Silverjet - the worst airline to fly?
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Silverjet - the worst airline to fly?
I recently booked a flight LTN-EWR return on SilverJet only to find (pre flight) that the same ticket with the same restrictions was being offered at £900 compared to the £1200 I had paid. When confronted with this the staff just didn't want to know, claiming that was just tough. I believe that this issue in pricing may well be illegal. If not, then it is a real good reason not to fly SilverJet as you really don't have any control over the capriciousness of their pricing mechanism. Unfortunately they have loist me as a future customer before my maiden flight. How can an airline commit this kind of corporate suicide? I will go back to flying EoS and hope SilverJet dies a quick death.
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Where did you buy your ticket? Its not unusual for 2 people to pay different prices on airlines - while i don't know silverjet try ryanair , easyjet or even British Airways - buy your ticket one day its £75 the next £200 and then for no reason on a third day back to £100. All about yield management apparently.
More importantly, how was the flight? You were obviously happy to part with the £1200 before you found you could get it cheaper - so was it worth £1200?
More importantly, how was the flight? You were obviously happy to part with the £1200 before you found you could get it cheaper - so was it worth £1200?
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AFAIK it's a practice that goes on throughout the industry. Very rarely will you find the tickets for the same class for the same flight are constant. Indeed, some seem to vary even by the hour on some airlines.
I don't see how this can be illegal, you paid a sum of money for the ticket. If someone else purchases the same ticket at some later stage for a different amount, what is it to you?
I guess you don't want to know how cheap I got my Silverjet tickets then!
Hey, just thought about it, I bought a new camera last month. Nikon are now offering £60 cashback this month on the same camera. Is that illegal?
Or my TV, only a month or so old, is now £100 less than I paid. Is that illegal?
I don't see how this can be illegal, you paid a sum of money for the ticket. If someone else purchases the same ticket at some later stage for a different amount, what is it to you?
I guess you don't want to know how cheap I got my Silverjet tickets then!
Hey, just thought about it, I bought a new camera last month. Nikon are now offering £60 cashback this month on the same camera. Is that illegal?
Or my TV, only a month or so old, is now £100 less than I paid. Is that illegal?
Last edited by Gonzo; 21st Jul 2007 at 14:38.
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The price of any ticket can go up or down in todays world. Some tickets are refundable and are in effect an option to fly. Most are a deal you do with the airline at a price that you both accept.
Silverjet are a startup with just one flight each way LTN-EWR. They also have had tech problems with the one plane that operated to route so will be losing some repeat buisness. The shareholders will need to see more and more people travel each month as it builds trade. As a result they will have to discount tickets just before departure if the plane is less than half full. It is your choice to book ahead or take a chance.
August will be a big test as they try to go to two filghts each way. That means the need a lot more bums on reciling beds. It is not going to be easy for them to get a good load factor and keep a good margin on each seat sold. The big chalange will be avoiding more breakdowns. They can take many days to catch up after each problem. The second plane will allow them to pull one and recover quickly.
I suspect Silverjet just started at the wrong time and could have worked very well if it had been started 5 years ago. Silverjet has got a heap of cash from investors to burn over the next 18 months. Then I expect it will merge into another small airline.
Silverjet are a startup with just one flight each way LTN-EWR. They also have had tech problems with the one plane that operated to route so will be losing some repeat buisness. The shareholders will need to see more and more people travel each month as it builds trade. As a result they will have to discount tickets just before departure if the plane is less than half full. It is your choice to book ahead or take a chance.
August will be a big test as they try to go to two filghts each way. That means the need a lot more bums on reciling beds. It is not going to be easy for them to get a good load factor and keep a good margin on each seat sold. The big chalange will be avoiding more breakdowns. They can take many days to catch up after each problem. The second plane will allow them to pull one and recover quickly.
I suspect Silverjet just started at the wrong time and could have worked very well if it had been started 5 years ago. Silverjet has got a heap of cash from investors to burn over the next 18 months. Then I expect it will merge into another small airline.
onehotpup ..... you say the worst airline to fly . Are you complaining about the service and cabin standards or the price you paid for the ticket ? If it is the latter , then that is life , supply and demand , yield , etc . I suspect that you enjoyed the flight but were pi$$ed off about the fare dropping after you had booked , fares fluctuate with the market demand . To my mind it's still a good price for a Business ticket . Whatever ..... check BA in Business (Club).
