Confused by BA prices

[zavandor]

I am going to Disneyland in California in January!

I'm looking at flights and I'm really confused.
I'll leave from London and 2 friends of mine will leave from Rome and we'll meet there and do the trip together.
So I'm looking at prices both from Rome and from London to Los Angeles.

From Rome there is a flight from BA, leaving from Rome, connection at London and then to LA. It costs 502£

From London I can take the same flight from London to Los Angeles, but it's 609£
How is it possible that adding the flight from Rome to London, the flight will be 100£ less?

Would I be able to book the flight from Rome for 3 people but to checkin in London skipping the first flight?

 

[2Tiggies]

I don't know if you could do that without risking your seat being re-sold on the second leg of the journey. If you really like to gamble I guess you could do OLCI for the second flight and not check in for the first .... but I wouldn't take a chance. We flew from Scotland with BA to Orlando last year. It was cheaper to fly from EDI via LGW to MCO than the direct LGW-MCO return price. I have no idea why or how it works and can only assume that some of the better discounted seats allocated to through journeys with connections on BA from other airports didn't sell as quickly as the direct ones and hence the reason they are still available, but this is purely befuddled guess work on my part

What I did notice last year was that when I went to do OLCI I had to check in for the first flight first and then it checked me in for the second so you could run the risk of sitting less than 24 hours before in the UK unable to check in for your transatlantic...... I just wouldnt risk it

 

[Nicnic]

I am going to Disneyland in California in January!

I'm looking at flights and I'm really confused.
I'll leave from London and 2 friends of mine will leave from Rome and we'll meet there and do the trip together.
So I'm looking at prices both from Rome and from London to Los Angeles.

From Rome there is a flight from BA, leaving from Rome, connection at London and then to LA. It costs 502£

From London I can take the same flight from London to Los Angeles, but it's 609£
How is it possible that adding the flight from Rome to London, the flight will be 100£ less?

Would I be able to book the flight from Rome for 3 people but to checkin in London skipping the first flight?

I would guess the taxes are less from Rome?!
The UK takes our eyes out in taxes!!

 

[Vixster]

I wouldn't probably risk it as like someone said they may sell your seat how about maybe going to Rome and then fly with them from there see if that's cheaper?

 

[Kath2003]

I would assume that an indirect flight is less convenient so the airline has priced it more competitively so people flying from Rome choose their airline over the direct flights.

I would also assume that not boarding the first flight would void your ticket as you would be a "no show". Perhaps take an EasyJet flight to Rome and enjoy a few days there at either end?

 

[wayneg]

Unfortunately you can't do it. Airlines cancel the entire itinery if you do not show for the first leg of the journey.
I have considered many times taking a short flight across to Amsterdam to then fly to Gatwick then onto MCO with Virgin, not looked recently but often VA were cheaper by adding a leg from Amsterdam.

Sorry its not even a gamble, they won't allow it.

 

[2Tiggies]

Perhaps take an EasyJet flight to Rome and enjoy a few days there at either end?

That's not a bad idea. You would only have to get a single ticket to Rome to book the flights. Unlike the outbound, when you return there is nothing to stop you not boarding for the last leg of your flight to Rome and just ending your trip in London

 

[wayneg]

That's not a bad idea. You would only have to get a single ticket to Rome to book the flights. Unlike the outbound, when you return there is nothing to stop you not boarding for the last leg of your flight to Rome and just ending your trip in London

If you have hand luggage only thats OK but if you check in anything they will not release it until Rome. Luggage is checked thru to the final detination to stop you doing this.

 

[2Tiggies]

Oh that was a major oversight on my part Wayne! Forgot about the luggage going all the way through on the return ...!

With that in mind, and paying for hold luggage on a budget airline, I'm not actually sure that you will gain much by the extra hassle, if anything at all

 

[zavandor]

And after I've booked, can I modify the reservation removing the first leg?

 

[2Tiggies]

And after I've booked, can I modify the reservation removing the first leg?

They will charge you an amendment fee to do this which, IIRC, is about £100 per passenger plus any difference in price. It is likely to end up costing you more

 

[wayneg]

As Lee says with amendments to flights they charge you the new fare plus amendment fee. So you will have to pay the £100 difference because its more expensive from London plus an amendment fee, in the end you lose out.

The only option is get a flight to Rome and back at the end but that is gong to cost more than your £100 saving plus a lot of hassle, they have you tied unfortunately.

 

[2Tiggies]

Are you really wanting to be on the same transatlantic as your friends? It may sound like a silly question but you need to decide what it's worth to you.

You may find booking flights from a different UK airport works out cheaper. I looked into all kinds of possibilities for flights this year, including budget airlines to connect me to cheaper flights departing from Ireland and being completely flexible on airports did throw up some alternate options

 

[zavandor]

No, the plan was to meet there. But when I've made quotes for them and for me I saw that their flight will be cheaper than any other from London

Thank you all for the info, it looks like I have to pay more for a shorter trip. Nonsense.

 

[ABZDisneyFan]

No, the plan was to meet there. But when I've made quotes for them and for me I saw that their flight will be cheaper than any other from London Thank you all for the info, it looks like I have to pay more for a shorter trip. Nonsense.

Unfortunately standard practise & BA are no different to other airlines. To be fair to BA, the majority of the difference is usually tax, you have the so called ex "Iron Chancellor" Gordon Brown to thank for the ridiculous levels of airport departure tax that we currently pay in the UK, it was one of his numerous favourite indirect taxes that he consistently raised whilst apparently " not increasing taxes" & abolishing boom & bust whilst he was chancellor. If you think the difference is unfair for economy fares try having a look at the difference of business class fares when you start a journey in Europe. Anyways political rant over. If you do opt to to start your journey in Europe, you can get round having to fly back there on the return by booking the last leg i.e London to Rome on a BA flight from Gatwick, that way you collect your bags in LHR & "ahem"accidentally miss your Gatwick flight.

 

[irenep]

It's not just a question of UK airport taxes or even BA as I was looking at flights over new year with Virgin which were £400 cheaper to start in Aberdeen instead of Gatwick. As far as i know Aberdeen is still part of the UK so taxes would be the same (or more as it's an additional flight)
I don't understand flight prices at all

 

[Ciorsdah]

I've found this to be the case with a large number of flights that I book (for work and also for my own holidays).

I asked our corporate travel agent about it and the answer I got was that "direct" flights (eg the London to LA) costs the airline less due to larger traveller numbers/different classes of travel etc etc, so its an ideal place to add on some profit.

Shorter, localised routes (inc Europe flights) dont tend to make much money other than from regular commuters, so to entice people to use these shorter services, they negotiate a bulk price between the 2 legs of the journey.

The cost from Rome to London will likely make up around 70% of the total fare your friend would pay, the remaining 30% would be the London to LA (where BA can charge huge values on business and first class seats, and know that they will be sold). Where as, you will pay 100% of the London to LA fare, plus a small uplift of profit for them.

Its such a scam!

 

[cliveywolves]

Supply and Demand on seats, im sure they make the rest up as they go along and they all pretty much mirror the going price that other airlines are offering,

 

[flortlebap]

Couldn't you get round it by just talking a cabin bag?

 

[2Tiggies]

Couldn't you get round it by just talking a cabin bag?

It's not going there - it's the inbound where baggage problems arise

I agree with Irenep about the significant variation between airports. Those of you who remember my indecision about doing something similar a few months ago may recall that I was tempted by United flights which were £689 from EDI, just under £500 from Aberdeen and £416 from Belfast I came very close to booking and waiting it out to find a budget airline to get me there!