How have these Budget Airlines Got Away With It ?

Butts

wdyw wrote: »

Sometimes they are cheaper, most times they are not, but rarely are you comparing like with like. If few people know that the flag carriers can sometimes be cheaper than the airlines perceived as being cheap and nasty then is it down to the big boys to spend more on ticketing/advertising&marketing to get the message across, or has the battle already been lost. In the good old days BA used to have a T/A/M budget equal to about 50% of their overall wage bill!
Also, in the past, research such as the British Cascade Study showed that a $100 ticket on a BA could cost $37 with an unscheuled company. (sorry, no pound sign, and can't spare the time to change the keyboard setup!). It's quite extraordinary that they remained in the market (unlike many national flag carriers) given the changes they have been forced through since the late 70's.

Also I know who I'd rather be flying with if there are any logistical problems or "ash clouds" -look at the trouble people have been having getting compo out of Ryanair:D

Doshwaster

Butts wrote: »

Suprisingly when you factor all the extras in they are often cheaper than budget carriers.

The trouble is "all the extras" are different for different people so you have to make your judgement.

I'm flying BA for shorthaul more often than I used to as they are getting more competetive with the budget carriers - but I also have to factor in the time/cost/hassle of getting to LGW or LHR rather which are 2-3 hours away rather than STN and LTN which are less than an hour from my home. So, even if BA is cheaper from Heathrow the total cost with Easyjet from Stansted can be cheaper. Clearly if you live in Slough or Crawley then it's a different calculation.

ferf1223

benjus wrote: »

It's not just budget airlines that charge for paying by card.

Virgin does too...even if paying using a Virgin Atlantic AmEx...quite annoying.

Loanranger

The budget airlines have brought air travel within reach of the millions who, in the past, could not afford to travel by BA or Air France or KLM etc.
I cannot see the problem.
Pay for the nuts, hot towels, films and so on with an expensive ticket or fly budget for a lot less and forgo the frills.
It's a no brainer.

dmg24

Butts wrote: »

I agree with most of what you say but you don't have to go through "6 pages of booking blurb" on some flights" to come out with a hyped up price.

If you see a BA Price on a UK Domestic Flight and pay by debit card that is the FINAL PRICE for Ticket,Check In, 1 Hold Baggage, Seat,Refeshments etc.

Suprisingly when you factor all the extras in they are often cheaper than budget carriers.

I am guessing you have flown domestic with BA for a long time. They offer little more than the low cost airlines.

Butts wrote: »

Also I know who I'd rather be flying with if there are any logistical problems or "ash clouds" -look at the trouble people have been having getting compo out of Ryanair:D

If you look at the problems people have had with KLM and Air France, they make Ryanair look positively generous.

Jake'sGran

Butts wrote: »

Am I the only person who would applaud Government Legislation to stop all these cowboys in their tracks - god knows they could do with something to raise their popularity !!!

It's dead simple the price advertised for a Flight Includes The Flight, All taxes, A Seat, All card charges, Check In.

If they want to charge for hold baggage and refreshments on top ok thats fine.

My word that's how it used to operate !!!:D

What about charging to use the loo. Ryanair are thinking of doing this last time I heard.

Its about five years since I flew anywhere (health) but I always use to fly with Monarch and book online. They are classed as a schedule flights airline but their prices were good.

Loanranger

Michael O'Leary announced that he was thinking of charging passengers to use the loo as a headline grabber.
He is a master of marketing and operates on the basis that there's no such thing as bad publicity.

The budget airlines are also classed as scheduled flights.

Butts

Loanranger wrote: »

The budget airlines have brought air travel within reach of the millions who, in the past, could not afford to travel by BA or Air France or KLM etc.
I cannot see the problem.
Pay for the nuts, hot towels, films and so on with an expensive ticket or fly budget for a lot less and forgo the frills.
It's a no brainer.

Actually if you examine the statistics the expansion of Air Travel has generally enfranchised the "Middle Classes" and enabled them to take more foreign holidays and buy holiday homes etc - it has done nothing for the single mother on a sink estate.

I agree with your comment about foregoing the extras IF you get a cheap flight but you do realise they never come back even when you pay National Carrier fares on a Budget airline.:D

Butts

Loanranger wrote: »

Michael O'Leary announced that he was thinking of charging passengers to use the loo as a headline grabber.
He is a master of marketing and operates on the basis that there's no such thing as bad publicity.

The budget airlines are also classed as scheduled flights.

Some people may say he is a "master of deception" - look what has happened in Marseille threatened with the prospect of having to pay French pay and conditions rather than Irish ones he has decamped pretty quickly:D

Butts

dmg24 wrote: »

I am guessing you have flown domestic with BA for a long time. They offer little more than the low cost airlines.



If you look at the problems people have had with KLM and Air France, they make Ryanair look positively generous.

A good reason for flying BA then:D