To think it's wrong for BA to

[PissedoffBAtraveller]

Cancel my return flight without advising me or giving me my money back? Background, My child is spending the rest of the summer in the UK with family and I would return to Europe alone for work. As the system doesn't let you book an individual One way ticket for a minor and a return for an adult I booked us both singles. I then went back into system to book my own adult single back to Europe. Predictably the one way fare from UK to Europe was 3 times the price of a return flight booked Europe-UK-Europe so I opted for the latter intending to use only the return sector. So essentially I paid for 2 outbound flights for myself and one return. Checked into our flight, did said journey last night. This morning I go to check into my return flight and BA have cancelled it. I then have to pay 480gbp for a new ticket for a one hour flight that I already purchased a seat for! Still with me?! AIBU to think that airlines are being unethical to not allow you to use just part of the ticket I have paid for, why do they care? You would never find this policy on trains,buses,ferries, taxis, etc so why do airlines think it's ok to take your money and give you no part of the service? Surely that's not even actually legal! Hello to everyone who knows me, I've been ranting on facebook all day I've now essentially paid 3 times to do an overnight hop across the channel! And even more annoyingly I wouldn't normally fly but I'm avoiding Calais region at the moment!

[eurochick]

It's not fair but it is common with return flights.

[PissedoffBAtraveller]

Why can they do that though... They've taken your money, it's a transaction, you get something in return... It's like paying for a set menu in a restaurant and being told you don't qualify for the dessert as you didn't eat the main course...iys so manipulative

[VegasIsBest]

It is common knowledge that airline flights have to be used in the order they are booked. And if you skip a leg then all subsequent legs are void. You will see this is the terms and conditions when you book.

So BA haven't cancelled your flight. They have followed the terms and conditions that you agreed to.

I can see how annoying this is for you today - but you needed to do some more research before making your booking and thinking you'd got one over on BA.

[contortionist]

Annoying, yes, but I don't see why it's unethical. The terms & conditions are not secret.

[Costacoffeeplease]

It's normal - eurotunnel is the same, we had to pay much more for a single ticket than a return would have cost

[PissedoffBAtraveller]

Ok, fair enough but I didn't know that and who reads pages and pages of t & c, I'm not trying to get one over but I'm trying to get the best deal as most consumers do, the fare structures are unfair in the first place. Why do only airlines have this policy... Seems unfair

[PissedoffBAtraveller]

And why does everyone accept it as normal and not problematic? I think it's problematic to charge for a service and honour no part of it, pocketing the cash!

[AnotherTimeMaybe]

I work for an airline and I think that's extremely frustrating , I actually don't see why they do that! So I'm with you on this but unfortunately if it's in the t&cs you can't do much!

[MyLovelyFriend2015]

It's called throw away ticketing


www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/1166726-what-do-when-airline-warned-me-about-numerous-throw-away-ticketing-95-vs-497-a.html

Read here

[MyLovelyFriend2015]

Some people like it to a buy one get one free

You cannot just take the free one, you have to pay for the first one

[AyeAmarok]

Could you not have just booked two return tickets, one for you and one for your child, then had your child just not do the return journey?

[RobinHumphries]

It's not just airlines that do this though. Ferries do the same

[Peshwari]

Now that train stations have barriers, you often cannot alight at an earlier station if it's not the one displayed on the ticket.

[LHReturns]

It's a pain but a well known catch in our special plans to get one over on the airline! You can get away with it if only using the outbound flight (and then not use the return), but you can't in reverse. If you don't use the outbound flight your (nice cheap) return will be cancelled, so can't be used as a single.

OP did pay for it, but she didn't use the first part of it....

[PissedoffBAtraveller]

AyeAmarok I should have maybe done that but it's a total guessing game, I figured I would get a better price.buying a single ticket based on the pricing but turns out a single ticket from Europe to UK is MUCH cheaper than the same route in reverse.. You know I just find it really wrong that they will willingly take your money for a supposed service and make such stipulations! Well lesson learnt I suppose but I find it really obnoxious!

[Peshwari]

MyLovelyFriend2015

The OP has paid for both parts already. The correct analogy would be, it's like buy one get one free, you pay for one, get one free but because you throw away one they take the other one off you too!

[LHReturns]

Peshwari is exactly right...

[PissedoffBAtraveller]

Exactly my lovely friend it's saying you paid for it and own it now but you can't have it because your not using it the way I told you to and no you can't have your money back! I call that wrong!

[JeanSeberg]

It's always dearer to book a single so book a return with a random date in the future but make sure it's the first flight you use! I do this all the time. You even get your tax refunded when you cancel the second flight.

[PissedoffBAtraveller]

Good tip jeanseberg I'll do that in future, it's not just purchasing a plane ticket is it its a military precision planned operation!

[DinosaursRoar]

It's annoying, I got caught out with this about 10 years ago with a different airline, I bought a return flight to where my then DP was living in Europe to spend NY with him, but then as he'd driven back to the UK to spend Christmas with his parents, I joined him in the car on the way back, and so only needed to use the return after New Year. Arrived at the airport to find they had "helpfully" cancelled my flight, but I caused a bit of a scene, and the tiny airline I was flying with reinstated my ticket.

It's not on, you've booked and paid for 2 tickets, just because you didn't use one of them, doesn't mean you shouldn't be allowed to use the other. It might be hidden in their Ts&Cs but it's still shitty behaviour, I don't think buying a product should come with a requirement to use it! unless it's chocolate

[PissedoffBAtraveller]

I'm
Glad you managed to get yours reinstated dinosaur, I tried this morning at the airport but the customer services just said sorry we are customer services not customer relations, payup or don't fly.. Tbh now I know about it I'm most surprised that this is not something that large consumer groups don't champion as its a real consumer issue. Where else do you pay for something and be entitled to no part of it and no refund because of some well hidden terms and conditions..
I'm going to have to look at my booking now and see just how clearly this rule is displayed.

[MyLovelyFriend2015]

Plane ticketing pricing is a complex process.

They have terms and conditions, and yes it sucks, but you didn't follow them. You tried to get a discount by agreeing to travel both ways.

I don't think its right, but I don't see how you can argue against it after the fact? Obviously there is more demand for one ways which is why they are more expensive

Maybe it's more like a bogof where you try to return just the one you paid for, and keep the free one?

[Shakshuka]

It's really annoying and really unfair but it's all the major airlines, not just BA.

I think only airlines like easyjet with straight forward pricing don't do it.

[PissedoffBAtraveller]

And what about freedom of choice, just because I've purchased it why do I HAVE to use it? Any number of instances could arise meaning I coudnt use it, and why would the airline care, they have the money already! I