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Trying to throw BA a bone. Prices spat back in my face!

Trying to throw BA a bone. Prices spat back in my face!

Old Mar 26, 2020, 12:40 pm
  #76  
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The OP is looking at a complex and volatile situation as if it were a simple matter of just 'demand' where low demand should equate to low prices.

Unfortunately the real world isn't like that.
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Old Mar 26, 2020, 12:46 pm
  #77  
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Originally Posted by AJA_
I do see that for some situations physical proximity is still a good idea but I wonder if we do go into a worldwide recession how many companies will continue to pay first class? I am sure that eventually travel will return but I do not see it being anywhere near back to "normal" levels before this hit in the short term (the next 12 months). And there will be those who will do less travel in the short term. If there are fewer people travelling then the airlines will do their best to maximise revenue. So it could either be discounted fares to encourage people to return but with so many trying to redeem vouchers I can't see BA doing this or more likely high pricing to maximise revenue from fewer passengers who will pay to travel come what may.
Doubtful that F and lounges included as the result of status survive government subsidies and equity stakes. There may be some taxpayers who appreciate the value of a carrier, but not of the CCR (on their coin).
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Old Mar 26, 2020, 1:16 pm
  #78  
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Originally Posted by dougzz
There's plenty of discussion, and some good answers. You, as a person that once claimed they booked all the company travel, should have better awareness of airline pricing and economics. BA are in a battle for survival, certainly as they see it, so there is no point in surviving through the summer to be in a huge mess next year as a result of dumping inventory at low margin/loss. Right now no airline knows what next summer may look like, maybe demand disappears and their network is a fraction of what it was previously, and what inventory is available needs to be at a decent margin.

As as been pointed out already, you just seem irked that you can't bag a potential bargain, you're not acting based on altruistic motives towards BA.
I didn't see any comment from the OP about wanting a cheaper price. I read other posters make the charge of bargain hunting. What I inferred from the OP is that he basically wanted to rebook what was cancelled at a similar price in the future, in part to leave his cash with BA/IAG and was astonished by a much higher price than what he had paid.

I find the rush to judge his response as cynically as possible very off-putting irrespective of how algorithms work.

If a person on the dole demands more money rather than graciously accepting what is intended as a generous gesture, it rankles. I think he sought to be supportive. Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished.
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Old Mar 26, 2020, 1:59 pm
  #79  
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Originally Posted by RichardDix

If a person on the dole demands more money rather than graciously accepting what is intended as a generous gesture, it rankles. I think he sought to be supportive. Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished.
The dole is not a generous gesture in the UK and is in the main paid for by workers via their national insurance contributions.

It's not an equivalent anaolgy.

And at the moment I see some of my self employed friends who are now having to apply for Universal Credit being aghast at how little it actually is.
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Old Mar 26, 2020, 2:34 pm
  #80  
 
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Originally Posted by GumshoeW12
Isnt the gist of it I want to take advantage of a global crisis by bagging myself a dirt cheap holiday but nasty BA have seen right through my cunning plan and wont let me?
Indeed: There is precious little meat on a bone (referring to thread title)
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Old Mar 26, 2020, 3:57 pm
  #81  
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Originally Posted by UKtravelbear
The dole is not a generous gesture in the UK and is in the main paid for by workers via their national insurance contributions.

It's not an equivalent anaolgy.

And at the moment I see some of my self employed friends who are now having to apply for Universal Credit being aghast at how little it actually is.
Absolutely correct. I was actually thinking of a beggar.

I am not upset with IAG or the OP. The former has their algorithm and the latter is trying to act humanely with a corporate entity. My felllow FTers are the one I think are behaving rudely and casting assertions.

Last edited by RichardDix; Mar 26, 2020 at 3:58 pm Reason: spelling
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Old Mar 26, 2020, 5:21 pm
  #82  
 
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cupsandsaucers imo,
Ba does have customers & will continue to have them, yes at this point in time not enough planes flying.
Do they need business - yes (everyone neeeds).
While I am sure every customers contribution is what makes the company, certainly your contribution is not what keeps it afloat or something that affects the bottom line of the company.
What nobody here mentioned is the low oil & ATF prices, certainly ba has hedged them, hence there that should make a difference in the future (they might not be this low either).
While I certainly do find their prices historically higher YTY since the past 3-4 years (to the destinations I fly) as there is certainly demand.
With Covid 19 everyone is a loser the airlines & the pax, surely nobody wished for this.
While I certainly understand your logic that cash is king, but they certainly are within their right to price their services. Nobody is bound to each other.
When will this C19 problem end , nobody knows. The damage that it will cause shall be huge, I guess there would be different priorities for people then, besides travel.
Ba & all other airlines are losing money unconditionally at this point, why would they sell something for less instead of try to recuperate lost revenue.
BA seems to be pretty stable financially at least now, in the future we shall see.
I suggest to wait it out till the C19 problem is not resolved, at least that's what I am doing.
Cheap oil lubricates the economy.
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Old Mar 26, 2020, 7:15 pm
  #83  
 
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Originally Posted by RichardDix
I didn't see any comment from the OP about wanting a cheaper price. I read other posters make the charge of bargain hunting. What I inferred from the OP is that he basically wanted to rebook what was cancelled at a similar price in the future, in part to leave his cash with BA/IAG and was astonished by a much higher price than what he had paid.

