too mean to buy a long personal title
A passenger's contract with an airline usually includes some provision that if you use your ticket for different travel from that for which you have bought the ticket, you will pay to the airline the difference in fare. If you fly only AMS-LHR-JFK-LHR, your travel is distinctly different from your travel if you fly AMS-LHR-JFK-LHR-AMS. Amongst other things, in the first situation you end up in a different place from the second situation.
So the question really is whether that provision in the contract is so unreasonable that it falls foul of legislation like the UK's Unfair Contract Terms Act. But if the airline offers a product that flies you AMS-LHR-JFK-LHR-AMS, and a different and more expensive product that flies you AMS-LHR-JKF-LHR, is it so unreasonable for the airline to say that if you want the latter product you should buy it rather than misuse the former product?
A German court has given some ruling about the sequence of coupon use and a choice not to use the last sector of a ticket. Its details appear to be rather impenetrable, but the consequence is that Lufthansa now offers you a choice when you book: either fly all of the ticket coupons in sequence for price A, or for price B have the freedom to pick and choose which coupons you want to fly in which sequence.
Of course, price B is much cheaper than price A. (Only kidding!)
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In the converse I have never heard of a case being won (ultimately) by passengers breaching their contact with airline's having sequential / complete use of coupons provisions. In a few case low courts have agreed with the passenger, but these have always (?) been overturned.
There is a history of airlines winning the cases, but usually when it was the first flight rather than the last (and with the passenger suing the airline after being denied boarding). I would imagine that when airlines do find repeated abuse (my term) they would not resort to the courts, but would find other ways of having the passenger cease and desist. A polite letter to begin with ...
I could almost envision the passenger being met on arrival at Heathrow by a very large 'customer service representative' who would escort the passenger to their connecting flight ...
BA's Conditions of Carriage say that they will not carry you on subsequent flights, until you have paid any difference. They don't limit this to subsequent flights on the ticket in question, but to any future flights.
There is a history of airlines winning the cases, but usually when it was the first flight rather than the last (and with the passenger suing the airline after being denied boarding). I would imagine that when airlines do find repeated abuse (my term) they would not resort to the courts, but would find other ways of having the passenger cease and desist. A polite letter to begin with ...
I could almost envision the passenger being met on arrival at Heathrow by a very large 'customer service representative' who would escort the passenger to their connecting flight ...
The question is what the contract provides, including what the contract provides that you will pay the airline if you do not do what you have promised to do.
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BA's Conditions of Carriage say that they will not carry you on subsequent flights, until you have paid any difference. They don't limit this to subsequent flights on the ticket in question, but to any future flights.
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I've been doing this for years, and know others that do the same. I would like to see an actual case relating to this situation, where the last sector is not completed.
It's also like when I book 4 or 5 fully refunable fares with a certain airline and cancel all but one at the last moment when my itinerary is confirmed. Did wonder whether the airline had any rights in that situation.
It's also like when I book 4 or 5 fully refunable fares with a certain airline and cancel all but one at the last moment when my itinerary is confirmed. Did wonder whether the airline had any rights in that situation.
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Forget the legal horse-manure......
Get off, bags and all, go to the transit desk via a circuitous route, go to the back of the queue, waste time not understanding what you have to do to get your connecting flight to AMS, make sure they won't forget you in a hurry, take names etc, then go off to the loo, find your way back to the right gate, arrive 5 minutes too late in floods of tears if you are female, a raging temper at the incompetence of all concerned if you are male, threaten to sue, storm off.
Immigrate quietly and go home. Write a 5 page letter of complaint at how you were forced to miss your connection, family devastated, huge expenses incurred (careful here, you can't produce evidence), never fly BA again, cutting up Gold Card. Address to Willie Walsh personally.
End of story.
Get off, bags and all, go to the transit desk via a circuitous route, go to the back of the queue, waste time not understanding what you have to do to get your connecting flight to AMS, make sure they won't forget you in a hurry, take names etc, then go off to the loo, find your way back to the right gate, arrive 5 minutes too late in floods of tears if you are female, a raging temper at the incompetence of all concerned if you are male, threaten to sue, storm off.
Immigrate quietly and go home. Write a 5 page letter of complaint at how you were forced to miss your connection, family devastated, huge expenses incurred (careful here, you can't produce evidence), never fly BA again, cutting up Gold Card. Address to Willie Walsh personally.
End of story.
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Immigrate quietly and go home. Write a 5 page letter of complaint at how you were forced to miss your connection, family devastated, huge expenses incurred (careful here, you can't produce evidence), never fly
BA again, cutting up Gold Card. Address to Willie Walsh personally.
BA again, cutting up Gold Card. Address to Willie Walsh personally.
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Tested in court on trains
The principle of all of this has been tested in court and has stood up over time. I was deeply involved in competition law at the time. The case must be about 15 years old. It concerned British Rail. Their price from London to Edinburgh was lower than the price from London to some place along the line, I am going to say Newcastle. The took someone who bought the Edinburgh ticket but got off at Newcastle to court to recover the difference. British Rail won the case. The reason is that a transport ticket is a contract. The transportation company agrees to take you, and you agree to travel, all the way.
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