BA BA Berlin flights - Cannot combine with outbound

katejo
katejo Posts: 3,813 Forumite
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edited 22 September 2016 at 12:57PM in Overseas holidays & travel planning
Just wondering whether anyone else has come across this/knows a reason? Earlier in the summer I wanted to book a return flight to Berlin but found that BA allowed an outward flight but that the corresponding return flights a few days later couldn't be booked together with the outward flight. To do this the seats were much more expensive. At first I thought that they had sold out but I experimented with dates much further into the future (at least 3 months or so) and got the same result.
Here is an example from a search done today http://www.britishairways.com/travel/fx/public/en_gb?eId=111011&timestamp=0922114844

I flew to Berlin with BA only just a year ago so this is a fairly recent development.
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  • richardw
    richardw Posts: 19,458 Forumite
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    edited 22 September 2016 at 1:18PM
    I think it is the way BA's ticketing and pricing system works and has something to do with how the fare rules match on the outbound and inbound sectors of the return trip. I've had this before and just booked separate one way flights. Btw there are Stansted flights on fridays and sundays, on a friday it is TXL-STN and Sunday STN-TXL as well as LCY and LHR flights.
    Posts are not advice and must not be relied upon.
  • katejo
    katejo Posts: 3,813 Forumite
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    richardw wrote: »
    I think it is the way BA's ticketing and pricing system works and has something to do with how the fare rules match on the outbound and inbound sectors of the return trip. I've had this before and just booked separate one way flights. Btw there are Stansted flights on fridays and sundays, on a friday it is TXL-STN and Sunday STN-TXL as well as LCY and LHR flights.

    OK thanks. I will have a look though I have almost given up for this time and decided to keep the money for a later trip. I was originally due to go in September but had to cancel for health reasons.
  • Heliflyguy
    Heliflyguy Posts: 932 Forumite
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    edited 22 September 2016 at 2:32PM
    On BA on that route there are quite a few minimum stay requirements, mostly 3 days and a Sunday night stay.

    Quite a few of the fares require the booking to be on certain flights on specific days.

    The lowest fares have 50 and 60 day advanced purchase.

    It appears to be a rather complicated route to book.
  • katejo
    katejo Posts: 3,813 Forumite
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    Heliflyguy wrote: »
    On BA on that route there are quite a few minimum stay requirements, mostly 3 days and a Sunday night stay.

    Quite a few of the fares require the booking to be on certain flights on specific days.

    The lowest fares have 50 and 60 day advanced purchase.

    It appears to be a rather complicated route to book.

    Mine didn't include a Sunday. It was going to be Tuesday or Wed to Saturday or Sunday though it would have been 4 nights. I am pretty sure I did test it 50 days ahead at one point.
  • SW17
    SW17 Posts: 853 Forumite
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    katejo wrote: »
    Mine didn't include a Sunday. It was going to be Tuesday or Wed to Saturday or Sunday though it would have been 4 nights. I am pretty sure I did test it 50 days ahead at one point.

    Can you give an example of dates you searched which had this problem, and for how many passengers? Was it LHR-TXL-LHR?
  • katejo
    katejo Posts: 3,813 Forumite
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    SW17 wrote: »
    Can you give an example of dates you searched which had this problem, and for how many passengers? Was it LHR-TXL-LHR?

    Yes it was that route. i don't remember all the dates which I tested because some were just random periods of 3-4 days to test whether it always applied this restriction and I did those tests several weeks ago. The only exact dates tried more recently are the one in my example 12th to 15th October.
  • SW17
    SW17 Posts: 853 Forumite
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    Looks like weekend dates over the next 4-5 weeks are at higher prices, all the cheaper fare buckets are closed to sales. From mid-Nov onwards it's a lot cheaper, I guess the advance purchase mentioned above by Heliflyguy comes into play.

    I've flown to Berlin many times on BA, though all my flights have been on weekdays and I've never really noticed this (not to say it wasn't happening, but I don't recall some of the prices that I've seen today). As mentioned above, obviously some complex fare rules being used, for whatever reason. Maybe try easyJet :)
  • peachyprice
    peachyprice Posts: 22,346 Forumite
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    Oktoberfest?
    Accept your past without regret, handle your present with confidence and face your future without fear
  • eDicky
    eDicky Posts: 6,561 Forumite
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    peachyprice wrote: »
    Oktoberfest?
    Doubtful, Berlin's distance from Munich is not so convenient...
    Evolution, not revolution
  • peachyprice
    peachyprice Posts: 22,346 Forumite
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    eDicky wrote: »
    Doubtful, Berlin's distance from Munich is not so convenient...

    They have Oktoberfest in Berlin too
    Accept your past without regret, handle your present with confidence and face your future without fear
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