I find the rush to judge his response as cynically as possible very off-putting irrespective of how algorithms work.

If a person on the dole demands more money rather than graciously accepting what is intended as a generous gesture, it rankles. I think he sought to be supportive. Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished.
And thus he has been asked, more than once, (with no response) how the price he paid compared to what it would have cost if ALSO booked that far out. People are looking for an apples-to-apples comparison.... or that is how it seems to me...
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Old Mar 26, 2020, 7:46 pm
  #84  
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Originally Posted by trooper
And thus he has been asked, more than once, (with no response) how the price he paid compared to what it would have cost if ALSO booked that far out. People are looking for an apples-to-apples comparison.... or that is how it seems to me...
Seems reasonable, but we know it is another rabbit hole rather than anything edifying.
What happens is the same cynics search to poke holes or find exceptions or different dates to discredit the poster.
That is how it seems to me..
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Old Mar 26, 2020, 8:06 pm
  #85  
 
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i seem to be (maybe the only one) who is with OP on this. From my understanding OP isn't saying that they want a cheap holiday deal but expect the price to be similar to when they tried to book it before the crisis. BA currently is running out of cash quickly and has already reached out to the government for a potential bail out (beyond the guaranteed credit line the government has already extended to them and virgin which is not free..). I think people on this thread would have a very different opinion if a person requested more money from their employer, their employer said no and no longer hired them so instead the government gave them the money they wanted. But that is effectively what BA is doing.

Believe it or not we are going into at least a few months if not years where people will have less money and companies will cut back on unnecessary expense e.g. some corporate travel. BA will not see as much demand and should therefore be welcoming business. If a holiday to Antigua was profitable to them last year at lets say 2000 why are they no longer willing to to do it at that price? Even though oil prices are lower and hotels have empty rooms.
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Old Mar 26, 2020, 8:52 pm
  #86  
 
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Data point from me albeit on QR. I have flights from LAX to South Africa via DOH for May. The LAX flight has been canned and the original flight from DOH has been consolidated to a different flight. QR is offering a free change to fly later, so long as the origin and destination remain the same (for fees and fare difference). Unfortunately, I cant take advantage of that as I booked the tickets last year and the new travel has to occur within 1 year of issue. There is an option for a voucher and recently they have upped the offer to 110% of the fare paid and that voucher is valid for a year from its date of issue.

I was looking at flights recently to South Africa for next Feb as a replacement holiday. Feb is still Summer over there, so I would expect there to be a premium, but it was only a few hundred dollars over what I paid for May. Fast forward a week and the announcement that QR would not offer refunds and only issue vouchers to preserve cash and now those flights are $2,400 more expensive than what I had paid. I cant see me taking a voucher and locking myself into flying with QR knowing that I could be required to shell out 33% more than what I currently paid for the same route. Thankfully, a full refund for airline cancellations seems to be back on the table.

The same sudden price jump across multiple dates does seem to scream of lets get some additional revenue out of all that voucher spend that were going to see over the next few months.
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Old Mar 26, 2020, 10:28 pm
  #87  
 
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Originally Posted by T8191
* As a previous guest at a St. Lucia hotel, I received a crowdfunding email this morning ... theyre looking for 85,000 to support their staff while theyre closed down. Will they still be there in 2021?
do you have a link to the crowdfunding please
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Old Mar 27, 2020, 12:42 am
  #88  
 
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Originally Posted by jay121
i seem to be (maybe the only one) who is with OP on this.
I likewise think that the OP isn't saying anything completely unreasonable.

It seems to me that BA is perhaps behaving in a not dissimilar way to Ryanair:
https://www.theguardian.com/business...booked-flights
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Old Mar 27, 2020, 12:46 am
  #89  
 
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Originally Posted by Grace B
It seems to me that BA is perhaps behaving in a not dissimilar way to Ryanair:
https://www.theguardian.com/business...booked-flights
The situations are quite different.

Ryanair appears to be charging significantly higher prices for the same flight to passengers who are rebooking than to those who are new customers. There are no reports that BA is doing this.
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Old Mar 27, 2020, 12:55 am
  #90  
 
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Originally Posted by g289t
You're talking a year out here. They have one year to get customers between now and then. It's not a problem to not have customers now for that date.
thats true but only if others dont provide competitive offers. In the U.K. thats unlikely as there are too many anti competitive and protectionist commercial agreements in place allowing revenue sharing. These have never been in the customers interest and that is clearer than ever now!
The EU may again provide options well see.
My biggest concern is staying well and out of ICU. My future travel may be canned but insurance is in place.
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