Non VAA question regarding airfares

Guys - In May 2006 I booked two ecconomy tickets to Cape Town. We paid £597.00 exc. taxes. Our flights to S.A have now come down by a shocking £327.00 each. I phoned Customer Services this morning, of cause there is nothing that they can do for us. Our only option is to cancell thus obtaining a 25% refund from the tax free price. SAA are charging £25.00 per ticket to do this. The current tax free price is £280.00 exc. vat it seems there is no advantage in doing this. I don't earn a lot of money, that's a weeks work to me. [:(]

I don't know of anything else that I can do apart from just putting it down to bad luck and enjoy my hard earned holiday.

Thats a real shame, it's hard to know what is a good price for a flight to somewhere you may not have been before, and it's doubly hard when you appear to have lost out and charged more for an early booking.

In my limited experience of understanding the airline business it does appear if you book very early you pay the standard price, if you book very very late you pay a huge price, if you book and pay between 60 and 21 days you pay a lot less.

It's a bit like selling shares or buying something in a sale, I never look again, so I won't become unhappy.

You did n't say exactly when you were traveling, but at least you have your holiday to South Africa to look forward to, I hope you enjoy it.

Afraid there is nothing you can do, Sometimes it does not pay to book too early.I have been in similar postion when xmas sale fares have come up at the last minute,you just have to grit your teeth.

I'm with Mark.... Never look at the price again until after the event!
It's a bit like avoiding seeing the lottery numbers if I have forgotten to put my regular numbers on.

[Neil]

As others have said there is nothing you can do, you win some, you lose some. Its unfortunate but you would not have accepted an Invoice from SAA if the price had gone up, so cant really expect a credit because its gone down.

Enjoy your flights and holiday in the knowledge that you were happy with the price when you booked them and was it not for your inquisitive nature you wouldn't know any different.

Neil:)

Hi,

I hate it when airlines do this, but there isn't anything you can do, like others have said it is like buying a jumper then seeing it the sales the following week, they won't give it to you at that price! But on the up side you are going to a very beautiful country and you will have a great time! [y]

Dominic