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As others have said the pricing systems for airlines allow different prices at different times depending on loads etc, I have talked to passengers, not with Silverjet, sitting next to each other who have booked roughly the same time and have paid £350 and £750, just by booking on different web sites. I don't think there is anything illegal with this as it is the service you are purchasing and you have a choice!
Think of it being the other way round! You had paid £900 and found out that the person next to you had paid £1200, would you have thought that illegal! Would you have demanded that you both pay the same, even if it meant increasing your fare to £1200, or would have just thought "Hey I got a good deal"?
Think of it being the other way round! You had paid £900 and found out that the person next to you had paid £1200, would you have thought that illegal! Would you have demanded that you both pay the same, even if it meant increasing your fare to £1200, or would have just thought "Hey I got a good deal"?
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It's a fact of life with any airline that prices fluctuate according to supply and demand, season, and whether there's a seat sale on. If you want a cheap deal, have a surf around as far ahead as possible, to get a feel for what's a good deal, and when you spot something that looks good, get in there quick!
The less time you spend doing this, the less opportunity you have of getting a good deal.
I booked a flight from London to Auckland last week for £664 return. £664 return to the other side of the globe is good fare by anyone's standards, but a friend of mine booked today with another (better) airline for £630. That fare wasn't available at the time I booked, and I'm sure that there will have been people booking the same flight as him for the £800+ fare they were quoting last week! That's their hard cheddar cheese, just the same as it'll be my hard cheddar cheese if I end up sitting next to someone who's got a better deal than me for my flight.
That's just life, I'm afraid, and there's absolutely no point in getting bitter and twisted about it. Next time, just try and make sure it's you who pays the cheaper fare!
The less time you spend doing this, the less opportunity you have of getting a good deal.
I booked a flight from London to Auckland last week for £664 return. £664 return to the other side of the globe is good fare by anyone's standards, but a friend of mine booked today with another (better) airline for £630. That fare wasn't available at the time I booked, and I'm sure that there will have been people booking the same flight as him for the £800+ fare they were quoting last week! That's their hard cheddar cheese, just the same as it'll be my hard cheddar cheese if I end up sitting next to someone who's got a better deal than me for my flight.
That's just life, I'm afraid, and there's absolutely no point in getting bitter and twisted about it. Next time, just try and make sure it's you who pays the cheaper fare!
onehotpup
You go to the greengrocers at noon. Tomatoes are 78p a pound. You buy them.
Later in the day, you pass same greengrocers -- it's nearly closing time. The same batch of tomatoes, some of which you bought, are now 67p per pound.
Do they taste the same?
You go to the greengrocers at noon. Tomatoes are 78p a pound. You buy them.
Later in the day, you pass same greengrocers -- it's nearly closing time. The same batch of tomatoes, some of which you bought, are now 67p per pound.
Do they taste the same?
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I once sat next to a chap on KLM and discovered during conversation that I had paid one third what he paid for the same ticket. I was happy, but I imagine he wasn't. Still, this is entirely normal (and legal) that prices vary for many reasons and no reflection on any particular airline.
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I once sat next to a chap on KLM and discovered during conversation that I had paid one third what he paid for the same ticket.
Some airlines do offer a rollback feature, like AA. If the price comes down after you buy, then they'll refund the difference.
In the industry it is far more common for prices to rise rather than fall, but at times a new promo fare will be introduced like this that undercuts the previous price. Also it is not always true that the closer to departure the more expensive the flight. Sometimes a few days before departure you can snag some great bargains as the airline struggles to fill seats. Nothing wrong with that surely?
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I assume the original poster is SLF? if not... prepare to kick yourself even more mr! (or MRS), shame you didnt check touchdown before you booked!
Taken from
www.touchdown.co.uk
Taken from
www.touchdown.co.uk
Silverjet. Business class to NYC £471* return
Silverjet is the British all business class, award winning airline operating from it's own private terminal at London Luton Airport to Newark New York, utilising Boeing 767 aircraft in a 100 seater, all business class configuration.
