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Hello
I am looking to book flights around March 2024 for a holiday during March 2025. We are a family of three (two adults, one child).
I have multiple companion vouchers (on the same BA account) and assumed that I could select one voucher to ultimately get 3-for-2 (a 2-for-1, then paying full price for the third).
When I go to book and select three passengers, I get an error if I select one or two companion vouchers.
Selecting one voucher says: “To see enhanced British Airways availability for this flight, you will need to use one BA American Express Premium Plus Companion Voucher for every two travellers in this booking” on the flight selection page. It also says “Sorry there is a problem with booking this journey online. Try selecting other flights”.
Selecting two vouchers says: “Your booking must include a minimum of 2 passengers per companion eVoucher you wish to use. Please reselect the number of passengers” on the main Book With Avios page.
Very confused if anyone could offer any insight as how to book for a family of three? Would rather get a fool proof plan in place prior to fighting for availability in March.
short answer if all the vouchers are in your name you can only book 2 people on one voucher and make a separate booking for the other person.
For family of three you need to earn vouchers in 2 names.
This has been answered many times across many threads and there was a recent article which touched on this too. If you want more discussion on the topic.
Asked many times before and it can’t be done. See below recent article and scroll to bottom:
“For three people:
No.Frustratingly, even though you can now use a 2-4-1 voucher for a solo traveller, paying half the standard number of Avios, you cannot use two vouchers issued to the same person to book for a family of three.
This is an IT oversight by British Airways and I would expect that it will get changed at some point, since it makes no sense.
A family of three would require both parents to each earn their own separate 2-4-1 voucher. One voucher could be used for the first parent and the child on a 2-4-1 basis, whilst the second voucher could be used by the second parent for a 50% discount on their own ticket. You can only do this if each parent generates their own 2-4-1 voucher from their own credit card.”
In summary, you are massively disadvantaged for not being a nuclear family.
Article is this one:
Sorry – it sucks.
I think the issue here is that when the search finds “extra availability” seats in CW, it will only allow you to book for 2 people max. If you’re planning to book as soon as the seats are released, they are much more likely to be the standard ones, and you should be able to have more than 2 people on the booking.
Unfortunately you won’t know until you come to make the actual booking. However, even if you have to make 2 separate bookings (1 adult plus child with the 241, and 1 adult on a separate booking), this shouldn’t cause any major issues.
In these sorts of circumstances can you call up and book for 3 people? Using a 241 for 2 people and then full avios for 3rd person, and that way have the booking on a single PNR?
That’s not the issue here. You can use a 241 for multiple people AS LONG AS the seats are not from “extra availability” CW inventory opened up by the 241. Calling BA will not change this.
OP is doing a dummy booking but finding extra availability.
Massive oversight by BA on this.
When the new voucher was introduced, I was able to book for 3, but don’t remember if the availability was from additional I class. BA went on to plug this loophole but overcompensated by blocking any 3 person booking.
It’s also weird that they allow 4 people in a booking using 2 vouchers, which effectively means the second voucher can be used for 2 people neither of which is a voucher holder. But this is not allowed for 3 person bookings.
There are two separate elements to this. Not allowing the third person to access the extra availability directly or via the back door which is obviously right.
The other issue isn’t a BA one but the nature of airline booking systems such that BA can only book things in standardised IATA formats.
For the 241 BA takes the Avios for one person (but allocates it to two) but the charges for two people. Airline systems allow for different fares in respect of say adults/children/infants but can’t mix a 241 and a 50% off. It’s the same as if there’s just one seat left at a particular fare when you are booking for two – systems can’t give one person the cheaper fare and the other one the next fare; you both pay the higher one unless you make separate bookings.
In these sorts of circumstances can you call up and book for 3 people? Using a 241 for 2 people and then full avios for 3rd person, and that way have the booking on a single PNR?
thanks. My misunderstanding, we’re a two/four travelling group. So not something I’ve looked into
Looks like I screwed up getting two vouchers in my name.
Guess I’ll just make one booking from my account with the voucher for myself and daughter, and my wife can make an Avois booking (without a voucher) for herself paying the full Avois value. Luckily we have enough points.
For the 241 BA takes the Avios for one person (but allocates it to two) but the charges for two people. Airline systems allow for different fares in respect of say adults/children/infants but can’t mix a 241 and a 50% off. It’s the same as if there’s just one seat left at a particular fare when you are booking for two – systems can’t give one person the cheaper fare and the other one the next fare; you both pay the higher one unless you make separate bookings.
Whether its a 241 or a 50% off, the taxes and charges are same for each person, surely? So that should be possible to ticket? Its only the avios element thats being discounted in a slightly different way (even that can be argued to be same?), which is in BA’s control.
Looks like I screwed up getting two vouchers in my name.
Guess I’ll just make one booking from my account with the voucher for myself and daughter, and my wife can make an Avois booking (without a voucher) for herself paying the full Avois value. Luckily we have enough points.
Unfortunately its this. Or use a Barclays upgrade or try to hit 10k on her own BAPP. Only saving grace is you will have an additional 241 for future use.
You can always make use of the BA Holiday benefits by booking flight plus car and/or hotel for the 2nd adult (obviously all 3 would use car/hotel elements). Then one of you is earning more avios and TPs and you have more avios left over for your next trip.
In these sorts of circumstances can you call up and book for 3 people? Using a 241 for 2 people and then full avios for 3rd person, and that way have the booking on a single PNR?
No
You can’t mix different types of ticket on the same booking.
And despite the use of avios on both using the voucher on one means it becomes a different type of ticket and can’t be added to.
Questions like this come up all the time such as can I book on the same ticket me in club but the nanny and kids in PE. But the answer is always the same – no as everything on the same booking has to be exactly the same.
And people should stop blaming BA IT for this. It’s not an “IT failure” as even airlines with supposedly better systems still can’t do this sort of thing.
I’m sure I’ve answered this twice already!
It actually was always possible to do this, online, though it’s been suggested above that BA has removed this facility recently. We travelled just last summer with 3 of us on a 241 booking. As long as you were drawing from the standard inventory (not “extra” availability), you could just select as many passengers as you wanted and the system charged you full avios for them.
We are on the same boat. We use one BAPP and one Barclaycard vouchers to book us three.
For the 241 BA takes the Avios for one person (but allocates it to two) but the charges for two people. Airline systems allow for different fares in respect of say adults/children/infants but can’t mix a 241 and a 50% off. It’s the same as if there’s just one seat left at a particular fare when you are booking for two – systems can’t give one person the cheaper fare and the other one the next fare; you both pay the higher one unless you make separate bookings.
Whether its a 241 or a 50% off, the taxes and charges are same for each person, surely? So that should be possible to ticket? Its only the avios element thats being discounted in a slightly different way (even that can be argued to be same?), which is in BA’s control.
It’s unfortunately not quite the same, even if the result ends up being the same. It really isn’t BA being difficult; they can’t just format the fare line to suit themselves.
I’m sure I’ve answered this twice already!
It actually was always possible to do this, online, though it’s been suggested above that BA has removed this facility recently. We travelled just last summer with 3 of us on a 241 booking. As long as you were drawing from the standard inventory (not “extra” availability), you could just select as many passengers as you wanted and the system charged you full avios for them.
looks like it’s still possible to do this online. I’ve managed to get it to offer a single booking for 3 people while using a 241. 3x taxes and fees and 2x avios. The issue appears to be when the voucher is opening up the extra availability.
That’s exactly it. As @JDB put it, any passengers above the 2 using the 241 would be considered to be accessing inventory they’re not entitled to.
So booking as early as possible while the standard inventory is still available is the way to go.
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