fiona

Yet again there is someone (on the airline forum) faced with the predicament of what type of ticket to purchase. The problem is that the oneway price is DEARER than the return! Apparently airlines &quot;go after&quot; people who buy return and only use the outward portion. <BR>First of all- what on earth benefit does the airline get for giving you 2 flights for less than the price of one? No wonder so many airlines are in difficulty!Are they all stupid?<BR>Secondly<BR>If we have bought the service we should be able to decide not to use it. After all we have paid for it. How dare they insist it is used? What do you do if you are ill,or have to change plans etc? <BR>The whole thing would be laughable in any other industry. For instance, I paid in full for a Christmas meal at a hotel(our staff night out) and became ill on the day. I couldn't go and have therefore spent money for nothing. But that's the way things go. Imagine if the hotel &quot;blacklisted&quot; me for not turning up!<BR>As you can see it is a subject that I feel the need to get on my &quot;soapbox&quot; for! What do others feel? Has anyone on this forum experienced the same problems? Has anyone been chased up for not using the return part of the ticket?

Me

The airline can't do anything to you if you book a single roundtrip ticket and don't show up for the return portion. What people may be referring to is someone who books two roundtrip tickets, with the intention of using the outgoing portion of one and the return portion of the other, in hopes of saving money by taking advantage of lower fares for Saturday night stays. The latter case violates the airlines rules, and you can be penalized for that.

Sue

Fiona, I don't know for sure but I sometimes amuse myself by speculating what method the airlines have for their madness (or ours.)<BR><BR>One idea about the pricing policy: the airline is trying to build a customer base. If a one-way cost just 1/2 of a roundtrip, the public would have less incentive to book the return portion with the same airline.<BR><BR>An idea about the penalty for not using the return: the airline views the ticket as a contract. If you 'default' on the return portion, they seem to feel that this flags you as one who agrees to terms they have no intention of keeping. Hence the blacklist. <BR><BR>Otherwise, all I can think of re why they care that you don't 'eat the whole meal' so to speak is because of the security problems unique to airlines. Since the airline is 'expecting' you to occupy a seat on the return portion, that your seat is still empty by boarding time means that staff have to spend extra time ensuring that no bag has been checked by this no-show flier. This is time that could be spent attending to other customers (checking them in, etc.) Also, since the need to check would occur so close to the scheduled departure time, it could cause the takeoff to be delayed, especially if many passengers didn't show up and a lot of double-checking was required. A delayed takeoff could be expensive, especially at a busy airport like Heathrow which might well impose penalties on airlines that don't take off in their scheduled slots. <BR>

Madness reigns

This idiocy is just emblematic of the truncated thinking that has brought the airline industry to its current sorry state. You would think they'd THANK you for giving them back an empty seat to resell, but no. <BR><BR>As for the bracketed two-tickets/four-trips ploy, once again, they have brought it on themselves. They forget that we are the CUSTOMERS and their job is to accommodate what we want. As for those who piously intone &quot;they sell what sells,&quot; if they don't offer something for sale, of course it won't sell. <BR><BR>Then there's the insanity in rewarding people who don't plan ahead by reserving the best seats on the plane for them. <BR><BR>I love the ones who have a simple, straightforward fare structure, one ticket--one trip, no privileged class, no smoke-and-mirrors with round-trip phantom seating.

Patrick

The airlines need to meet the demands of the general population -- everybody wanting a deal -- and try to make up for it wherever they can. Even worse than this one way overcharge thing is the idea that if you wait until the week before you go and try to buy a ticket, they are three or four times more expensive. Logic would say that they have unsold tickets left why not sell them cheap, but reality says, &quot;hey, we can really get the people who HAVE to go somewhere at the last minute&quot;, especially business travlers they think can afford it. Their extra income from such things allows them to offer those super specials otherwise.<BR><BR>Maybe this is oversimplification on my part, but I think it is pretty true to form.

TryThis

Madness - your comment about people who don't plan ahead is puzzling. The vast majority of people who buy &quot;last miunte&quot; tickets are business travelers paying full fare for refundable tickets. People who pay the higher prices are generally given priority on certain seats. Business travel is the brread and butter of the airlines. A lot of people(not all) who travel for pleasure only seem to have trouble with this concept - some of them seem to think that flying 2 0r 3 times a year on one airline makes then a &quot;frequent traveler&quot; on that airline, forgetting that many of the people they are pouting about sitting in Economy Plus, etc for work are flying on a weekly basis. It's also not practical or possible to plan business trips far in advance.

Sue

Pat, to me, the pricing policy of last-minute tickets reflects the fact that the faster one wants to move, the more one can expect to pay. Traveling 1000 miles on the basis of 7 or even 1 day's notice is a lot faster a trip than traveling the same distance on 2 month's notice. The first instance is like traveling in a fast sports car, say, a Porsche - the second, on a bicycle. These two vehicles don't get priced the same, because they deliver very different levels of service. In this instance, not having to plan ahead and yet still find a seat left unsold *is* the service.<BR><BR>Would you pay the rental cost of a Porsche (or the equivalent, a last-minute airline seat) to drive to a given destination to take a vacation? I wouldn't. But how about if your father were suddenly taken ill at that destination and he had only days to live? <BR><BR>

bill

I lost (more) sympathy for the airlines shortly after air travel was shut down for a period after 9/11. We decided that after they started flying again we would fly..Midwest to the East Coast to visit a daughter. Discretionary trip. And a chance to say we'll fly when lots of people wouldn't...a vote of confidence....our own little economic stimulus. The fare was well in excess of $1,000 because we weren't in the magic 14 day window which included the time they weren't flying! Hard to feel sorry for that kind of thiking.

