British Airways is now allowing customers to hold a fare for up to 72 hours for £5 for short-haul flights and £10 for long-haul flights.
The new scheme is only available through its own website and is designed to give travellers the time to make sure they’re happy with their flight choices before paying.
If within 72 hours customers want to pay for their flights, the hold deposit is refunded and the ticket can be bought.
If they decide not to go ahead with the booking, they lose the deposit.
"There’s nothing more frustrating than seeing a great flight price but not being able to book it straight away, either because you may need to get the time off work or check it’s ok with family or friends – then coming back and finding there are no seats left or the price has changed," said Drew Crawley, BA’s chief commercial officer.
"Now customers can see the price, hold their seats and be sure that’s all they’ll pay, up to three days later."
Only one person’s name is needed to hold the flights and the names of everyone travelling can be added within 72 hours of the booking being held.
The new hold option is the result of a joint project between BA and its sister airline Iberia, both owned by IAG.
It applies to reservations for all flights operated by BA, including code-sharing flights, Iberia, Iberia Express, and Air Nostrum, including any combinations of flights of BA and Iberia, as long as they are on the same ticket.
