Whats with the price of flippin flights???

[Kath2003]

As highlighted in Deb's breakdown - a great deal of the increase is down the taxes

But NOT in the last 12 months, when we have found that flight prices for the same dates as our vacation in 2010 have increased by 25%+. The taxes have gone up by less than £6...

 

[gemmybear83]

For the first time I have founda VH package to be cheaper. We have rebooked for next year and after deducting ssr 1 bedroom with free ddp and ultimate tickets at the same rate as Disney uk the flights come out at £500 direct from Manchester I doubt I would have got this price from va. We also got the $300 gift card.

 

[UKDEB]

But NOT in the last 12 months, when flight prices have increased by 25%+. The taxes have gone up by less than £6...

Taxes for Virgin economy flights are now £280.50. That's a further £50 increase in what we paid this March and a whopping 400% of their 2004 levels!

 

[Kath2003]

Taxes for Virgin economy flights are now £280.50. That's a further £50 increase in what we paid this March and a whopping 400% of their 2004 levels!

So let's say that taxes have increased by £60. The same airline want, on top of these increases, another 25% of the 2010 cost for the "same" flight (same times/routes) on the same dates to fly in 2011.

 

[oceanscape]

So let's say that taxes have increased by £60. The same airline want, on top of these increases, another 25% of the 2010 cost for the "same" flight (same times/routes) on the same dates to fly in 2011.

I'm not sure which airline you're referring to, but - as an example - Virgin Atlantic faced a £132m loss last year, so are no doubt trying to claw back some of that loss via increased fares. Also, you state that the flight price is up 25% on top of the increase in taxes, but remember that you need to additionally account for inflation, fuel price rises, etc...etc..

But the bottom line is supply and demand - if people will pay it, then the airlines will charge it.

 

[Kath2003]

I'm not sure which airline you're referring to, but - as an example - Virgin Atlantic faced a £132m loss last year, so are no doubt trying to claw back some of that loss via increased fares. Also, you state that the flight price is up 25% on top of the increase in taxes, but remember that you need to additionally account for inflation, fuel price rises, etc...etc..

But the bottom line is supply and demand - if people will pay it, then the airlines will charge it.

Yes I know there are other variables but 25%? That's nuts. I realise there's supply and demand, however we're two people who can be taken out of the "demand" section. Interestingly, though, we did get very reasonable prices on a flight to New York - but it was 75% more to fly to MCO via the same airport.

I don't believe that, after all the taxes etc. have been paid at this end, a 3-hour domestic US flight costs 75% of the cost of a transatlantic flight including all those taxes and fees...

Incidently, it would have only cost us another 35% of the London-New York flight to book the two flights separately (even with the same airline, on the same flights!) - the same thing the airline wanted 75% for! - but by the time I had drawn this, rather bonkers, conclusion, we were sorted with NYC as our holiday for this year with very nice flight prices - at a weekend, in the school holidays

You're right about it being supply and demand - people demand flights to MCO. Because BA and Virgin are still charging insane prices, more people are looking direct so I'm guessing the indirect airlines have figured this one out and reckon they can make a substantial "bonus" on selling two connecting flights together....(and chances are - they're right - I'd never bothered to check before and probably have paid "the package premium" on my last 3 or 4 trips )

 

[UKDEB]

So let's say that taxes have increased by £60. The same airline want, on top of these increases, another 25% of the 2010 cost for the "same" flight (same times/routes) on the same dates to fly in 2011.

Yes I know there are other variables but 25%? That's nuts. I realise there's supply and demand, however we're two people who can be taken out of the "demand" section. Interestingly, though, we did get very reasonable prices on a flight to New York - but it was 75% more to fly to MCO via the same airport.

I don't believe that, after all the taxes etc. have been paid at this end, a 3-hour domestic US flight costs 75% of the cost of a transatlantic flight including all those taxes and fees...

Incidently, it would have only cost us another 35% of the London-New York flight to book the two flights separately (even with the same airline, on the same flights!) - the same thing the airline wanted 75% for! - but by the time I had drawn this, rather bonkers, conclusion, we were sorted with NYC as our holiday for this year with very nice flight prices - at a weekend, in the school holidays

You're right about it being supply and demand - people demand flights to MCO. Because BA and Virgin are still charging insane prices, more people are looking direct so I'm guessing the indirect airlines have figured this one out and reckon they can make a substantial "bonus" on selling two connecting flights together....(and chances are - they're right - I'd never bothered to check before and probably have paid "the package premium" on my last 3 or 4 trips )

I'm afraid you've completely lost me, Kath! Can you share which airline you're talking about and the 2010/2011 prices?

 

[UKDEB]

Apologies - I can see you've already posted the information earlier in this thread. £340 to fly you on what was probably approaching a 10,000 mile round-trip, given the taxes they'd have had to hand over on that fare, must have been done at a loss to them. They'd have seen about £100 of that. It's not that it's costing them more to do it than it was last year, it's that they've decided to price the fares realistically this year so they can re-coup some of those costs and attempt to make a profit for their investors. So, we're back to my argument that we've had it so good for so long that we're finding these more realistic prices to be unpalatable. The airlines can't continue to offer these unbelievably low prices and survive. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been looking to book a one-way train ticket for a 280 miles journey within the UK. The cheapest I can find is £111.

 

[UKDEB]

Because BA and Virgin are still charging insane prices, more people are looking direct so I'm guessing the indirect airlines have figured this one out and reckon they can make a substantial "bonus" on selling two connecting flights together....(and chances are - they're right - I'd never bothered to check before and probably have paid "the package premium" on my last 3 or 4 trips )

I just can't agree that BA and Virgin are charging insane prices (unless you mean insanely cheap). At the risk of sounding like a broken record, when you remove the taxes from the equation, it's easy to see why they're not returning a profit.

 

[Kevin Stringer]

I guess the problem is that we've had it so good for so long that we've forgotten how expensive air travel used to be.
When we first flew to Florida in the 80's it cost nearly as much as it does now if you remove the taxes.

Of course, that doesn't make it any more palatable. Once you are used to something it is always a wrench when it suddenly changes.
Airmiles are my saviour!

Kev

 

[arielrocks]

I guess the answer is, as previous disers have said is to vote with your feet and use a cheaper airline.

For us we will fly whoever is cheapest, thanks to thousands of earnt miles that usually means Virgin with M+M. I don't like virgin but am guided by price so all the while people are booking M+M virgin see the sales and so can charge what they like! we are perpetuating the cycle I guess.

Next year hopefully we can find something cheaper than a M+M fare.....watch this space!

 

[Kath2003]

Apologies - I can see you've already posted the information earlier in this thread. £340 to fly you on what was probably approaching a 10,000 mile round-trip, given the taxes they'd have had to hand over on that fare, must have been done at a loss to them. They'd have seen about £100 of that. It's not that it's costing them more to do it than it was last year, it's that they've decided to price the fares realistically this year so they can re-coup some of those costs and attempt to make a profit for their investors. So, we're back to my argument that we've had it so good for so long that we're finding these more realistic prices to be unpalatable. The airlines can't continue to offer these unbelievably low prices and survive. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been looking to book a one-way train ticket for a 280 miles journey within the UK. The cheapest I can find is £111.

Yet, if we'd been smart this year, we could have done that trip for only about £100 more (£60 of which would go straight on UK taxes) compared to the 2010 prices had we not booked two connecting flights together. We'd have been on the same planes at the same times with the same airline, but just booked the two independently It would have saved us £100-£150 on the price of booking the two together.

The pricing is nuts.

And the train prices are insane. I'm very much pro-public transport but the prices are insane. And why would the government want people on trains, when they can get 65% of the money we spend on petrol straight into their bank account?