2008 flights - BA

[snookhams]

Just treid to book online flights with BA for next August and was asked to pay the full balance of the flights now! i have booked many flights over the years and never been asked to pay full balance over 10 months in advance - this is a long while for a company to keep hold of my money and for it to be earning them interest and not me, we are talking about £3,000 + is this normal for this company.

 

[Claire L]

Any bookings made direct with an airline require upfront payment, that includes the likes of VA, Monarch etc. Even places like Expedia require upfront payment as they have already 'bought' the flights from the airline and want their money back asap. It is only tour operators who allow the 8 weeks before departure full payment system.

Claire

 

[fizz13]

I have to say that whenever i have booked just flights in the past i have had to pay the full balance at booking. the only way around this was to book a fly drive holiday as it counts as a package. If only I could pay just a deposit on flights, that would be so much better

 

[paulh]

if you only had to pay a deposit there would be plenty of no shows.At the moment scheduled airlines over book by at least 10% to make sure plane is full and hope the 10% dont turn up
Paulh

 

[Revtel]

If you think about it, I am sure that you have booked holidays many times before and paid a deposit with the balance payable at ten weeks or so.

I have never known airlines to operate like this. When a flight only is booked (with any airline) you are expected to pay in full.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

I had to pay up in full last week for BA, for my holiday in August 08.

 

[Minniespal]

Any bookings I've made for just flights I've always had to pay the balance up front.

 

[Danauk]

We always book flights seperate and have had to pay the full amount when we booked. I had to pay our full cost this morning when I booked our LAX and Las Vegas flights for next August.

 

[snookhams]

my last 6 holidays to orlando I have booked independently and always book flights only including last august and I have always paid a deposit and then balance later, a couple may have been flydrives but this august (07) was a flight only and I paid a £300 deposit and balance 8 weeks before and I booked it online. I will probably go ahead and book as our dates are set in concrete because DS will be competing at Nationals until the day before we go and we have to be back for him to collect GCSE results.

 

[Minniespal]

this august (07) was a flight only and I paid a £300 deposit and balance 8 weeks before and I booked it online.

Was this with Fly Globespan, as this is the only airline company that I know of that allows you to just pay a deposit on flights only.

 

[SammieG]

weve booked many many times with BA and always had to pay in full in advance unless booking a fly drive...

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

If you book a fly drive, then that will be with a tour operator, even with BA Holidays or Virgin holidays.
FlyGlobespan are also a tour operator/
Tour operators will allow deposit only bookings, even on flight only bookings.

A flight only direct with a scheduled carrier, BA, VA, Continental, BMI, American etc are not tour operators, so you have to pay the sum in full. Its always been this way. They do not have credit facilities to allow you to place a deposit only.

 

[Pootle]

A flight only direct with a scheduled carrier, BA, VA, Continental, BMI, American etc are not tour operators, so you have to pay the sum in full. Its always been this way. They do not have credit facilities to allow you to place a deposit only.

I think that 'scheduled' is the key here. I also book with major airlines and pay up front. My DS has just booked flight only tickets to Las Vegas next August from MAN and paid only a deposit up front with Mytravel (yup, tour operator).

Maybe snookhams has had flights only with charter airlines in the past?

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

I think that 'scheduled' is the key here. I also book with major airlines and pay up front. My DS has just booked flight only tickets to Las Vegas next August from MAN and paid only a deposit up front with Mytravel (yup, tour operator).

Maybe snookhams has had flights only with charter airlines in the past?

That would be my thought as well.

 

[kristieuk]

I don't know of any scheduled airline who doesn't take full payment at the time of booking, and that includes Virgin, BA, BMI, American, Delta to name but a few. And that has been the case for as long as I can recall. I can only think previous deposits have been paid to travel agents or a charter flight, but I'm sure most charter flights require full payment at booking.