KLM/AF Online Booking Engine (Mostly) Omits Light/Basic Economy Fares from Results
Jan 27, 2022, 12:08 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,746
KLM/AF Online Booking Engine (Mostly) Omits Light/Basic Economy Fares from Results
I'm breaking this off from another thread with a narrower title that ended up discussing this - mods, I think that is appropriate.
I was looking into open jaw itineraries from SFO to AMS then back from NCE. Klm.com (an airfrance.com) was consistently pricing about $150 higher than Expedia. A smart person pointed out that I was being charged the Standard fare rather than the Light fare I was booking on Expedia (Expedia gives the option to select the fare during booking.)
Investigating further - I found that if you booked a round-trip on the KLM/AIRFRANCE website, you were offered a choice of Light, Standard, and Flex after selecting the first flight. However, when booking a multi-city reservation (including open jaw), there was no offer of a choice of fares - the customer is simply booked into Standard. There is of course no notice to the passenger that there is a cheaper Light fare available. So lots of people who would be happy with a Light fare are instead getting an paying for a Standard fare.
It gets stranger. I found that if instead of flying into AMS and back from NCE I flew into CDG and back from NCE - then I was offered all three fares (including Light). This behavior is the same whether booking on the KLM or Air France website. I haven't found any other city pairs besides into CDG and back from NCE that offer the Light option (I tried a few.)
If anyone can figure out the pattern as to why there is a choice of fares with one multi city itinerary and not the other that would be interesting. However, the take away here is that if you want to book an open jaw itinerary with a Light fare you are probably not going to be able to do it on the KLM/Airfrance website.
I was looking into open jaw itineraries from SFO to AMS then back from NCE. Klm.com (an airfrance.com) was consistently pricing about $150 higher than Expedia. A smart person pointed out that I was being charged the Standard fare rather than the Light fare I was booking on Expedia (Expedia gives the option to select the fare during booking.)
Investigating further - I found that if you booked a round-trip on the KLM/AIRFRANCE website, you were offered a choice of Light, Standard, and Flex after selecting the first flight. However, when booking a multi-city reservation (including open jaw), there was no offer of a choice of fares - the customer is simply booked into Standard. There is of course no notice to the passenger that there is a cheaper Light fare available. So lots of people who would be happy with a Light fare are instead getting an paying for a Standard fare.
It gets stranger. I found that if instead of flying into AMS and back from NCE I flew into CDG and back from NCE - then I was offered all three fares (including Light). This behavior is the same whether booking on the KLM or Air France website. I haven't found any other city pairs besides into CDG and back from NCE that offer the Light option (I tried a few.)
If anyone can figure out the pattern as to why there is a choice of fares with one multi city itinerary and not the other that would be interesting. However, the take away here is that if you want to book an open jaw itinerary with a Light fare you are probably not going to be able to do it on the KLM/Airfrance website.
Jan 31, 2022, 8:15 am
#3
Join Date: May 2015
Location: RBA / TBS
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Posts: 2,749
If anyone can figure out the pattern as to why there is a choice of fares with one multi city itinerary and not the other that would be interesting. However, the take away here is that if you want to book an open jaw itinerary with a Light fare you are probably not going to be able to do it on the KLM/Airfrance website.
However the travel agent who works with my company is able to get same itinerary under light fares at a price siimilar to what's displayed by google
Last edited by fifty_two; Jan 31, 2022 at 11:55 am
Jan 31, 2022, 10:55 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,746
This seems to make zero sense - if they can display the Standard fare, why not the Light fare?
This behavior is also the opposite of what KLM promises on its website:
We always offer you the lowest priced fare type available for a specific flight first. During booking, you can change the fare type to one with more benefits and conditions (such as more flexibility to change your travel dates). This may result in a higher ticket price. https://www.klm.com/travel/nl_en/pla...ticket%20price.
Further down on the same page, it says this which is both not true and contradicts the earlier statement:
Please note: if you are booking a trip with multiple destinations via KLM.com, we can only offer you the Light ticket option.