UAM booking
 

Just made one, not a great experience really.

First of all the fare online was £80 plus tax/YQ/PSC, which was a good fare (for LHR-KUL-KNO). I called up to MH UK number and asked them to make the booking, as the current fare was competitive and didn't want to email or anything like that and have it change. They gave me a HIGHER fare than the quoted adult fare, although it should be lower as there is no UK tax for under-16s. I asked them to break it down and they said it was £80 fare plus taxes, and a £15 telephone booking fee. I can't find any reference to a telephone booking fee on their website, but whatever I don't have any other options

I said 'the fare should be lower as a child doesn't pay the ex-UK £75 departure tax' <longgg wait> ' I checked the fare rules, you pay 100% of adult fare', 'not the fare, the tax, this is £75 the government take, it's not Malaysia Airlines' <longggggg wait> '<still trying to argue with me> Wait let me put in the date of birth and check.' <long wait> <finally gives me a lower price>

Eventually around 40 minutes into the call 'you need to pay £50 UAM fee'. Me 'ok fine'. Then 'there is a UAM form on the website, let me download it' <long wait while he downloads it> 'I will send it you later'

(So why did I have to wait while you downloaded it?)

Eventually he says 'you need to bring the form to the airport and pay £50 at the airport'. Uh? Why not just take it now?!

Ok whatever.

Finally after 62 minutes on the phone they send me the ticket, and they have not charged me £80 fare (which is 'Q' fare (£95 rt) one way and 'O' (£65 rt) one way) as discussed, but £95 which is Q both ways. I think maybe when the guy was being an idiot for 20 minutes telling me that the total fare for adults & children was exactly the same, the O class sold out. I don't really know.

So I have to pay £15 for the phone booking (a fee I couldn't find on the website), another £15 because the guy apparently repriced the fare despite me starting the conversation with 'I want to buy an UAM ticket LHR-KNO on these dates', but not actually giving me the correct fare, and then £50 at the airport (which isn't on the website either)

£80 for LHR-KUL-KNO is not a good fare... it's an amazingly cheap fare... and un-realisticly so . You sure it's £80??

The thing with call centre agents is that for some reasons they tend to increase prices you see online (as i've experienced myself), and often are not competent enough unfortunately : /

Plus £282 YQ
Plus APD (£75/£78) for adults
Plus PSC of £56.41

So really it's:

O £347 + taxes (inc YQ)
Q £377 + taxes

Into KUL, YQ is lower (£230), but the fare higher, the structure is

O £394 (inc YQ)
Q £424

plus maybe APD and £59.11 in PSC

I guess MH have to compete with SQ on the KNO route, hence being cheaper than KUL