JD1905

Hi All,

I'm looking at booking flights later this year, business class from Northern Ireland or Ireland to Phuket over Christmas. Since I started looking some weeks back, it's become apparent that especially with British Airways, I am continually finding the cheapest deals through 3rd Party Travel websites, Booking direct comes up a-lot more expensive. Is this something that is usual, is there a way around it? have a look at the flights I was looking at below. I couldn't actually get the same flights through BA direct, but the closest I got was a-lot more expensive.

Through Travelup (Third Party)




Through BA

LCY8737

Swanhunter

corporate-wage-slave

Due to the final flight, it isn't comparable, so I would urge you to call BA and see if they can get a better price, the more complex the trip - and this is fairly complex - the more likely that you will get odd results if a final flight has an impact on the previous flight(s) and their fare buckets. It's a codeshare which has combinability rules in contention. To answer the question, this scenario is certainly possible but by no means standard. However this is an apples and pears comparison as things stand.

See the "Find me a good BA fare" thread for a description on Consolidation travel agents and the multiple risks around this. Best Price Guarantee won't apply with flight differences.

ajeleonard

Do not use TravelUp

If you can find a cheaper fare through a reputable OTA then fine. They can be better a piecing together multii-carrier fares than airlines own websites

JD1905

I would always avoid where possible, but if it comes up cheaper then it's difficult to justify booking direct.

I don't want to go BA (Trust me!), but QR is Ł1,600 more expensive PP (As you mentioned). Unfortunate, as it was a similar price to BA a couple of months ago.

Flyiboy

I just did a dummy booking for your dates and times on BA APP The price is showing me 3,500 pounds in D class.(business) I also did a dummy booking but in FIRST..I rec'd the same price that you stated above ( 7878.00). I would ring them (BA) and ask them to price it out.. I will also say that QR is a great airline..Just priced it, 3,334 pounds, Route for QR would be DUB-DOH-HKT ...

Still

Quark999

I booked through Travelup about a year ago for a Gulf Air flight that was around Ł1000 cheaper for two than the airline's own website. I knew of the risks involved, but since it was for holiday I couldn't justify spending the extra money either.

It turned out Gulf Air cancelled the flight we were booked on a few months out. I proactively called Gulf Air and they rebooked us on the flight the next morning. A few days later Travelup called and said that there had been a cancellation, and when I told them that we had already rearranged with Gulf Air it took them a day or so but they then reissued the ticket. There was a bit of back and forth with an Indian call center, but ultimately it all worked out. Travelup contacted us without knowing we had already rearranged through Gulf Air, so I suppose that was a good sign.

So if it's unlikely that your plans might change, and there's plenty of time between booking and flying I don't think Travelup is particularly bad.

IntVic

Depending on the price difference, you might want to utilise BA's price guarantee. Do read the conditions and follow the instructions carefully. I have used it a few times when comparing prices with Travelup as it happens.
I too have used Travelup on a number of occasions, and never had an issue as I never needed to change my travel plans. Again read their T&Cs carefully before making any commitment to use them.

Travelup

Thank you for showing an interest in our website. We have some fantastic deals with British Airways, as one of their preferred partners. Should you need any help with making a new booking please feel free to call one of our dedicated sales team on 0118 956 6464. Thank you for your continued support for those of you that have travelled with us in the past!

The Travelup Team

corporate-wage-slave

Welcome to Flyertalk Travelup, and welcome to the BA forum.

I'm an ambassador in this forum, here to meet and greet. There is a mechanism for Company Representatives to be involved in Flyertalk, and I'll ask the forum moderators to look at that for you.

PAL62V

SK AAR

Paying in excess of 7,800 EUR for C/J class fare ex DUB to Phuket this far out would be insane. Clearly it is very different from the itinerary/booking classes provided by the OTA. This is not the usual/common (minor) difference between booking directly with the airline of through a OTA providing some kind of discount to the ticket.

MadamRiskCulture

Maybe someone has inside info on imminent GBP to EUR exchange rate fluctuations :P

My guess is a hidden / technical glitch difference in fare type - the BA website price seems wrong for BC