SirDomino

I ran across this website while searching for deals on business class / first class tickets for my trip to Asia this summer.

Does anyone have any experience with "Luxury for Less" FLYL4L.com or mileage tickets overall?

It seems they buy miles from companies who accumulate but do not use them, and then use the miles to get tickets for their clients at a substantial discount.

Anyone familiar with this? Or perhaps could recommend the best place for deeply discounted first/business class tickets to Asia?

Thanks!

alex4travel

For discounted Business class tickets to Asia, i would suggest you to check Exploretrip or cheaoair, who are like specialized for international travel. You may make a search online to see the fares or call-up their customer care and ask for quote. I am sure calling up their customer care will give you more bargaining power.

Alex

peggm01

Has anyone used L4L before, they have come back with a real good price for a flight for my in November, however I can't really find much information on them, even there website dosn't say much, but does link to here and that, I just dont want to spend over a grand to end up with nothing, I mean he fare they are giving me details for is great, would save me well over £1300 if I were to book with the airline itself, can anyone help

obscure2k

Moving this over to the Online Travel Booking Forum.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

adamj023

In multiple threads on here the same questions are asked in different ways and this pertains to my other thread on consolidators.

Cheapoair.com has no rating on file with the BBB however has oodles of complaints filed.

BBB processed a total of 350 complaint(s) about this business in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total 350 complaint(s) closed in the last 36 months, 105 were closed in the last 12 months.

These complaints concerned:
20 regarding Advertising Issues
66 regarding Billing or Collection Issues
11 regarding Contract Disputes
1 regarding Customer Service Issues
18 regarding Customer Services Issues
10 regarding Delivery Issues
2 regarding Guarantee Or Warranty Issues
10 regarding Product Issues
142 regarding Refund Or Exchange Issues
37 regarding Selling Practices
33 regarding Service Issues

These complaints were closed as:
119 Administratively Closed
6 No Response
224 Resolved
1 Unpursuable

This is not what I would consider acceptable. Check all consolidators out with the BBB website before you purchase. If the record is acceptable and the price and conditions are right then don't hesitate to buy. But never go blindly by asking questions on the internet without doing your own research.

The website and the firm you mention has no record on file with the BBB and as such I would not recommend using the company. The name does not check out and neither does the website.

There is another firm with the same name and a different location listed which has an F rating and is a Used car dealership.

There is no known travel agencies on file with the BBB with this name.

All other legitimate travel agencies and firms I know of are on file with the BBB.

So to answer the question: It seems to me that this website is nothing more than a bunch of scam artists and I would not give out any information whatsoever to these people or this firm. Legitimate firms can be checked as to who the business owner is and other assorted information. Websites get quick hits by firms such as Dun and Bradstreet and other assorted firms which check out the authenticity and credibility of the firm.

All the places I know of to check out businesses show the business of this website you mentioned does not exist in any legitimate credible form. Manta.com, bbb.org show nothing for this firm therefore I recommend strongly against any contact with them.

With the Internet it is quick and easy to check out agents and their credibility and as to who is legitimate and who is not and to screen them all quickly.

The problem I have is that getting the cheaper consolidator fares is time consuming since there are loads of agents and finding a good one combined by one which will know and work with all the consolidators.

I wish there was one website for all this information but it seems to be highly segmented as of now.

I too am looking for cheaper airfare and came across your posting so I thought to check it out but it didn't check out at all.

adamj023

Curious as to the multiple postings on this website which showed up, but sites like BBB and Manta show no such firm located at that address in legitimate form.

Therefore it does not look legitimate to me and I can not suggest any contact with such firm.

If it was legitimate, then BBB + Manta would show more details about this firm.

peggm01

Thanks for that, dam shame, as they would of saved me well over £1000 for a business class flight to the USA using reward miled, the search goes on then I guess.

fti

The first thought that comes to my mind is, "If it's too good to be true...."

Maybe I am confused, but how is being warned that a company may take your money and run be a "shame"?? You would not have saved a pence. You would have lost everything you paid, then have to buy another ticket again.

No wonder many internet sites make people tons of money. So many people are easily deceived.

adamj023

Some of the well known search aggregators are also picking up firms which have low prices and no mention in BBB or Manta or Dun and Bradstreet's company database.

Personally I wouldn't do business with any firm which is not authorized and of which I can not obtain information about the company.

