Ex-DUB trick being monitored/closed - be aware

Interesting read as I'm about to book an ex-DUB UC for first time.

To play it safe I'm booking the final leg from LCY - assuming then there can't be any issue at all with the baggage?
thanks

Airlines, of course, are not charities and need to make money so will charge what the market will bear but they really shouldn't be surprised if some people take advantage of far cheaper fares that they're happy to sell to people in other countries.

Pondering the economics though wouldn't you suppose that these offers are not profitable if the base without the add-on is so much higher and VS for example has struggled profit-wise in recent years. It has to be for another reason, for example as a 'lure' for additional passengers so a loss leader ... so maybe one the airline accept for marketing and load reasons rather than pure economics?

I suspect there are all kinds of incentives behind the scenes. Stopovers are extremely profitable for airports, as pax are - in effect - captive.

For example, LHR may well kick-back to airlines for luring pax xfers through the airport (pax stuck at an airport for a few hours with nothing to do but spend money). Most airports take a cut on commercial tenants' revenues, so it would be a direct income stream boost.

I suspect there are all kinds of incentives behind the scenes. Stopovers are extremely profitable for airports, as pax are - in effect - captive.

For example, LHR may well kick-back to airlines for luring pax xfers through the airport (pax stuck at an airport for a few hours with nothing to do but spend money). Most airports take a cut on commercial tenants' revenues, so it would be a direct income stream boost.

I saw on the LGW programme that the operator does not charge many of the retail shops rent but takes a cut of the gross income. They are hot on shops keeping up standards of presentation etc to entice passengers to spend.

I also read that 'millionaires' door to the Concorde Room at LHR did not get it's name because only millionaires could access the CCR through it but because that's how much BA have to pay HAL to have it there - it's 'compensation' for the loss of shopping income.

I saw on the LGW programme that the operator does not charge many of the retail shops rent but takes a cut of the gross income. They are hot on shops keeping up standards of presentation etc to entice passengers to spend.

Very interesting: then luring stopovers/connections and pax xfers is even more lucrative for the airport than I thought.

Every direct DUB-NYC flight, for example, is potentially a loss of 300 or so pax spending cash at LHR for a few hours. Just one or two pax making an expensive spend at a clothing/jewellery story during the stopover is worth a lot to LHR.

I'm the OP; the guy who got stung at LAX.
To give you more details, there were three of us travelling on two bookings and I now wonder if checking-in together (we handed all three passports over) all wanting luggage in London, was just too suspicious - was this of our own making?? I paid the $430 in "fees" (that is all the receipt says) to short-check my and my partner's bags and our friend then also paid his $215. I suddenly realised my partner and I only checked 5 bags between us, meaning we had 1 spare and we immediately asked the agent if we could have simply added our friend's bag to ours, thus avoiding the third "fee"? To our surprise, she agreed and completely refunded our friend's $215, which was very reasonable of her and, of course, we simply split the "fee" three ways.

Roll it forward and I'm back looking at our next trip and once again exploring the ex-DUB route, albeit with a change of airport this time during the return leg (LAX-LHR, connecting with LGW-DUB and therefore ensuring we get access to our bags) and it got me thinking; if VS really are onto this, does anyone think it remotely possible they would go so far as to say "Oh sir, we're re-routing you today to save you having to travel all the way to LGW, and we have made a convenient route change for you - LAX-LHR-DUB..." or is that just too far fetched???

I suppose it is possible if there was massive disruption to flights on the day you were actually flying (LGW closed for example!) - but they would have to discuss that with you at the time and you could refuse of course - but it's not the sort of thing they would / could do in advance.

I suppose it is possible if there was massive disruption to flights on the day you were actually flying (LGW closed for example!) - but they would have to discuss that with you at the time and you could refuse of course - but it's not the sort of thing they would / could do in advance.

Though during disruption, VS is contracted to get you to your final destination, not to the stop offs in-between. So VS could re-route you and put you on another airline direct to DUB (or wherever).

I've simply never been able to get the ex-DUB trick to work. I'm either routed via DL directly to Atlanta, with AA/USAirwaiys or via BA back to LHR and then west with BA, AA or United. Or it simply says no fares are available.

When the correct combination does appear (BA then VS or DL), the price is £8000.

What route are you searching? From my experience it won't work if you try and include a connecting flight in the US (eg DUB-LHR-ATL-MCO).

And have you selected VS as your preferred airline? Although even if you have, it may well offer DL flights if they're also VS codeshares.

I've simply never been able to get the ex-DUB trick to work. I'm either routed via DL directly to Atlanta, with AA/USAirwaiys or via BA back to LHR and then west with BA, AA or United. Or it simply says no fares are available.

When the correct combination does appear (BA then VS or DL), the price is £8000.

Got to be honest, I have never got it to work either. I have used all the suggested sites. I always get the "No fares available" - Its a great saving but I just gave up.

I'm just on Expedia now....

DUB-JFK coming up as £1,084.37. On the same VS flights but without the Dublin legs the price is £2,549.86.

Another tip - it won't work if you select Premium Economy or First Class. Because those classes don't exist on the short hop to DUB (or wherever) the system will just come back with "no available fares". Only search for Economy or Business.

Afternoon all,

I was on the same VS008 (which landed into LHR at 1230) as the OP doing the EX DUB trick and I took my BA flights to and then an additionaly pre booked flight back to LHR which arrived around 2100, yes it was a pain but the savings far outweighed the inconvenience as far as I was concerned.

I have another EX DUB flight to LAS in August with BA and will be taking the full complement of flights then too, it's a great little TP earner too.

