Last minute booking

[chrisbrewer 0]

I have just had a salutary lesson about booking flights.

 

I have never been sure whether it's better to book as early as possible or to leave it until the last couple of weeks. Today I have found out.

 

I booked my flights to BKK back in May via Opodo and got return tickets London to Zurich to Bangkok on Swiss Airlines for £526.00.

 

Today, I thought I would take a look at whether I would have saved anything by booking later.

 

The same flights (exactly) today, still via Opodo, would cost me £1,200!

 

WTF?

 

Just glad I booked them when I did.

 

Any other BMs experienced anything like this before?

 

[lv2play 0]

Yeb,book your tickets for the high season as soon as possible.

Funny thing is that the guy who pays now £1,200 is maybe sitting beside you in the plane

[MONKEY01 2]

when are you travleing

[jacko 8,815]

Discussing with your fellow passengers what they paid for a the flight can be real eye opener.

 

The prices vary incredulously.

 

 

 

I was quite smug at having a cheap biz class seat on China Airlines as I settled down in Bangkok to my glass of plonk.

 

Until I talked to my neighbour who had bought his ticket in Bangkok, I thought I got a bargain in the UK!

 

 

 

What is the price of anything? The maximum someone is prepared to pay for it!

 

 

 

I am sure a lot of travel agents have some big secrets....at least the internet has opened this up somwhat.

[whitespider 1]

There is "generally" an inverted U curve i.e. cheapest the maximum early booking likewise very close to departure (subject to availability).

 

You will not see this curve on high season (+ school holiday) and early booking is definitely best.

 

You haven't said when you are travelling but I have just booked EVA direct LHR-BKK for £415 travelling on the 9th November. The £1200 price you quaote I assume is for a flight after 15th December when they always sky-rocket due due to a combination of high season/school holidays.

 

CHEAP FLIGHT DEALS

[chrisbrewer 0]

Interesting replies guys.

 

My flights are not really in the high season.

 

Fly out on Saturday 21 October and return on Friday 3 November.

 

Still do not understand the huge difference in prices!

 

Like I said before, just glad I got them when I did.

 

Chris

[whitespider 1]

Chris

 

Don't want to piss you off, as a previous poster says the "price" is what people are prepared to pay but a ticket from WestEast would have been under £350 return DIRECT with either Thai or EVA for those dates.

 

These cheap direct tickets are very inflexible - maybe your ticket is much more open and has refunds for cancellation etc whcih might explain the high price.

[valentinoxxx 4]

£350 with THAI or EVA? I don't think so. £415 is closer to the mark.

[whitespider 1]

£350 with THAI or EVA? I don't think so. £415 is closer to the mark.

 

Valentino - West East DID have £315 (+ tax) return for flights up to December 7 - but the booking dates are now long gone.

 

You can still get the £415 (+tax) price (£465 in total) IF you book before the 12th October and travel before December 7 - subject to availability.

Edited October 5, 2006 by whitespider

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Valentino - West East DID have £315 (+ tax) return for flights up to December 7 - but the booking dates are now long gone.

 

You can still get the £415 (+tax) price (£465 in total) IF you book before the 12th October and travel before December 7 - subject to availability.

 

The booking dates aren't long gone and can still be had through most major agents.

 

EVA's tax and other add-ons is 109 quid in economy and not the 50 quid you suggest.

 

[whitespider 1]

Tom

 

The booking date at West East for the £315 + tax price expired on the 30th September (apparently). I just booked the other day and was charged £415 + £50 a total of £465. It may have been £365 + £109 but all I was really interested in was the £465 total.

 

Granted it seems to vary but that was the price I was quoted and received. I booked mine on Wednesday 4th October and the phone not online, don't know if that makes a difference. Also my price was for a 3 month return - that might affect it too??

Edited October 6, 2006 by whitespider

[CheshireTom 1,377]

whitespider,

 

It depends how the agent wants to advertise the flight. The problem arises when it comes down to accounting since the real taxes, rather than fuel supplements etc, have to be split out from the ticket price.

 

In this case East West are advertising the price without tax, fuel surcharges etc but when they invoice it should only be the tax element that is separated i.e. the fuel surcharge should be included in the flight price or at least sub-totalled.

 

It's not really a big deal unless you cancel ...... the tax element cannot be deducted in any cancellation charges even if the agent implies otherwise.

 

The screenshot was for Tue/Tue flights with EVA and are frequently the headline price that agents advertise.

Edited October 6, 2006 by CheshireTom

[valentinoxxx 4]

Valentino - West East DID have £315 (+ tax) return for flights up to December 7 - but the booking dates are now long gone.

 

You can still get the £415 (+tax) price (£465 in total) IF you book before the 12th October and travel before December 7 - subject to availability.

 

Chris

 

Don't want to piss you off, as a previous poster says the "price" is what people are prepared to pay but a ticket from WestEast would have been under £350 return DIRECT with either Thai or EVA for those dates.

 

Your statements contradict themselves.

 

The price I quoted included taxes and charges, since we were comparing like with like. In other words, comparing the price the OP paid in relation to the price offered via WestEast.

 

No harm done.

Edited October 6, 2006 by valentinoxxx

[whitespider 1]

Valentino

 

Point taken

 

But I think there is a quite a big difference between £365 (all inc') for a DIRECT flight and £526 for a flight via Zurich.

 

As Tom is showing figures can vary greatly from that advertised but even at the HIGHER price I actaully ended up paying of £465 (all inc') I would prefer that to paying more for an indirect one - especially when the OP is now saying the same (indirect) flight is now costing £1200

 

Perhaps I should just leave it as a recommendation to try West East Travel and leave it at that