Rising price of London - Miami route

Has anyone else noticed that Virgin are now generally 33% more than BA on this route - November 2004, £290 with BA, £385 with Virgin. Is it worth being loyal anymore? Or am I looking in the wrong place for the best Virgin price?

[Nottingham Nick]

Gerry

Where are you looking? In my experience, there isn't a 'best place' or a 'best time' to buy tickets. There are far too many variables, including loads, price of oil, curretnt world terro / political situation etc. etc.

I always shop around for tickets, as there is a huge variance in prices. I try - if they are competitively priced - to use the VS website, but it is always worth looking at the many consolidators and travel agencies.

I used to use expedia a fair bit, but have also tried ebookers and airline ticket network. In all of the larger Sunday newpapers, the travel secion is overflowing with such firms. Just because one is cheaper for a particular flight, doesn't mean they will be the best next time.

Shop around for as long as your free time allows.

Nick

Thanks for that Nick.
I always use the Virgin site as a starting point and usually find something reasonable, compared with what else is available. However this time I have been looking for the last month now at flights in November and Virgin is coming back, either from their own site or the travel sites at £385 give or take a few pence, whereas BA and the others at £290. I have been flying this route for over 15 years, always with Virgin, but this is the first time I have noticed such a wide difference. I will try to find a cheaper Virgin ticket but I'm not keen on paying £100 over the top. My other option is to spend miles, but I prefer to use those at a more expensive time of year And besides, with my healthy balance I seem to be getting more free upgrades too
Thanks for your input - and if anyone sees LHR to MIA with Virgin in November for less, let me know!

Bear in mind that BA are having a massive sale at the moment because the cock ups that happened in August.

Simply because BA has cheaper fares available does not necessarily mean that VS is naturally more expensive. It may be that VS have simply already sold their cheapo tickets whereas BA still have some to shift and would thus have many more empty seats on their planes (currently). No airline, whether it be BA, VS, AA or DL will make much (any?) money if they sell all their economy tickets at the discounted level.

BA also has two daily flights to MIA and I think they are introducing a third. So compared to VS 1 daily flight I guess they have a lot more capacity.

Yes, Paul and kpen are right - BA does have public confidence to rebuild and they do have more capacity, hence more cheap tickets. However, if the bottom line is that I have would pay an extra £100 for a VS ticket, then I still have the dilema, do I pay the extra for the sake of brand loyalty and Virgin Airmiles?
I'll keep looking for a lower priced Virgin ticket a while longer.
Thanks for your input guys.

quote:Originally posted by gerryuk
However, if the bottom line is that I have would pay an extra £100 for a VS ticket, then I still have the dilema, do I pay the extra for the sake of brand loyalty and Virgin Airmiles?

To be honest, I'd pay the extra £100 to know I'd be getting the VS service rather than BA's "attempt", not just out of brand loyalty or for the miles & points. As always though, YMMV

Cheers

Michael

The cost for my flight to MIA in Oct came to £538.30 so i guess £385 is a good deal.

Cheers

Phil

quote:Originally posted by mcuth

quote:Originally posted by gerryuk
However, if the bottom line is that I have would pay an extra £100 for a VS ticket, then I still have the dilema, do I pay the extra for the sake of brand loyalty and Virgin Airmiles?

To be honest, I'd pay the extra £100 to know I'd be getting the VS service rather than BA's "attempt", not just out of brand loyalty or for the miles & points. As always though, YMMV

Cheers

Michael

Zealousy aside, if you can honestly tell the difference between economy class in VS or BA (and most European/Asian airlines, you are far more astute than I.

And Gerry, if you wait much longer, you'll probably find that soon only full fares will be available on all airlines flying to MIA.

This nifty site will show what fares BA, VS and AA et al have left on their MIA flights http://flyaow.com/classamex.htm

quote:Originally posted by Paul_MAN
Zealousy aside, if you can honestly tell the difference between economy class in VS or BA (and most European/Asian airlines, you are far more astute than I.

Fair point when most Economy cabins are quite similar.
Just speaking from my own experience - I've flown a different airline to the US precisely once. On only my second transatlantic flight, I chose to fly BA economy based purely on price. The service was poor, the plane was shoddy, and they remain the only airline (including both scheduled & charter) to lose my luggage for more than 1 hr (took them 2 days to recover it from between SFO & LHR!). Although one of the FAs did give me the best advice I'd ever heard about turbulence - something along the lines of "don't worry, planes don't get knocked out of the sky by turbulence, and if we did you'd be dead before you hit the ground"!

When compared with the flights I've taken to the US with VS in Economy, there's a marked improvement in service level. Now, I don't know if I've just been lucky, but that's how VS got me hooked into them, and why I'd pay more to travel on them. Like I say, YMMV as always

Cheers

Michael

OK, well I imagine pegitt's flight was more because they just are in October - November to Xmas they drop considerably with all airlines.
Paul, I think you're right, that it would be no hardship to try BA, and that nifty website of yours is........nifty! Thanks! And I note what you say about only full fares soon, so I will decide soon.
And mcuth - sounds like you had a bad experience with BA, but just like you I got hooked by VS's service, which is my dilema really, otherwise I would just book with BA.
So, thanks again one & all and watch this space

quote:Originally posted by gerryuk
And mcuth - sounds like you had a bad experience with BA, but just like you I got hooked by VS's service, which is my dilema really, otherwise I would just book with BA.

Yeah - the thing that annoyed me was that the first transatlantic flight I took was with VS in Economy, and it was fantastic. But this was before I'd discovered sites like this & FlyerTalk, so I knew no better and let me wallet rule me head (as a Yorkshireman, I guess that's a natural reaction ). These days, there's no contest - but then, VS now have me even more hooked into the PE & UC products!

Cheers

Michael

quote:Originally posted by Paul_MAN...if you can honestly tell the difference between economy class in VS or BA (and most European/Asian airlines, you are far more astute than I.

I don't consider myself that astute but personally I would rather stick pins in my eyes than fly Air France again. On our trip to SGN last year we had a choice of exactly one meal in both directions (despite being less than half way back in the cabin), the crew were unfriendly and the in-flight entertainment sucked - oh and a lot of it was in French too

Thai Airways aren't that much cop either - last time I flew them they still had a screen at the front of each cabin - pleeeease that is so 90's

Phil (Buffy)

The time has come to make a decision - the prices are still the same, except that now I see I can pay the lower fare with Continental and still travel on a Virgin flight.
So, before I do, does anyone know if there will be any Flying Club Silver benefits, or airmiles, or tier points by doing this.
Thanks in anticipation ....

A couple of hours later I can answer my own question. I checked with both Virgin and Continental - I can earn the full quota of Virgin Miles with a Continental ticket. So, I have made the reservation with Continental, £95 cheaper than direct with VA, yet still get the VA miles & quality service!
I call that having my cake, and eating it !