Jainzar

I assume XG is operating the flight for OS/LH/LX as part of a wetlease contract. In that case you have no mixed carriers.

XG's very own flights follow the sun (Spain, Turkey, etc.) and back.

Germanfflyer

Mixed carriers will not help anyway - on a light fare you will not get ANY luggage checked that is the rule - end of story! YMMV

Flying Lawyer

Right. And if you have mixed carriers in the LH sense of the term, you won't have a light fare.

whiskey_sk

I'm not happy that if I pay 777€ for an intra-EU flight in Y, there is only carry-on included, and if I need to take a bag, they have the guts to ask for additional 30€. That's a clear rip off in my book. I think that this kind of price could have easily included a proper C seat, never mind a bag or two...

N1003U

You mean you don't tip the FA's already? Sure, cash is a little gauche, but I find unusual aviation-themed lapel pins or inexpensive writing instruments as gifts to an unusually pleasant FA works wonders for the service experience!

Sadly, that is the case. While I understand the concept of unbundling, I detest the additional overhead often required of having to sort out what I want to buy and what not (sort of in the same way I hate having to figure out mobile telephone plans).

It would be nice perhaps one day, if I could simply put my preferences into a profile, and by default only be presented with options in which I am interested. I pay happily to avoid hassle. Life is too short.

That said, I did have a reasonably good experience with the whole Light fare process on a flight I took last weekend between FRA and VIE. The ticket was, indeed a "Light" one, and at 108,79€ round trip, a super bargain. Since I was only going for the weekend with no office accessories, using a small carry-on was not a problem.

At the last minute, I decided to supplement my baggage with some gifts of Kaiserstuhl wine for my hosts, which not only blew out my 8kg weight limit, but also was clearly over the 100ml limit, so I needed to check a bag and pay the commensurate fee.

OK, fine. So I went to LH.com, and I pulled up my reservation, and after just a couple of clicks (you can even use a stored credit card/EC card number if you log into your M&M account--you just have to enter the security code--and there are no credit card fees), I successfully added a bag to my reservation for 15€. No fuss, no hassle, a 45-second process.

If the LH.com purchase experience could only improve in other areas (for example more detailed inventory searching by fare basis, or a better low-fare calendar, etc.), I might even start to become a fan of the unbundling process.

One day, perhaps...

N1003U

That is the other side of the story that the fanbois of the system don't like to talk about.

Flying Lawyer

Nobody asks you to book a "light" fare. You are fully free to book "Economy Classic". This fare is called Classic because it includes the benefits of a classic economy fare. Fare difference in most instances 20 Euro o/w. The fare of 777 Euro you mentioned has nothing to do with "bags" or "no bags" but it is simply dependent on the booking situation. So see it the other way round: You get a discount of 20 Euro.

whiskey_sk

...and then I came to check my bag in, and the nice lady behind the counter said there was no sign of the added bag in the system, and I was advised to proceed to the "service desk" (#outsourcedeverythingAMS) in order to buy the bag transport again, this time for 30€, spending 25 minutes while the agent called some LH hotline, and processed all the paperwork. Then I schlepped back to the check in counter, where the ladies were on the verge of calling the police to safely detonate my bag (they kindly suggested I left it there as it is quite a walk to the "service desk", but obviously didn't expect it would take over 30 minutes for me to return)...

Flying Lawyer

You don't need to be a fanboy to understand and to work with the system.

Save 20 EUR if you don't take a bag, pay 20 EUR if you want to take a bag. You can however discuss everything until is has been discussed 200 times. The idea that you need to pay for luggage (or don't need to pay if you don't have luggage) is known to me from other parts of the world for ages, so not really worth talking about that much.

whiskey_sk

FYI, the classic was 817€ in that particular case, and that is what I had bought in that particular instance.
I'm just saying that for over 700€ for an intra-EU Y flight I consider it a rip off if they ask a single penny for a bag and calling such a fare "Light" is really ridiculous. And yes, I'm fully aware of the fact I could have voted with my feet, but this is not related.

Flying Lawyer

Right, so you got a 20 EUR discount each way. The fare is obviously not "light" because it is cheap or has no calories. If I book my regular route into London for tomorrow, Classic fare is 632 EUR. Light gives you 40 EUR discount. If I book the same flight for in two months time, cheapest Classic fare is 201 EUR. Light gives you 40 EUR discount. If I book it for Late December, cheapest Classic is 160 EUR, Light gives you 40 EUR discount.

This is the way airlines work since I started flying. The only new thing is the discount you get if you don't take luggage.

N1003U

I think the system is well known and understood. What is at issue, at least what I infer from whiskey_sk's and some other comments, is the implementation.

In my instant case, as explained, I found the whole thing worked rather well. But in general, for my needs, I find the implementation of a lot unbundled product offerings to be crap.

BTW, in my case, the sum involved was 15€, not 20€, as there is apparently a discount for booking a bag on-line.

Yes, when you combine rather poor marketing implementation with even worse IT resources, you get experiences such as those described by whiskey_sk. I have drawn those cards in the past with other changes to reservations. That the light/standard/flex stuff (that determine baggage, ASR, etc.) is also uncoupled from the underlying script fare bases (which determine things like change fees, upgradability, refund fees, etc.) makes the situation even worse. If the "light" discount was obvious and constant, it might be as simple as described, but I am not sure it always is.

One may not need to be a fanboy, but there are times when one certainly needs some luck and a whole lot of patience to understand and work with the system. As a semi-captive and a semi-fan of the on-board service, I tend to use LH services more in spite of their marketing silliness than because of it.

NewbieRunner

The 20€ difference between Economy Light and Economy Classic actually includes one checked bag and advance seat reservation. Seat reservation for a standard seat costs 10€ and an exit row seat 25€. If you are SEN and want to check a bag and reserve an exit row seat for no extra cost, Economy Classic can be a very good value.

N1003U

Thanks for the insight. I had never before really looked into all the possibilities, but this is an interesting observation.

sfvoyage

Is lounge access still granted on these light fares for *G customers?