V-Flyer

Hi

I am getting married next July (2006) and we are planning to fly into Orlando on 11th July and back from Miami on the 25th July.

I have enough flying club miles for a companion flight but how much would we still have to pay on average (total of 1 ticket and taxes/charges etc)

Or would it be better (moneywise)to get 2 miles plus money fares ?

Just so I have an idea of the costs with VH it was around £1650 for 2 economy tickets and basic car hire with insurance.

Do you think it will be cheaper for me to book these tickets using my flying club miles either as a companion ticket or 2 miles plus money tickts rather than by booking direct with VH ??

Average taxes/charges are around £90 economy, £110 upper.

I've never found the MPM fares to be any better than the discounted, cash, equivalent (with no mileage cost) anyway.

A companion qualifying fare is often nearly twice as much as a MPM or a super saver fare. For example an economy copanion qualifying fare will cost you at least £700 and maybe up to £1000. You then need to add tax etc for the companion of around £110.

Speak to the call centre and work out what the best options are.

I have 2 free companion tickets to be taken, but have not found a cheap enough qualifying fare to use them.

Check all of your options and take the cheapest/best value at the time.

Paul

Originally posted by p17blo
A companion qualifying fare is often nearly twice as much as a MPM or a super saver fare. For example an economy copanion qualifying fare will cost you at least £700 and maybe up to £1000. You then need to add tax etc for the companion of around £110.

Providing there's a Super-Saver fare available, this is true - but there's not currently, and for July next year, you'd have to leave it very late to find out if they're going to do a sale. At the moment, here's an example for next summer in economy:

Lowest fare code: Q = £502 (+ £90 tax)
Lowest companion-able fare: L = £602 (+ £90 tax)

Buying two cash tickets = £1,004 + approx. £180 tax
Buying one + companion = £602 + approx. £180 tax


In this case, I'd use the companion fare


If you want to go for the real value, £902 + tax will get you an S fare (an upgradeable/companionable Premium Economy ticket).

So for £902 + about £210 tax (because the UK Gov't don't class it as an economy fare for tax purposes), you can both go upstairs in Premium.... [8D][y]

if i were you i'd have a look at the ba fares. i have just booked my next trip to bgi and ba were by a long shot far cheaper than vs ( in uc/club and pe/wt+ )
in fact i did a check of dummy bookings for flights to MCO/JFK/MIA/BGI/SFO/LAX on 7 separate dates in both BA club/uc and wt= and pe.
BA won on every occassion.
check out expert flyer.com for availability of the good fares as well.

Dom

Perhaps you could explain how one uses VS miles in the context of a BA flight. If you are unable to do so then you might be in danger of being considered to be trolling.

i have no idea what you are talking about?
I suggested checking out ba club and wt+ fares as the upgrades using miles fares on vs are not paricularly good value.

Hmmm OK let's do this one slowly...

He asked "Do you think it will be cheaper for me to book these tickets using my flying club miles either as a companion ticket or 2 miles plus money tickts rather than by booking direct with VH ??"

You then answered a question you were presumably hearing in your head, namely "is there any other airline selling flights more cheaply than VS at the moment?".

So I post on say a Motorhead Forum "Do you think that 'the Ace of Spades' is a better track than 'We are the roadcrew'". Someone else posts "Actually, Girl's Aloud 'Voice of the beehive' rocks". This is called trolling as it is the insertion of a personal opinion into a specific discussion with the sole intent of causing dissension. IF the OP had have asked for your opinion on the cheapest fares currently available then your response would have been relevant. Instead you choose to hijack the OP's thread for your own purposes.

This is the way I wrote the first edition of this post.

ok lets try it this way...

This is a VS fan base website,so without a good reason just posting that BA has better fares is a little out of line.

If IDV had asked "which would be cheaper VS M+M etc or some other way of getting to Orlando" then your reply would not of been questioned.

But by simply saying BA's fares are better than VS's it on face value looks like you are just pushing BA.

I myself have noted that the BA fares right now are very competitive,but those comments have been in the context of the thread,not just pulled out of thin air.

