The madness of ex-Europe airfares

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Viewing 13 posts - 16 through 28 (of 28 total)

  • TiredOldHack2
    Participant

    Should add, if it wasn’t obvious, that’s a business class fare I quote. BA Club World, to be precise.


    MarcusGB
    Participant

    Hi All.

    Yes, many of us have experienced this.

    KLM for example sell their flights Ex UK through Amsterdam as their Hub – Worldwide Business fares can be 50% less departing that way. They are seen as quite expensive by The Dutch. Airlines tend to market lower prices to gain flyers through their hubs, outside of their own country. Each Airline want to develop a Customer loyalty in another country, but KLM have the advantage of 22 airports linking all over the UK to their hub, in under an hour.

    As they do not have a domestic network and Netherlands is quite a small country with limited customers, Europe is their domestic market, and they have a very high reputation from all around Europe to connect people through Schiphol on their flights long haul.

    I notice they are certainly a popular Airline of choice for arriving into Europe from places like Australia, Far East, China (huge growing market on those routes), so much custom comes from those travelling into Europe, then going on from the Schiphol hub, equally as Europeans are doing so the other way round.

    Very handy for us Brits, if you can then save time avoiding LHR, to take a regional local departure to you also.

    I tend to book a £90 return KLM flight ex LCY or LHR (but from any UK Airport with KLM), separately to my main KLM Long haul flights, which gives me a stopover there also. I can then hop on and connect for my long haul flights, much quicker than simply getting to and flying out of LHR.

    Fares in Euros Ex Amsterdam, are 25% less +, partly due to not paying the UK’s departure taxes for Premium cabins, so you I tend to save £500 per long haul flight at least! We all see the breakdown list of charges for Premium travel added on once we buy an EU UK ticket!

    EG: HKG and BKK tend to be the very good fares into / Ex Asia, starting from around Euros 1,550 Business Class return.

    Also saves the traffic, and uncertainty of getting to and from LHR, the 3 hours needed to be sure for long haul flights, cutting out time on return also.

    It feels like I get 25%-40% off most of my flights, unless travelling to Oceania, where the options with most Airlines best lie ex LHR.


    IanFromHKG
    Participant

    [quote quote=858330]

    FDOS advice regarding the last leg is sound.

    Dammit, I never thought of trying that![/quote]

    I have done that many times, over the years, but it is inadvisable to do it too often in a short period of time with the same airline, as they reserve the right to reprice the ticket! Anecdotally the risk is higher if you book through a travel agent as they will charge the travel agent who (a) won’t want to be out of pocket and (b) for relationship reasons is less likely to challenge the airline.

    I am sure this has been posted here before but it is worth repeating for a laugh:

    How hardware shops sell paint
    Customer: Hi. How much is your paint?
    Clerk: We have regular quality for $12 a gallon and premium for $18. How many gallons would you like?
    Customer: Five gallons of regular quality, please.
    Clerk: Great. That will be $60 plus tax.

    How an airline would sell paint
    Customer: Hi, how much is your paint?
    Clerk: Well, sir, that all depends.
    Customer: Depends on what?
    Clerk: Actually, a lot of things.
    Customer: How about giving me an average price?
    Clerk: Wow, that’s too hard a question. The lowest price is $9 a gallon, and we have 150 different prices up to $200 a gallon.
    Customer: What’s the difference in the paint?
    Clerk: Oh, there isn’t any difference; it’s all the same paint.
    Customer: Well, then, I’d like some of that $9 paint.
    Clerk: Well, first I need to ask you a few questions. When do you intend to use it?
    Customer: I want to paint tomorrow, on my day off.
    Clerk: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is the $200 paint.
    Customer: What? When would I have to paint in order to get the $9 version?
    Clerk: That would be in three weeks, but you will also have to agree to start painting before Friday of that week and continue painting until at least Sunday.
    Customer: You’ve got to be kidding!
    Clerk: Sir, we don’t kid around here. Of course, I’ll have to check to see if we have any of that paint available before I can sell it to you.
    Customer: What do you mean check to see if you can sell it to me? You have shelves full of that stuff; I can see it right there.
    Clerk: Just because you can see it doesn’t mean that we have it. It may be the same paint, but we sell only a certain number of gallons on any given weekend. Oh, and by the way, the price just went to $12.
    Customer: You mean the price went up while we were talking!
    Clerk: Yes, sir. You see, we change prices and rules thousands of times a day, and since you haven’t actually walked out of the store with your paint yet, we just decided to change. Unless you want the same thing to happen again, I would suggest that you get on with your purchase. How many gallons do you want?
    Customer: I don’t know exactly. Maybe five gallons. Maybe I should buy six gallons just to make sure I have enough.
    Clerk: Oh, no, sir, you can’t do that. If you buy the paint and then don’t use it, you will be liable for penalties and possible confiscation of the paint you already have.
    Customer: What?
    Clerk: That’s right. We can sell you enough paint to do your kitchen, bathroom, hall and north bedroom, but if you stop painting before you do the bedroom, you will be in violation of our tariffs.
    Customer: But what does it matter to you whether I use all the paint? I already paid you for it!
    Clerk: Sir, there’s no point in getting upset; that’s just the way it is. We make plans based upon the idea that you will use all the paint, and when you don’t, it just causes us all sorts of problems.
    Customer: This is crazy! I suppose something terrible will happen if I don’t keep painting until after Saturday night!
    Clerk: Yes, sir, it will.
    Customer: Well, that does it! I’m going somewhere else to buy my paint.
    Clerk: That won’t do you any good, sir. We all have the same rules. Thanks for flying–I mean painting–with our airline.

