V-Flyer

The latest idea from them I actually like. Sort of. Doesn't seem overly well publicized though. The whole 'Our birthday gift to you' thing. I didn't get an email from them, just noticed it hidden away there on their front page. This week sale fares from LHR to New York. Book by March 4th and fly by May in economy for 250 quid and premium for 500 quid. I plugged a few dates in (trying to get some friends to come and visit me over here) and it actually did come out at 250 quid all in. Not bad.

I presume they are going to offer a different destination each week.

However, living in the US, this isn't overly helpful to me. It's about time there was a good sale for their US customers, there hasn't been one for ages. The US site boasts 'Travel to London, PE for only $328********'. Whenever you see stars, you know its not that good. Yes, you got it, one way, doesn't include taxes and surcharges, and when you click on it, there are 2 weeks in March, and the month of November that you can fly at that price. Final price for a March flight is $917 which with todays exchange rate is 640 quid. Not fair.

While I'm complaining, PLEASE OH PLEASE can you stop showing prices on the US site before taxes. It's irrelevant. Who cares. I want to know what you are going to take off my credit card. I don't need to know how much pays for the seat, how much pays for the fuel, how much you give to the airports, how much pays for the pilot, how much the cleaner gets. TOTAL. GIVE ME THE TOTAL. lol

I am with you on this, as I detailed on another post, Mrs Scrooge received an email from VS saying '$169 to London'. I told her without even looking up it would come out to around $800, once all the fee's and surcharges were plugged in it did.

The problem I am now having of course is that I don't need a good sale till the Fall so I can take care of next years flights as it looks like this year is out the window [:#]

I think that this kind of promotion can be dangerous - will it turn off demand for other routes as customers wait to see if their planned destination comes up, or will it keep up interest in the website?

It also can't help that the prices are immediately matched by BA/AA et al, and from that point of view it's good that VS are seen to be instigating the lower fares, rather than lamely responding. But at the end of the day, I can't help but think that this downward pressure on price is ultimately why the service and food is so hit and miss. A pressure that I was ultimately able to take advantage of I admit.

I went to see what you meant on the US website and I did see it had the full price underneath the price before taxes. Agree with you though that the advertising of one way with 12 asterisks is a put off and you never have any idea on the Website if you have actually got that special offer as one of those asterisk tells you you can't travel one way on it !!

The advertised price is more a factor of local conditions than any specific airline trying it on. In the US, it is the norm to advertise the pre-tax price, and any airline that doesn't looks pretty uncompetitive on the face of it. That use to be the case in the UK too, until legislation forced airlines into showing the true cost.

Thinking about it, you can't even work out what the real price is of something in a shop in the US, as they don't add the sales tax on until you get to the till.

quote:Originally posted by Pete

Thinking about it, you can't even work out what the real price is of something in a shop in the US, as they don't add the sales tax on until you get to the till.


That still annoys me after eleven years of travelling to the US! [xx(]

What you mean you can't calculate the sales tax in your head? [:D]

We could probably learn, if it was the same amount in each State, and each State was consistent on what sales tax is charged on. [n][V]

Or better still, be like New Hampshire [}:)]

Yes it still annoys me after 19 years of living here....however....the simple fact that VS are showing a lower base price then making it up with a fuel surcharge is just annoying to me.

It's a shame that they won't make a move to change that.
Since the fuel surcharge and taxes are unavoidable it's misleading.
Of course, they'd be doing the same here if it wasn't against the law.