Can someone explain to me, please ...

[Chuchinchow]

... why (or even how) a BA Club Europe fare is being offered at a considerably lower price than the corresponding BA World Traveller fare?

The facts of the case, my lords, are these:

1. I wish to fly to Dusseldorf from Heathrow on 14 March 2012 and to return on 20 March 2012 by the same route.

2. The CE fare currently advertised on the BA website is £199 each way. This is for all flights on that route on that date.

3. The corresponding WT fare is currently £233. Again, this is currently the price being asked for all flights on that date.


Why is that, please?

[PAXboy]

Yea verily, the one marketing department talketh not to another marketing departing. And, lo, the pricing and IT people sitting in the middle did shrug their shoulders and say: "I know, I know. Just do what those :mad: asked." :}

[ExXB]

I would guess that in Business BA has some seats available at a discounted C class fare while in the back they only have non-discounted seats.

I remember once (and only once) when I had to travel Geneva-Sydney that BA had cheaper F class fares than J. Business was almost sold out so the only the full fare was available. First, on the other hand, had plenty of seats available so they continued to offer a discounted fare cheaper than the full J level.

I had to get our Vice President's approval, since travelling F was verboten at the time. Since I absolutely had to be there she approved it (and told me later she had never flown F, herself)

Shows BA's antiquated revenue management system. An unrestricted fare should not be higher than the lowest fare in the next cabin. (To maximise their revenue not that I care - It just looks stupid)

[Carry0nLuggage]

Supply and demand, especially these days when one isn't permitted to travel business class. Too expensive say the corporate bean counters, too impolitic say the senior civil servants. No amount of evidence that it's cheaper to upgrade will get you round the rules.

[radeng]

If you can understand airline pricing, you can understand and explain religion, women and cats.

Since man born of woman can't do this.......

[jabird]

If you can understand airline pricing, you can understand and explain religion, women and cats.

Since man born of woman can't do this.......

Exactly!

Checking a well know OTA, I get £137 for BA, bit less for Lufty, and if you'll accept going with Sleazyjet, £57 for LTN-DTM.

I get a similar price direct with BA.com.

Maybe some kind of system glitch - I have booked train tix where 1st advance less than standard flexi, as standard advance has run out, but not seem this much on flight booking. A far more common complain is over direct routings costing more, but that is another can of worms for other threads!

[ExXB]

If you can understand airline pricing, you can understand and explain religion, women and cats.

Since man born of woman can't do this.......

Er, I do understand pricing which is easy compared to woman and cats. (Religion is just a load of hogwash, easy to explain)

[KBPsen]

http://i44.tinypic.com/5mk9s8.jpg

[iggie]

Since when has WORLD TRAVELLER been offered LHR/DUS/LHR? And why?

[Chuchinchow]

Since when has WORLD TRAVELLER been offered LHR/DUS/LHR? And why?

Somehow I think you knew exactly what I meant, you little tinker!

[pax britanica]

One solution has been touched on which is the you must travel Y class edict by corporate travel departments sometimes means the back is the area with the high demand . this seems to be the case for special events that the pricing peopel are aware of. I went to a big telecoms event in Geneva a few eyars back and found exactly the same issue. Business class was cheaper than economy-not on the flights they knew would fill up but flights that fora three day event left a little early or arrived a little late and where the plan was not going to be full.

I was impressed at the clever thinking and awareness that allowed BA to make some money out of other Companies inflexibility.

I got summoned to explain why I had broken the rules and sat through the righteous indignation before producing the fare quotes which calmed peopel down pretty quickly. Maybe theres a trade fair in Dusseldorf thatweek-they are common events in spring in Germany.

[Carry0nLuggage]

The bean counters in our corporate travel offices don't seem to understand the modern airline business. Fortunately our project managers do. I had to buy a ticket to BCN at the airport not so long ago after a ticketing c*ck up and was amazed and pleased to discover that although there was one economy seat left it was 50% more than the business class alternative. So I flew business and had little trouble explaining the apparent deviation from the rules on my return.

A side effect of this is that I always recommend to colleagues that they check business availability if the booking system shows no seats available in the default economy setting.

Ms Luggage on the other hand is bound by Civil Service rules which say no first class rail travel, even when it is demonstrably cheaper. The tax payer gets screwed just so there are no adverse headlines.

[Chuchinchow]

KBPsen's screen dump is, of course, absolutely correct. However, I am a TPT (tier points tart) which is why the prices I quoted are much more expensive.

Rest assured, all those who are snorting at my profligacy, that (a) I am spending my own money and not that of any employer, and (b) I plan to pay cheaper fares once I reach the Avios and TP targets I have set for myself thus guaranteeing myself BAEC gold status for a further year.

All this goes to prove that "there's nowt so queer as folk"!