Swiss and one-way fares

[davidjohnson6]

I note that the main players between the London and Zurich are Swiss, BA and Easyjet. Both BA and Easyjet will happily sell reasonably priced one-way tickets that are significantly cheaper than a return ticket, but Swiss will sell only a full-fare one-way costing over £400, even when booked far in advance.

I realise that a fully flexible ticket is worth a lot more than something highly restrictive, but I'm puzzled as to why a carrier would refuse to sell a product (namely a one-way limited flexibility ticket), when the 2 main competitors will happily sell me said ticket.

I'm sure there's a good reason for this - can someone explain ?

[Phileas Fogg]

Both BA and Easyjet will happily sell reasonably priced one-way tickets

Isn't that all EZY do, sell one-way tickets?

Historically one-way fares were notoriously expensive hence why it was always advisable to book a cheap return and throw away the other half of the booking. Some mainstream carriers moved with the times to compete on one-way fares with the loco's, others haven't.

I regularly travelled with Swiss BHX/ZRH/Italy/ZRH/BHX and realised that, from UK, Swiss's fares to Italy were cheaper than their fares to ZRH.

If travelling with hand baggage only then book a cheap return to Italy and get off in ZRH!

[ExXB]

Airlines use their 'one-way' fares for purposes other than sale to one-way passengers. They are used internally (depending on the airline) for excess baggage charges and for interline billings. There is a continued argument at the Prorate Agency about which one-way fare is to be used; the one that you can buy on the day at the airport (i.e. cheap BA one-way fare) or the highest one published (i.e. BA fully flexible, all singing, all dancing) that nobody is ever going to use. LX doesn't have the cheap one-way so in proration they use the fare you would pay at the airport on the day. Semantics perhaps, but there are still billions of dollars of interline tickets out there.

Also some airlines would prefer you travel round trip on them, rather than split the journey with another airline. i.e. LX low fares are only available if you use them both ways (some open jaws would also be allowed). It's a marketing decision.

Phileas - of course you can do this. But when purchasing tickets on the LX website you explicitly agree to use your 'coupons' completely and in sequence. If you breach your promise they reserve the right to reassess your fare to one that applies for they journey you actually take. You don't expect to get the price of fresh bread, at day-old prices - so you shouldn't expect to get a UK-Zurich journey at UK-Milan prices.

Your fare quote says "The fare is only valid if all the flights are fully flown in the booked sequence. Otherwise the fare will be recalculated based on the actual flight routing."

[Phileas Fogg]

you shouldn't expect to get a UK-Zurich journey at UK-Milan prices.

OK, they can sue me :)

[ExXB]

You also agree before completing the transaction that:

"I have read the fare conditions and the conditions of carriage and accept them accordingly.

The fare is only valid if all the flights are fully flown in the booked sequence. Otherwise the fare will be recalculated based on the actual flight routing.

I'm aware that the ticket(s) I order by clicking on the ''book'' button below will be issued immediately and that the full amount will be charged to my bank account immediately."

They don't need to sue you, you've agreed to pay the actual fare. But if you are travelling to Italy via Zurich, you are getting what you paid for.

[Phileas Fogg]

ExXB,

You're nit-picking, whilst I might have agreed that the fare may be recalculated were they to charge my card for any more than the agreed amount when I provided my card details then that would constitute fraud and I would be in a position to reclaim from my card accordingly.

They would need to get back to me to say I owe "X" amount, I would refuse to pay so then they would need to start an international court process but pigs would have learned to fly before that would ever happen.

[Hotel Tango]

ExXB is correct and often uses this argument. However, the reality is that in 50 years of flying I have used return fares for one way travel on numerous occasions and have NEVER been taken to task about it. If they did, I would have simply stated that I was ill and unable to fly. I would further have added that since (by being ill) I had forfeited my return coupon and that their one way fares were so ridiculously high, I had chosen to "return" by other means when no longer ill. I don't honestly believe that an airline is going to actively waste time and money chasing up these add-hoc cases. For one, it would be very difficult for them to prove wrong doing. However, if one was doing it with a single airline on a regular basis that could well get flagged and be investigated. But that's something else.

[Phileas Fogg]

In October 2011 I travelled with CX LHR/HKG/CEB and on the cheapest of return tickets booked to return CEB/HKG/LHR during October 2012.

Under Philippines "tourist visa" rules I need to exit the Philippines every year or so thus, as I already had a paid for ticket CEB/HKG, I used it to then return back to CEB 2 hours later with CebuPacificAir.

I only, online, checked-in for the CEB/HKG sector and not the HKG/LHR sector however upon arrival in HKG I made my way to a CX desk to let them know that I would not be travelling the HKG/LHR sector so, to the effect, "don't bother putting out any calls for me".

They politely thanked me kindly for being so courteous to let them know before I made my way to the Cebu Pacific check-in desk and then to the bar.

Explain the same on PPRuNe and one finds oneself confronted by ExXB :) :) :)

[ExXB]

Philius

I am amazed that someone who (I believe) would never go into a shop and switch price tags on a product, in order to get something for a lower price, is happy to do exactly that with airline tickets. Despite expressively agreeing not to do so.

Arguments that some tickets are 'notoriously expensive', or that you've never been, or you never will be caught cheating are irrelevant.

The EU have included this issue in their rewrite of Regulation 261 - but fortunately have only focused on the cancellation of return reservations. They seem to recognise that it's the airline's right to price their product, not the passengers.

[Hotel Tango]

I am amazed that someone who (I believe) would never go into a shop and switch price tags on a product, in order to get something for a lower price, is happy to do exactly that with airline tickets. Despite expressively agreeing not to do so.

I don't think you can compare it to switching price tags in a shop. And, on that analogy, if a shop were to make it cheaper to buy two of the same article instead of one, and you really needed only the one, would you not buy the pair and chuck (or give) the other one away?

If I buy a return ticket, it is my right not to use the return for what ever reason I may have (e.g. illness, family or personal circumstances etc.). If I am in breach of contract the onus is on the airline to chase me up for the balance which, I agree with you ExXB, is of course their legal right. The fact is they won't - unless, perhaps, they see a pattern or flagrant abuse by an individual.