In the USA there are loads and loads of legitimate ticket consolidators all over with various prices all over the spectrum and some with access to certain flights. A deep search using the internet finds loads of legitimate consolidators which check out. However many others do not even though they are showing the lowest prices on consolidator websites but without a BBB or a corporate search being found anywhere other than an internet domain site, these vendors even if they were somehow a legitimate enterprise, lack enough credibility because to me any legitimate business will be found and one will be able to verify more details about the business itself.

Feel free to use this vendor at your own risk. There are legitimate vendors which check out who have much lower prices than the airlines themselves and are true consolidators who are honorable and will do the right thing.

adamj023

I would doublecheck this on a search again.

I checked out Entity Name: EXPLORETRIP, INC and it turns out it was legit but was a very new business just filed last month so new businesses have yet to make the BBB till a track record is known which takes time.

I prefer businesses who have been around for awhile rather than new startups in general.

Considering this place is in Manhattan, I would check to see if it is a legitimate corporation and at that address and if it is a licensed agency.

Some really cheap places are indeed excellent finds but you need to do your homework.

SkeptiCallie

I read the comment by peggm01 as a reference to the possibility that the fares might not be valid as being a shame. I did not read that poster's comment as referring to being warned as being a shame.

alexoster

I checked them (Luxury 4 Less flyl4l.com) out too a while ago and upon pointing out my concerns recieved this reposnse:

------
Dear xxx,
I wish I could have the perfect answer you want to hear but will rather be direct and to the point without beating round the bush.

As explained in detail on the FAQ page of our website (www.flyl4l.com/faq), we are not a regular travel agency but what is known as 'mileage brokers'. We resell bulk frequent flyer miles as deeply discounted first and business class air tickets.

We are what you would call the grey market of the luxury travel industry. No airline likes when their seat in a premium cabin is sold for 50% off the published retail fare yet we only do so much as booking a seat with rightfully earned miles in the official award inventory.

As mentioned, we usually do not issue any e-tickets before receiving payment but will for your peace of mind - as a first time client of ours - do this the other way round. We will issue the tickets and send you confirmation and e-ticket numbers. You can then check directly with the airlines and indeed confirm the ticket validity.

We have been in this line for over 12 years and have built a successful client base - mainly corporate - for whom we arrange and are responsible of their travel accounts.

Offhand I can give you names of 2 companies and their CEO’s based here in New York with whom we have been dealing for a while:

xxx
CEO: xxx

xxx
CEO: xxx

Contact details for these companies are on their websites for which I enclosed links.

Again this 'is' a grey area and its like you buying a Rolex for a deeply discounted price, not because the Rolex is a fake but because it is indented to be sold in Japan only. It is therefore very much up to you if this is your thing.
-----

Since this email I have used them for many trips and never has any issues.

crnkshft

I just book round trip airfare from LAX to DOH, the list price at the KLM site was between $8900 and $12,000 USD. I paid $3690 and the flight leaves in less than a week. I am not sure why you would think this is a scam, they tell you that the ticket is an award ticket based on redeemed miles, and that you do not earn miles using their tickets.

For all of us that has used award miles you already know those flights do not earn frequent flier miles, and if you have ever read your contract, it says you can transfer or use them how you see fit. I am just glad that big corporations have these miles available, and that I can get low cost business class. For their prices 3 of my flights cost what one would normally cost, and traveling this trip 6-8 times a year means enormous savings for me. Also I check with KLM and regardless of reward ticket or normal flight I am entitled to use the Executive lounge, so this is a real plus when figuring out what to do during layovers.

I will update next week when I get to Doha Qatar, and when I return in December to LA.

spainflyer

I wrote to flyl4l requesting a quote for a transatlantic itinerary giving originating and destination cities, and dates.

Their answer was quick and the price was more than reasonable, but the dates were not exactly those I had requested.

Is it possible that they buy trips that are already arranged, and on specific airlines? Or do most of you who use FlyL4L get the original dates you request, and can you request a specific airline, or airlines?

I'm looking forward to using them, if I can just get the dates right.

mjack99

Personally it feels dodgy to me. I tried to find two people on their customer referrals and there is no sign of either of them on Linkedin or on the company websites themselves (in fact one company doesn't even seem to exist).

If they are legitimate, perhaps they should put some real customers on their site.