OCTOBER 2017
POST
JonathanCohen
DATE
September 11, 16:POST
Alex_F
DATE
September 6, 22:DO WE GET VALUE FOR MONEY?
How do fellow posters calculate value for
money when it comes to air travel?
For example, if you pay for a J class ticket on
any carrier are you getting value for the money
that you have paid? Is there anyone who thinks
that you get value for money if you pay for a
ticket in F class? Do some people feel that there
is value for money for business class in Europe?
Do LCC’s offer better value for money than
the full service carriers, taking everything
into account?For five to eight hours’ flying (daytime
especially) premium economy is a sweet
spot for me. Costs about 50 per cent more
than economy and is a lot better experience.
I believe that is where the LCCs will attack
on long haul. For short haul, commodity
product, buy a direct flight whether it is
legacy or LCC, look for value. However, I post
as the owner of a micro business and my
view may not be aligned with employees of a
large corporation.In May 1977 I went to visit my soon-to-be
in-laws in Durban (from Manchester). The
cost of the return economy ticket was £
(US$549). Air France has just sent me an
email saying if I want to travel in November
it is £460 (US$607). According to the inflation
tables £100 (US$132) in 1977 is worth £
(US$772) today. That would make the ticket
cost around £2,400 (US$3,168)! I think we
have lost sight of the value for money we get
when flying.As someone who has just started their own
business and has to travel all over APAC,
I have to weigh up the value vs safety and
reliability, etc. So gone are the days of J
or PE travel. I hub from SIN so there is a
premium from let’s say KUL but as I won’t
fly MH anymore (frankly they are the most
unreliable airline in the region) I will pay a
small premium to ensure on-time departures.
I generally don’t fly LCCs for business but do
so for leisure; the problem is pure reliability
as times get stretched enormously if they
start to run late throughout the day. I am
always looking for a bargain when it comes
to long haul, and generally you will find a deal
if you are prepared to shop around.It’s purely a judgement call. I only fly J or F
on “long haul” – that includes flights of three
hours or more for me. J class is a no-brainer,FDOS_UK
September 11, 17:bluemooner
September 11, 21:K1ngston
September 12, 00:Posts from our online forum businesstraveller.com/forum
businesstraveller.com20 I Inbox
thebigseats
September 12, 02:Alex_F
September 7, 06:Ah-Mahdi
September 6, 23:cash or points being the only real decision
to make! The personal space, comfort,
badge allowances, service and points make
it super value. Short haul? I will never fly
LCC as there is (in my opinion) a certain lack
of dignity about being herded through the
“process” and treated like a moron, plus a
certain clientele I do not wish to engage with.
Snobbish? Maybe, but I do not care.UBER SCAM?
I recently returned to Uber as a product. I used
them in Paris to get to Charles De Gaulle from
St Germain. Booked Uber Pool and waited.
Driver was showing five minutes away, then
suddenly he cancels the trip. I rebook and get
same driver and he shows up at the pick-up
point two minutes later. Think nothing more
of it until I get the €5 (US$6) cancellation
fee on my credit card. Turns out drivers are
cancelling trips to claim the easy €5 and then
re-accepting the same customers, thereby
effectively getting a €5 tip. Anyone else have
similarly negative experiences on Uber?If the driver is the person who cancels, is it
possible for him to claim the cancellation
fee? I think the fee is when the client cancels
the Uber, not the drivers?Drivers are entitled to cancel where a
customer “no shows” and they collect a fee.
The problem is that drivers are cancelling on
the basis that they say the customer has “no
showed”, so they collect the fee automatically.
Then, when there aren’t many cars around,
they re-accept the request knowing they’ll get
chosen again. Uber doesn’t let you choose
your car so you can’t reject the driver that
previously cancelled on you. I know some
customers don’t show, but it appears some
drivers are abusing this option.I am a big fan of Uber... If you dispute
an item on the online disputes section,
invariably you will be refunded, albeit by a
voucher redeemable for your next booking.I agree there are always going to be a few
bad apples in any organisation... but the last
time I took an Uber was in London and it was
excellent. I use them exclusively in Kuala
Lumpur, Bangkok and Hanoi as they are the
best mode of transport. They have added
competition so there is more choice and
have made things better in my opinion.MartynSinclair
September 7, 00:K1ngston
September 10, 08: