Im Fat can i get two seats ???

[georgiageorge]

Well..let me introduce myself,im a overweight middle aged male from Sydney,yes I thought I would put the overweight thing in because this is one of the reasons I want Business Class.

Well i went to a travel agent and wanted to book a flight to Bangkok the next day or anytime that week .
(im currently on holidays from work for 3 months so can leave anytime)

Well omg he wanted most fares $3500 Return to Bangkok and if I left the next day $4300.
Well I told him I did think if I left the same day as booking I would get a big discount ?
Isnt that right that if i go to book a Business Class flight that morning for the afternoon the prices would be lower?
Is it possible to go on standby ???
How do i go on standby , do i just ring a Airline up in the morning and say im ready to leave anytime and sit and wait for their telephone call ???

Second Question is if im overweight would it be cheaper to book two economy seats??
According to the travel agent i spoke to on the phone he disagreed saying taxes wete double?
ANYWAY thanks everyone.

 

[clazman]

A lot of airlines charge like wounded bulls for flights on the day / next day always with the assumption that you are desperate.

I have found Lastminute accommodation, flights & holidays. Save up to 70% at lastminute.com.au as an option for cheaper flights close to date, but be careful getting the ticket issued through a third party site can cause issues.

Thought about Premium Economy?

 

[Glider_]

Clazman is right, if you want to book at the last minute the airline assumes you desperately need to go RIGHT NOW, so will take advantage by charging maximum fares. The big discounts come months earlier when they're trying to get bums on seats and when they know people have plenty of choices of airlines and schedules.

I would think (but don't know for sure) that two economy seats would cost less than one business class seat in most cases. Yes you may be paying the taxes twice (EDIT: this apparently isn't the case), but I'm pretty sure Business class is usually much more than 2x the economy fare.

It might be worth ringing your preferred airline direct to their telephone reservations call centre. They may be able to offer you a discounted second economy 'comfort seat', or if the flight is not busy, block the economy seat next to you for no charge. Dealing with the airline direct can give you a better chance of a special arrangement when it comes to things like 'passengers of size' (that's the charming PC way the yanks describe your situation).
I haven't tried this myself but have read about it happening in the US. Worth a try.

 

[anat0l]

It is almost unlikely that a ticket bought on the same day or mere hours before a flight will be cheap, let alone cheaper than buying it some time in advance. The reasoning for most airlines is that people who buy at the last minute are usually desperate, i.e. something sudden just happened. It's not likely someone who had planned to go on that day would wait until the day to buy their ticket.

Many people say that if they had just flogged the remaining seats at low prices, they would at least get something for the seats that they wouldn't otherwise have got because it wasn't sold. However, if everyone started to know this, then everyone would just wait until the last minute to buy a seat.

Going on standby / waitlist used to be the in thing until some time ago now; standby tickets (paying something in hope that you can fill a no-show, potentially cheaper than a standard ticket) are almost unheard of now. It's useful if you're trying to get a seat on a full flight and have already paid your reservation as such, but even waitlisting isn't very common these days. Even if this were possible anyway, it's not a way to get a cheap (or free) ticket.

Several airlines will allow you to buy two seats for yourself, though you'll need to check (usually by calling) each airline for the relevant procedure. For example, after making a booking with Qantas, if you call the Qantas customer centre they can talk you through arranging the purchase of an extra seat for comfort. Assuming seats are still available at the same price point of your existing ticket, the comfort seat should cost less than the existing one; some information I found says that Qantas charges for the standard fare less the taxes and fees due. In the case of Qantas, I believe your comfort seat also earns you status credits and points.

As mentioned, you can also try calling the airline to have the seat next to you blocked. This is usually free of charge and a privilege reserved for high status frequent flyer members. Note however that if the flight ends up being full, you may lose the blocked seat.

I'd wager that most of the time, two Economy seats will be cheaper than one Business (or even Premium Economy) seat, but you may want to check each time anyway as the difference may vary considerably enough for you to just give in and pay the higher class of service.

If you're thinking of doing regular Business Class travel, start to consider some of the moderately lucrative frequent flyer schemes that may enable you to fly Business Class more often without needing to pay considerable amounts for the standard cash tickets.

 

[medhead]

Yes you can buy two seats, for Qantas and virgin Australia at least. Internationally it should be cheaper than business. They also only charge one set of taxes since those are levied on the number if people flying not the number of seats on an aircraft. So the travel agent was wrong on that point. Was it flight centre?

Edit: I would recommend calling the airline (Qantas) and buying your seat and the comfort seat at the same time, together. At least that is how I've done it.

 

[juddles]

Well..let me introduce myself....

welcome to the fórum georgiageorge!

Within two hours of your post you have been given excellent, up-to-date advice. This is how it goes here

Wish you well and happy travels!

 

[Steady]

Does a paid "comfort seat" entitle the purchaser to receive a second meal and baggage allowance?

 

[Spongbob]

Does a paid "comfort seat" entitle the purchaser to receive a second meal and baggage allowance?

The second meal might add to the sizeable pax issues?

 

[serfty]

WHat carrier?

Qantas have a documented policy: Purchasing an extra seat for personal comfort

Purchasing an extra seat for personal comfort

Question

Can I purchase an extra seat for personal comfort?

Answer

Yes. Call your local Qantas office for more information about purchasing additional seats for personal comfort. Seat belt extensions can also be requested if required.

You can earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points for the extra seat subject to current Frequent Flyer terms and conditions.

More discussion here:

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....yer-program/sc-ff-points-earn-when-29006.html

 

[prozac]

Welcome to AFF georgiageorge, or გამარჯობა და მივესალმები if you are indeed from Georgia...Tbilisi?

Booking some Amex complimentary seats the other week the Amex travel person indicated they had 14 seats available on the plane. She indicated that Amex buy seat allocation and then it is up to them if they are filled or not. This got me thinking if perhaps Amex Travel could offer a better deal on a last minute seating when they had empty seats remaining just before a flight? Sorry for the OT but a considered response from one of the brains-trust might also answer georgiageorge's question.