Bestjet is cheaper! Horror! Now the dilemma...

[bhazelbrown]

So I've been waiting months for the Spring Earlybird special email to arrive from SIA. We are planning to go to UK again early 2016. Flexible on dates, but don't want snow!

So checking the email, it says $1744 MEL to LHR. Can i find one flight that has that price??? Cheapest I can find is $1940.

So I check the wonderful new AFF Cheap flights guide, and they have SIA via Bestjet at $1823. That's better. But I'm a sheltered soul and have only ever booked through SIA so far. I'm scared.

Questions: Is Bestjet reliable and safe with my $$ for 6 months? Can we select seats? Will it work out alright, or will I regret saving $100 per seat on the reseller.

Has anyone got experience with Bestjet?

Thanks to all...

 

[Kangarucci]

No experience, but if you are ok dealing with FC, ask them to price match.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

So I've been waiting months for the Spring Earlybird special email to arrive from SIA. We are planning to go to UK again early 2016. Flexible on dates, but don't want snow!

So checking the email, it says $1744 MEL to LHR. Can i find one flight that has that price??? Cheapest I can find is $1940.

So I check the wonderful new AFF Cheap flights guide, and they have SIA via Bestjet at $1823. That's better. But I'm a sheltered soul and have only ever booked through SIA so far. I'm scared.

Questions: Is Bestjet reliable and safe with my $$ for 6 months? Can we select seats? Will it work out alright, or will I regret saving $100 per seat on the reseller.

Has anyone got experience with Bestjet?

Thanks to all...

Can't answer for bestjet - but we booked an SQ flight yesterday via Helloworld (which I think took us to another site again). While the fare was $290 cheaper than SQ... they charged a $122 surcharge for using Visa, and $244 for AMEX! Which brought the price to the same as SQ would have charged anyway.

Immediately on booking via third party we got a reference for SQ and could go on line immediately to the SQ website and select seats/choose meals.

So if you do use a third party - check credit card fees (if any).

 

[bhazelbrown]

Thanks for both answers - I check product review for Bestjet, and there were a few negative comments. Thanks for the advice on Helloworld, I recall SIA charge $25 for a card payment, so it might work out easiest that way. I found a better way on the SIA website to find the cheaper flights, so I now have some better idea when they approach the sale price, looks like March and May at the moment. So we'll probably go thru SIA in the end.

 

[albatross710]

Bestjet:
I booked an SIA itinerary with them earlier this year in May. Price was the best which had been identified through Skyscanner. Tix was issued from Bestjet and available to view on my Krisflyer login within a few minutes? Didn't need to speak to anyone or follow-up.

Helloworld:
This time Skyscanner pointed me to Helloworld which had the best deal on the Qantas airfare that I needed. No need to talk to any Helloworld staff. Gave my traditional TA the chance to price match, which they did but then wanted to add card fees. In the end, Helloworld was 5% on the itin.

My Bricks and Mortar TA
I've had two travel agents helping me in the past 18 months. Corporate Traveller did exactly what I asked and charged me extra each time for this service. Gave up on them as there was zero value add in my process. My other Brisbane based agent is doing OK but mucked me around passing me around a few too many part time staff and we missed the lower available fare. Even with these guys I'm able to offer a more cost effective fare than they will first offer.

Alby

 

[Trusty]

I've booked with BestJet on at least 10 occasions and never a moments concern.

 

[Saab34]

Avoid.

Flight site’s link to failed airline

 

[albatross710]

Avoid.

Flight site’s link to failed airline

My personal experience was simple and completed without issue. Trusty says he has had good experiences too.

There is definitely some online sabotage going on. A casual reader of this tripadvisor page would think the company is pretty bad. When you look at the post count of all the complaints, most whom have a "1" count always tells me that most of the posts are bogus. Seems there is someone with a strategy to discredit them. I'd love to know their IP address.

Lots of online companies enter the market by offering a price advantage which then gradually diminishes as they build their satisfied customer base.

Alby