Price of flights changes during the booking process?

Glacier_2

Has this ever happened to anyone here?

I was booking flights on ba.com last night around midnight. I searched for the combination of flights that I needed and was happy with the presented price. I was happy to proceed on that basis.

Got through the payment process, even entering the verified by visa password. All throughout the process the same fare was quoted.

At the very end it just said there was an error and to please try again later.

Now I knew there was enough money in the bank to pay. So I tried again straight away. This time they quoted the a price which was 30 quid dearer than the price in my failed booking.

I went through the entire booking process again and this time surprise, surprise it went through grand. £30 more than 5 minutes earlier.

BA were still the cheapest by a country mile for my journey but it leaves a nasty taste in my mouth.

They have today reduced the fare back to the initial level that I wanted to book at. This boiled my blood so much that I rang BA only to be told tough and you can have your money back if you don't want the flights.

Does the consumer have any rights in this situation?

PeacefulWaters

No rights until you have a confirmation.

BA tend to vary things between midnight and 2am. Presumably automated.

Why not take the refund and rebook at the lower price? Via Topcashback.

(And check the price inclusive of car hire - it might be even cheaper).

Glacier_2

I can't really take a refund because by the time the refund appears on my card the fares will be through the roof. Also there is zero guarantee that they won't do the same thing again. Offer at 1 price and then only sell at a 2nd higher price.

The only olive branch BA would offer was to move me to an earlier flight for the first leg which was on the same fare basis as what I already paid. Just means I get to spend an extra 90 mins in the UK.

It is the fact they reverted the prices within 6 hours that irks me greatly.

jpsartre

Glacier wrote: »

Does the consumer have any rights in this situation?

No, but due to their 24-hour free cancellation policy they offered you a full refund.

Prices go up and down all the time, it's pointless to get worked up about a £30 increase/decrease. If you think there's some conspiracy to get you to book at a higher price then I can only say that I've booked 100's of BA flights over the years and I've never once had an increase between picking flights and paying. More likely someone else booked the same time as you which pushed the fare up and the next day BA's revenue management decided to lower the price again.

rustyboy21

There are other people looking at the same time at flights, as well as you.

Have had this happen a lot of times, usually when the flights have just been released b the likes of Easyjet, jet2.com etc.

Price of seats are dependent on sales and when sold, they may only have 10 set up on that price structure, then they go up in price to the next tier.

You were just unlucky.

Blue264

I have this happen on a weekly basis at work. Fares aren't guaranteed until the tickets are issued.

Just imagine this... If you're looking at a major route, such as Heathrow to JFK with BA, every travel company in the World that books flights, plus all the people booking themselves online, have access to the same 300+ seats on the flight you want to book. All it takes is one or two group bookings, or the announcement of a conference in NYC, and a flight can sell out in seconds.

Glacier_2

Guess I will just have to suck it up.

Blue264

Glacier wrote: »

Guess I will just have to suck it up.

Unfortunately, yes, particularly when it comes to direct long haul flights.