Originally Posted by
jagmeets
Hillrider- you're not going to like this.
Not at all: as I like choice, I appreciate tips that would allow me to have full choice (that includes CX) on future trips (hence this thread). ^
Originally Posted by
jagmeets
I can actually beat your price, and on the CX website at that- EUR 1824.90 vs the 1846.90 on Amex Viaggi, with the same flights (234+691 outbound dep on 11 May, 636+233 return, dep on 18 May).
The key - search on the CX website, but do not select flexible dates. Something that I got conditioned to, while booking exCMB fares (And this is not necessarily the case for all origin points!).
Thanks for finding out where the bug lies: I never selected flexible dates, it was the default. The results screen is a gem, as it give you these warnings in red (translated from Italian):
This itinerary does not accrue mileage.
There is no possibility for carbon offset for this itinerary.
There is no seat map available for this itinerary
I know for a fact that you earn miles in "I". And, of course, you can pre select your seats.
And I cannot find the fare rules anywhere.
Ouch.
Originally Posted by
jagmeets
So- no real way of knowing, unless you know that a)fares exist, and, b) there is availability in the required fare-class ("I" in this case)
There's a workaround for b) in ExpertFlyer. a) is the real issue, especially given that the website itself is giving out misleading information (see my post
#6 above)
Originally Posted by
jagmeets
I am sure that even in this day and age, a reasonable to large amount of CX traffic is travel agent originated, hence CX's absence from the sharp end of the curve on things online.
Don't know about CX (and given how terrible their website is you're probably correct) but increasing direct sales is an industry-wide top priority, one led by IATA: it's a sure way to reduce distribution costs while at the same having greater brand control and, supposedly, increased customer satisfaction.
U.S. legacy carriers now sell 60% of non-corporate tickets (about 50% of the revenue) through their own websites, and this is growing every year. LCCs sell upwards of 80% of all their tickets direct. Europe is not too dissimilar.
In any case, my corporate travel agent can only quote me EUR 9.114 on those flights, so there's no love for agents from CX (and why does CX even bother giving them those unreal, unsellable fares?).