The fare is £471* return, (*price excludes taxes: approx £78), no fuel surcharges, Normal Silverjet fare £999, normal business class to New York on other carriers is up to £6000 return!
Our all in price is £549 return with nothing extra to pay!
For accommodation please check our New York webpage, if accommodation is not taken a flight only supplement of £19 applies. Rates valid for departures until 30November (some embargoes apply, see flight page for more info).
Last return date 30Nov departing ex New York.
Silver Class is unlike any other flying experience in the world. It’s designed to eradicate as many annoying and disruptive aspects of modern air travel as possible. It starts on the ground, and it doesn’t stop.
Silverjet have effectively abolished 'check in' as you know it, so you can arrive at the airport just 30 minutes before departure. You report to the dedicated Silverjet lounge and are looked after from the moment you walk-in. Everyone can choose their seat in advance, and if you are travelling alone, they’ll leave the seat beside you empty if they can.
You’ll be amazed what you’ll find on board: the spacious Boeing 767 aircraft are fitted with just 100, one touch, award winning, 6' 3” flat beds. These planes were built to carry 300 people, so you'll be able to stretch out and enjoy loads of extra legroom.
The food is freshly cooked and you can order what you want, when you want from the great food choices onboard, or if you fancy, you can request something extra special from the on-line specials menus in advance.
An individual personal entertainment system is available to use whenever you’re in the mood, any time during the flight. When you want to sleep, the cabin staff will make up your bed, offer you a night-cap, and promise not to wake you, unless you've specifically requested it.
With no intrusive announcements, no flood-lit cabins and no trolleys to bang into your seats, Silverjet create the quietest possible cabin environment to help you sleep, or concentrate on work.
Flying Silver Class is like nothing on Earth. Or in the sky.
Schedule: commencing 27 January 2007:
Daily from London-Luton to New York- Newark. Departs 1000 arrives 1300.
inbound departs 1930 arrives 0720 next day.
You can get more information regarding the innovative services provided, on the Silverjet website.
Silverjet is the British all business class, award winning airline operating from it's own private terminal at London Luton Airport to Newark New York, utilising Boeing 767 aircraft in a 100 seater, all business class configuration.
The fare is £471* return, (*price excludes taxes: approx £78), no fuel surcharges, Normal Silverjet fare £999, normal business class to New York on other carriers is up to £6000 return!
Our all in price is £549 return with nothing extra to pay!
For accommodation please check our New York webpage, if accommodation is not taken a flight only supplement of £19 applies. Rates valid for departures until 30November (some embargoes apply, see flight page for more info).
Last return date 30Nov departing ex New York.
Silver Class is unlike any other flying experience in the world. It’s designed to eradicate as many annoying and disruptive aspects of modern air travel as possible. It starts on the ground, and it doesn’t stop.
Silverjet have effectively abolished 'check in' as you know it, so you can arrive at the airport just 30 minutes before departure. You report to the dedicated Silverjet lounge and are looked after from the moment you walk-in. Everyone can choose their seat in advance, and if you are travelling alone, they’ll leave the seat beside you empty if they can.
You’ll be amazed what you’ll find on board: the spacious Boeing 767 aircraft are fitted with just 100, one touch, award winning, 6' 3” flat beds. These planes were built to carry 300 people, so you'll be able to stretch out and enjoy loads of extra legroom.
The food is freshly cooked and you can order what you want, when you want from the great food choices onboard, or if you fancy, you can request something extra special from the on-line specials menus in advance.
An individual personal entertainment system is available to use whenever you’re in the mood, any time during the flight. When you want to sleep, the cabin staff will make up your bed, offer you a night-cap, and promise not to wake you, unless you've specifically requested it.
With no intrusive announcements, no flood-lit cabins and no trolleys to bang into your seats, Silverjet create the quietest possible cabin environment to help you sleep, or concentrate on work.
Flying Silver Class is like nothing on Earth. Or in the sky.
Schedule: commencing 27 January 2007:
Daily from London-Luton to New York- Newark. Departs 1000 arrives 1300.
inbound departs 1930 arrives 0720 next day.
You can get more information regarding the innovative services provided, on the Silverjet website.
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I have recently booked a return ticket from London to Nice with BA. They emailed me with an upgrade offer of £59 per person to move from economy to club on the outbound, for the three of us makes £177.
