virgin atlantic rip-off!!!

just browsing the net and looked for a one-way flight from london heathrow to hong kong for november 14th 2006. looked on the vs web-site and for a one-way economy class ticket the fare was £694,i thought that was a bit steep and came across the STA student travel web-site and the exact same flight was availible for £292 one-way. why is there such a price difference? i looked at the t&c's on vs web-site for seeing how to tell them i found a cheaper fare, as the £692 fare supposidly cannot be beaten according to VS however to tell them about the cheaper fare you must book their ticket first. a complete rip-off?[n]

[mcmbenjamin]

Well I got 694.20 so you got a deal. Honestly it is not a rip off as STA only sells to students and young people. If your profile is correct you are 15 y/o., book via STA.

But if you book via STA you would not get the cheapest fare in the market. Expedia.co.uk has a fare of 259.20 on Qatar Airways.

Must be neat to be traveling one-way to cities far away at such a young age.

[RichardMannion]

Hi josh,

The one way quoted via the website will be a full Y fare sector, Student fares may be available but they are booked ina different class (N) and are subject to certain rules/conditions.

I personally find the VS website very limited when it comes to booking tickets, as I like to see exactly what I am booking (fare class, conditions etc).

Thanks,
Richard

[mcmbenjamin]

Call VS maybe

I agree. It's frustrating not being able to see what class you are booking in.

why is there such a price difference?

I could type pages of reasons for this... but basically:

1. In most markets Airlines offer discounted rates for Agencies... on agreement that they won't undercut them by selling direct. The airlines benefit from greater marketing clout within a particular market by the agent.

2. The fare you have from STA is not the 'same' as the fare from the Virgin Website. It is restricted to who it an be sold to, to how many seats are available on this fare and to what can be done with it after ticket is issued.

STA fares are sometimes even more expensive than other travel agents and/or airlines. Yes, they do provide cheap fares for students and those under 26 but this is limited to certain markets such as the US and Asia only. If you want a cheap student/youth fare to Australia forget STA cos they don't have them - you're better off shopping around. I dislike their sales attitude as well as their (often hidden) extra fees for purchasing a ticket.

The Strawb

Yes, they do provide cheap fares for students and those under 26 but this is limited to certain markets such as the US and Asia only. If you want a cheap student/youth fare to Australia forget STA cos they don't have them.

Like any agent its always good to shop around to find the best fare.
We certainly gave them our best student rates to Australia when I worked for Cathay.

[mcmbenjamin]

But student websites offer good benefits for students.

One from studentuniverse.com for a ~US$600.00 IAD-LHR return

Non-stop Flights and Flexible Rules!

Fly non-stop and enjoy the "Virgin Experience". Plus, this fare permits 1 (one) free change to the return flight. This change MUST be performed in person at the Virgin Atlantic ticket counter at either London Heathrow or London Gatwick airports. You must go to the ticket counter PRIOR to your originally scheduled return date -and- at least seven days prior the date you want to travel. This free change is not available for customers who call StudentUniverse. Changes requested with StudentUniverse are subject a $25 agency fee in addition to a $100 fee levied by the airline, plus any change in fare. No Exceptions other than medical or death emergencies (with appropriate documentation)!!

The internet has turned us all into travel agents... Shop around is the Moral of the Story.

Sometimes I find the airline's website offers the best deal, other times one of the web agents such as opodo or expedia comes up better.
Amex came good for me this time, and I guess they get better fares becuase they sell to limited people since you must pay using an Amex card.

On the face of it, it is the same ticket, but of course the cheaper one is likely to have more restrictions, and this is where Virgin will get around its price promise. Some subtle restriction on the ticket you found elsewhere will get them off the hook, and you'll be left with the more expensive ticket and wishing you hadn't tried to catch virgin out!

When I'm planning to travel, as soon as I find a ticket that is in the right ball park for price I grab it quick. I've lost out in the past on a bargain fare before in a matter of minutes after the website threw me out and i had to log back in to complete the booking.

Agree with the above - shop around, never assume that going firect will give you the best prices and don't be too precious to try travel agents either...[}:)]

STA tickets are amongst the most restrictive going.

If you want a date change/miss your flight or anyhting else you'll face some hefty charges.

thnx for all the relpies regarding mcbenjamins first post, i would be travelling alone but not in hong kong on my own, some of my family are living there for a few years.