The cost of flying from glasgow

[Bigbluebear]

This is absolutely ridiculous.

To fly from manchester, on the same date, with the same company, staying in the same hotel, for the same number of nights is £700 per person cheaper.

How the hell is this justified?

 

[scottishgirl87]

Happens all the time!

I guess this price is from a travel agent?? Have you tried pricing it up yourself?? I'm flying indirect with Continental from Glasgow which cost us £347pp but I don't know if indirect is an option for you??

To be honest, I personally couldn't do the drive to Manchester and back, but for £700pp I guess I'd have to! That's a helluva lot of money which could be used as spending money!!

 

[2Tiggies]

I FEEL your frustration! Believe me I have tried for YEARS to get a flight from Glasgow as it is only an hour for us to get to the airport so it makes sense. Last year I booked a year out for our trip this April and there were NO Glasgow departures. Tried everything: Thomas Cook, Disney, Virgin Holidays ...! Nothing available. Eventually, I booked next year's October trip in the first week of June this year - 17 months out. I booked without really having time to work it all out as the lady on the phone at Disney UK checked the schedule and said there were only 2 seats left on the return leg of the trip in economy. (It is only me and DD(7) who I have to take as an adult in re. hotel rates etc as I am guilty of being a single parent). Only after booking did the website open up so I could see availability and I could have saved almost£800 on our two tickets with Virgin by going Gatwick or Manchester. The flight supplements on our current booking are £120 pp for flying Glasgow. That still puts the same flight prices up by around £550 for the two of us. I considered cancelling and rebooking Manchester but in April when we went via Manchester it meant flights from Edinburgh return (at £330 for both of us), a night room only at the Radisson SAS at the airport (£150), plus dinner and something to drink - only options are buying at hotel or airport...... Then coming back we flew Premium so we had luggage allowance of 76 kg EACH but because of the connecting flight we could only bring 20 kg each. I ended up buying luggage scales and was SO stressed about the whole thing I decided to just stick with what I have. But I totally agree - demand exceeds supply for direct Scotland departures and they are milking us and making us fight for seats way too far in advance so we miss out on other deals. Sorry, I am also having a vent here. I am usually calm under pressure but there was one evening when I was reduced to tears from the sheer frustration of the whole thing. Sorry, I don't think I have helped make you feel any better, but I can assure you I am sure we are not the only ones. We need some competition from the Scottish airports.

The only advantage of the Manchester flight is the arrival time is much earlier so it gives you part of the afternoon to swim and the whole evening, but then for £700 or so, you could buy an extra few nights at a hotel and a weeks worth of extra park tickets.....! I support your rant!!!!! 100%

 

[2Tiggies]

Happens all the time!

I guess this price is from a travel agent?? Have you tried pricing it up yourself?? I'm flying indirect with Continental from Glasgow which cost us £347pp but I don't know if indirect is an option for you??

You've got me thinking Scottishgirl87. I am always too scared to do DIY in case we don't get flights. Would I manage alone with a young child? Where do you connect with Continental and are there long wait times between flights? I made my choice based partly on convenience, partly on determination to prove that I can go from Glasgow if I really want to and partly because I am always concerned about having all the baggage and an exhausted child waiting at the airport. It got to a point where I figured on several thousand pounds, what's an extra few hundred....! But your post brought me back to earth, now I'm wondering.

 

[Bigbluebear]

Happens all the time!

I guess this price is from a travel agent?? Have you tried pricing it up yourself?? I'm flying indirect with Continental from Glasgow which cost us £347pp but I don't know if indirect is an option for you??

To be honest, I personally couldn't do the drive to Manchester and back, but for £700pp I guess I'd have to! That's a helluva lot of money which could be used as spending money!!

Could get flights to manchester for cheap enough to still make it a good saving.

Indirect would be an option if it was cheap enough.

 

[Trixster]

We too live in Scotland and agree that it is very expensive to fly from Glasgow which is why we are driving to Newcastle to fly with Thomson. Certainly worth considering as it is far closer than Manchester and cheaper than Glasgow.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Its all down to economy of scale.
For Virgin, for example, there is no base at glasgow, so all crew have to be bussed in, or flown in, the handling agents charge the top cost as its not a daily service cost, the airport charges high landing fees, etc etc.
there is not enough business to make it a year yound daily service, so yes, it will be higher.
Add to that when they do fly, in peak times, seats go quickly so the seat cost rises from cheapes economy quickly, but again, not enough demand to put on more than one plane.

 

[irenep]

I usually DIY my flights from Aberdeen to Orlando - flying to either Manchester or Gatwick. If everything is booked on a through ticket with either BA or Virgin you get the same baggage allowance all the way. Also get good prices on the domestic section.