Also a slap on the wrist for you,UC=Club,no UC does not = club,having flown both airlines in all classes UC could best be described as a cross between first and club.

Calling UC Club is like saying a british sausage is an american sausage,yes they are both sausages but we all know what a real sausage is like.

Anyhows now that we've all jumped on you and made you feel bad,please don't,just please phrase your threads with a little more thought.

However after taking a look at Doms last few posts,let me re-write it a little.

Dude WTF give up pimping BA on here just for the hell of it,you've made your point in your previous posts,move on.

idv,
Back OT
Another consideration for M&M or companion fare is weather you are bothered about earning miles.

A lot of us on here are mile whores and would happily spend a bit more for miles & TP's

If your not bothered you may as well go for the cheapest option. However bear in mind that a PE ticket (to MCO) will earn about 13K & 6TPs

humble apologies. I had no idea this was a vs fan site. Forgive me, I thought it was a site for contributions from personal experiences about flying virgin.
there thats put me in my place.
now, back to the topic.
The companion fares on virgin are not in my experience good value. The fare clss is too expensive. ( in my opinion).
I have never found the miles plus money to represent good value either.
may i suggest that for a honeymoon you might consider other alternatives.
i do know ( from personal experience ) that when I fly the best value is an econmy to upper class mfu.
however you may not have enough miles for 2.
if so, and on the basis of what 2 y fares cost on vs, just a thought, no presuure, why not have a look at alternatives?
for those of you who have the time to care, i consider myself to be thoroughly chastised.

damn it,I just can't be bothered to reply to this.

Anyways as was said before the companion works out at about 700 pounds for 2 people,that about as good as it gets

Originally posted by jetwet1
Anyways as was said before the companion works out at about 700 pounds for 2 people,that about as good as it gets

Exactly [y]

Just priced two tickets for BA (LOWEST Economy) in June next year:

£1,222.80 for two tickets.

(Would have done July, but ba.com won't allow more than 330 days. July is likely to be even more expensive [:0] )


Personally, I'd go for the £700 VS option

Originally posted by dom
humble apologies. I had no idea this was a vs fan site. Forgive me, I thought it was a site for contributions from personal experiences about flying virgin.

Seriously?!.

The companion fares on virgin are not in my experience good value. The fare clss is too expensive. ( in my opinion).

Sorry to hear about your experience. When I first started using this site I was convinced that companion flights were a complete waste of time and were designed purely to make VS look good at minimum cost to themselves. I have since been educated by my peers and been able to derive incredible value from them - especially as the paid S fare can be upgraded with miles to a G.

I have never found the miles plus money to represent good value either.

I have never found them to fit my own requirements as I wish to earn miles when I fly. I'd hazard a guess that if you only fly infrequently and are unlikely to accumulate many miles they might have value.

if so, and on the basis of what 2 y fares cost on vs, just a thought, no presuure, why not have a look at alternatives?
for those of you who have the time to care, i consider myself to be thoroughly chastised.

Sorry to hear that you've ceased caring. That wasn't the impression you gave in the pro strike thread you started.

no!!! i love flying virgin.
I do care. imho ( getting the lingo ) virgin have provided me with some great flights. I always fly upper ( or club ) and do it about 3 or 4 times a year. I just think that for some unknown reason, and at the moment, the good deals are not there to be had.
I mix and match.
And watch out for the 23rd of August.
Now back on the topic, I wish idv and his spouse a very happy wedding, a great honeymoon and hapiness ever after!
i just think they should consider...............
( am i being "flamed" here? I need to know)

Interesting thread[}:)]the question is..... why go to orlando in July? There are many better destinations at that time of year. Just in July, Always in August, Sometimes in September, Occasionaly in October, Never in November....Thats huricans by the way;)

you're brave.

Originally posted by dom
you're brave.

Who?:DMe or You or Everybody (Blues Brothers)[8D]

just keep your head down. And if anyone asks, you don't know me. Ok?

Dom

Flamed? Nah - way too gentle to qualify for that

Subsequent posts v. amusing BTW.