Ex-EU Itinerary

Hey all!

I'm a bit stuck for ideas and I wonder if anyone can weigh in with some suggestions.

I have found the absolutely perfectly Ex-EU itinerary for an upcoming trip to New York on Google Flights, yet I just cannot recreate it on any other site (and I have tried lots!). Even eDreams, which Google offers as the booking option, seems to crash whenever I click through to purchase

So I have 2 quick questions:

1. Google also suggests I call Virgin to book. If I do, will they allow me to book an Ex-EU itin over the phone? From what I understand these are a little frowned upon with the airlines.
2. Does anyone have any sites they recommend? I've tried all of the obvious ones (Expedia, Orbitz, Hipmunk, SkyScanner, Opodo etc. etc.) as well as lots of not so obvious ones.

For reference, the itinerary is as follows:

Total cost per passenger = £1,207

Flight 1: Dublin (DUB) – London (LHR)
Fri, 29 Jul 19:40 – 21:00
British Airways 823

Flight 2: London (LHR) – New York (JFK)
Sat, 30 Jul 16:05 – 19:00
Virgin Atlantic 9

Flight 3: New York (JFK) - London (LHR)
Tue, 2 Aug 20:00 – 08:00+1
Virgin Atlantic 112

Flight 4: London (LHR) - Dublin (DUB)
Wed, 3 Aug 13:20 - 14:40
British Airways 836

Thanks in advance!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with booking an ex-EU itinerary, so you are perfectly fine booking it with VS. They offer these fares because they WANT people in Ireland to fly with them via London rather than direct with Aer Lingus or a US airline.

So they're perfectly legitimate fares - what the airlines don't like is people dropping the final leg but of course if that's your intention you're not going to tell them in advance!

So give VS a call - failing that I booked my last ex-EU with STA Travel (priced online, bought in branch). I prefer a "real" travel agent to an OTA as customer service tends to be better and it's easier to sort any issues if plans change or flights are cancelled/retimed.

Thanks for the reply gumshoe, that's a really big help. I'll give Virgin a call now

I assume you are actually intending to fly the last leg from this itinerary.

If you were tempted not to then you should make the last hop to DUB start in LGW or LCY to force an airport change and prevent through-tagging of bas.

It's a work trip so I'll just be travelling with hand luggage. I do, of course have every intention of flying the last leg - although I accept that something very important could come up at the last moment that would prevent me from making it

Tales are that VS's staff are not quite as firm on not allowing to short check the baggage, to be picked up in London before Dublin., allowing you to walk away.

BA is very firm on this one from certain airports. AA seemed to infer that it was something I could do if I wanted, last time I flew from LAX, but I'd not rely on that....

I assume VS will eventually become firmer though...

Regarding Ex-EU fares, current advice when booking on BA is to book direct, as BA have been chasing travel agents for the difference in fare when last leg has been dropped, and it's not fair on the travel agent if you drop the last leg. Some travel agents now require you to sign that if you drop the last leg, the TA can pass on any extra costs incurred.

I haven't heard of Virgin doing the same though, but they could do.

Regarding BA being firm about short checking luggage, their new check in system that they are rolling out had no possible way of short checking bags until a week ago, so the agents had no option but to check bags in all the way.

Are you sure you need to do ex-Eu? It's only £1500 from London. Not sure the minimal saving would warrant a return trip to Dublin. Use 15,000 miles and it's down to £1300... You still collect miles & TPs on an M&M fare.

[mitchja]

Regarding BA being firm about short checking luggage, their new check in system that they are rolling out had no possible way of short checking bags until a week ago, so the agents had no option but to check bags in all the way.

Surely though you can still get round that with any airline by making sure the final leg departs from a different UK airport such as LGW?

For my next ex-EU VS flight to BOS in September, the final leg to DUB does depart from LGW rather than LHR.

For those of us not living in the South, other than it adding a couple of hours on to the trip home, it's actually no great hassle having to use the final leg to DUB anyway. I can just book a flight from DUB>MAN, LPL or LBA, instead of a separate flight LHR>MAN or LBA. This is what I did last year coming back from SFO.

Are you sure you need to do ex-Eu? It's only £1500 from London. Not sure the minimal saving would warrant a return trip to Dublin. Use 15,000 miles and it's down to £1300... You still collect miles & TPs on an M&M fare.

People should ALWAYS check the fare for departing via eg LHR/LGW ( even if starting in the regions) before jumping into ex-Eu trips. . And check more than just DUB as well.

Another option is to formally end the trip LHR Yes the savings aren't as great as a full ex-Eu but some people might be more comfortable doing this than dropping the last leg.

