[BigDog.]

Although SH related this discusses price volatility.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22882559

I haven’t a clue Martyn wrt your agent, however I have recently started to dab my toe into volatility trading. Very short termism buying when in a sizable trough or certain criteria met then selling when it (hopefully) regains its equilibrium. (IAG has been a star for this type of trading) Maybe this agent is doing something similar with tickets or buying a bulk discount?

[AllOverTheGaff]

Be_Nice – 21/06/2013 09:42 GMT
I await the usual scarcasm from the professional business travellers.

With all due respect, perhaps if you were to engage in the discussions about business travel instead of simply complaining about how others format their opinions you would get less sarcastic remarks.

In the past month from a total of 10 posts, 7 of them are to complain about language/posting style.

Rgds.
AOTG.

[HongKongLady]

LP if it smells like a rat it probably is one. Steer clear.

[LuganoPirate]

Simon, thanks for the link. Interesting and my suspicion is that’s its air miles being sold. The saving though is a bit more than a few bob, it’s several thousand pounds which also makes me suspicious. If its to good to be true etc…..

On another point though, I wonder why it’s illegal to sell your miles for a ticket for someone? After all, one way or the other, you’ve paid for them.

I’ve never done It though I have, and do, use miles for family members but this is allowed.

[LuganoPirate]

Martyn, I came across this from some English friends in Cape Town, who live in London but spend three months there at Christmas. He has used this guy in the past and admitted he didn’t know how it was done but never had a problem, just a few inconveniences such as his return date being delayed by a day or two. On another occasion his wife’s ticket was downgraded from F to business at the gate with no explanation, but he didn’t want to make a fuss “just in case”!

As he said, it’s probably not a 100% kosher but to save £ 7,000 on two tickets was very tempting.

I am just curious if anyone else here has had dealings or if they how it was done. My first thought was staff tickets but I think now its miles.

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

Hi LP

My first thought is it is possibly miles. Another one I have heard and it relies on connections, is that they know someone on the inside at BA, who books cheap Business Class fares and then the contact gets the passengers upgraded to First. I do know of someone who did this and got found out – they cancelled about 50 reservations and the person at BA was I believe removed from there post. I think they also improved auditing of these type of upgrades afterwards.

I can’t completely verify this story, but I was talking to one of there ex-business partners who explained how his partner had being doing quite dodgy things for a while – and partly why he left.

I’m sure there are lots of stories similar to this. But to be so vast in price is quite unusual, and if it does happen you should find that major travel companies will also get the same fares and be properly licensed.

[LuganoPirate]

Interesting Tim, and that could be why the wife got downgraded to Business.

[ImissConcorde]

TimFitzgeraldTC – The more recent attempt to manipulate the system i.e. buying advance purchase business class tickets and then using “contacts” to change them to dates required resulted in 2 court cases, one employment tribunal hearing (BA won) and at least 3 dismissals.

[FirstClassWannabe]

This idea sounds similar to what is offered by a company in the US called Luxury4Less. They always advertise on a well known website which is often mentioned here. Has anyone tried them? I contacted them once and they offered me a decent quote, but then had to change my plans. They appeared to be genuine.

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

Hi IMC

I don’t the in and outs of the case I heard – and from your suggestion there have been other similar ploys. So it is only 1 possible reason why LP has seen and heard about what he mentions. There could be other reasons – or it could be totally legitimate. To me it does sound like there is a snag somewhere and I’d be super cautious (from my expierience and view of the industry).

Another explanation (again dodgy) is that they are somehow selling AD90 tickets (effectively staff fares with 90% off the published fare) or AD75’s. I am not an expert on these so don’t even know if they sell them for First Class cabins. But that could also possibly explain a downgrade to club (as these get moved first if flight is full). It would also explain why no frequent mileage miles are earned and why dates might move last minute.

[MartynSinclair]

Selling AD75’s/90’s would be border line fraud + staff ID/ref number/name are needed..

We could all be wrong of course and there is a simple solution, once you have made a booking and before payment, check the fare code or reservation with the airline….

The other clue of course is if it was such a good deal, why aren’t professional agents like TimF able to market these and more to the point, why doesn’t Tim recognize the strategy!!.

[IanFromHKG]

TimFitzGerald, I can tell you that CX sells AD90 (although I thought it was ID90) tickets in First. But they are basically standby tickets, and friends of mine who had the privilege wouldn’t use them if their travel plans were inflexible since the risk of being bumped was too high

[MartynSinclair]

Ian, but your friends were presumably CX staff and not common travellers like us :))

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

Hi Ian

ID90/AD90 is exactly the same thing – just known differently by different people. I have travelled on these tickets as an agent (often on trips sponsored by airlines), hence why I got a good deal on Etihad recently to go Business Class. But no way I could sell to a client without an inside contact at the necessary airline – and then we’d all be in serious trouble if we got caught!

[IanFromHKG]

No no no, Martyn. Most of them worked for Swire!

Apparently, back in the day, CX provide ID tickets to staff of business partners (such as a well-known Hong Kong bank). Not sure if that still happens – I doubt it!

[Author]

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