Why changing flight times.is such a lucrative business

Anticipation is a valuable part of any journey, and wisely, Peter Trapmore is already looking ahead to 2025.

- SIMON CALDER

“Next January I am flying from London Heathrow to Dublin to connect with a transatlantic flight,” he writes. His British Airways flight departs at 6.30am. But now his onward connection has been moved to the afternoon.

“I wanted to move my flight to later in the day,” he tells me. “When I went on to ba.​com to change the flight, the cost was £61. But a brand-new ticket is £40. I understand a change fee – but to charge more than the cost of a new flight does not make sense. Why does it happen?”

An excellent question. Peter has already paid British Airways to fly him from London to Dublin. Now he would like BA to switch him to a flight a few hours later. With five months’ notice, it looks absurd to charge him 50 per cent more to do this than to book a new flight.

To be charitable to British Airways, from the airline’s perspective there are two separate issues here. What is the appropriate fee for allowing a passenger with a cheap ticket to change their flight time? And what is the appropriate fare for a mid-morning, midweek short hop from London to Dublin, booked five months in advance?