    And for one more illustration of fare madness: https://www.businesstraveller.com/forums/topic/same-flights-different-prices-cheaper-to-book-ba-through-iberia-site-than-ba/


    paulkaz
    Participant

    Likewise in asia its cheaper in J to fly syd kul dps on mh than direct on ga. Extra 4 hours but big savings.


    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    Swiss are offering Business Class MXP- JNB for CHF 1700 return on selected dates.


    SwissExPat
    Participant

    [quote quote=860840]Swiss are offering Business Class MXP- JNB for CHF 1700 return on selected dates.[/quote]

    @LP.. try buying that starting in ZRH !


    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    [quote quote=861202]@LP.. try buying that starting in ZRH ![/quote]

    I’m loving your humour this weeknd Pat 😉


    DNAdams
    Participant

    Hi, I am sure this has been answered before on this forum (I have tried to find it) so apologies in advance. I have a ex-Europe (AMS) BA CW flight to CPT. Now my question is can I just check in my luggage at LHR for the LHR-CPT flight so that I don’t have to take it to AMS and back? If so is there any problems with this that anyone has experienced. I will only need to do this for the outbound as the return to AMS is from LGW so I can collect at LHR.


    AlanOrton1
    Participant

    As your flight journey / ticket to CPT departs from AMS, BA in LHR could insist this is where your hold luggage needs to be checked in.
    They may have the ability to help you out, but it could depend on the agent on the day.
    The safest option would be to check it in for your one way to AMS, collect in there and then check it in, where it will be tagged all the way to CPT.
    A lot of people who travel ex EU do so with hand luggage only to overcome this potential issue.
    I’m sorry this may not answer your question exactly, it may be there is not a definitive answer to this one. (There may be reams of info on this topic on the BA page of Flyertalk).

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    [quote quote=918554]can I just check in my luggage at LHR for the LHR-CPT flight so that I don’t have to take it to AMS and back?[/quote]

    The answer is YES, you can. At least the last time I tried the answer was yes.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    stevescoots
    Participant

    [quote quote=918587]It would seem that Lufthansa is taking action on unused flight segments…..

    https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/lufthansa-passenger-tariff-abuse-cheap-flights-lawsuit-tickets-missing-air-france-british-airways-a8773371.html[/quote]

    This will be one to watch, they have already lost the case once, now going to appeal.


    MarcusGB
    Participant

    I agree with Alex in his various comments.
    KLM have flights ex LHR or LCY or any UK Airport, return to HKG from £1875 inclusive of connecting business class flights.

    LCY if you leave from London is just as quick connecting in Schiphol, as travelling too and navigating the dynamics of LHR.
    Bkk via Air France on their 789 Dreamliner, or KLM on their 773’s, Start from £1,650 return.
    It is aZ class, better booked 3 months ahead, but flights can still be available if you are flexible, 4-8 weeks before.

    KLM have business class fares, booked 3 months ahead, at 40% discounts year round Worldwide.
    KLM still run a nice 747 to HKG also.

    I save around £400 at least in Government taxes, and the rip offs of many LHR flights, and find the delays, and “Maybe ” getting to the airport on time, meaning leaving 4-5 hrs prior to flying.
    I can be at LCY and flown over and connected to Flights in AMS in less time, and on average, i save £1,000+ on each similar flight from LHR.
    I only fly to Australia via LHR these days, as the fares you are quoting would give a return to Sydney in Business class with some Airlines.
    U can even fly a mix of KLM and Etihad Business Class to Australia for £1,000 less booking on the KLM.com site than from London!

    I simply do not pay these rip off Government taxes from the UK Long haul, rude staff and LHR, the awful state of many of the terminals, and constant delays there.
    I can travel often 3 flights for the price many pay from LHR for 2, at very least, if not more.

    1 user thanked author for this post.
Viewing 13 posts - 16 through 28 (of 28 total)
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