cupsandsaucers

I'm suprised that so many people think this thread is very strange...

It's super simple.

BA have no business, no customers.
I try to spend with them. Their prices are inflated.

This is absurd.
Reminds me of when Glasgows Black Taxis tried to combat the business they had lost to UBER by raising prices to make up the difference. Well seen that didn't work!

marshy11

I have a holiday booked for mid May to Antigua. We booked the hotel direct and the flight via 2-4-1 with BA.

I know I can cancel the 2-4-1 booking but I have paid seat selection so would rather not. My best hope is that the flight is cancelled.

What I do think is that demand will be huge and availability low - certainly for those of us who have a 6 month window as we were tardy in using our 2-4-1 and they are almost expired. If I am lucky that's great. If not then I will have to pay real money - which will make the trip hugely more expensive, but that's life.

FlyerTalker39574

I wouldn’t risk it, they may not have enough aircraft available to operate leisure services.

CT-UK

I am equally surprised you don't get it either...

1. You are wrong when you say they have no customers, you are 100% wrong. They have at least 1 and that is me as already mentioned
2. Do you know they have inflated their prices compared to the same time last year as already asked?

If you have FACTS not your opinion you could be at least 50% correct so take that as a bonus As mentioned you have options with booking Virgin or a BA holiday as I suggested which gives you the holiday you want and also the option to get better prices via both options.

cupsandsaucers

So there is to be no discussion of BA / BA prices on the BA forum.

Gotcha.

CT-UK

There is discussion and people have given you there opinions ranging from.

1. Prices 1 year out are always high and tend to drop 9 months out
2. Rev man may be protecting future revenue ( thinking they can get higher prices if things clear up)
3. Other posters predict high demand
4. Other options are available

Surely you can see there has been discussion, the fact that as of now nobody has agreed with your point is just that. Maybe others will be along and agree.

LondonElite

What do you mean they have no customers? How do you know they have no customers to anywhere next year (assuming the company is still fully operational).

As others have said, those prices will have been set long before CoVid-19 was on anyone's radar, and I don't see how you can claim them to be inflated if you have no context (for example, what were they priced at last year)?

In the end, buying demand (flying a plane full of people on cheap fares) is never a good idea. And who knows what the supply of seats to Antigua will be?

Swanhunter

It’s perfectly rational. They are protecting revenue (as noted above) and also people booking now are likely to be price insensitive and not so bothered about pricing. Bargain basement stuff is to stimulate demand which, I’d argue, is tough now when many are worried about having a job in 3-6 months. Plus there is still a chance that TUI or Virgin might collapse which would take more capacity out of the market and allow BA to further strength prices.

Airline pricing is complex and often baffling, but right now I’d say it’s extremely rational in execution.

Oxon Flyer

Alternatively : there is no pricing as such. Most of the company resources are flat out dealing with the current crisis. What the situation will be in a years time in terms of aircraft/hotel supply and demand is unknown. Prices are therefore just left at whatever list price they were initially set up as.

It’s not good business to flog a cheap holiday to the OP, when you have no idea if you’re able to fulfil it.

BertieBadger

Will there be 100 of them? And will they be allowed on the flight deck?

(Apologies for the OT silliness, I'm sure a number of people will get the reference...Now to return to discussion of pricing)

CT-UK

Wayne Kisbee

Is it wise to book any flights/holidays now, no matter the price or the company?

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AJBChina

Just to stay OT for a moment longer - but thanks for that reference Bertie, it's reminded me that I can pass a few hours of isolation re-listening to CP from the beginning....Ottery St Mary here we come!

fripperies

Au contraire, they are making it very easy for you. You are trying to give them money, they are selling tickets. Just buy one.

navylad

OP, from what I understand, BA is not ‘on the verge of collapse’ as you have stated, they remain in one of the best positions across the sector to ride what is undoubtedly one of the most challenging times in a century (coincidentally- the 101 years before the challenge setting up the original flights).

BA employ revenue experts. Some have suggested that the prices will have been set prior to the current situation, this may well be true I don’t know, or they may have been set since, in either case, BA are not profiteering off the current situation IMHO as you suggest.

At the end of the day, they present a price, you can choose to take it or leave it. You could choose to buy a ticket on another carrier as they provide a different offer. My suggestion would be to consider carefully the risk of any airline that you are looking to buy a ticket with carefully, balance that risk with the current information and modelling and decide whether you wish to take their fare or not, consider waiting until the situation and duration becomes clearer.

Yes that may include your desire that IAG succeed as you have some of your pension invested, but the reality is that your individual flight is going to affect your pension very little.

Do continue to use FT to assist you to find good fares and remember that there are perhaps more important things to get worked up about right now.