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I’ve soon got to try & book a flight on HKG-LON where availability disappears fast. I’ve used the UK number before now but reading these forums I may need to do this just after midnight.
Which office have members found easiest to use, USA or Australia?
Can you usually call before midnight & so they are set up to go when the bell tolls?
Is the normal Exec Club the best number to use?
Cheers for any advice.I rang the US number this morning and got told they couldn’t help me book an inbound flight and to ring the BA exec line. I informed them it was not open and that’s why I was ringing them. She said it was open and I just needed to ring. I replied explaining that it was 04:50 and they were not open. She insisted they were.
They weren’t.
Absolutely useless. But probably a rare experience.
Sounds like you had a HUACA situation there, @Amy, numerous people on here have reported calling the US line and being able to do this. Have you found a CPT return flight?!
Don’t forget that once the clocks change at the end of the month it’ll be 1 am to make a T-355 booking.
Sounds like you had a HUACA situation there, @Amy, numerous people on here have reported calling the US line and being able to do this. Have you found a CPT return flight?!
Don’t forget that once the clocks change at the end of the month it’ll be 1 am to make a T-355 booking.
I had no issue booking club out to Cape Town a couple of weeks ago using the US phone number just ahead of midnight, but when I came to book the inbound the agent said this number is really reserved for US customers and I should book online in future (which we know is often too late by the time you pay). She did the booking but I wonder if call centre staff have been asked to start pushing back on UK callers on the US number at this time?
Sounds like you had a HUACA situation there, @Amy, numerous people on here have reported calling the US line and being able to do this. Have you found a CPT return flight?!
Don’t forget that once the clocks change at the end of the month it’ll be 1 am to make a T-355 booking.
Yes, and I told her that re how many others have booked by calling US number. Was frustrating. Have recounted the tale on the other thread too. Have finally got return seats 🍾
I called the US within the last week and the agent was very reluctant to help. Told me to call the UK number and when I informed him that it was closed and I hoped for a 24/7 service around the globe he informed me that he couldn’t give me any numbers for other global locations. I point out that he didn’t need to because I was talking to him and he was able to process my request if he so desired!
In the end, because I needed to book flights across two 2-4-1’s belong to player 1 and 2 I reverted to doing so online. He told me that he would have to complete the booking of the first before he was able to reserve the second by which point I figured I’d be quicker trying to grab both lots simultaneously myself.
If they are increasingly reluctant to help I wonder what the harm is in updating your address to the US (or other preferred location) so they know they are helping ‘one of their own’ so to speak?
To be honest I would do it online. I know Rob advises otherwise, but I’ve done it several times now with 100% success, two club seats each time for routes including both Singapore and Barbados from standard redemption inventory.
Just make sure you’re ready to go on the dot of midnight with all traveller and payment details already set up. You can even get a browser plugin to pre-populate most fields if you feel it necessary to go that far. If you’re organised and do some dummy practice runs you can get it all the way through to payment within the low tens of seconds – the chances of timing a call right and getting a co-operative agent to reserve the seats quicker are probably quite slim.
To be honest I would do it online. I know Rob advises otherwise, but I’ve done it several times now with 100% success, two club seats each time for routes including both Singapore and Barbados from standard redemption inventory.
Just make sure you’re ready to go on the dot of midnight with all traveller and payment details already set up. You can even get a browser plugin to pre-populate most fields if you feel it necessary to go that far. If you’re organised and do some dummy practice runs you can get it all the way through to payment within the low tens of seconds – the chances of timing a call right and getting a co-operative agent to reserve the seats quicker are probably quite slim.
You bought the outbound. Then later how did you book the inbound?
It is all in this thread:https://www.headforpoints.com/forums/topic/booking-return-leg-with-companion-voucher/
Iskyped USA number last week for adding on 241 return from HKG. Phoned about 10 mins to midnight. Chap was very helpful, but turned out he was in India not USA , so call must have been diverted. Never had a problem doing the midnight or 1 am return booking. You were unlucky.
To be honest I would do it online. I know Rob advises otherwise, but I’ve done it several times now with 100% success, two club seats each time for routes including both Singapore and Barbados from standard redemption inventory.
Just make sure you’re ready to go on the dot of midnight with all traveller and payment details already set up. You can even get a browser plugin to pre-populate most fields if you feel it necessary to go that far. If you’re organised and do some dummy practice runs you can get it all the way through to payment within the low tens of seconds – the chances of timing a call right and getting a co-operative agent to reserve the seats quicker are probably quite slim.
Completely agree, @marks7389 – also got SIN (for this July) this way (and also stayed up the previous 2 nights doing dummy runs!!)
To be honest I would do it online. I know Rob advises otherwise, but I’ve done it several times now with 100% success, two club seats each time for routes including both Singapore and Barbados from standard redemption inventory.
Just make sure you’re ready to go on the dot of midnight with all traveller and payment details already set up. You can even get a browser plugin to pre-populate most fields if you feel it necessary to go that far. If you’re organised and do some dummy practice runs you can get it all the way through to payment within the low tens of seconds – the chances of timing a call right and getting a co-operative agent to reserve the seats quicker are probably quite slim.
You bought the outbound. Then later how did you book the inbound?
Where required by making a full Avios booking and then phoning for a 50% Avios refund. When I booked the Barbados trip that we took in February, I tried calling as adding it onto the original booking would have saved a bit of cash. However by the time they picked up just after midnight I’d already started to book online and thought it better to carry on so dropped the call.
Our Singapore trip for later this year is one way, booked with a Barclaycard voucher as we’re booked on Qatar for the return.
I rang the US number this morning and got told they couldn’t help me book an inbound flight and to ring the BA exec line. I informed them it was not open and that’s why I was ringing them. She said it was open and I just needed to ring. I replied explaining that it was 04:50 and they were not open. She insisted they were.
They weren’t.
Absolutely useless. But probably a rare experience.
I had the same experience last year when ringing the US number at midnight.
Thanks for all the advice.
As I was flexible on dates I tried the UK number at 6am as the website states however it didn’t open until 8. Called at 7.55, got through to a very helpful lady & luckily there were still 2 seats available which she added to my booking. Looking at the account activity she likely rebooked it all as my Avios & 241 were refunded & then used again.
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