Personally, its easier for me to do it this way rather than have a 3 hour drive to Glasgow (15 mins to Aberdeen airport for me) plus if I can get the early morning flight then I don't have to pay any hotel charges.

There's no way I would pay the crazy supplements to fly from Glasgow.

 

[Goofy68]

You've got me thinking Scottishgirl87. I am always too scared to do DIY in case we don't get flights. Would I manage alone with a young child? Where do you connect with Continental and are there long wait times between flights? I made my choice based partly on convenience, partly on determination to prove that I can go from Glasgow if I really want to and partly because I am always concerned about having all the baggage and an exhausted child waiting at the airport. It got to a point where I figured on several thousand pounds, what's an extra few hundred....! But your post brought me back to earth, now I'm wondering.

My wife and I having been doing it DIY for a few years now. Last couple of years with Globespan direct and this year with BA via Gatwick. Prior to that we went via Gatwick with Virgin. If you go BA or Continental bags are booked all the way through. We have never had any issues getting flights and there are plenty options available. Wait times between flights usually 2-3 hours and with Continental you change in Newark. One other advantage is you clear customs/immigration at Newark so most of the wait time is then eaten up with this. You arrive in Orlando as a domestic passsenger and get to the hotel quicker.

To be honest I think if you go DIY once you'll never book a package again.

 

[mackay_j]

we went with cosmos once and it was 2800 cheeper to fly from man for 4 adults and 2 children, but the most anoying part was the plane left man then picked up in glasgow on the way- how can that be just jusitified from an enviro aspect. But I can go one better- we travel to the cayman and its is very very expensive at holiday times. We saved £970pp by flying from man to paris then booking our cayman trip from paris to cayman via gatwick, instead of just starting at gatwick. This uses the same(and only) direct flight from gat to cayman. Best of all for us was the year we were doing this was the xmas all flights got grounded by freezing fog so our paris -gat leg got canceled we then got permission from ba to drive straight to gat (long drive in fog) and fly direct from there. Not only that but the meant to be full flight was empty and all 5 of us got a row each to stretch out on. Felt bad for all those that due to the fog missed this last flight in to cayamn before xmas.

Like the previous poster we also alway check newcastle as it can be just as cheep as man

 

[2Tiggies]

Goofy68, is Newark easy to find your way around? Is customs any different to going through customs in Orlando? I have heard good things about Continental, but panicked because I don't have a great sense of direction. Someone once said that I could get lost in a paper bag .... and I had no grounds to defend myself . DD is used to it, but she worries when I get that "look" on my face! I always find my way eventually, and I seem to be fine when someone explains where to go or if the place is well sign posted -just don't give me a map or a floor plan ....! Do you also do a double baggage reclaim there like at MCO? Oh, you said the baggage goes straight through. Does that mean that the domestic flight honours the baggage allowance from the International one, and if so, is the same true on teh way back? I am seriously going to do the DIY next time. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Cyrano]

Same for us. Aberdeen to Gatwick by Flybe and then Virgin to Orlando. Got Virgin allowance for the Flybe flight

I usually DIY my flights from Aberdeen to Orlando - flying to either Manchester or Gatwick. If everything is booked on a through ticket with either BA or Virgin you get the same baggage allowance all the way. Also get good prices on the domestic section.

Personally, its easier for me to do it this way rather than have a 3 hour drive to Glasgow (15 mins to Aberdeen airport for me) plus if I can get the early morning flight then I don't have to pay any hotel charges.

There's no way I would pay the crazy supplements to fly from Glasgow.

 

[LORNA ANN]

Glad to know there are a few of us out there fedup with flights to Orlando not flying direct from Scotland 6 mths of the year. When we first started going to orlando they used to fly from Glasgow land at gatwick fill plane then fly to orlando & you didnt have to get off the plane, now it is hard work & a long day especialy with children & as we try to overnight at Gatwick?Manchester have to factor hotel & food into the price.
I am keen to try Glasgow/Newark/Orlando as like the sound of no 4+ hrs waiting in Gatwick or Manchester but back in Glasgow for 07.30 & home by 10am.

 

[bod diddy]

Have twice used Virgin from Manchester, staying overnight in a cheap travelodge room. The thing that I didn't like was that it just increased travel time, you completely waste a whole day waiting and more money compensating for waiting.

Have managed to persuade girlfriend that flying indirect would be better. It may be a longer day, but at least it's not two!

For this January, we booked through KLM/Martinair for £350 each. Same dates on Virgin, miles plus money would be £390, so you're already saving before buses and hotel. We have a good 4 hour layover on each side which suits me down to the ground. No rushing about, just take it easy and have a spot of lunch.