Cheap flights

[vnman]

I remember a discussion about Airasia and how some people don't want to fly with them because of all the extra's they charge. I'm an Airasia fan but open for other options. The problem with Airasia is that you often have to take the extra's. For example last time, I only had hand luggage. Great idea, save some money. But this means that you can't bring anything in liquid form...no mouth water, aftershave and such. So, actually forcing you to have checked in luggage.

This time I booked Qatar Airlines: sgn - bkk 212 USD including taxes, snacks and 23 kilo's (I hope not of ice) and that is cheaper than Airasia. Isn't that price amazing booking 5 days in advance?

What do you guys think, I flying getting cheaper still. And especially last minute flying?

[pong]

there is No general rule at all-it simply depends on ther route and the airlines that serve it. Sometimes it may be worthwhile to use other nearby airports.
However-the example you give is a tipical fenomenon to/fro BKK- the ''last leg'' of some longer flights. (QR=Qatar air-obviously based in that Gulf-sheikhdom).
Ditto flights are f.e.:
LH BKK-KUL
LH BKK-SGN and Hanoi
GULF and/or AirLanka BKK-HKG
Kenya BKK-Guangzhou (CAN still, afaicr) and Sjanghai
there USED to be KLm BKK-Taipei-but this is cancelled/reorganised
KU=Kuwait air (I think-check yourself) stll does BKK-MNL
same-same other way is BKK-TYO on former NW, now DL
As these are all big planes, offload most of their pax anyway in BKk, they have enough spare seats. TH is very lax on ruling what airlines can/or cannot take, so they do not have those silly long advance booking and all that other mess usually associated with these national pride airlines (the state-flag carriers).
BTW; on AA-be smart-buy that water or a disposable toothpaste after arrival-cost much less as that ''enforced'luggage you complain about. Here in EURope we know the strange ways of airlines like RYAN and can adapt.
find all those LCC=low cost/budget/nofrllls airlines on sites like skyscanner or -better - whichbudget.com

I think its right and if you got cheaper than airasia and they allow to carry more than what's better than that.Cheap Flights (http://www.discountjourneys.com/)

[jolyjacktar]

Here in the UK the flights are now so topped up with air tax and airport tax and government clean taxes that somtimes the cost of the flight itself is a lot less than 50% of the total charged.So in the UK i have noticed over the last few years how much more the flights are. Also with the ┬г being almost a 3rd world currency as far as exchange rates go and fuel being much more priced here than the US.
Oh dear always a worry (money)

Here in the UK the flights are now so topped up with air tax and airport tax and government clean taxes that somtimes the cost of the flight itself is a lot less than 50% of the total charged....


I've just booked KLM flights from UK to Gran Canaria in February 2013.

Total cost ┬г203 - actual cost of flight ┬г11 - Taxes etc ┬г192.

Note KLM is full-service - the ┬г192 is not luggage or assigned seating, purely taxes etc.



:party

Actually I see just yesterday British Airways have decided to take it on themselves to tackle the UK Government re the tax on flights issue as we're the dearest in Europe, they sent a bulk email to their entire database asking everyone to fillin their postcode and this generates and automatic letter to each persons MP asking them to support a Bill voting against the tax or to review it ( or words to that effect), I completed it and got an almost instant auto response letter reply from my MP directly replying to the BA letter stating that he was in full support of their actions and would be backing the bill / voting against it ( sorry can't remember which way round it was) so it looks like there's a head of steam building to actually do something about it to get ithe tax lowered - lets hope anyway as it will make my trip to LOS just that little bit ( or a lot) cheaper and leave me with more money to spend on life's dubious pleasures :-)

[christianpfc]

From personal experience (several return flights from Heathrow to BKK and from Paris to BKK, and currently looking for flights from Berlin to BKK, all in economy, most with a stop in Arabia or India), the difference in price is not significant, Berlin seems to be a bit cheaper because it is 1000 km closer to BKK. I even had the impression that is is cheaper to go to BKK from Heathrow than from Paris, as there are more airlines to choose from. But again, the difference is so low (10-20% of the total price) that other factors (convenient flight times) overrule the price.

Actually I see just yesterday British Airways have decided to take it on themselves to tackle the UK Government re the tax on flights....

Well I have to say that in BA's case it's the kettle calling the pot black!

For around 20 years continuously BA have charged an enormous "fuel surcharge" in their prices.

