What is a tiny fare?
 

I have read the info on the BMI site and several correpondents on this page, and I am still not sure what a TINY FARE is.

I assumed it was only a fare, labelled as such (or BABY) on the BMI web-site.
Does it also apply to tickets bought on Expedia?

Thanks for any info.
Glyn Hickman

Just checking some weekend fares BRU-LHR mid Sep 17:20 ex BRU (Fri) is €88 and 06:45 ex LHR (Mon) is also €88 which with taxes and BMI add-ons is €247.73 return (or 169 pounds!)
Hardly TINY! I thought TINY meant lo-cost. It is just a plot to reduce the number of Gold and Silver DC members and an excuse to close or combine lounges. We had these and lower fares in "normal" times.
A general question, do BMI read the exchanges on this site?

Check for the SN Flights which are code shared onto BA.. they have been offering the best fares and have the BA service.

OK, after a couple of months of this, I'm about to fly bmi for the first time since they announced this Tiny rubbish (and only cos I have to !), and I still am not 100% sure I get it !

So could I just double, triple, quadruple check that I have got this right...

a) I book on Expedia (for e.g.) instead of on flybmi, and I book fares that are designated NOWBMI and TOWBMI : even though the equivalent fares booked on bmi would be Tiny fares (designated TINY something), the ones like my examples are NOT when booked on Expedia etc, etc. Right ?!? :confused:

b) If so I assume I get lounge access etc as a BD/DC Gold, but what miles do you get ?!? Would it be as per the old earning rates (I assume my examples above are N and T fares) or is there a new earnings table for cheap fares not classed as Tiny that I have missed ?!?

Oh, and on a seperate issue, are we allowed to use the Gold Upgrade vouchers when on Tiny fares ? Has anyone successfully done it, and if so did they then let you into one or both of the lounges ?

Thanks guys, hope these are simple questions with simply answers... why do I suspect though that they might not be !!! :rolleyes:

H

Right. On flybmi Tiny fares have the fare basis NBABY, TBABY etc. the equivalent on Expedia would be as you said above, as bmi only sell Tiny fares themselves.

I think bmi will still classify them as Tiny fares, and will not permit lounge access or the ability to accrue miles from 01 Nov. There's no need to book on Expedia until then. Who knows, I hope I'm wrong but I have a sneaky suspicion that this is what's going to happen.

Thanks UK flyer, appreciated.

But don't your two answers totally contradict each other ?!? (And I am not having a go at you, but at bmi). Your first answer says they are not Tiny fares, but your second answer says that they will nonetheless be treated by bmi as Tiny fares ! :confused:

If the second part of your answer is right, then the first part of my question becomes totally irrelevant does it not ? If they are going to be treated in all ways as Tiny fares, then they ARE Tiny fares as far as I am concerned.

Any other views on this much appreciated... god am I confused !!! ;) :D

Are you trying to muddle my head up even more than bmi? :D

That's why I said I hope I'm wrong. The Expedia fares are not Tiny fares but they are booked in the same fare class as the Tiny (BABY) ones. Will bmi treat them the same as BABY fares? I don't know for sure but that's what I'm guessing.

Ouch! My head!

I feel your pain mate ! Please help, oh BD Forum Gurus, before our heads explode ! ;)

Some of the Brussels flights at weekends currently have crazy prices attached to them (for the last flight back on Sunday 9 October BMI want £88 plus taxes, compared to SNBrussels (operated by BA) charging 18 Euro plus taxes). This may be due to a smaller plane being used by BMI (Embraer 145), in which case it is silly planning on BD's part, but other than that I can see no rational explanation.

BMI are managing to be significantly more expensive than Eurostar, who themselves seem to have been ratcheting up fares of late.

From the "how to earn miles" chart on flybmi.

fare type no. of miles earned applicable classes UK & Europe


non-earning fares - from 1 August 2005** x0 t,n,e

non-earning fares - from 1 November 2005** x0 t,n,e & bmibaby tiny fares

So definitely no miles on T and N fares booked on Expedia.

Thanks, you are right, there seems to be no doubt on that point.

BUT... will I get lounge access on the T and Ns booked on Expedia/Travelocity/etc from Nov. ? They may not earn miles, but are they Tiny fares when it comes to criteria like lounge access ?

Afterall, it says "t,n,e & bmibaby tiny fares", which implies (even if they don't earn miles), that they are not actually classed by bmi as Tiny fares.

And anyone had any experience/know the answer to my Upgrade Voucher/Lounge access question of my previous post ?

Ta all.

BD love to make things confusing, dont they. I asked an e-question on the dinamante club website, and (as usual) - it didnt answer the question... however, the response (which will further confuse things) was:

"Tiny fares are only available on flybmi.com, these fares will not earn miles. Any fares booked through your travel agent will be miles earning fares."

Expedia is a travel agency, so any fares booked through them will earn miles. :D. Basically this means that BD will be losing my direct business, and will be paying expedia for my servicing bookings from now on. Yes, thats logical for a company trying to save money, isn't it?

i'd also really like to know the answer to these questions. cant see why we couldn't use our Gold upgrade vouchers from a Tiny fare.

anyone ?!? ;)

xOWBMI fares, in whichever class booked, are not tiny fares but standard fares and, as such, should entitle you to lounge access... at least until BMI publishes contrary information on the website.