Anybody understand rules on airline tickets?

DavidLaGuardia

This was about five years ago, but I'm still fuming and have not found an answer.
I was due to fly to New York with a friend of mine and needed to get two tickets. I discovered I could purchase them at £175 plus tax each flying KLM Heathrow to Schipol (Amsterdam). and then on a second flight to to JFK airport.
As my friend was working in the Ruhr valley it seemed logical, to me, for her to save the expense of getting a Flying to London (and probably time when one considers checking in) get a train to Amsterdam and pick up the second flight there.
However, I was told that if she was not on the first leg, the ticket on the second plane would be sold as she would be a none-show at Heathrow. I made the point that this was unnecesary if the airline were informed she would be going from schipol, and the airline also had the opportunity to sell another seat each way between London and Amsterdam if they wanted. Although the agent agreed with my logic, it as beyond her power to change this rule.
In the end my friends ticket had to be bought directly from the airline costing 2.5 times as much as mine (and yes we did enquire about her flying to London first from Germany, but that was not cheaper at the time).
I though the whole affair was a crock of s*@#! I even though about equipping a manekin for the first leg, but that would have breached the non transfer rules of the ticket (which incidentally is a rule I appreciate from a commercial angle, but which is not the case in this story).
Has anyone got any acceptable (or non acceptable ) explantion for this?

Trollydolly_2

Nope it is a stupid rule but one that exists and we all have to obide by.

stratford_2

Hi there. I think the answer is partly within your question! Essentially airlines can often offer better prices to people in other countries (even with a connecting flight). This is to encourage people who wouldn't normally fly with them, ie. those who would prefer a direct flight from their own country.
It can be more expensive to fly direct, as your friend found out, because people are prepared to pay more for the convinience. All the airlines do it - there was a recent thread about BA doing the same thing. As for the cancellation of the second leg, if the the passenger does not complete the first leg, that is standard practice - to stop people taking the direct flight at a cheaper price and (I think) there could also be the assumption that the first no-show could lead to a second no-show.

Doesn't help much, I'm afraid!

alanrowell

Basically you made a contract to fly London to NY. By not joining the flight until Amsterdam you break that contract

DavidLaGuardia

Well I guess that explains that then and I can understand the reasoning. Just a !!!!!! as my friend was A. English and represented the market KLM would have been trying to "encourage" (they were just in the wrong place at the time) and B. the fact that she had no more convenient a connnection having to come in from another country, albeit a train journey. But I undertand that this was just unfortunate and the principles outlined above are still right. Thank you.