MD

I think it's symptomatic of the airline industry's problems to consider that the planes hijacked on Sept. 11th were carrying about 50 or 60 people each out of a possible 250 or so each. I assume this was typical for flights in those time slots. My heart goes out to all those who suffered that day, but... running typically 25% full is no way to run an airline. <BR><BR>I agree - the business traveller has different needs. Myself and co-wrkers who travel more frequently have been victims of the mindless head-office mentality; &quot;be here for this meeting!&quot; followed by an 1-day warning of postponement. Meetings run overtime, Projects take longer, plans change. You pay for the privilege of making changes without penalty (sometimes more than the penalty would be).<BR><BR> For the average traveller, it would be simpler if ticketing we like the Greyhound bus. But then you have to consider - where's the competition in that? Security for the airline comes in selling the tickets ahead, knowing people will show up (they have to!). That gives them the basic cash to schedule the aircraft, etc.<BR><BR> Also, if tickets were sold like the bus line, how would you snag passengers and keep them? The greyhound ticketing works (worked? I haven't travelled that way in a while) because there was only 1 choice. There aren't 10 bus lines going the same route from the same place (usually). Otherwise, it would degenerate into a cut-throat price war until there was only 1 left.<BR><BR>P.S. What do the airlines do to people who buy 2 sets of round-trips? I knew people who did that and never heard that they were penalized for it. And what right do the airlines have to do that? Duh! Why would they? It just guarantees the other set of tickets would be on a competing airline!

lm

Please read: IF AIRLINES SOLD PAINT<BR><BR>Customer: Hi. How much is your paint?<BR>Clerk: Well, sir, that all depends on quite a lot of things. <BR><BR>Customer: Can you give me a guess? Is there an average price?<BR>Clerk: Our lowest price is $12 a gallon, and we have 60 different prices up to $200 a gallon. <BR><BR>Customer: What's the difference in the paint?<BR>Clerk: Oh, there isn't any difference; it's all the same paint. <BR><BR>Customer: Well, then I'd like some of that $12 paint.<BR>Clerk: When do you intend to use the paint? <BR><BR>Customer: I want to paint tomorrow. It's my day off.<BR>Clerk: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is the $200 paint. <BR><BR>Customer: When would I have to paint to get the $12 paint?<BR>Clerk: You would have to start very late at night in about 3 weeks. But you will have to agree to start painting before Friday of that week and continue painting until at least Sunday. <BR><BR>Customer: You've got to be *&amp;%^#@* kidding!<BR>Clerk: I'll check and see if we have any paint available. <BR><BR>Customer: You have shelves FULL of paint! I can see it!<BR>Clerk: But it doesn't mean that we have paint available. We sell only a certain number of gallons on any given weekend. Oh, and by the way, the price per gallon just went to $16. We don't have any more $12 paint. <BR><BR>Customer: The price went up as we were talking?<BR>Clerk: Yes, sir. We change the prices and rules hundreds of times a day, and since you haven't actually walked out of the store with your paint yet, we just decided to change. I suggest you purchase your paint as soon as possible. How many gallons do you want? <BR><BR>Customer: Well, maybe five gallons. Make that six, so I'll have enough.<BR>Clerk: Oh no, sir, you can't do that. If you buy paint and don't use it, there are penalties and possible confiscation of the paint you already have. <BR><BR>Customer: WHAT?<BR>Clerk: We can sell enough paint to do your kitchen, bathroom, hall and north bedroom, but if you stop painting before you do the bedroom, you will lose your remaining gallons of paint. <BR><BR>Customer: What does it matter whether I use all the paint? I Already paid you for it! <BR>Clerk: We make plans based upon the idea that all our paint is used, every drop. If you don't, it causes us all sorts of problems. <BR><BR>Customer: This is crazy!! I suppose something terrible happens if I don't keep painting until after Saturday night!<BR>Clerk: Oh yes! Every gallon you bought automatically becomes the $200 paint. <BR><BR>Customer: But what are all these &quot;Paint on sale from $10 a litre&quot; signs?<BR>Clerk: Well that's for our budget paint. It only comes in half-gallons. One $5 half-gallon will do half a room. The second half-gallon to complete the room is $20. None of the cans have labels, some are empty and there are no refunds, even on the empty cans. <BR><BR>Customer: I can't believe this! I'll buy what I need somewhere else!<BR>Clerk: I don't think so, sir. You may be able to buy paint for Your bathroom and bedrooms, and your kitchen and dining room from someone else, but you won't be able to paint your connecting hall and stairway from anyone but us. And I should point out, sir, that if you paint in only one direction, it will be $300 a gallon. <BR><BR>Customer: I thought your most expensive paint was $200!<BR>Clerk: That's if you paint around the room to the point at which You started. A hallway is different. <BR><BR>Customer: And if I buy $200 paint for the hall, but only paint in one direction, you'll confiscate the remaining paint.<BR>Clerk: No, we'll charge you an extra use fee plus the difference on your next gallon of paint. But I believe you're getting it now, sir. <BR><BR>Customer: You're insane!<BR>Clerk: Thanks for painting with United. <BR><BR>Donald G. Jones <BR><BR>

anon

love the paint story!

Marc

Airlines do whatever they like because they can. You can thank your Congressperson and Senator if they voted for de-regulation. Any industry driven by its employee unions is challenged to provide competitive prices while keeping the union from going on strike for more benefits than employees have any right to demand. Worse, union members with the most tenure will always vote for a contract that requires that others be laid off and services to customers be cut and prices must rise to meet their demands. Better yet, they'll vote to go on strike without a care. Given that nearly every airline is struggling to stay in business, they have no choice but to charge outrageous fares to those who are willing or have to pay them, then enter fare wars to sell off unbooked seats. As others have mentioned, when you purchase your ticket, you enter into a &quot;contract&quot; - the terms of which have been determined by the airline.