The retrurn is something else, to upgrade from economy to Club will cost me £2,216.70 total, £738.90 each. Dos this make it the most expensive inflight meal ever???.
Needless to say, will gladly travel in the same seats one row behind the curtain.
The retrurn is something else, to upgrade from economy to Club will cost me £2,216.70 total, £738.90 each. Dos this make it the most expensive inflight meal ever???.
Needless to say, will gladly travel in the same seats one row behind the curtain.
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The worst airline to fly?
onehotpop
Why did you say the worst airline to fly? You haven't even tried their service yet etc and judge them because of the price you paid. I bet if you paid £900 you wouldn't say that. So if you paid let's say £6000 for a business class seat from another airline, you would say right away that that airline is the worst in the world... That's not fair...
What other people have mentioned on this thread are true - like supply and demand etc... Think again. Also you should stop asking other people about how much they paid for the same seat to avoid disappointment.
How about EoS? Have you checked that all people pay the same price? If they charge pax the same price... then they are one of the rare cases in the airline industry.
Why did you say the worst airline to fly? You haven't even tried their service yet etc and judge them because of the price you paid. I bet if you paid £900 you wouldn't say that. So if you paid let's say £6000 for a business class seat from another airline, you would say right away that that airline is the worst in the world...
That's not fair...What other people have mentioned on this thread are true - like supply and demand etc... Think again. Also you should stop asking other people about how much they paid for the same seat to avoid disappointment.
How about EoS? Have you checked that all people pay the same price? If they charge pax the same price... then they are one of the rare cases in the airline industry.
Last edited by cherrie625; 2nd Dec 2007 at 18:50.
** Buying paint from a hardware store **
Customer: Hi, how much is your interior flat latex paint in Bone White?
Clerk: We have a medium quality, which is $16 a gallan, and premium,
which is $22 a gallon. How many gallons would you like?
Customer: I'll take five gallons of the medium quality, please.
Clerk: That will be $80 plus tax.
==============================================
** Buying paint from an airline **
Customer: Hi, how much is your paint?
Clerk: Well, sir, that all depends.
Customer: Depends on what?
Clerk: Actually a lot of things.
Customer: How about giving me an average price?
Clerk: Wow, that's too hard a question. The lowest price is $9 a
gallon, and we have 150 different prices up to $200 a gallon.
Customer: What's the difference in the paint?
Clerk: Oh, there isn't any difference; it's all the same paint.
Customer: Well, then, I'd like some of that $9 paint.
Clerk: Well, first I need to ask you a few questions. W hen do you
intend to use it?
Customer: I want to paint tomorrow, on my day off.
Clerk: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is the $200 paint.
Customer: What? When would I have to paint in order to get the $9
version?
Clerk: That would be in three weeks, but you will also have to agree
to start painting before Friday of that week and continue painting
until at least Sunday.
Customer: You've got to be kidding!
Clerk: Sir, we don't kid around here. Of course, I'll have to check
to see if we have any of that paint available before I can sell it to
you.
Customer: What do you mean check to see if you can sell it to me? You
have shelves full of that stuff; I can see it right there.
Clerk: Just because you can see it doesn't mean that we have it. It
may be the same paint, but we sell only a certain number of gallons on
any given week. Oh, and by the way, the price just went to $12.
Customer: You mean the price went up while we were talking?
Clerk: Yes, sir. You see, we change prices and rules thousands of
times a day, and since you haven't actually walked out of the store
with your paint yet, we just decided to change. Unless you want the
same thing to happen again, I would suggest that you get on with your
purchase. How many gallons do you want?
Customer: I don't know exactly. Maybe five gallons. Maybe I should
buy six gallons just to make sure I have enough.
Clerk: Oh, no, sir, you can't do that. If you buy the paint and then
don't use it, you will be liable for penalties and possible
confiscation of the paint you already have.
Customer: What?
Clerk: That's right. We can sell you enough paint to do your
kitchen, bathroom, hall, and north bedroom, but if you stop painting
before you do the bedroom, you will violation of our tariffs.
Customer: But what does it mater to your whether I use all the paint?
I already paid for it!
