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Great BA value again
So firstly I feel a little dirty after even going on the Ryanair website and looking but debate came up at work earlier for a team ski trip where the option was a mix of flights to Salzburg and Munich and whether BA or Ryanair. Having no intention at all of flying on the yellow horror, I did however try and price it up after a colleague claimed it would be "only £35" and "its not that bad"
On Ryanair, including a baggage check of 20kg both ways (ski essential), reserved seating, priority boarding, credit card fees the bill came to £152, which includes a rough 6am departure from STN
BA LGW to Salzburg (at a respectable departure time), returning Munich to LHR came to £123 (inc CC fees), includes baggage, snack and drink, seating choice, a decent airport and no hideous scratchcards, offers to sell me a vulgar branded cabin bag, car hire, adverts or other tricks and slip ups they have up their sleeve!! Admittedly through status I do get enhanced baggage, lounge access (therefore better food/drink than just the flight refreshment alone) and a much more advanced seat selection but I do wonder why people who are usually much smarter can be so misguided!
Thanks BA, no intention to defect from your short-haul just yet!
Last edited by nh1980; Jan 10, 13 at 3:49 pm..
Reason: my muppet assumption on airport code corrected!
I'm surprised that lunatic O'Leary hasn't introduced a FF programme, he's thought of every other charge under the sun. Flew to Bud a few years ago and it was a decent fight but vowed never to fly with them again after additional charges became the norm. His antics during a TV interview when he had a (ryanair) plane stuck between his legs - plonker, just reaffirmed my decision. (Can't locate that video) This interview on Irish tv when he talks about paying for toilets, standing etc is another example of his lunacy
MOL gives the impression ryanair is cheap, that's what he does with all his media outbursts. A typical punter things "Wow, they really must be trying to save every penny to pass on to me! Aren't I lucky!". Or "Business class passengers expect free blow jobs? I'm superior, I fly Ryanair. All for one and one for all, viva le revolution!"
People like nh1980s colleagues think the image MOL puts across is true. The facts are irrelevant, they will go to ryanair.com, fight the hideous website, click through all the "optional" addons ("Well this time I need a bag, but normally I don't, it's such a great deal").
They then get to the airport, having forgotten to print their boarding pass. "Oh well, my fault, silly me", and hand over another £50.
Ryanair's entire business is based on reducing the price, so that cost of comfort or convenience is forgotten. It's the same mentality that looks on skyscanner.net and thinks "Oh wow, I can fly PIA for 57p cheaper than emirates, what a bargain!"
Doesn't bother me, aside from the fact real airlines then follow ryanair on the corner cutting
Easyjet, on the other hand, do seem to go out of their way to be helpful, and in many cases are more business friendly than BA (cheap flexible tickets).
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2013: UK, HU, SG, IL, PS, FR, BE, IT, VA, US, ZA, DE, JP, KR, HK
2012: UK, WL, NL, BE, US, RU, IL, PS, IN, SG, RI, HU - Bold=New, Italic=Booked
Maybe I'm fortunate but I have never flown FR in my life, although I came close than I had to fly MRS-DUB 3 years ago. There's little choice - either Aer Lingus or Ryanair. Ryanair was better time wise and their quoted price was obviously very attractive. It was my first dealing with their web site, and I was about to hit 'buy' but then it dawned on me to read T&C (my experience with discounters was very limited at that moment.) Then the calculation started and it turned out my trip on FR would've been about 20% more expensive than on Aer Lingus, with all that luggage I had...
Off skiing in the Easter school hols for a long weekend with wife & kids. BA wanted >£150 each using Munich that was a 3hr drive each way to resort.
EZY wanted about the same ex LGW into Innsbruck so 45mins to resort.
But then I realised if we flew back to BRS instead, we could lop £100 each off the fare.
So including bag fees, we're about £400 better off with EZY. Two rental cars, but no parking, so that nets out at about a £75 cost and we're saving a LOT of driving!
To extend HIDDY's point, it's the thinner routes where the LCC's end up with an edge!
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FR are decent value if you can grab their sale fares, you're travelling with hand baggage only, and you don't have a tight schedule.
The bigger comparison for me is between BA and EZY. EZY from LTN is regularly £100+ less than BA from LHR on flights to BUD. Plus the fact LHR is 40 mins further drive from my house.
I get lounge access (ok, it's not Galleries but it's fine) with my Priority Pass at LTN, and EZY aren't terrible if you pay to sit at the front.
Ultimately, whilst I've warmed a lot to BA over the past 6 months, my short haul EU flights will probably remain on EZY.
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Not all J is created equal... BA vs AY
I am so glad you used the word "value" rather than "cheap" (or my pet hate "competitive").
British Airways does try to ensure we continue to provide both quality and value - indeed we always have done, we just quietly got on with it while the one with the harp, and the other big orange shouted "Cheap!" from the rooftops and got away with it - even though the hidden charges often topped BA's fares by a country mile!
When I joined BA, the best kept secret was the £19 UK Domestic return fare to all UK Domestic airports (including the Highlands, Islands and West Country places that we no longer serve.) The fare was actually lower than the airline staff standby ticket fare! The restrictions were severe - 60 days advance purchase with absolutely no changes and no refunds under any circumstances, but if you were grandparents living in Stornoway with your son or daughter away in the "Smoke", that fare type was amazing! It was never advertised though, because BA didn't want it to become common knowledge - it was discreetly offered when it could be applied! There was a similar low fare across European flights according to the flown mileage. (The low APEX fares were actually a harkback to good old BEA and stayed throughout BA ownership.)
Incidentally, the old BEA Shuttle routes had Standby Fares which were half the price of the regular ticket, yet they were never advertised. It was very handy when I was a soldier stationed at Fas Lane Naval Base and wanting to nip home for a weekend pass and extremely rare for a standby ticket holder not to be given a seat! (BEA Shuttle was operated on a "Turn Up and Take Off" basisand very differernt from the re-branded bookable "Shuttle" of British Airways. There were no refreshments -- the crew spent the flight duration collecting tickets, cash, cheque or credit card and taking car hire bookings for "Godfrey Davis".)
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The views and opinions expressed by me may not, necessarily, be those of my employer, British Airways.
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I am fortunate that my situation is that I am not that price sensitive when it comes to £30 or so on a flight so yes, value for money is definitely what I consider. I expected Ryanair (even with the usual optional extras added in to make it more BA like) to come out cheaper just by virtue of no catering, its particular offering of airports, unsociable flight times and hand bag policies and found it pretty shocking.
Heard good feedback on BA vs EZY value though as posted by a couple of people above
I am fortunate that my situation is that I am not that price sensitive when it comes to £30 or so on a flight so yes, value for money is definitely what I consider. I expected Ryanair (even with the usual optional extras added in to make it more BA like) to come out cheaper just by virtue of no catering, its particular offering of airports, unsociable flight times and hand bag policies and found it pretty shocking.
Heard good feedback on BA vs EZY value though as posted by a couple of people above
Unsociable to one person will be perfect timing to another.
Intrigued as to why you felt the need to include reserved seating and priority boarding? You certainly do not need both, and I would suggest you don't need either.
hasn't introduced a FF programme, he's thought of every other charge under the sun. Flew to Bud a few years ago and it was a decent fight but vowed never to fly with them again after additional charges became the norm. His antics during a TV interview when he had a (ryanair) plane stuck between his legs - plonker, just reaffirmed my decision. (Can't locate that video) This interview on Irish tv when he talks about paying for toilets, standing etc is another example of his lunacy
