Cheap Flexi Saver

[azza_1992]

Just wondering what is going on here?

Why would Qantas bother offer there best economy tickets at the cheapest price. I am part of a 40 piece group travelling on that flight presumedly with the cheapest possible economy tickets. Could that be inflating the Red-E-Deal and Sale Fare prices?

 

[Mal]

Doesn't make sense to me from the quick checks I've made.

Both the flights to SYD and SYD-SIN are all showing good availability in various cheap classes.

Website bug maybe?

Edit - Actually, thinking about it a bit more - is this a one way ticket? If that was the case, the cheapest ticket would be in 'B' class normally, which wouldn't be cheap. Perhaps the website is trying to integrate some other fares into the equation (eg BNE-SYD on a red-e-deal, then SYD-SIN on a Flexisaver) or similar, hence not representing the prices correctly.

 

[azza_1992]

Also strange that a Sale Fare return trip can be made for $1300 total. A sale fare one way trip is $1361.

 

[bambbbam2]

This problem happens often on long weekends etc.. Y more expensive than J for example.

I have raised it several times but never really got a satisfactory explanation.

 

[oz_mark]

This problem happens often on long weekends etc.. Y more expensive than J for example.

I have raised it several times but never really got a satisfactory explanation.

The reason for this occurrence has been explained to you several times. Basically through fares are used when the same class is used on both sectors. If they are different classes then they are the sum of the two components.

In the case stated in the first section - note that red-e-deal and sale fares are not one way fares. Qantas does not at this point offer one way pricing on these, so you are actually paying the current return fare, even though only booking a one way (although taxes etc affect this.)

 

[anat0l]

In the case stated in the first section - note that red-e-deal and sale fares are not one way fares. Qantas does not at this point offer one way pricing on these, so you are actually paying the current return fare, even though only booking a one way (although taxes etc affect this.)

That's a tad complicated. Had you had no idea to try booking a return to 'check' the prices, you could easily be suckered out paying "twice" as much as you should for a one way ticket.

On the other hand, if you are chancing an upgrade, this isn't so bad! (But seriously, upgrades on international sectors are hard enough to get, even with status - of which I do not have so I have 1 x 10^-(infinity) chance!)

Y > J is not too uncommon; on Trans-Tasman special I fares (discount Business) certainly Y > I in many cases. Which is great since you'd have to be a nut to then book Y. (Paying the change fee for I pretty much breaks even with Y; only cheese is no refunds/credit only...)

 

[serfty]

Simple, the Flexi-Saver fare rules allows 'free' defined connection cities routings at the one price; with segments additional fuel fines and taxes are charged as appropriate. That's why the direct "Flexi" fare is $39 less than BNE-SYD-SIN flight and $30 less than via MEL.

The costs for the segments in the Sale/Red e-deal/Super saver routings are added together, so you have the total of two fares In this case it's often coming out higher than the flexible fare.

 

[serfty]

More on this; the direct flight fare code is "BKFFOW" which has a base cost of $1051 and $188 in

.

This allows for the following routing:

BNE-SIN FRI-19SEP08 QF                                         
TAXES/FEES NOT INCLUDED                                        
ADULT FARES                                                    
     CX    FARE   FARE     C  AP  MIN/    SEASONS...... MR GI DT
           AUD    BASIS             MAX                        
  1  QF  1051.00  BKFFOW   B    |         19SEP8-09OCT8 R  EH  
                                                               
SPECIFIED          ROUTE: 0614                                 
BNE(QF/BA)SIN                                                  
BNE-SYD/ADL(QF/BA)SIN                                          
BNE(QF/BA)SYD/MEL/BNE/ADL-HKG/DPS(QF/CX/GA/SQ)SIN              
BNE(QF/BA)SYD/BNE/MEL/PER(QF/BA)SIN                            
BNE(QF/BA)SYD-SIN                                              
BNE-SIN                                                        
BNE-HKG(CX)SIN                                                 
BNE-HKG/DPS(QF/CX/GA/SQ)SIN

Now, the base one way fare SYD/MEL-SIN is this $1051 BKFFOW fare. The Sale fare BNE-SYD is OSXI with a base cost at $83.

Add this $83 to the $1278 Flexi fare for the BNE-SYD-SIN route and you get $1361 - the same as that for the "Sale Fare".

What this means is that on the Sale fare you travel BNE-SYD in O class for $83

and SYD-SIN in B class for $1051

.

 

[oz_mark]

On the other hand, if you are chancing an upgrade, this isn't so bad! (But seriously, upgrades on international sectors are hard enough to get, even with status - of which I do not have so I have 1 x 10^-(infinity) chance!)

Well, then I scored. I got an op-up to Premium Economy last week

As to the topic at hand though, fare calculations are driven by a whole set of rules, and when you start connecting etc., the fare rules can have a significant impact on the price. There is a reason most anomolies people point out involve a connection somewhere