MSE News: Ryanair and Easyjet hike charges for holiday season

ageingboomer

Does anyone know for sure if easyJet uses cookies or other means to increase prices when you look once, go away, then return to book? Subjectively my impression is that prices are often higher on the second visit, even if it's only minutes later for a flight months in advance. It seems unlikely that a football team booked in the intervening period. Travelodge too, incidentally, if anyone knows?

James_H_2

ageingboomer wrote: »

Does anyone know for sure if easyJet uses cookies or other means to increase prices when you look once, go away, then return to book? Subjectively my impression is that prices are often higher on the second visit, even if it's only minutes later for a flight months in advance. It seems unlikely that a football team booked in the intervening period. Travelodge too, incidentally, if anyone knows?

Edit: Sorry misread your post! You asked about easyJet, not Ryanair!

I didn't find this when booking my flights for June, in fact in the 2 weeks while I waited for my first and then second Prepaid Mastercard to arrive, the price for 2 went from £48 to £28!

Other people however corroborate your story - http://twitter.com/#!/sampsonian/status/50199798099357696

jonmimir

Nothing would surprise me about Ryanair finding new ways to trick passengers into paying their cynical extra fees but I am a little surprised that Easyjet is now racing them to the bottom. Who'd have thought there'd be a competition to become the most repugnant cheapskate airline? I will continue to happily pay whatever it takes to avoid the anti-competitive practises of these enemies of the customer. Long live honest companies that advertise their real price and good luck with the super-complaint, Which.

tightarsey

ageingboomer wrote: »

Does anyone know for sure if easyJet uses cookies or other means to increase prices when you look once, go away, then return to book? Subjectively my impression is that prices are often higher on the second visit, even if it's only minutes later for a flight months in advance. It seems unlikely that a football team booked in the intervening period. Travelodge too, incidentally, if anyone knows?

I have noticed with Airline bookings in the past that if there was only one seat left at the lower price in their systems (which is not always indicated: ryanair do), if you search for 2 persons, rather than 1, both fares are shown at the higher price, but if you switch back to 1 person, and book each seperately, you get one at the lower price, one the higher price.

Personally, I thought was wrong, but the airlines would say it was confusing to customers to offer different prices for the same flight to 2 persons, in a single booking. Still there is overcharging taking place, for 'simplicity purposes'

richardw

If your hand luggage bag is oversize for easyJet, they'll charge you £25 at the check-in desk and £40 at the gate

http://easyjet.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4049

budgetflyer

blades123 wrote: »

The problem with all companies, not just airlines is that their main goal is to make as much money as possible without having to pay anything out. The days when a company invests in its business has long gone. If it does want to expand, in the past it would use it own money but now every price is increased to cover these expansions. Just look at the electrical companies or landline providers. They are willing to stop using powerstations to make their electricity and start using wind power - but only if their customers / goverment pay for it. It't the same with BT, they are willing to upgrade the broadband network across the UK but only if the goverment gives them a grant and if their customers pays extra on their bills. But the main question is: Who gets to keep these things i.e wind turbines or fibre optic network? They do without spending a penny of their own money

Ryanair and Easyjet have invested billions on the newest and most efficient fleets in the airline industry however fuel costs have risen quite steeply over the last 2 years so these costs have to be covered by increased prices one way or another.

To have a low "base price" and then to load "optional extras" is quite good imo.
The savvy and cost conscious can still fly relatively cheap.
If these consumer groups have their way, card fees, baggage, airport check in, why not even meals! will be automatically be factored in to the headline cost. We will all have to pay these whether we use them or not.
The airlines wont care. Ryanair and Easyjet will still, most of the time be cheapest, as they are the most efficient. Im sure their profits will increase too as we all will be paying for these extras, whether we use them or not.
These consumer groups are champions for the lazy and ignorant only, but as usual, we all will pay