I Just Booked A Flight Via Twitter. Welcome To The Future!
I just booked a flight via Twitter. Using direct messages, I made a booking for upcoming international flights. This is definitely the coolest booking I’ve ever made. However, I don’t see this becoming a normal thing yet. Here’s how I just booked a flight via Twitter, in case you might be able to do the same.
British Airways Voucher
After my previous cancelations from not being allowed to check-in for an international flight, I canceled the 2nd leg in that journey. I could pay $55 to get my British Airways Avios and cash (taxes & fees) refunded, or I could take a voucher worth the points & money for the future. I knew I’d use the voucher on this same trip, and I didn’t want to pay something extra, so I accepted.
I asked the British Airways team a few questions via direct messages on Twitter. They told me my options before I decided to accept the voucher. They also responded to my question on how to use the voucher in the future, since it was worth Avios + cash. My main question: what if the next flight costs less? I knew “pay the difference” would be the answer to a flight that costs more. But what if it costs less? Do I forfeit the voucher? Get a 2nd voucher for the remainder?
The Coolest Answer
The British Airways Twitter team replied in a way that surprised me. First, the new booking has to be with Avios, which I expected. Second, they said the payment page won’t give me a place to use the voucher code on an Avios booking with a partner (my intention was to still use it for Royal Air Maroc). Thus, I could simply message them to book the flights!
To be clear, I don’t have ANY status with British Airways. This seems like it’s just a cool gesture for a non-special, regular customer.
I Just Booked A Flight Via Twitter
First, I searched the British Airways site for flights I wanted to book with Avios. Then, I messaged the Twitter team with the flights I wanted, my voucher number, and personal details. They replied in about 10 minutes saying the booking was ‘pending’ in my account and to please review that everything was correct. They needed me to reply confirming the booking, and they sent it for final confirmation. I got the booking confirmation email with my e-ticket about an hour later. This entire process from canceling to getting the voucher and then engaging for the booking request in my account took less than 2 hours.
Final Thoughts
This is the coolest customer service and coolest flight booking I’ve ever experienced. I appreciate that they didn’t ask me to call and wait on hold for a long time but instead used the technology available to resolve a known issue (inability to pay with a voucher during an Avios booking for partner flights). I just booked a flight via Twitter because the British Airways Twitter team thought outside the box. If you’ve got a voucher that you can’t use online, try this. It might be a lot simpler than calling and waiting on hold only to hear “if your flights aren’t this week, call back later”. Welcome to the future!
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I spent a half hour on hold w BA last week trying to book some AS flights. I think I’ll give this a try next time as phone booking w BA is a terrible experience.
Tom – look at the previous comment. Apparently that person was already living in the future and didn’t tell us.
That’s awesome that you got to experience this. I’ve book a many of flights with BA over Twitter…even pre-pandemic. I usually hit them up when I know there’s saver space on AA and their system doesn’t show it. I’ll launch over my details via DM on Twitter and get it all worked out. I hate dealing with phone calls and will do just about anything I can to keep from calling the airlines…especially Qantas; I loathe having to call Qantas for anything.
That’s awesome!