Clerk: Sir, there's no point in getting upset; that's just the way it
is. We make plans upon the idea that you will use all the paint, and
when you don't, it just causes us all kinds of problems.
Customer: This is crazy! I suppose something terrible will happen if
I don't keep painting until after Saturday night!
Clerk: Yes, sir, it will.
Customer: Well, that does it! I'm going somewhere else to buy my
paint.
Clerk: That won't do you any good, sir. We all have the same rules.
Customer: Hi, how much is your interior flat latex paint in Bone White?
Clerk: We have a medium quality, which is $16 a gallan, and premium,
which is $22 a gallon. How many gallons would you like?
Customer: I'll take five gallons of the medium quality, please.
Clerk: That will be $80 plus tax.
==============================================
** Buying paint from an airline **
Customer: Hi, how much is your paint?
Clerk: Well, sir, that all depends.
Customer: Depends on what?
Clerk: Actually a lot of things.
Customer: How about giving me an average price?
Clerk: Wow, that's too hard a question. The lowest price is $9 a
gallon, and we have 150 different prices up to $200 a gallon.
Customer: What's the difference in the paint?
Clerk: Oh, there isn't any difference; it's all the same paint.
Customer: Well, then, I'd like some of that $9 paint.
Clerk: Well, first I need to ask you a few questions. W hen do you
intend to use it?
Customer: I want to paint tomorrow, on my day off.
Clerk: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is the $200 paint.
Customer: What? When would I have to paint in order to get the $9
version?
Clerk: That would be in three weeks, but you will also have to agree
to start painting before Friday of that week and continue painting
until at least Sunday.
Customer: You've got to be kidding!
Clerk: Sir, we don't kid around here. Of course, I'll have to check
to see if we have any of that paint available before I can sell it to
you.
Customer: What do you mean check to see if you can sell it to me? You
have shelves full of that stuff; I can see it right there.
Clerk: Just because you can see it doesn't mean that we have it. It
may be the same paint, but we sell only a certain number of gallons on
any given week. Oh, and by the way, the price just went to $12.
Customer: You mean the price went up while we were talking?
Clerk: Yes, sir. You see, we change prices and rules thousands of
times a day, and since you haven't actually walked out of the store
with your paint yet, we just decided to change. Unless you want the
same thing to happen again, I would suggest that you get on with your
purchase. How many gallons do you want?
Customer: I don't know exactly. Maybe five gallons. Maybe I should
buy six gallons just to make sure I have enough.
Clerk: Oh, no, sir, you can't do that. If you buy the paint and then
don't use it, you will be liable for penalties and possible
confiscation of the paint you already have.
Customer: What?
Clerk: That's right. We can sell you enough paint to do your
kitchen, bathroom, hall, and north bedroom, but if you stop painting
before you do the bedroom, you will violation of our tariffs.
Customer: But what does it mater to your whether I use all the paint?
I already paid for it!
Clerk: Sir, there's no point in getting upset; that's just the way it
is. We make plans upon the idea that you will use all the paint, and
when you don't, it just causes us all kinds of problems.
Customer: This is crazy! I suppose something terrible will happen if
I don't keep painting until after Saturday night!
Clerk: Yes, sir, it will.
Customer: Well, that does it! I'm going somewhere else to buy my
paint.
Clerk: That won't do you any good, sir. We all have the same rules.
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Was expecting to read something about terrible service, not something that, as has already been said above, is normal. I've been on a flight before where other people I knew, who got their tickets later on, paid five times more to go economy than I did to go club...supply and demand, annoying if you're the one paying more but if you bought the ticket you bought the ticket.
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BlueTui - I thought Touchdown prices were for people in the industry.
You often find, with hotels especially, that a hotel offering £65 Per Person Per Night will be avalable for US$65 Per Room Per Night if you shop around! Caveat Emptor - Let the Buyer Beware!
It is the basic law of economics - supply and demand and spot-prices! In business, you grasp the opportunities where you find them - if you find your £49 returns to Barcelona are selling like hot-cakes on a certain date, and then you find there is a major event taking place, you would be mad not to jack the fares up! Similarly, a week or two before, if you discovered your aircraft was only half full, you would drop the fares a bit to stimulate interest........you wouldn't refund anyone who had already bought at the higher price though, would you?