Bangkok/Europe: B(loody) A(wful) Advertising!

[Guest fountainhall]

British Airways is currently running an ad campaign in the Thai media about their ultra cheap return fares to Europe. Just Bt. 21,000 to get to London plus a host of other cities.

 

It's all lies! That price clearly omits all the extras that BA, the UK government and the EU slap on to air tickets, plus the fact that Heathrow is about the world's most expensive airport to fly in or out of. So I ran a check. Lots of tickets at that price in June to London and Rome - BUT

 

Bangkok/London

Ticket: 21,000

Taxes, Surcharges etc: 18,860

TOTAL: 39,860

 

Bangkok/Rome (via London)

Ticket: 21,000

Taxes, Surcharges etc: 17,965

TOTAL: 38,965

 

Having compared these prices with other European airlines in the same month, the total prices are actually quite competitive. But what pisses me off is the blatant misrepresentation in the advertising - not only of BA but several other airlines. When the actual price to be paid is 90% more than the price in the advertisement, something is seriously wrong. Quite a number of other airlines are now advertising the full fares right from the start - not just before you click on the website to make the booking.

 

There's something else I'm curious about. Why is it that the surcharges for Rome are less than those for just London. After all, you have two landings and take-offs from LHR - not just one, Rome requires 2 additional sectors, there should be an extra fuel surcharge for the extra 2,000 miles, EU taxes for the two European sectors, plus landing and take-off fees from Rome. I just don't get it!

[billyhouston]

The rules governing APD run to 50 pages. Bangkok/London/Bangkok pays APD but Bangkok/London/Rome/London/Bangkok has "£0 APD due".

 

Having had an unsatisfactory flight on EVA, I recently decided to try another airline for next winter. On the dates I fly and in their Premium Voyageur cabin Air F(Ch)ance want £1108 MAN-CDG-BKK-CDG-MAN. However on the same flights in the same cabin, if you book separate fares, MAN-CDG-MAN costs £485 and CDG-BKK-CDG costs £1373 (using today's exchange rate). The through ticket specifically requires the MAN-CDG leg to be taken and you can no longer, as in the days before computers, simply tear off the first coupon.

 

Air France clearly have excess capacity on their Bangkok flight and wish to encourage passengers flying from UK regional airports to fly via Paris. Frankly anything is better than transiting Heathrow.

 

The through ticket incurs the 'standard' rate of APD ( in other words the higher rate) at £162.

[Guest]

Air France planes have a habit of crashing. Just compare their statistics with other developed country airlines.

 

Even Heathrow is better than that option. It may be grim, but why take risks?

[Guest fountainhall]

The through ticket specifically requires the MAN-CDG leg to be taken and you can no longer, as in the days before computers, simply tear off the first coupon

 

I can remember those days well. My company used to help some of our Japanese clients by purchasing HKG/TYO/JFK/TYO/HKG tickets for them. Japan then controlled air ticket prices ex-Japan, and so flying out of Hong Kong was 50% less than flying out of Tokyo. The clients simply tore up the first and last coupons. Nowadays, if you do not take the first flight, airline computers automatically cancel the rest of your ticket. Spoilsports!

 

Even Heathrow is better than that option. It may be grim, but why take risks?

 

I think I am right in saying this sort of price reduction for flying from another country through your own works with most airlines, not just Air France. I remember a big fuss a few years ago when some BA passengers complained that flying LHR/JFK return was more expensive than if they flew on BA out of Frankfurt or other European cities via London.

 

And it works in Asia, too. I wrote in another recent thread ("$$$ Savings BKK-USA on Delta Air...using certificate codes" - post #6) that if you take Cathay Pacific business class from BKK to any of their USA gateways, the price can be more than 50% cheaper than the same flights on the same airline out of HKG. Less than US$4,000 round trip to Chicago, for example. Sadly, though, it does not work the other way round. Prices ex-Chicago are double!

[billyhouston]

Air France planes have a habit of crashing. Just compare their statistics with other developed country airlines.

 

Yes, I had looked at the statistics but their aircraft on this route is the Boeing 777-300ER rather than the Airbus equivalent. Having said that, it may be that all the attention drawn to the Airbus may mean that, for the moment at least, it is a safe option. Against that, their crew training appeared to leave a lot to be desired!

 

The withdrawal, a couple of years ago by both BA and BMI, of the evening shuttle to MAN, meant an overnight at Heathrow in one of those doss houses that are called hotels, the hassle of bags as EVA would not write the through ticket and an extra 15 hours added to the journey. ( I see that the evening shuttles are, at least partially, reinstated.) Baggage allowance on EVA is 25Kg but 46Kg with Air France plus 18Kg in the cabin.