Originally Posted by slim_slag
You appear to like to judge the relative costs of airline tickets by looking at a single trip. When I look at a 7 day period I am actually looking at all 28 possible trips. If I took a 31 day period I would be looking at all 496 possible trips. So I am doing exactly the same as you are, but just more of them. Then I take all the possible trips and apply real simple statistics to them to give a rough idea of relative costs. Most people would say the more data points the better, so most people would say looking at a long period is better than looking at a short period.
Yes, I do like to do that. Why? Because (as I keep saying) that mirrors my purchasing requirements. If I have to fly out on Friday and come back on Sunday, only the flights on those dates matter. Even if all airlines were giving away free seats in both directions on every other day in the seven day period that you're so fond of looking at - or even the entire month - that pricing information would be totally useless. Your extra data points are totally irrelevant.
And the point I made before was that I'm sure that many other people have the same purchasing patterns. They, like me, don't have the luxury of saying I'll go the day before and spend the £140 saving on a hotel. I just can't go the day before. End of story.
Originally Posted by slim_slag
Whan you took your single data point you said BA was 'only' £40 more and that is completely correct, for that trip. It was also £40 more than £40.
Look at it another way. There is a petrol station selling unleaded for £1 a litre, and it takes 40 litres to fill your tank. Cost £40.
Across the road is another petrol station and it charges £2 a litre for unleaded, cost to fill your tank is £80. It's only £40 more, but which petrol station would you use?
Ah you say, but if I pay £2 a litre I get a free sandwich. Well it's your money and you can do with it what you wish. I would pay the £1 a litre and buy a nicer sandwich at Marks and Spencer.
Actually, for that trip, BA was £40 more than £66. But that's just a small technical quibble.
I came back from Edinburgh yesterday evening. What did I pay the extra for? (Can't remember what the difference was, now - ticket bought some time ago.) Let me see. With a bag to drop (only because to new security requirements that mean the toiletries have to be in the hold
), total time from front door of terminal to joining the security queue: 4 minutes. Can't do anything about the security queue (20 minutes), but then had a pleasant 45 minutes in the lounge, with newspapers to read and complimentary drinks, sandwiches and snacks. And a computer to use for a quick check for urgent email, having been away all weekend. No need to rush to board, just a quick stroll over to the gate opposite the lounge entrance a few minutes before it closed - yet still able to take my pre-allocated seat alongside my travelling companions. And then a flight to my closest airport, less than 40 minutes away from my home, door-to-door by public transport; drinks and hot dinner en route.
Not everyone will have all of these advantages from flying BA, but I do it (and BA's partners) frequently enough that I get them - so it works well for me. Yes, I think this is worth an extra £40, or even more. But maybe not £140. Either way, the value-for-money difference is a far cry from your simplistic example of petrol for £1 a litre or £2 a litre; it's much more subtle than that.