What route are you searching? From my experience it won't work if you try and include a connecting flight in the US (eg DUB-LHR-ATL-MCO).

And have you selected VS as your preferred airline? Although even if you have, it may well offer DL flights if they're also VS codeshares.

I was trying to Nashville - DUB-LHR-BNA-LHR-DUB - but as it always requires a connection i guess it won't work. Expedia immediately says no fares.

Google Flights gives me some options, but DL/VS simply do not appear. If i narrow it down to SkyTeam, DL appears (its a DL 767, so no CH), but its £9848 for mid-september.

Try it as

DUB-LHR-ATL*-BNA ....


*or other appropriate entry point into the USA

Connections shouldn't be a problem in themselves as plenty of people do US internals as part of a TP run.

Also on Expedia do not select the airline as part of the initial search criteria. Only do it once the search results appear I've sometimes got different results depending on when I select the airline.

I was trying to Nashville - DUB-LHR-BNA-LHR-DUB - but as it always requires a connection i guess it won't work. Expedia immediately says no fares.

Google Flights gives me some options, but DL/VS simply do not appear. If i narrow it down to SkyTeam, DL appears (its a DL 767, so no CH), but its £9848 for mid-september.

You can price it using ITA Matrix.

I've done DUB-LHR-ATL-BNA-ATL-LHR-DUB as follows:

12/09 DUB-LHR - BA Business
12/09 LHR-ATL - VS UC
12/09 ATL-BNA - DL First
19/09 BNA-ATL - DL First
19/09 ATL-LHR - VS UC
20/09 LHR-DUB - BA Business

Comes out at £1,537.39 per pax.

I used the advanced routing codes to enter 'VS+ / f bc=z' for the flights between LHR and ATL as that forces it to select Virgin UC Z bucket fares.

Unfortunately it doesn't give a URL like Google Flights, but here's the itinerary. You'd probably need a travel agent to book something like that as most sites like Expedia only allow a maximum of 5 flights in their booking tool.

Itinerary

Dublin (DUB) to London (LHR) — Sat, Sep 12
British Airways 831
Dep: 7:45 am
Arr: 9:05 am
1h 20m
Airbus A320
Business (I)
[Meal]

London (LHR) to Atlanta (ATL) — Sat, Sep 12
Virgin Atlantic 115
Dep: 11:35 am
Arr: 4:05 pm
9h 30m
Airbus A330
Business (Z)
[Lunch]

Atlanta (ATL) to Nashville (BNA) — Sat, Sep 12
Delta 1173
Dep: 7:05 pm
Arr: 7:15 pm
1h 10m
MD-80
First (G)

Nashville (BNA) to Atlanta (ATL) — Sat, Sep 19
Delta 1324
Dep: 6:45 am
Arr: 8:55 am
1h 10m
MD-80
First (G)

Atlanta (ATL) to London (LHR) — Sat, Sep 19
[Overnight flight]
Virgin Atlantic 104
Dep: 5:45 pm
Arr: 7:05 am
8h 20m
Airbus A330
Business (Z)
[Dinner]

Sun, Sep 20
London (LHR) to Dublin (DUB) — Sun, Sep 20
British Airways 828
Dep: 9:35 am
Arr: 10:55 am
1h 20m
Airbus A320
Business (I)
[Meal]

Mileage
9,380 total miles

CO2 Emissions
2,745 kg (estimated by ITA).

Airport Information
Dublin International (DUB)
London Heathrow (LHR)
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson ATL (ATL)
Nashville Metropolitan (BNA)

Cost per passenger (including taxes & fees)

£1,537.39
Total cost for 1 passenger

Another tip - it won't work if you select Premium Economy or First Class. Because those classes don't exist on the short hop to DUB (or wherever) the system will just come back with "no available fares". Only search for Economy or Business.

Thanks Gumshoe - Does it take Upper Class as Business??

It does, yes.

That's absolutely insane, yet equally insane i couldn't find it.

I am going to keep trying and make this work, thanks doomwolf.

I've just found that Kayak.co.uk allows you to add up to 6 flights and priced up the trip I worked out above at £1518 and links to lastminute.com to allow booking.

The links from Kayak to Expedia don't seem to work, but that may have something to do with it being 6 flights rather than the maximum 5 you can search for on Expedia.

So is the VS rule that they will short check your bags if the lay-over is overnight or only if its over 24 hours?

I'm hoping we will be okay because although our onward connection is from the same airport it's 23 hours later so will involve an overnight stay...obviously we'd need our bags even if we were intending to take the final leg...

But then another question arises .... could they force us to take an earlier final leg flight thereby requiring our bags to be checked through?

So is the VS rule that they will short check your bags if the lay-over is overnight or only if its over 24 hours?

I'm hoping we will be okay because although our onward connection is from the same airport it's 23 hours later so will involve an overnight stay...obviously we'd need our bags even if we were intending to take the final leg...

But then another question arises .... could they force us to take an earlier final leg flight thereby requiring our bags to be checked through?

I'm in the same position as you, I currently have a scheduled break between my flight from SFO-LHR and from LHR-DUB of 23 hours 30 mins. Hopefully that will be long enough or we will be travelling very light and doing it as hand luggage.

[Darren Wheeler]

If it's an overnight layover, they have to short check due to storage. If it's overnight and more than 24 hours, the savings generally don't work and you'll be liable for APD.

If it's an overnight layover, they have to short check due to storage. If it's overnight and more than 24 hours, the savings generally don't work and you'll be liable for APD.

But only for the last leg who will be the band A rate. (He says because he can't remember the cash figure!)

But savings in ex-Europe are far more than APD anyway