Similarly, if you book a cheap return on a ferry and only travel one way, the ferry company reserves the right to charge the full one way fare to your credit card.

Presumably nothing in law to stop the airlines doing this as well. To answer F3G's legal concerns, I think this would be the most likely outcome if an airline were to take any action.

"hotel tango"
 

In my example the airline (B A ) actually, when I requested a one way flight, told me it was cheaper to buy a return.....then issued the return ticket....I moved to the next desk, and was then asked would I mind cancelling the return sector now...to make it easier for them......

Also....was I entitled to reclaim the unused airport tax........

I have been a frequent traveller in Europe over the last year and while asking at the ticket desk for routes/fares etc., BA, AF & LH agents all suggested booking 2 return tickets back to back over a two week period, if doing 2 trips within a week to get a cheaper fare......use the system!!

CosmosSchwartz... they cannot do that. The passenger can plead any number of reasons (not excuses) for not taking the return journey - from say a traffic jam to a death in the family. As I said these operators want your business. Use their rules and you'll win.

The airlines can use the rules to charge the extra. But in general they won't do it unless they can see an individual passenger regularly and deliberately abusing the fare rules. It's not worth their while for the person who only does it once or twice.

There is a new "Departure Control System" in development which will eventually eliminate these anomalies (estimated roll-out 2006).

Just how far the participating airlines want to take "Son of DCS" isn't yet clear, but the major selling point is the ability to maximise revenue and prevent "fiddling" IATA fares.

As I get more details of this new DCS capability, I'll post a new thread.

Sorry to come in a bit late on this thread. Last year I wanted to buy Stansted-Antalya return with roughly an eight week stay. Some agents suggested to avoid the high price versus the 7/10/14 day cheaper tickets, I should buy two returns for eight weeks apart, using the outward part of the earlier ticket and the return part of the later one. Another agent said this would not work, as any ticket where the outward was not used has its return automatically cancelled. Is that right, or did I throw my money away on the expensive ticket?

The agent was dead right. If any segment in an itinerary is not flown, the rest of the itinerary is auto-cancelled and reservations staff are instructed not to re-instate the booking unless the customer proves that the "non-flown" segment was, in fact, completed.

(This has caused problems in a few cases where the airline has cancelled a flight at the last minute (eg technical problem) and dispersed the pax using a "Flight Interruption Manifest" document! The agent issuing the "FIM" does not have to amend the booking at the time, as the FIM is used for speed, but should make the amendment at a later stage. Unfortunately, if that amendment is not done, the itinerary will auto-cancel!)

Update/Another dodgy offer

I've just had another "dodgy" offer from the same travel agent, who is the corporate provider for one of my clients.

I need to go A-C-B-A.

The agent suggested a dodgy return A-B-A (throw away the return), a dodgy return C-B-C (throw away the return that is some weeks hence), a single B-C and then a dodgy return B-A-B (throw away the return.)

This is taking the p*ss to a pretty serious degree IMHO and poking the airline (same carrier for all flights) with a sharp stick.

So I have refused this offer and following my own research, booked two returns, A-B-A and B-C-B, saving over 250 euros on the barmy schedule form the agent.

Having studied the fare rules, I cannot see any problem with doing this, since I am not altering either itinerary.

The fact is that I have a meeting in country C, then go to country B for 3 days, returning to country C for 2 days, before returning home. So the flight sequence will be A-C-B, then B-C and then C-A.

Bealine, do you think that this is a legit itinerary? NB: carrier is not BA ;)

Thanks for the information bealine. I was beginning to think from the above, that I'd stupidly not taken advantage of something "everyone" does. Cheers!

I'm sure bealine is right about the return leg being cancelled - the way round this is to get two tickets, one A-B-A and the other B-A-B, the second half of each ticket being thrown away if not needed.

As an example, my security consultancy work often requires me to go to a client for a day or two to 'do my thing', come back home for a week to record my findings, and then return to client to present my findings. Hence a typical itinerary might be:
Day 1 - early LHR-FRA
Day 2 - evening return from FRA-LHR
Day 8 - early LHR-FRA
Day 8 - evening return FRA-LHR

It's much cheaper to book two tickets, say BA Day1 LHR-FRA, day 8 FRA-LHR and LH Day2 FRA-LHR, day 8 LHR-FRA, than to do the obvious! Sometimes the client changes the date of day 8 to day 9 or 10 and, since the tickets are usually not flexible, I have to buy another, but it still works out cheaper for me (and the client, who's usually paying :D ). I don't know if this would work just as easily for Antalya, but I don't see why not.

Final 3 Greens, if your itinerary is A-C-B-C-A, then you need returns A-C-A and C-B-C (I suspect this is what you meant to say and the hypothetical destinations have caused confusion). AFAIK there's no problem with this, although I'll let the experts have the final call. I don't know if A, B & C are all european destinations. If this is a long-haul trip, then there are all sorts of issues about stopovers etc that could complicate matters still further.

Pax Vobiscum

You are quite right in the sequence :O

Oh yes they can!
 

CosmosSchwartz/Animalclub from the P&O Ferries website, under Ts&Cs:

"All tickets of Restricted Duration are only valid where the outward and return journeys are completed within the specified period of time, with the same vehicle and passengers and using the same operator. If you fail to travel on one part of your booking then we may charge you a supplement. That supplement will be the difference between the amount you have paid and the price for the standard single fare appropriate to the sailing used. This payment will be collected using the credit card details provided when paying for the original booking."

If you sign up with them then you sign up to their Ts&Cs!!

........and, the other workaround is to buy two return tickets where you know you're only going to show for the outward sector (usually, because of stupid "fare rule" anomalies, far cheaper than the one way fare!) of each!:p

There is a problem with Antalya, unlike loco (or other) destinations within Europe. I can't buy the B-A-B ticket, AYT-UK-AYT, you mention Pax Vobiscum, within the UK in advance. Still, we can't really expect everything to be low cost just because we want it. :( C'est la vie!

Newswatcher - pay cash.

animalclub if you have found a way of using cash for an online booking, you should patent it. :confused: I find the coins get stuck in the wiring! :p

newswatcher... Good point. Any chance of visiting a travel agent or airline office to use cash?

BA Bucket Shop....???
 

Need to go to Milan Linate tomorrow from London.

Looked at Easi: Stansted to Linate 71.99 inc all taxes, but I hate Stansted, and not too keen on fighting for seat, etc.

Looked at BA: web site easy to navigate, but I hit "return" not one way, and saw £317.00. Made note, made cup of tea, and returned to follow up.

Followed up: return is 317 single is 401. I opted for same fare structure. (except -return-.) both ex LHR.


How are we as non travel agent professionals expected to actually pay £70 more for a flight, in same aircraft, same seats, same food, and possibly same destination.....

comments please.

Take your choice
 

Bumz_Rush, pity you don't like Stansted, as Ryanair will take you to Bergamo for a mere £64!

Is Gatwick any good? Same price from Easyjet for one way to Linate.

At Heathrow, BMI will take you one way for £137.

Otherwise Alitalia seem to have a two-way for about £90 inc! But I sympathize with you, when I see that they want a whopping £270 for one way!

Have a good trip!:ok: