|
Post by Baz Faz on Apr 13, 2019 23:17:16 GMT 2
We all now that airline fares exist in a jungle. They change by the minute. But here is something that puzzles me.
Mrs Faz and I want to go to Thailand for our winter break next year. Also we would like to travel business class. Now comes the tricky bit. Cost obviously is important. So are the departure and arrival times. And reviews. And so on.
Only 3 airlines fly non-stop from London to Bangkok. All the other airlines have a plane change somewhere along the route. This makes arrival and departure times inconvenient (I mean, who wants to board a flight at Bangkok at 3 in the morning?) and the flight longer.
British Airways is one of those three airlines. And having this advantage they charge for it. This afternoon they quoted (for the dates I wanted) £2,763 for biz class each. Wow!
I did some research and found that if I started in Toulouse in France we could fly British Airways to Bangkok for £1659. Yes, £1004 cheaper. The BA flight goes from Toulouse to London, then there is a plane change and we go on the same flight that if we started from London would cost £2,763.
All right we have to add on the cost of a flight to Toulouse. EasyJet does it from our local airport for £63.
Sound good to you?
I have a query that maybe Jeff could answer. On the return journey we have to change planes at Heathrow to make the connection to Toulouse. But if we take carry-on bags we can just stop our journey at Heathrow and not have to fly to Toulouse and get a flight back to England. How about it?
|
|
|
Post by lumi on Apr 14, 2019 1:51:53 GMT 2
The main problem with taking a flight on a different airline for part of the journey is that you will have to cover the cost if you miss your connection. Or have really good travel insurance that will cover the associated costs.
You can miss that last connection on your return journey if you only have hand luggage but it is frowned upon by airlines and may have you on some kind of list in case you try it again.
|
|
|
Post by kuskiwi on Apr 14, 2019 2:09:19 GMT 2
Sometimes the mucking around isn't worth the money although I do agree that the difference is huge in this case. Lumi also has a very valid point re missing the connections if the journey is not on one ticket. Baz - try clearing the cookies on your computer then try again as often that changes the situation. The other option. Ring the airline direct as often you get a much better deal.
|
|
|
Post by Netsuke on Apr 14, 2019 5:45:36 GMT 2
Baz, I understand about saving money, and it is a considerable saving I agree, but it seems an awful lot of mucking about. And as you said, you could only take hand luggage. I usually organise my flights so I arrive at my destination at the time I'd prefer, rather than what time the flight departs.
If it's any help, you could always visit Melbourne (forget Sydney) then get a direct flight from Tulla to BKK from $272!
|
|
|
Post by lumi on Apr 14, 2019 5:48:53 GMT 2
Thinking about this more, it might be worth flying economy direct rather than doing the transfer and business class. Go for economy comfort (or whatever the premium economy is called on the airline you book with) so you get more room (and on some airlines you get better food too).
|
|
|
Post by Baz Faz on Apr 14, 2019 10:45:36 GMT 2
Thanks for the input, Potters. We want to fly business as it is a long haul, economy class gets more and more cramped and Mrs Faz has in the past suffered some strange condition (low blood pressure? she has been prescribed pills to raise her blood pressure before flying) that means she needs to lie flat. Lying on the floor in the economy cabin is not popular.
About change of airlines mean a possible missed flight: yes, possible. However Toulouse-Heathrow-Bangkok are all on BA. The only danger is the EasyJet flight Bristol-Toulouse. However the timing of that flight means that we would have to fly the evening before the BA flight and spend that night in Toulouse. This dramatically lowers the risk.
Netsie, the mucking about is not too much. Every other airline (except BA, Thai and mysteriously Eva) require a plane change somewhere between London and Bangkok. This is usually in the middle of the night. Not good for sleeping. The visit to Melbourne is enticing - but there is still the problem of the extra long flight from the UK. Another time. And about the timing of flights... The BA flight arrives at Bangkok and 09.45, which is good; and coming back at Heathrow at 17.35 which is much better than most other airline where the arrival is well into the evening.
Lumi, premium economy is certainly better but not brilliant. The seat tilts back a bit more but doesn't go flat. And reading reviews the food is only a bit better. Apparently airlines make more profits from Premium Economy than from Biz class. And we always travel light. Our packs weigh less than 7 kilos. And BA allows you to take another smaller bag as well. We should be fine.
Kiwi lady, I did clear cookies earlier in the week. I know some people do it every day but I resist that because of the hassle of reinstalling them on everything I log into.
|
|
|
Post by shrjeff on Apr 14, 2019 11:06:19 GMT 2
using 'hidden city' itineraries to save money is very common and has been defined as ethical by the ethicists... as was mentioned above, while it is looked upon with askance by the airlines, it is usually on a one-way ticket... in your situation, baz, as you will fly out of toulouse and make the connection on the outbound trip, there really isn't anything the airline can do but screw with your avios... in fact, I would call BA after you get to london and tell them that mrs.baz didn't feel well and you won't be able to make the london-toulouse flight as she is waiting to see a dr. that would satisfy ba... hope that easyjet has a fairly early flight so you can enjoy toulouse
|
|
|
Post by Baz Faz on Apr 14, 2019 12:54:00 GMT 2
Thanks, Jeff. Good idea about phoning BA after we skip the Heathrow-Toulouse leg.
|
|
|
Post by auntieannie on Apr 14, 2019 17:46:05 GMT 2
And I would book the Bristol to Toulouse flight to leave some time in Toulouse. I wouldn't want you to be stuck if the flight is cancelled.
|
|
|
Post by Netsuke on Apr 15, 2019 4:14:10 GMT 2
Hearing of Mrs Baz's medical issues, I better understand choosing business class, or as we say over here - the pointy end!
As you may need to overnight in Toulouse, you could make a day of it and have a holiday within a holiday. Think of the food, yum.
|
|
|
Post by OnlyMark on Apr 15, 2019 11:47:01 GMT 2
I often find due to the vagaries of airline ticketing that direct flights are more expensive than longer indirect ones even using the same flight as part of a leg. An example is Lusaka to Frankfurt/Paris/Madrid is more expensive than Lusaka to Malaga. We've always found this and even with Lufthansa we've added on a rail journey that we didn't take just to get it far cheaper. I've missed the last leg of a series of flights quite regularly - as long as, as stated, the airline points are not a factor and I have just carry on luggage.
|
|
|
Post by Baz Faz on Apr 15, 2019 23:34:40 GMT 2
I have booked the tickets. It is ridiculously early but the prices won't go down. Booking was not without problems. The first site that Skyscanner put me on to was Travelgenio. All went well until it got to the paying stage. They added without explanation another £120 over the last price they quoted. So I kicked them out. I have used Expedia which is reputable. I got a bizarre telephone call after I had completed the booking. A disembodied computer generated voice said: "This concerns your Expedia purchase of flights number 3 trillion 8 billion 120 million 2 hundred thousand and 12..." Do they expect anyone to understand that?
I also booked a hotel in Toulouse the night before the flight. I had found a hotel on Booking.com. Then I looked it up on Expedia. it was 10% cheaper.
|
|
|
Post by Netsuke on Apr 23, 2019 15:30:21 GMT 2
I also booked a hotel in Toulouse the night before the flight. I had found a hotel on Booking.com. Then I looked it up on Expedia. it was 10% cheaper. Booking.com will price match if you inform them of the cheaper price.
|
|