AF suicidal pricing
Jan 4, 2014, 12:47 pm
#16
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NO WAY you've got to be joking.
I was able to book a 6,450 mile trip from San Francisco to Sao Paulo Brazil for $474 o/w and a 2 week cruise to Barcelona for $900 per person. Plus an award ticket back to SFO for $85 in taxes. This is highway robbery.
I hope this is just a mistake.
I was able to book a 6,450 mile trip from San Francisco to Sao Paulo Brazil for $474 o/w and a 2 week cruise to Barcelona for $900 per person. Plus an award ticket back to SFO for $85 in taxes. This is highway robbery.
I hope this is just a mistake.
Jan 4, 2014, 12:55 pm
#17
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When I said 40 or 60, I was not referring to a specific AF config, but thanks for the precision.
Jan 4, 2014, 7:33 pm
#20
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Jan 4, 2014, 7:36 pm
#21
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I was not aware that the ME3 airlines and TG did not offer a significant number of C class seats to BKK.
More seriously, they sell a lot of C class seats at a lower price than AF.
Only an airline as inwards oriented as AF can reduce the number of seats to 14, then make itself believe the load is so good that they can increase the prices to such ridiculous levels for the remaining seats.
On the plus side for friends and family, this will mean that there will be seats left for upgrades.
P.s. Leasure configuration is 35 seats, not 40 or 60.
More seriously, they sell a lot of C class seats at a lower price than AF.
Only an airline as inwards oriented as AF can reduce the number of seats to 14, then make itself believe the load is so good that they can increase the prices to such ridiculous levels for the remaining seats.
On the plus side for friends and family, this will mean that there will be seats left for upgrades.
P.s. Leasure configuration is 35 seats, not 40 or 60.
Jan 5, 2014, 1:03 am
#22
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Jan 5, 2014, 3:36 am
#23
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If the C cabin sells that well, it means it is too small and they are losing revenue.
If 14 seats is not enough, shouldn't they use a leasure configuration rather than a COI one?
Yield management works if your capacity is more or less in line with the market. If you artificially reduce capacity and your competitors don't, then you simply turn high yield customers away, don't you?
So, they are nuts.@:-)
If 14 seats is not enough, shouldn't they use a leasure configuration rather than a COI one?
Yield management works if your capacity is more or less in line with the market. If you artificially reduce capacity and your competitors don't, then you simply turn high yield customers away, don't you?
So, they are nuts.@:-)
Quite a few leisure people will pay 2000+ to fly in J to say Phuket. TG, MH and several other airlines sell quite a few J seats at discount prices.
If AF prices its 14 J seats to BKK at a high price, they will get no leisure customers and this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy
Jan 5, 2014, 3:49 am
#24
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I would agree.
Quite a few leisure people will pay 2000+ to fly in J to say Phuket. TG, MH and several other airlines sell quite a few J seats at discount prices.
If AF prices its 14 J seats to BKK at a high price, they will get no leisure customers and this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy
Quite a few leisure people will pay 2000+ to fly in J to say Phuket. TG, MH and several other airlines sell quite a few J seats at discount prices.
If AF prices its 14 J seats to BKK at a high price, they will get no leisure customers and this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy
Jan 5, 2014, 3:50 am
#25
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I would agree.
Quite a few leisure people will pay 2000+ to fly in J to say Phuket. TG, MH and several other airlines sell quite a few J seats at discount prices.
If AF prices its 14 J seats to BKK at a high price, they will get no leisure customers and this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy
Quite a few leisure people will pay 2000+ to fly in J to say Phuket. TG, MH and several other airlines sell quite a few J seats at discount prices.
If AF prices its 14 J seats to BKK at a high price, they will get no leisure customers and this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy
Jan 5, 2014, 4:04 am
#26
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Last summer, I flew with AF CDG-YUL, and MIA-CDG in August, and the fares were 985 Euros in Y (I booked in January).
Out of curiosity, I looked for the fares for the same dates on the same flights, and the tickets cost 1200 Euros!!!
How come?
Out of curiosity, I looked for the fares for the same dates on the same flights, and the tickets cost 1200 Euros!!!
How come?
Jan 5, 2014, 5:08 am
#27
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AF is so smart; much smarter than the rest of the crowd who persists in having more C seats on their planes and make a profit when AF has consistently been loosing money for the past 5 (or more?) years.
This destination, as per other posters, is a leisure destination, with high numbers of people who want to pay as little as possible.
Most of them fly once a year long haul at best. Look at their posting on voyageforum. They are all asking for the same thing "cheap flights to xxx, wherever".
€ 400 on Saudi, 500 elsewhere, 600 on high quality airlines.
And they would pay 800 on AF COI configuration 777?
But you may be right. AF is the best in its kind to generate revenue, aren't they?
Last edited by carnarvon; Jan 5, 2014 at 7:47 am
Jan 5, 2014, 6:20 am
#28
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I believe Carnarvon expressed AF problem quite well.
If a high staff-cost airline like AF could get a 95% load by selling its dense Y at fares higher than competition, they could be profitable and might consider running a pure-Y model. But is hard to see how they can compete on price/cost.
If a high staff-cost airline like AF could get a 95% load by selling its dense Y at fares higher than competition, they could be profitable and might consider running a pure-Y model. But is hard to see how they can compete on price/cost.
Jan 5, 2014, 8:29 am
#29
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I would like to add that I fly this route at least 6 times a year, and no matter what time of the year ,no matter whether last minute or long planned booking , AF is always more expensive than TG.
Sometimes by as much as over 2000 Euros, for an inferior hard product , hit and miss service , fewer frequencies , let alone a very inconvenient departure time from BKK , I vote with my feet and always fly TG .
Icing on the cake is that as TG Platinum member I get 2 free return trip upgrades to first class a year , and the debate is closed .
Sometimes by as much as over 2000 Euros, for an inferior hard product , hit and miss service , fewer frequencies , let alone a very inconvenient departure time from BKK , I vote with my feet and always fly TG .
Icing on the cake is that as TG Platinum member I get 2 free return trip upgrades to first class a year , and the debate is closed .
Jan 5, 2014, 8:33 am
#30
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To be honest, I don't think AF sell most Y seats at 800. 800 fare would mean about 1100 paid and that is not the norm for BKK. Moreover, AF sell many of their seats on this specific route at heavily discounted prices to tour operators who include AF transportation in their packaged prices.