ARE BUDGET AIRFARES FOR REAL?
November 7th 2008 00:00
Before writing this post, I wondered if the question is fair considering that a lot of people are actually able to travel on the offered budget rates of airlines.
However, an officemate arrived fuming mad one day. She was complaining about an experience she just had with a budget airline which employees made them wait in a queue to the check-in counter for more than an hour ahead of her flight’s scheduled departure just to be told that they can no longer check in for their flight since it has already been closed!
The argument of the airline employee who made the announcement was that my officemate and her companions arrived late for the check-in.
But there are reasons why I believe my officemate didn’t come in late. 1. She has an appointment to keep in a place that will take her about three (3) more hours of land travel from her airport of destination. 2. She is not a first time traveler who doesn’t know the security checks that need to be done in the airports in this day and age of terrorism. 3. She is quite capable of reading instructions and deadlines having graduated cum laude from a first rate state university. 4. Her travel (this time) has been paid for in advance by people who knows that she can be depended on not only to arrive on time but to perform her assigned tasks to the letter – and there is a substantial fee at the end of it for her.
She approached an airline personnel to plead her case but to no avail. She ended up re-booking their flight for the next plane and by doing so she ended up paying the regular fare (which is higher than the pre-book budget fare) plus other charges. And guess what, that next plane was late! For which, the airline personnel just ask for an apology.
No surcharges, no higher fees.
That irritated my officemate even more. She didn’t only miss her flight though she went to the airport ahead of time - they only got an apology for a delayed flight! Not to mention that important people are waiting for her in her destination. Of course, she called them from the airport to inform them of what happened.
Now, this incident reminded me of a comment by British Bulldog in one of my posts at Orble Business Channel where, I believe, he said that he also had to pay a considerable amount of money for re-booking his flight.
My officemate noticed that the number of people who had to re-book their flights also had a long queue. That got her into thinking… is the budget fare promo for real, or is it just… a strategy?
Another friend whose job requires that he stays inside this country’s airport terminals suggested that she may have been bumped-off her flight…
At any rate, she decided to engage the services of a lawyer when her complaints sent to the offices of the airline concerned produced not even a squeak.
However, an officemate arrived fuming mad one day. She was complaining about an experience she just had with a budget airline which employees made them wait in a queue to the check-in counter for more than an hour ahead of her flight’s scheduled departure just to be told that they can no longer check in for their flight since it has already been closed!
Illustration pic source: Wikipedia
The argument of the airline employee who made the announcement was that my officemate and her companions arrived late for the check-in.
But there are reasons why I believe my officemate didn’t come in late. 1. She has an appointment to keep in a place that will take her about three (3) more hours of land travel from her airport of destination. 2. She is not a first time traveler who doesn’t know the security checks that need to be done in the airports in this day and age of terrorism. 3. She is quite capable of reading instructions and deadlines having graduated cum laude from a first rate state university. 4. Her travel (this time) has been paid for in advance by people who knows that she can be depended on not only to arrive on time but to perform her assigned tasks to the letter – and there is a substantial fee at the end of it for her.
She approached an airline personnel to plead her case but to no avail. She ended up re-booking their flight for the next plane and by doing so she ended up paying the regular fare (which is higher than the pre-book budget fare) plus other charges. And guess what, that next plane was late! For which, the airline personnel just ask for an apology.
No surcharges, no higher fees.
That irritated my officemate even more. She didn’t only miss her flight though she went to the airport ahead of time - they only got an apology for a delayed flight! Not to mention that important people are waiting for her in her destination. Of course, she called them from the airport to inform them of what happened.
Now, this incident reminded me of a comment by British Bulldog in one of my posts at Orble Business Channel where, I believe, he said that he also had to pay a considerable amount of money for re-booking his flight.
My officemate noticed that the number of people who had to re-book their flights also had a long queue. That got her into thinking… is the budget fare promo for real, or is it just… a strategy?
Another friend whose job requires that he stays inside this country’s airport terminals suggested that she may have been bumped-off her flight…
At any rate, she decided to engage the services of a lawyer when her complaints sent to the offices of the airline concerned produced not even a squeak.
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Comment by Mickey
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Comment by British Bulldog
Dear fellow blogger, yes budget airlines are a great deal but you have to know what you're doing or you'll get caught!
Firstly, you have to book very early as there are only a limited number of cheap seats. Other full fare airlines are happy to fly half empty but discounters prefer to fill the planes and proudly advertise a few low fares, but insist on a high number of full fare late booking passengers as well .
Secondly you have to abide by the rules. A large number of passengers change their minds or arrive late and so all their money is taken as profit by the airline and the seat sold to a full fare last minute booker!
On the whole I think this is all OK as I do know the rules and have got some great deals, flying to other countries for 40 US$ in Europe and other continents for 60 US$ which is pretty cool if you ask me.
So I would remind eveyone that these airlines are seeking to make a profit like everyone else and so don't be naieve! If you want to arrive late and get on board then use an airline that isn't flying it's plane on 8 journeys a day but 2 or in other words a full fare airline, for there's no where in the world where you get great service, great product quality and the lowest prices all at the same time, nor should there be!
Regards to all,
British Bulldog.
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