Call me old fashioned, but to me a "fuel surcharge" is something levied when the price of fuel unexpectedly exceeds that which the Airline bargained for when it set its fares. It takes a bit of believing that BA has needed to impose a surcharge 365 days per year for 20 years, irrespective of whether the price of aviation fuel went up or down. It's a fucking scam.

Agree about the UK air travel taxes though - and the way to avoid them is to use Emirates via Dubai where the total taxes for a return flight to BKK is around ┬г70 as opposed to BA's ┬г350+ (although that includes the dreaded fuel surcharge)

:violent1: :violent1:

[billyhouston]

Agree about the UK air travel taxes though - and the way to avoid them is to use Emirates via Dubai where the total taxes for a return flight to BKK is around ┬г70 as opposed to BA's ┬г350+ (although that includes the dreaded fuel surcharge)


Interesting that Emirates can get away with this since, according to the APD regulations, unless you spend more than a scheduled 24 hours in Dubai the flights are deemed 'connected' and liable to the full LON-BKK Air Passenger Duty.

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageVAT_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000505&propertyType=document#downloadopt :crybaby:

(section 4.3 is the relevant part)

For years Gordon Brown, he who 'abolished boom and bust', incompetent as Chancellor and incontinent as Prime Minister, lied and insisted that APD was a 'green' tax intended to save the planet when in fact it was always intended as a nice little earner for the Treasury.

Or fly from Dublin ! :-) even if it means getting a short cheapy connection flight perhaps as I've just booked an Eithiad flight from Dublin to Bkk around peak time in December with a 1.5hr layover in Abu Dhabi ( but 12 hours coming back but that suited me fine on this occasion) all for only ┬г595 quid all in inc taxes etc whereas the same UK based flight options were starting around ┬г850-┬г900 minimum !

I booked a flight for Dec..... 3 weeks ago.....from Manchester to Bkk by Emirates for ┬г555

I guess I missed that one ! ;-( And yeah I am aware there are low fares to, I wasn't suggesting there aren't ever but just now that's the best I could find personally, glad to see we're all going the same direction in December though :-)

yes ..i think this week all the prices went up so i booked it before it did
if had booked this week ..i would have had to pay ┬г100 more ..Emirates now costs ┬г655....i check them every day and they change all the time....up and down.....i went on Etihad last time...had my man city shirt on and with Etihad being our sponcer's all the cabin crew treated me very nice and kept saying ..like the shirt ha ha

[fountainhall]

UK airports are the most taxed in the world, with LHR at the top of the pyramid. So departing from other UK airports will result in savings - but not much. Last year the UK Treasury collected almost twice as much in passenger taxes as all other European countries combined!

The amount of the tax you'll pay depends on distance - and all are theoretically treated equally. Passengers are charged a basic tax in 4 bands depending on distance to the capital city of the country you are visiting - up to 2,000, 4,000 6,000 miles and beyond. The relevant taxes are presently ┬г13, ┬г65, ┬г81 and ┬г92. However, the Treasury just cannot be bothered working out the exact distance for more than one city. (Odd that, since the airlines know precisely the distance between two airports, as frequent flyers know only too well). No, for America the arbitrary destination is Washington D.C. So it doesn't matter if you fly to Boston (3,325 miles) or Honolulu (7,239 miles), you pay the same tax, despite there being 4,000 miles difference in distance!

But that's not all. The UK levies 8 separate taxes - and that's before the airline adds its fuel surcharges, advance seat reservation fees, excess baggage fees etc. etc.

Intermediate stops usually do not get that passenger tax levy reduced if you are on the same airline and your stopover is less than 24 hours. More than 24 hours and you should pay only the lower band. But if you take, say, Easyjet to Amsterdam and then KLM from there, you definitely pay only the bottom band and save ┬г68 to BKK. Then, however, you have to make sure you leave enough time to allow for late arrival etc.

Back to treating all passengers equally. That's only if you are in economy. So, if you think all this is lousy for economy passengers, consider those at the front end of the planes. The taxes are double for business class!

PS: Re fuel prices, I agree totally with Scotty. A ticket for a flight should include the price of the fuel, otherwise it can not fly! If any airline does not agree with that, then what will it do if we turn up with a couple of cans of kerosene when we arrive at the airport? That price should be fixed at the point where it was first introduced and the increase calculated accordingly. What pisses me off is the ease with which fuel surcharges are increased, but rarely come down for weeks or months after the price has come down.

[christianpfc]

I don't remember a fuel surcharge, but the credit card fees are annoying. They can easily reach 15 Euro. For my last flights, I found ways to avoid them by booking directly with the airline and paying by direct debit and similar.