V-Flyer

I just found out an old letter I had written to Amex Travel regarding a flight booked shortly after 9/11. It got me thinking...

Forget mileage flights, upgrades, miles earning issues, or anything like that - but what's the CHEAPEST flight, £/mile you've ever got from VS? (I say ignoring mileage earning to include N fares etc. in that).

To start off, this particular flight was from LHR-SFO return. It was originally booked in Y (probably an N fare, but I'd have to check) and was £97.50 INCLUDING taxes for March 2002.


That works out at paying VS just 0.9p per flown mile, inc. taxes/fees. [:0]


Anyone do any better...?

Well I reckon I could do the same flight for 0.70p per flown mile if I used a mileage of 6960 per leg instead of the 5416 you seem to be using? [:w][:o)]

Back in the 80s I did a courier flight (remember those) on BA to MIA, think it cost me fifty quid ... and I even changed the return with no penalty!

Originally posted by Decker
Well I reckon I could do the same flight for 0.70p per flown mile if I used a mileage of 6960 per leg instead of the 5416 you seem to be using? [:w][:o)]

I was using the base miles of 10716 - ie: actual flown ones. No cheating!


(it was actually 0.909...)

I just wimped out and used the on site mileage calculator

Not on VS,but 3 years ago I got a BA flight that was $200 exec taxes LAX-LHR in Y,I hate Y but at that price I couldn't say no.

I remember my first flight on VS, an open jaw to JFK and from SFO came in at about £300 EC. Sure not as good as some of the previous flights mentioned here but remember being well chuffed with that price!

Dean

I wont win the cheapest prize here, but soon after 9/11 I booked a LAS trip, on Continental codeshare tickets, via LAX on VS7/8 for £240, which included the cost of flights from LAX-LAS with HP (who also codeshared with CO back then). Fantastic value!

To top it all, we both had an upgrade to Upper for the VS8 back home

Although thinking about it, the flight has cost me a lot of money since, "once you turn left....." etc etc!!

Cheapest VS flight was about 10 years ago, £123 inc tax, Y return to LAX.

Cheapest non VS was £48 return (inc tax ) LGW to MCO on some dreadful charter flight - cheaper than the taxes now being charged[:0]

DD

Can't beat Paul's price for the air ticket, but my best deal was in April 1991. It was after Operation Desert Storm and again, no one was flying.

I remember it was a newspaper promotion and Derby Dave and I went to Boston for three nights for £244 each. It was only a bargain because the price included three nights at the Boston Sheraton and Towers, and it it included train from Nottinghamshire, tube transfer in London and coach transfer both ways to the hotel in Boston.

The downside was that the flights were with BA [8D];)[:I]

Nick

the cheapest one that i got was £200 for this july in Upper class to HKG and SYD return on VS. Of course this is just the taxes because of me winning the flying club swingers final at the grove in october

Originally posted by AerJohn
the cheapest one that i got was £200 for this july in Upper class to HKG and SYD return on VS. Of course this is just the taxes because of me winning the flying club swingers final at the grove in october

You got?? [:0][?][:0][?]

I don't remember you shelling out any money to pay for the said taxes! [V]

Cheapest was on VS LGW-LAS late 2001 on a standby ticket with my best friend as FD operating crew. On that basis I should be discounted from this 'contest'.

The grand sum of £34.50 got me a round trip to LAS, outbound on a FD jumpseat (a long time even for the hardiest of enthusiasts!) and returned in PE. The downside was waiting at LGW departures until the last possible minute to find out if I was going to get on board a very full flight. My first experience of Vegas and a quick 2 day trip but so worth it.

Graham

p.s. I have not tried standby since then preferring the comfort of a guaranteed seat and miles. I now have an aversion to stressful travelling

originally posted by Honey Lamb
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by AerJohn

the cheapest one that i got was £200 for this july in Upper class to HKG and SYD return on VS. Of course this is just the taxes because of me winning the flying club swingers final at the grove in october

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


You got??

I don't remember you shelling out any money to pay for the said taxes!

LOL:D:D:D You tell 'im

That said, I think you guys win hands down;);)

Originally posted by honey lamb

You got?? [:0][?][:0][?]

I don't remember you shelling out any money to pay for the said taxes! [V]

I can remember my mother standing with me, just outside the lift in Moore and Collinghams (a since defunct Lincoln department store) wiping my face with her hankie - that she had just spat on[:$]
Now I wonder what bought that to mind;)

Originally posted by sailor99

Originally posted by honey lamb

You got?? [:0][?][:0][?]

I don't remember you shelling out any money to pay for the said taxes! [V]

I can remember my mother standing with me, just outside the lift in Moore and Collinghams (a since defunct Lincoln department store) wiping my face with her hankie - that she had just spat on[:$]
Now I wonder what bought that to mind;)

Oh dear, sailor. You've now brought to my mind of me doing exactly the same thing to Aer John (except that it was just behind his ears [:0]) on an Aer Lingus flight that was connecting to a VS one! [:w]

John consider yourself told off.Saying that though HL,yes he DID get it,you were nice enough to pay the taxes,but of course he was nice enough to let you come HIS other ticket [y] ...word of advice John...dont say a word [:w]

I also assume that Aer John shall be joining honey lamb to Hong Kong?

The cheapest flight my father took was this summer, IAD-LHR-JFK VS UCS, and I paid the taxes but did use my VS/AmEx MR points. (Dad did pay for the hotels, the flights from LHR to FCO return, BD EDI to LHR, train to Glasgow and food.

201 pounds for a X class LHR-BOS return in March 2000
(inc taxes)

153 pounds for a N class LHR-NYC in March 2003 (inc taxes)

249 pounds for BMI Business Class MAN-LAS inc taxes, and that was without using miles [}:)]

I recently found the photocopy of my W class ticket to YYZ that had to be refunded after the flight was 'suspended' post 9/11 - full W fare for 900 pounds. What a fare that was!

On a 'geek' note, I still have all the flyign club letters, magazines and offers I have ever recieved. There are some initersting promo's from back then - anyone remember:

'One big offer' from 2001?
Free Economy flight or two for every Upper Class flight?
Doubles miles on LAS for first few months?

Thanks,
Richard