Last August I was looking for ORD and found what I thought was a great ex-Eu fare but then I checked the ex-LHR (which involved an internal in the US from MSP to Ord and then ORD to ATL on the way back and it was much cheaper than the Ex-Eu fare so no issue with short checking bags either or organising positioning flights either

As to airlines not liking ex-eu trips well there is nothing illegal in them BUT the issue is when people regularly drop the last leg - which is generally against the T&Cs. BA now has complex software that can pick people up that do this regularly. They may not go after people for the extra cash but the consequences for some people in having their executive club account closed with the loss of avios and status can be dire.

Regarding BA being firm about short checking luggage, their new check in system that they are rolling out had no possible way of short checking bags until a week ago, so the agents had no option but to check bags in all the way.

Surely though you can still get round that with any airline by making sure the final leg departs from a different UK airport such as LGW?

Yes, overnight and different airport connections can't have bags checked through anyway.

I have made the rookie error and booked my last leg from Heathrow I am traveling dub lhr lax outbound and lax lhr dub return I have booked a return from Dublin should I need it but I have made such a saving £961 return upper class even if I don't make last flight I paid for I won't be upset seeing as virgin wanted just over £1000 return for economy

BA now has complex software that can pick people up that do this regularly. They may not go after people for the extra cash but the consequences for some people in having their executive club account closed with the loss of avios and status can be dire.

Except there is, as far as I can see, absolutely no evidence that BA have ever done this. Lots of veiled threats on FT that they're cracking down but, apart from one travel agent who says they sanctioned him (no doubt because he was a persistent offender), no-one's ever said they've had any action taken against them.

Which isn't to say it won't happen in the future but, at this point, it all appears to be scaremongering.

Yes, dropping the last leg is in breach of the T&Cs but the chances of any sanctions against you are tiny, particularly if you travel HBO or make sure that last leg leaves from a different airport.

I don't understand why BA would have a problem if you don't turn up for the final leg of your itinerary - you've paid for the seat and so have the choice as to whether or not you choose to sit in it. I've been on a few Ex-EU's recently and have so far always taken the last leg (To top-up tier points) and on every single one of them there have been empty business class seats. I asked one of the crew about it and she was quite open about it being people who do this and skip the last leg. She said nobody ever has luggage that needs to be removed and flights are never held up as a result, so as far as they are concerned there is no problem with it at all.

With regards to Virgin, again I don't think I've seen a full upper class cabin so far, so I'm sure they are pleased to just get bums on seats (albeit at a heavily reduced price) and generate additional revenue.

Having said that, mikethe3rd did raise a very good point and, having checked on the VA site I can see that I could just save myself the hassle and book it direct for £1,300, which I am going to do now - Thanks Mike

I will definitely continue to look for Ex-EU though where the savings are substantial, and if I choose not to take the final leg on any of them I certainly won't feel bad about it!

I don't understand why BA would have a problem if you don't turn up for the final leg of your itinerary - you've paid for the seat and so have the choice as to whether or not you choose to sit in it.

I agree, but they would argue that the fare for the journey you actually made would have been considerably higher so you're denying them several hundred pounds.

I will definitely continue to look for Ex-EU though where the savings are substantial, and if I choose not to take the final leg on any of them I certainly won't feel bad about it!

Good for you.

Never feel bad about playing the airlines at their own game. They've created this anomaly and it simply proves how ludicrously high ex-UK fares can be.

If BA are so concerned about people playing the system they could have easily removed the anomaly by raising ex-EU fares or reducing ex-UK ones to make them identical. But they haven't, so as long as they allow their system to be played they'll have to put up with people playing it.

And I doubt very much that they'll start going after the "little guy" who drops the final leg as it would most likely end in a PR disaster for them. "BA fined me £900 for changing my travel plans to be with my dying mother" won't look good.

Quick question about the tier points on this type of shenanigan, if i've booked a very similar fare with Dub-LHR and LHR-Dub on BA wrapped around a virgin upper class booking, will these routes score me any tier points or miles?

Yes, full miles & TPs for whichever fare bucket you're booked into. You'll also earn Avios & BAEC TPs for the BA legs flown, if you have an account with them.

Thanks for that, i've been trying to add my BA Exec card details on the BA site next to this booking but it won't accept them, i wondered if there's anyway that i would get extra virgin tier points for the BA sections as i'm ever so slightly short of virgin tier points this year unfortunately!

No, you'll only earn VS miles & TPs for the VS legs.

Just get the BA check-in agent to add your BAEC number to the booking when you drop off your bags if you can't do it online.

If you're heading to the US you could consider booking a short hop on Delta or Virgin America to make up the VS tier points you need. That tends to be the most cost-effective way of earning TPs if you choose the right routes.